a review by Tom Piper
With my vast variety of gadgets and gizmos, I am always looking for a more convenient and reliable way of connecting my many devices to my Macs and iOS devices. I’m on a quest to get shorter cables and more versatile bluetooth connectivity.
Avantronics (www.avantree.com) has come to my rescue with some really cool and handy devices that improve my portability and functionality. They have a hugh collection of products to choose from (over 4 dozen from their 29-page catalog). I choice two items that are very useful to me.
The Avantalk BTTC-200 Bluetooth Audio Transceiver can both transmit and receive at the flip of switch. It handles stereo HD quality audio with a standard 3.5mm audio jack, providing plug-and-play with no additional software required. This clean design is very simple to use and allows your audio devices to send or receive stereo audio via Bluetooth wireless up to 30 feet away. It can turn my iPod, iPhone, iPad, TV, Bose and other amplified speaker systems into Bluetooth enabled audio devices. This includes sound from Bluetooth A2DP enabled mobile phones and all other A2DP enabled audio devices.
After charging it for the first couple hours with the included USB cable, I plugged the transceiver into my Apple iPod 4G nano (on wristband), turned the switch to transmit mode, and paired it to my Avantalk Jogger bluetooth headphones (pairing each to the other was simple without any codes or hesitation). The sound was crisp and clear, reliable up to over 30 feet away. After that, I plugged the transceiver into several other audio sources via the 1/8” standard cable (also included) with excellent results. Then, I switched it to receive mode, plugged the unit into my over-the-ear Pro Koss headphones, paired it to my iPhone 4S, and listened to great music with accurate depth and separation. It worked the same when I plugged the transceiver into my Bose surround-sound system . . . wonderful sound, simple one-button operation (on/off, pairing), plus the TX/RX switch.
Avantree has just released a clever HandiSync keychain compact charge-and-sync folding cable USB-to-30pin iOS connector that I have attached to my iPad bag to always make sure I have a cable to or charge it or my iPhone when on the go. It is small at only 1.5” x 2” x 0.3”, and easy to carry, and compact to store (there is also a USB-to-USBmicro available in the same size). This is smaller than the Scosche, and has a nice rubberized feel to it. I highly recommend this unit too.
The price of these units is $9.99 for the Avantree HandiSync Cable, and $49.99 for the Avantalk Bluetooth Audio Transceiver at http://www.avantalk.com/onlinestore/b2c.php?cid=3. The full Avantree online store will be available soon at (http://www.avantree.com/onlinestore/).
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