I purchased both the Belkin Bluetooth Reciever Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver and the BluBridge Receiver from two different locations and was going to return the one that I liked the least. So here is a very quick comparison. In the testing I also had one of my friends give his opinion as well. Here is what we both thought:
Belkin Bluetooth Reciever
Sound Quality: Amazing/Excellent 10/10- sounds just as good if not better than standard wired 3.5mm audio connection
Range: 8/10 Line of sight maybe 20-25ft, although I hear that this also depends on your transmitter, I was using Lenovo s10-3t netbook integrated bluetooth and Iphone 3GS integrated bluetooth as source.
Connectability Ease: 10/10, once you have paired it, it stays plugged in to the wall next to your stereo. Example: I turned off my Lenovo s10-3t netbook, the blue light went out on the belkin receiver showing disconnect, I turned the netbook on a day later, immediately I notice the belkin blue light come back on the belkin receiver, and the connect is so fast that the windows 7 startup sound/chime came in through my stereo. Obviously if you connect your computer to a different bluetooth audio device, you will have to later tell it to reconnect to the belkin. But the whole process is super smooth.
Portability: NOT PORTABLE, stays plugged in to wall, this is also a PLUS, because it always stays very ready for easy connect.
BluBridge 3.5mm Mini-Jack Rx - Receiver
Sound Quality: Excellent 9.8/10, wired and the belkin bluetooth sound were slightly better, it was more of a slightly fuller/richer, slightly louder sound with the belkin or wired connection. Note: it is only very slightly better sound. My friend and I could only tell the difference when we used the same song, same sound source connecting back and forth very quickly. In the BluBridge's defence it produces 9.8/10 sound whether on battery power or connected to usb charging.
Range: 9/10 Line of sight maybe 25-30ft, basically I got an additional 5ft of range from the same bluetooth transmitters. The signal did seem stronger, when I would start to reach the max, the signal would break and then regain clear again for 3-4 more feet if the transmitter was stable. With the belkin as soon as the signal started to break, the signal was gone.
Connectability Ease: 8/10, this is mainly because the unit has a battery power saver that shuts off the device when not in use. So you have to hold down the button on the unit for 7 seconds, then connect with your device (Iphone 3GS or Lenovo s10-3t netbook)
Portability: Extremely and Easily Portable 10/10. I use it off of battery power mostly, I have it plugged into my Harman Kardon Go + Play High-Performance Portable Loudspeaker System with Dock for iPod (Newest Model) which can also operate off of battery power (8-D-cell batteries). Makes for a excellent portable sound source.
Testing: Used the Belkin RockStar 5-Way 3.5-mm Headphone Splitter (White) with Harmon Kardon Go and Play, 2 computer inputs, Belkin bluetooth input, and BluBridge bluetooth input, and Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer. Everything was connected at once and audio was crystal clear, from anysource, this really speaks volumes for the Belkin rockstar. And if your wondering, yes I did play the movie "Gone in 60 seconds" from my HTPC throught the belkin rockstar outputing to both the Logitech z-2300 speakers and the Harmon Kardon Go and PLay at the same time, sounded really good.
Before Very Close scrutinizing side by side testing, I thought I was going to be returning the Belkin, because the range was about 5ft less, and it wasn't portable. And playing with them separately 20min apart I nor my friend could tell a difference in the sound Quality, so it is very slight. But I ended up keeping them both. I recomend the Belkin if you have a stationary high end stereo system and have no need for bluetooth portability with your stereo system. Other wise I recomend the BluBridge 3.5mm receiver if you think you might ever want to hook it up to portable stereo. The Ease of connectiblity at the end of the day with the belkin is what made me keep it.
They are both EXCELLENT PRODUCTS, read details so see which fits your need better, I found a need for both.
PS: at the end of the testing my friend said he is going to buy the BluBridge bluetooth receiver, he like it because the sound quality was still excellent, it was portable, and he liked the look of it. Miccus BluBridge mini-jack Rx: Portable, Bluetooth Music Receiver with Stereo Output (1/8-Inch) for Home and Auto systems
Set up : HTC EVO 4G in Car. Used this device to feed my stereo AUX input to avoid having to connect a 3.5mm jack to my EVO everytime I got into the car
Sound Quality : 5/5. Did some tests with this and a direct connection (with a friend connecting either one way or the other while I had my eyes closed) and I couldn't tell the difference.
Initial Pairing with Phone : 5/5 Very easy as the passcode is 0000, which the phone always tries as a default code, so I didn't even have to type it in.
Connection and Reconnection : 2/5 This is the biggest let down. Once the phone and the device lose contact (ie if you get out of the car to go into a shop, etc) they do not automatically reconnect. Instead you have to press the button on the unit, and also tell the EVO to reconnect. Manageable, but not as slick as my Parrot car kit, which reconnects automatically with no inputs from me.
Device Design : 3/5 Would have been nicer if the 2 wires you need to connect (power/charge and output to AUX) were on the same side of the device. This would have made it easier to mount it in the car
One other issue I had, which is nothing to do with this device itself, and has more to do with your cars electrical wiring, is that I was getting alternator whine through the stereo if I was charging at the same time as playing music. This is a well known phenomenon in car audio and is caused by a ground loop being created between your stereo and the input device. There are multiple correct ways to fix this properly, but I took a short cut and installed a ground loop isolator http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RNNWHC which cured the ground loop and the whining noise - Bluetooth Audio Receiver - Audio Jack Bluetooth Adapter - Bluetooth Stereo - Bluetooth'
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