Recommendations for a Bluetooth receiver with 3.5 mm audio jack output

[connda]

It seems my new Samsung doesn't has a 3.5 mm audio output jack which from what I'm reading is becoming rather standard.
Now you either buy a set of headphones that connect via a USB-C connector, or go Bluetooth with either BT earbuds or a BT receiver with a 3.5mm audio jack.  My own choice would be a Bluetooth receiver that I can plug my standard audio headphones into, or connect to my external speakers which are not Bluetooth.

Any recommendations on a decent quality Bluetooth audio receiver? 

[sometimewoodworker]

While you can certainly get a Bluetooth receiver that does what you want you will loose quality by doing that. My personal preference is to use a usb-c dongle, either a pure usb-c to 3.5mm jack, but better is one of these

 

If I wasn’t clear a direct 3.5mm connection is better quality than any Bluetooth connection.

Edited May 10, 2023 by sometimewoodworker

[connda]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

While you can certainly get a Bluetooth receiver that does what you want you will loose quality by doing that. My personal preference is to use a usb-c dongle, either a pure usb-c to 3.5mm jack, but better is one of these

 

If I wasn’t clear a direct 3.5mm connection is better quality than any Bluetooth connection.

The USB-C to 3.5mm Audio is a good idea and I'll buy one of those for sure, but the drawback is that if your battery is low and you need to charge?  Well you can't listen via headphones and charge at the same time.  Can you make any recommendations on a brand/model of USB-C to 3.5mm audio dongles and a supplier (Lazada etc.)

I've read a couple of articles like this one which analyzes Bluetooth audio.
(Mods if for some reason this link isn't allowed please just edit it out...thx).
https://www.lifewire.com/what-to-know-about-bluetooth-3134591

The fact is I don't listen to too much music and the head phones are primarily used to listen to audio books, so top-end audio quality isn't my end-goal.

So with that said, I'm still planning on purchasing a Bluetooth receiver - so I'm still looking for recommendations from anyone who has experience with these gadgets (I don't). 

The other thing that Bluetooth may be useful for is playing my guitar.  I usually don't connect to my amp as I hate the cords stretching across the room.  But using a transceiver at the amp (Fender Mustang LT25) to use with my headphones via a dongle would be cool.  It would also be cool to connect my guitar to my amp wirelessly.  I've never really looked in to wireless audio before, but it seems to have its purposes and advantages even at the expense of a little loss in quality.  I really do dislike all of the cords laying all over the room. 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by connda

[Mickeymaus]

Something like this below? Watch the video. Obviously two options. Sound to a receiver and sound to speakers / headphones. 

 

https://s.lazada.co.th/s.jVZjq

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Mickeymaus

[ballpoint]

Be aware that most phones (including Samsung ones) without a 3.5mm audio output don't have a built in Digital Analogue Converter (DAC), so buying just any old USB C to 3.5mm socket may not work.  Make sure it says it has a DAC built in.

 

Something like this (which I can recommend, as I have bought two of them, one for home and one in my travel bag:

 

KEYSION HIFI DAC หูฟัง Amplifier USB Type C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack audio adapter 32bit 384kHz Digital Decoder AUX Converter | Lazada.co.th

 

 

[KannikaP]

23 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Something like this below? Watch the video. Obviously two options. Sound to a receiver and sound to speakers / headphones. 

 

https://s.lazada.co.th/s.jVZjq

 

For Bht 51 I cannot envisage it being any good, limited range, delay  and poor sound quality.

[Mickeymaus]

26 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

For Bht 51 I cannot envisage it being any good, limited range, delay  and poor sound quality.

Of course cable is better. On the other hand, most here are older people. Take a frequency hearing test and see the often disappointing results as you get older. And perhaps Tinnitus. No need for high end devices then anymore.

 

By the way - my Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus LTE with Android 11 has a hearing test in the settings where you can adjust the frequencies to your hearing. Look at your device. Perhaps there is something like this in the sound settings too. 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Mickeymaus

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Of course cable is better. On the other hand, most here are older people. Take a frequency hearing test and see the often disappointing results as you get older. And perhaps Tinnitus. No need for high end devices then anymore.

