[jfranci3]

I've now tried everything out there. Tried the Blackberry audio Gateway... same result. Works exactly the same as the Bluetrip. The Blackberry version requires a USB power source. I recommend going with the Bluetrip as it's cheaper and cranking up the aux-vol. If you want to play music, add the FII0 E02i (micro USB) or e06 (Mini USB but with more settings/power) headphone amp for more bass. Shorter cables will keep your console cleaner.

[Bobbybmw22]

please keep us posted because i was looking for a wireless way of streaming my tunes through the i drive

[zcasper]

I'm curious how you wired the power for this? The BlueTrip takes the cigarette lighter. How did you power the FiiO?

Zach

Originally Posted by jfranci3

I've now tried everything out there. Tried the Blackberry audio Gateway... same result. Works exactly the same as the Bluetrip. The Blackberry version requires a USB power source. I recommend going with the Bluetrip as it's cheaper and cranking up the aux-vol. If you want to play music, add the FII0 E02i (micro USB) or e06 (Mini USB but with more settings/power) headphone amp for more bass. Shorter cables will keep your console cleaner.

[cinergi]

Hello,

I just found this old thread while doing a Google search. I have an E60 and usually hang out on the bimmerfest forums. I'm having the same problem reported here (lack of bass) using a Tunelink Bluetooth adapter, which is similar to the Griffin Bluetrip. It seems this is a common issue with A2DP Bluetooth adapters. Has anyone has been able to find one that doesn't attenuate the lower frequencies? For me, the convenience of having a wireless link is not worth the reduced sound quality; if I plug my iPhone directly into the Aux input, it sounds great so the problem clearly isn't the Aux input itself.

Thanks,
cinergi

[jfranci3]

If you have an android with Aptx, the htc a200 is the way to go. Otherwise, you'll need a headphone amp to up the bass

[cinergi]

Thank you jfranci3. I've heard of the HTC A200 but I didn't know whether it's any different from the others in terms of sound quality. Can you confirm that it doesn't suffer from the same lack of bass?

It also needs to be charged, but I can deal with that if the sound quality is good.

Thanks

[jfranci3]

If you have a power outlet next to the unit, us a USB charger to charge it.

I think the A200 has a bit more power than the competition. No specs or measurements though. It also has Aptx so more fidelity over tradition Bluetooth. I take it you adjusted the aux-vol, right?

[cinergi]

Yes - I was planning to run a permanent USB charging cable from the A200 to a USB charger plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in the passenger footwell (the E60 has one there - not sure about the E90). That way it's mostly hidden from view. One question - does the A200 produce a hum on the analog output while charging?

I actually have an iPhone 5 that does not support AptX, but does support AAC over A2DP; apparently it works with the A200.

Not sure what you mean about adjusting the Aux volume; is this simply increasing the volume, or a hidden adjustment somewhere? When I installed my Aux input cable, I simply used NCS Expert to code my M-ASK (iDrive) unit to add the Aux option to the menu, but I didn't do anything to adjust the volume. I did notice that the Aux input volume is slightly lower than my other sources (radio, CD and sat radio) so it would be great if there's a hidden adjustment somewhere.

Thanks!
cinergi

[jfranci3]

This is usually quality of the cable. I do not have a hum.

[cinergi]

Uh-oh... Found a review stating that the A200 has low bass output, just like the others. Bummer... I guess I'll go back to my trusty Aux cable.

cinergi

[codysseus]

I bought the BlueTrip and ran into the same bass issues. As recommended here I went ahead and also bought the Fii0. While the amp did help immensely, it also stopped working after one day of use (I blame the Texas heat). Anyway in case anyone else happens upon the same issue, check out aptX receivers if your phone supports it. They made all the difference for me. I bought the Kinivo BTC450 and my only regret is not finding it sooner! Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My cigarette lighter/aux is center console. I attached the BTC450 controller on the left side of the console, installed "Bluetooth connect and Play" on my S5 and configured it to auto launch Spotify but not auto play. If I want to listen to music I just tap the controller and I'm in business. I can even skip tracks without ever pulling my phone out. And if I want to listen to the radio I'm not draining my battery. I'm pretty happy with it. It's almost as good as having a radio with built-in A2DP....

[cinergi]

Cool, thanks for the tip. I'm still struggling with the bass issues. One question - since the Kinivo unit supports both streaming and handsfree profiles, does it mess up the integration with the car's built-in Bluetooth calling system? How do you configure it to continue using the car's system for phone calls and the Kinivo only for music streaming?

Thanks
cinergi

[Wongway]

Originally Posted by cinergi

...How do you configure it to continue using the car's system for phone calls and the Kinivo only for music streaming?

