Multi-purpose Bluetooth receivers come rare these days. The most common Bluetooth receivers are usually very one dimensional and don’t provide a true universal feel to it. Furthermore, many of the competing Bluetooth music receivers require being connected to the power outlet and be tethered to the wall, taking away true mobile experience. As rare as they are, Eagletech has come out with a Bluetooth receiver that is Multi-purpose, multi-dimensional without sacrificing portability. If you don’t already know, Eagletech was founded in Taiwan in 1993,has been around for more than 17 years in the computer industry. In recent years, they have expanded to making unique, innovative and high quality audio products to consumers.

Specifications

–          Bluetooth Version 3.0

–          Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP

–          Microphone type: omnidirectional

–          Audio inputs: Bluetooth and 3.5mm

–          Audio outputs: 3.5mm

–          Battery Type: built-in rechargeable battery

Key Features

–          Converts wired speakers and headphones into wireless speaker & speakerphone!

–          Stream music & make hands-free phone calls from laptops and smartphones

–          Roam freely, enjoy good music and make hands free phone calls

–          Great accessory for computer, home audio & mobile user

–          Rechargeable lithium ion battery offers up to 3 hours of music and talk time

Design

The Bluetooth Music receiver is square shaped with rounded edges measures 0.3in x 1.5in x 1.5in weighting only 0.8 ounces.  Front view contains a total of five control buttons, it contains a back button labeled as “<”, has a front button labeled “>”, volume down labeled “-“, volume up labeled “+” and power button in the middle labeled with power symbol, which is also the “play” button and the answer/end phone calls. As you can see, design is very simple and at first glance, it’s easy to understand. It’s also small enough to carry anywhere and very lightweight where it does not become an obstruction. Also, Receiver has 2 audio jacks located in opposite sides; one is on the left side and another on the right. So you can actually have multiple wired headphones and speakers connected at the same time if desired, which is pretty cool. The receiver also includes a micro USB charger, which holds a charge for a total of 3 operational hours.

Performance

We ran a total of Four tests with this device on three different situations. We converted a Home theater system into a Bluetooth receiver, converted a pair of wired Sony headphones into wireless Bluetooth headphones and Headset, and last test, we connected the Bluetooth receiver to the AUX of a car.

For the first test, we connected fully charged Eagletech Bluetooth receiver to Home Theater speakers.  After connecting 3.5mm jacks, we hold power button for 6 seconds (3 seconds to turn on and 3 seconds to turn pairing mode) went to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus Bluetooth settings and select “ARHS50B”, should be similar in any other smartphone or tablet. Once you hear confirmation, it’s ready to go; you can start playing music or any media and start to enjoy. Sound quality is actually pretty good, we blasted up a few songs and all had clear and crisp sound. There was minimal reduction in quality as we can hardly tell the difference from wired to Bluetooth. Additionally, you can make your home theater into a permanent Bluetooth receiver by simply connecting the charger to a power outlet, this will keep Bluetooth receiver on and you can play music as you please.

For second test, we tried connecting the Bluetooth receiver to a pair of wired Sony headphones. Set up is similar to the home theater set up, except we’re connecting the headphone wire to one of the 3.5mm jack in the Bluetooth receiver. After we followed the same pairing process, we started playing music, watching and listening to YouTube videos. As expected, quality is great and sound is spectacular, very impressive as I just turned my inexpensive wired Sony headphones into Bluetooth Headphones, which we know how wireless Bluetooth headphones can be very costly today. We left the music play until the receiver’s battery died, and it lasted a bit more than 3 hours, which feels short but probably adequate enough to listen to music during workouts or going out for a jog.

Another great feature listed in this Bluetooth receiver is that it has built-in microphone. Meaning this device can convert any wired headphones into a headset to make and receive calls. To test this part, I have my wired Sony headset connected to the Bluetooth Receiver and paired with my Smartphone. As I have music playing, I ask one of my co-workers for assistance in calling my cell phone. As I receive phone call, music stops and I can hear my ringtone on headphones.  I answered  the call by pressing the power button once, call quality sounds good with no echo; I can hear the other person pretty clear, although it doesn’t block out background noise that well, still good enough to understand the other person. In the other end, as I speak to the Bluetooth receiver, the other person can hear me well, although not very clear at times. It was still clear enough to understand, overall experience wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough for short and casual conversations.

On the last test, we tried connecting Bluetooth receiver to AUX connection on a car. The main point for this is to convert your car speakers into a Bluetooth speakers as well as using it to make hands-free calls. This is actually great use, since I’m not a big fan of any audio cables, which many times feel like they’re getting in the way, and having a wireless receiver makes it less bulky and looks cleaner. The receiver is connected using the 3.5mm cable included on the AUX. As soon as pairing is complete, you can start listening to music wirelessly. And of course, thanks to the built-in microphone, we can also use receiver as a speakerphone. Although you got to speak louder depending how far your AUX is from the car driver, because remember, you got to talk close to the microphone in order to pick up the sounds clearly, otherwise if speaking from far, sound will be less clear.

Conclusion

The EagletechArian Bluetooth Music receiver has many multi-purpose features and is also very easy to use. In my opinion, calling this just a music receiver seems unfair since it does more than receive music; it also converts regular wired headphones into Bluetooth headsets and speakers into Bluetooth speakerphones.  If you’re looking to have portable Bluetooth audio without paying top price, definitely the Arian Bluetooth receiver is an excellent choice. As far as learning, this is also one of the simplest devices we have come across as it is literally a “plug and pair” Bluetooth device. I tip my hat off to the Engineers at Eagletech for such a portable, multi-dimensional, easy to use great little gadget.

Pros:

–          Portable

–          Good quality

–          Ease of use

–          Multi-use

Cons

–          Battery life