• TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
  • Follow
    • Follow
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • google+
    • instagram
    • youtube
Hearst Corporation
  • TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
Forums
  • Register
  • Login
  • Forums
  • Gadgets
  • TV and Home Entertainment Technology
Bluetooth Receiver for Amp
suncity
27-09-2016
Ok, so I bought a cheap (£10) Bluetooth receiver (came with earphones) to use with my Sony Amp. The Amp is about ten years old and doesn't support bluetooth, so I thought this would be a good workaround to stream Spotify to my Amp and speakers.
I also bought a LEFT and RIGHT (white and red - I forget the term) cable.

So I plugged it all in, connected my iPhone to the adapter but the sound came out terrible, as if it were underwater and only picking up certain frequencies. i.e. some songs didn't play the lyrics, only the instruments, etc.

I tried swapping the polarity of white / red, but no joy, same results.

I tried the receiver with the provided earphones and my iPhone combination and it sounded fine. I have a pair of good Headphones which I will try tomorrow.

-----

So, I guess the only difference is:

- The output from the device to the amp, the white/red wires. Could it be these are too cheap and nasty (they cost £2 from eBay).

- Or perhaps the Amp is trying to do something too sophisticated with the input, but I doubt this is the case? But I honestly have no idea? But maybe the device itself isn't up to the task? Device cost £10.

If anybody had any ideas, I would very much appreciate it, thanks, Alan.
gomezz
27-09-2016
Have you tried plugging the iPhone headphone output directly into the same input on the amp as you tried with the Bluetooth receiver using the same cable?
suncity
27-09-2016
No mate, but thank you for the suggestion - it's a great one as it will answer the question as to whether the red/white cables are up to snuff. The wife is sleeping at the moment so I won't crash and bang right now (quite hard to pull the Amp out to get to the back) but I'll do so tomorrow and report my findings. Thanks for the great suggestion.
gomezz
27-09-2016
It may not be the cable but the sockets on the amp (I have a dodgy pair on my old amp) so you could also try a different pair of input sockets. Remembering of course not to use the input designed for connection to a record deck which is expecting a much lower signal level.
chrisjr
27-09-2016
From the sound of it the screen on the phono cable is missing, or the amp input sockets are faulty. What you get if the screen connection is missing is effectively Left minus Right. This cancels out things like the vocals which are equal volume in each channel.

If you get the same effect with the iPhone direct then that would confirm it. If the amp has another input try that to see if it works OK or sounds the same. That will point you to whether it is a cable or amp fault. Otherwise you need to swap the cable for a known good one or try the cable on another system.

There is a small chance it could be the Bluetooth adapter socket but that would affect the headphones in a similar way.
suncity
28-09-2016
Hi guys, did all the tests and it appeared the wires were a t fault. Bought new this morning from Maplins, now all test fine - thanks for the help!

I was going to spend £500 on a new amp until someone suggested the £10 device - what a great work around, so happy
gomezz
28-09-2016
Glad to hear you are sorted. I have a DAB/Internet radio connected to my hi-fi amp which includes Bluetooth connectivity I can use for this sort of thing but I also have a small Bluetooth transmitter/receiver I use in the work van to relay TMS and F1 from my DAB radio to an earpiece as well as through the van radio.
suncity
28-09-2016
Bluetooth is so wonderful

Like I say, my Amp is pretty old now, about ten or so years - but it still performs really well. I know there are better out there - but for me it does great. I was going to get a new one solely for wireless play for devices, so God bless bluetooth May now look into new speakers instead with the money...
gomezz
28-09-2016
That is my problem too. I would need to spend thousands to replace both my existing hi-fi amp and my AV amp with a single amp capable of emulating the audio qualities of both. Instead I can spend a few tens of pounds to keep them both in the game using modern tech.
VIEW DESKTOP SITE TOP

JOIN US HERE

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Hearst Corporation

Hearst Corporation

DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK

© 2015 Hearst Magazines UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 72 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 9EP. Registered in England 112955. All rights reserved.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Complaints
  • Site Map