 

By the way - my Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus LTE with Android 11 has a hearing test in the settings where you can adjust the frequencies to your hearing. Look at your device. Perhaps there is something like this in the sound settings too. 

 

Point taken Mr Maus. I have a signal generator app on my PC and after 50 years on the road as a musician, can you believe  I can only hear up to 11kHz, even through my M Audio Studio monitors. Drives the little 'un and the dog mad when I try to go higher.

I even blew one of the tweeters in my expensive Paradigm speakers trying to hear more top end. You learn to live with these things. A bit like only lasting a few minutes on the job, or alternatively taking all night to do the works!   555   Cheers.

Edited May 10, 2023 by KannikaP

[Moonlover]

I don't have a TV and only watch programmes via my laptop. Like most of us around here my hearing has deteriorated so music, sadly is off the menu now.

 

I use a pair medium priced blue tooth headphones which I find perfectly adequate for TV programmes and films. The battery seems to have quite a long life. It hasn't died on me yet, although I have to say I don't spend that much time sat watching programmes.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i1835746957-s5546730097.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

Edited May 10, 2023 by Moonlover

[Digitalbanana]

I just use Bluetooth ear buds, the sound quality of today's products far surpasses anything of old I had using cables.

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, connda said:

The USB-C to 3.5mm Audio is a good idea and I'll buy one of those for sure, but the drawback is that if your battery is low and you need to charge?  Well you can't listen via headphones and charge at the same time. 

You absolutely can if you use the dongle in my picture. Didn’t you notice the usb-c socket?

[KannikaP]

14 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You absolutely can if you use the dongle in my picture. Didn’t you notice the usb-c socket?

Yes, but is that not to power the Dongle. Or does it have a 'Through' to the phone charging usb socket?

[sometimewoodworker]

44 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Yes, but is that not to power the Dongle. Or does it have a 'Through' to the phone charging usb socket?

The usb-c socket passes power through the dongle to the usb plug. The 3.5mm socket does not need power to enable it. As you can see with the other dongle which is a pure usb-c to 3.5mm socket there is no power required.

 

It is probably possible to find a dongle that provides power to a pre-amp 3.5mm socket however if there are ones like that they will be rather specialised and and rather expensive.

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The usb-c socket passes power through the dongle to the usb plug. The 3.5mm socket does not need power to enable it. As you can see with the other dongle which is a pure usb-c to 3.5mm socket there is no power required.

 

It is probably possible to find a dongle that provides power to a pre-amp 3.5mm socket however if there are ones like that they will be rather specialised and and rather expensive.

Surely only an audio signal comes out of the 3.5mm jack socket, no power at all.

[sometimewoodworker]

7 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Surely only an audio signal comes out of the 3.5mm jack socket, no power at all.

That is partially correct but every audio signal as a degree of power unless it is via a Toslink Optical Audio Cable.

However if you can find the kind of specialist adapter/dongle that I described the power and impedance of the audio signal is able to be boosted. 
Headphones or wired ear buds require a higher power than a line output.

 

So in short all 3.5mm audio sockets provided a powered audio output.

[sometimewoodworker]

[connda]

On 5/10/2023 at 4:47 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

You absolutely can if you use the dongle in my picture. Didn’t you notice the usb-c socket?

Ah-hah!  Yeah, I didn't notice that.    Thx!  Cool!

[Moonlover]

On 5/10/2023 at 2:11 PM, Mickeymaus said:

Of course cable is better. On the other hand, most here are older people. Take a frequency hearing test and see the often disappointing results as you get older. And perhaps Tinnitus. No need for high end devices then anymore.

Yep, I've just done a comparative sound check between cable and BT and couldn't detect any discernable difference. Like you say, for us older folk, it ain't worth fussing about.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

Yep, I've just done a comparative sound check between cable and BT and couldn't detect any discernable difference. Like you say, for us older folk, it ain't worth fussing about.

Sad indeed whoever posted that emoji. I can no longer enjoy my beloved music collection. ????

[Mickeymaus]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

Yep, I've just done a comparative sound check between cable and BT and couldn't detect any discernable difference. Like you say, for us older folk, it ain't worth fussing about.

A friend of mine is 83 and bought a new aircon. Whenever you press a button on the remote there is a loud confirmation beep from the aircon. When I explained the settings to him he couldn't hear this beep. Nothing.