Thanks
cinergi

That's in your own personal phone's settings.

In your phone's bluetooth menu, if you were to have multiple devices connected via bluetooth, you can set device1 to only handle phone calls. Device2 can only handle music, etc.

[cinergi]

Originally Posted by Wongway

That's in your own personal phone's settings.

In your phone's bluetooth menu, if you were to have multiple devices connected via bluetooth, you can set device1 to only handle phone calls. Device2 can only handle music, etc.

I'm not sure whether the iPhone is configurable to do this - I've never had multiple Bluetooth connections with the same profile. Can someone confirm that this works on the iPhone?

Thanks
cinergi

[Wongway]

Originally Posted by cinergi

I'm not sure whether the iPhone is configurable to do this - I've never had multiple Bluetooth connections with the same profile. Can someone confirm that this works on the iPhone?

Thanks
cinergi

Found this on apple's forums dated from 2011. Would be safe to say they kept that capability in all their later phones...

While it's true that the very nature and definition of Bluetooth is a pairing of two devices, you can pair any single device to multiple devices and as long as you're not trying to do the same thing on two devices simultaneously you should be fine.

For example, streaming stereo audio utilizes the A2DP Bluetooth Profile while talking on a phone uses the HSP Bluetooth Profile. So you can be streaming your music to your Jabra BT530 from one device and when you get a call, it should automatically switch over to the phone device (i.e. you can't stream stereo audio while you're on a call - not only would it be difficult to hear the caller, but it defies the definition of Bluetooth).

You shouldn't have any problems listening to music through the Bluetooth FM transmitter and taking calls from your cell phone when both are paired with the Jabra BT530. I would suggest pairing the iPhone first, then the Bluetooth FM transmitter. The iPhone would try to pair using both profiles but the A2DP Profile would then be "taken" by the transmitter.

[cinergi]

Thanks, I will order the Kinivo unit tonight.

cinergi

[Wongway]

Be careful on this one though...

Kinivio does it's CD quality streaming via "aptX" which I don't believe the iPhone supports.

You should still be able to stream music from the iPhone via bluetooth "A2DP", and connect to your car's phone via "HSP", but in this case, you won't fully utilize the Kinivio. (for it's aptX)

edit:
Just so we're clear.
The Kinivio will support A2DP for bluetooth streaming.
You should also be able to hand off to your car's bluetooth for calls.

What you will NOT get is the higher quality aptX streaming capabilities.

[cinergi]

Originally Posted by Wongway

Be careful on this one though...

Kinivio does it's CD quality streaming via "aptX" which I don't believe the iPhone supports.

You should still be able to stream music from the iPhone via bluetooth "A2DP", and connect to your car's phone via "HSP", but in this case, you won't fully utilize the Kinivio. (for it's aptX)

edit:
Just so we're clear.
The Kinivio will support A2DP for bluetooth streaming.
You should also be able to hand off to your car's bluetooth for calls.

What you will NOT get is the higher quality aptX streaming capabilities.

Thanks, I understand that the iPhone will be limited to the A2DP profile because it doesn't support aptX. This is fine; my main reason for buying the Kinivo is to improve the bass response on the device's analog output (which connects to the car's AUX input). With my current Bluetooth streaming device, the bass response is lacking; it seems this is fairly common with these Bluetooth adapters (see previous posts in this thread), and luckily codysseus has found that the Kinivo unit seems to be one of the few that does not have this issue.

cinergi

[codysseus]

cinergi- I'm no BT expert, but I think the sole reason I'm getting an improved bass response with the Kinivo is because of the aptX. I happen to have a phone that supports it (Galaxy S5)... so YMMV if on iPhone

[cinergi]

Originally Posted by codysseus

cinergi- I'm no BT expert, but I think the sole reason I'm getting an improved bass response with the Kinivo is because of the aptX. I happen to have a phone that supports it (Galaxy S5)... so YMMV if on iPhone

I've used my iPhone (which only supports A2DP) in rental cars equipped with integrated Bluetooth audio streaming, and the bass response has been fine, from which I deduce that A2DP is not the problem. My understanding is that the analog amplifiers used in most of these Bluetooth adapters are low-power due to their small size, which primarily affects the bass frequencies (bass requires more amp power than treble). I'm hoping the Kinivo has a better amplifier. If not, it will go on eBay (I only spent $40 CAD on it anyway so it's not a big gamble). I'll report back when I receive it, which should be tomorrow.

Thanks
cinergi

[codysseus]

I'm curious how the Kinivo worked out for you, cinergi. Any luck?

[cinergi]

Thanks for reminding me. Yes, the Kinivo has solved my bass problem and I also like the small controller for pausing/resuming playback and changing tracks. It works very well .

cinergi