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How to Make a Home Stereo Bluetooth Wireless?

  Today, many stereo receivers, CD players, turntables, and other home stereo components come with Bluetooth wireless built-in.

  But what if you have an older home stereo where some or all of the components don’t have Bluetooth capability? Is it possible to make the whole system Bluetooth wireless?

  Yes it is.

  It is quite simple and affordable. In this article, we’ll look at how you can make a home stereo wireless.

  We’ll look at how to make amplifiers, receivers, CD players, turntables, tuners, recorders and powered speakers Bluetooth wireless using a simple Bluetooth adapter like the TaoTronics Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter/Receiver.

  Why make home stereo components wireless?

  There may be many reasons why you want to make your home stereo wireless.

  Maybe you have a traditional stereo rack with a receiver that is connected to speakers and different music sources like a CD player, a tuner, and a turntable. And you want to add the option to stream music wirelessly from your mobile phone to the stereo receiver.

  Or you may have a set of wireless Bluetooth speakers or wireless headphones that you want to connect wirelessly to a traditional music source like a CD player.

  We’ll look at solutions for many different scenarios in a second.

  Bluetooth adapters

  A Bluetooth adapter is a device that connects to your receiver, music source, or powered speakers with a standard cable and transmits or receives a Bluetooth wireless signal.

  The adapter we will look at in this article can be used both as transmitter and receiver. It has a selector that is used to switch between the two modes.

  When a Bluetooth adapter works as a transmitter, it takes the regular analog music signal that is outputted from a music source and converts it to a digital wireless signal that is transmitted through the air by an onboard radio transmitter.

  When a Bluetooth adapter works as a receiver, it capture the wireless music signal in the air and converts it back to a regular analog music signal that can be applied to the standard analog signal inputs on a stereo receiver or powered speakers.

  If you connect a Bluetooth adapter to a music source like a CD player, the adapter has to be set in transmit mode. It will then transmit the music signal wirelessly to Bluetooth wireless speakers or to a Bluetooth capable amplifier/receiver. Or to an amplifier/receiver that is connected Bluetooth adapter that is set in receiver mode.

  If you connect a Bluetooth adapter to an amplifier/receiver or powered speakers, the adapter has to be set in receiver mode. It will then receive the Bluetooth wireless signal from a mobile phone or from a music source with built-in Bluetooth capability. Or from a music source that is connected to a Bluetooth adapter in transmit mode.

  There are many different Bluetooth adapters to choose from. One that is very popular is the TaoTronics Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter/Receiver (Amazon link).

  One thing to be aware of is that there are wireless home audio components that use other wireless protocols than Bluetooth.

  Systems like Apple Airplay and Sonos use the WiFi protocol to transfer the music signal. And not Bluetooth.

  So it is important to make sure that all your gear is Bluetooth compatible to connect it to a Bluetooth.

  How to make a non-wireless amplifier/receiver wireless?

  If you have a traditional stereo amplifier or receiver it is easy to make it Bluetooth capable with a Bluetooth adapter.

  You simply connect the adapter to one of the LINE level inputs on the amplifier/receiver using the RCA female cable that is included with the adapter.

  LINE level inputs are those that are marked LINE, AUX, TAPE, CD, TUNER, and so forth. Just choose one of the inputs that are available.

  Set the adapter in RX mode. We want to use the adapter as a receiver in this case.

  You then have to pair the adapter to the music source by following the included instructions and you are ready to stream music wirelessly to the amplifier/receiver from a Bluetooth compatible source like for instance a mobile phone.

  The user manual that is included with the adapter will explain the pairing process thoroughly so please refer to the user manual for step-by-step guidance. Or you can watch this YouTube video that explains the process.

  How to make non-wireless music sources wireless?

  If you have a traditional CD player, tuner, tape recorder or other type of music source, it is easy to make it Bluetooth capable with a Bluetooth adapter.

  You simply connect the adapter to the analog signal output on the music source using the RCA female cable that is included with the adapter.

  Set the adapter in TX mode. We want to use the adapter as a transmitter in this case.

  You then have to pair the adapter to the receiver end (headphones, wireless speakers, wireless stereo receiver, etc.) by following the included instructions and you are ready to stream music wirelessly from the music source to the wireless receiver end of choice.

  The user manual that is included with the adapter will explain the pairing process thoroughly so please refer to the user manual for step-by-step guidance. Or you can watch this YouTube video that explains the process.

  PS! I have a separate article on how to make a turntable wireless.

  How to make non-wireless powered speakers wireless?

  If you have non-wireless powered speakers, it is easy to make them Bluetooth capable with a Bluetooth adapter.

  You simply connect the adapter to the analog signal input on the speakers using the 3,5 mm jack or the RCA female cable that is included with the adapter.

  Set the adapter in RX mode. We want to use the adapter as a receiver in this case.

  You then have to pair the adapter to the music source by following the included instructions and you are ready to stream music wirelessly to the powered speakers from a Bluetooth compatible source like for instance a mobile phone.

  The user manual that is included with the adapter will explain the pairing process thoroughly so please refer to the user manual for step-by-step guidance. Or you can watch this YouTube video that explains the process.

  PS! Please check out this article for tips on great wireless powered speakers!

  Pros and cons of wireless Bluetooth music streaming

  Streaming music wirelessly with no cables lying around can be convenient. But it has a few downsides too. Here are the main pros and cons of wireless Bluetooth for music steaming.

  Pros of Bluetooth music streaming

  No (or at least fewer) cablesHome stereo components can be placed more freelyWireless music sources allow for the use of wireless headphonesYou can use your mobile phone as the music source

  Cons of Bluetooth music streaming

  Bluetooth might compromise the sound quality – it is digital and compressedThe pairing process might be tricky for some non-techies Bluetooth adds cost

  End Note / Conclusion

  In this article, we have seen how we can make all the different gear that are commonly found in home stereo setups Bluetooth wireless.

  We recommend the use of one or several TaoTronics Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter/Receiver to make your selected audio component(s) wireless.

  Related questions

  What is the signal range of Bluetooth?

  The max range for Bluetooth is normally about 30 feet.

  What is the signal range of Wi-Fi?

  The max range for Wi-Fi is normally about 300 feet.

  What is the difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi?

  Bluetooth can be considered the “lower-end” technology of the two. Bluetooth has lower bandwidth and lower range than Wi-Fi.

  Bluetooth compress the music signal more than Wi-Fi so the sound quality can be noticeably compromised with Bluetooth.

  Wi-Fi has higher bandwidth than Bluetooth and doesn’t compress the music as much as Bluetooth. Therefore, the sound quality will be better with Wi-Fi.

  Higher quality streaming applications like Apple Airplay, Sonos and Tidal use Wi-Fi technology.

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