 

I also bought headphones for him for watching TV. His neighbours are very happy now and he has now no problems to understand what is shown on the TV. I am afraid my hearing will not get better too. But as long as I can hear the bar noise here in Central Pattaya every night...

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

Yep, I've just done a comparative sound check between cable and BT and couldn't detect any discernable difference. Like you say, for us older folk, it ain't worth fussing about.

Same as many people cannot hear any difference, and in fact prefer, mp3 over flac.

[KannikaP]

On 5/10/2023 at 6:15 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

That is partially correct but every audio signal as a degree of power unless it is via a Toslink Optical Audio Cable.

However if you can find the kind of specialist adapter/dongle that I described the power and impedance of the audio signal is able to be boosted. 
Headphones or wired ear buds require a higher power than a line output.

 

So in short all 3.5mm audio sockets provided a powered audio output.

I think you are confusing the 5 volts going through the dongle in order to power the phone, and audio power, which will vary, as you said, with the impedance of the connected device, phones needing to be driven whereas a line output supplies a small signal which is then amplified by ....the amplifier. 

[Dan O]

I have a Zealot s32 bluetooth speaker that is as good as my Sonos Bluetooth speaker back in the USA for a fraction of the cost. It has slots for usb, sd cards or various sizes and a couple different models have other feature like pairing speakers and a RCA jack plug.  Lazada or Shopee has them and also some of the mall stores have them.  

[Moonlover]

52 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

But as long as I can hear the bar noise here in Central Pattaya every night...

I think I'd rather go stone deaf than listen to that every night!

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I think you are confusing the 5 volts going through the dongle in order to power the phone, and audio power, which will vary, as you said, with the impedance of the connected device, phones needing to be driven whereas a line output supplies a small signal which is then amplified by ....the amplifier. 

I am not in anyway conflating the dongle power pass through (incidentally it is USB-C so often significantly higher than 5V, at 20V maximum it is USB-A that is limited to 5V) with the power supplied by the amplified signal via the the 3.5mm jack

[KannikaP]

5 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I am not in anyway conflating the dongle power pass through (incidentally it is USB-C so often significantly higher than 5V, at 20V maximum it is USB-A that is limited to 5V) with the power supplied by the amplified signal via the the 3.5mm jack

I said 'confusing', as I don't know what 'conflating' means.

But NO POWER as such goes out of the 3.5 jack except an AUDIO signal, which could be called power if you want.

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I don't know what 'conflating' means.

Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas or opinions into one, often in error.
I was aware of your terminology and conflating was a more accurate term than confusing, I was never confused.

 

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

But NO POWER as such goes out of the 3.5 jack except an AUDIO signal,

The audio signal for headphones is of a greater power than the line signal as it it is boosted by the preamplifier. 
ALL AUDIO SIGNALS have an amount of power otherwise your unpowered ear buds or headphones would be inaudible, and line outputs would not need amplifying. That you seem to think that a charging current of say 2A at 5V is the only kind of power that is real, doesn’t change the fact that virtually all audio signals must of necessity  be powered, that the power is measured in milliamperes or micro amps does not change the fact of the power being transmitted.

 

THE ONLY unpowered (though even that is actually powered) transmission is via TOSLINK but then you must have powered senders and receivers. 
 

All Audio signals are powered, not because I want to call them that but because of physics.

Edited May 12, 2023 by sometimewoodworker

[KannikaP]

10 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas or opinions into one, often in error.
I was aware of your terminology and conflating was a more accurate term than confusing, I was never confused.

 

The audio signal for headphones is of a greater power than the line signal as it it is boosted by the preamplifier. 
ALL AUDIO SIGNALS have an amount of power otherwise your unpowered ear buds or headphones would be inaudible, and line outputs would not need amplifying. That you seem to think that a charging current of say 2A at 5V is the only kind of power that is real, doesn’t change the fact that virtually all audio signals must of necessity  be powered, that the power is measured in milliamperes or micro amps does not change the fact of the power being transmitted.

 

THE ONLY unpowered (though even that is actually powered) transmission is via TOSLINK but then you must have powered senders and receivers. 
 

All Audio signals are powered, not because I want to call them that but because of physics.

OK,you think of it as you want.