Overview
Globalsat are well known for producing quality Bluetooth devices. This time they have created a "family" of Bluetooth audio devices matched to each other to create a perfect wireless aural experience. The Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Audio Gateway are available individually or combined in a special Bluetooth Entertainment Pack.
This review features the BT Entertainment pack and the BT Dongle. The individual components may be slightly different.
Although the main marketing for the BT audio system is targeted largely at iPODs and MP3 players it is equally suitable for use with PDAs, and SmartPhones. I have a couple of XDAs, a whole host of iPAQs, a couple of SmartPhones, and of course a laptop PC, it seems an ideal set of gear to test the new Globalsat BT devices on.
Will the Bluetooth Audio System live up to my expectations? Read on to find out.
Compatibility
The Globalsat Bluetooth Entertainment Pack is of course perfectly matched to each other all that is required is an audio device MP3, iPOD, or PDA with a 3.5mm stereo output jack. The individual components are defined below
The Globalsat BTH-820 Bluetooth headset supports the Bluetooth 1.2 specification with the following Bluetooth Profiles
HS - Headset
HFR - Handsfree
A2DP - Advanced Audio Distribution Profile
AVRCP - Audio Video Remote Control Profile
The Globalsat BTA-830 Bluetooth Audio Gateway also supports the Bluetooth 1.2 specification and presents the A2DP Advanced Audio Distribution Profile.
The Globalsat BTA-806 Bluetooth dongle is Bluetooth v2.0 compliant and enables the following Bluetooth profiles:
SYNC - Synchronisation Profile
SPP - Serial Port Profile
HCRP - Hardcopy Replacement Profile
PAN - Personal Area Network
OPP - Object Push Profile
LAP - Lan Access Profile
HID - Human Interface Device
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
FAX - Fax Service
A2DP - Advanced Audio Distribution Profile
AVRCP - Audio Video Remote Control Profile
DUN - Dial Up Networking
BIP - Basic Image Profile
OK thats the boring techy bits out of the way. Hopefully I can explain what some of that jargon really means in a little while...
The Bluetooth Audio Review
For me the most useful device is the BTH-820 headset. As this supports headset, hands free and audio profiles it should pair up (pun intended) well with PDAs and SmartPhones.
It is 2.5x1x0.5 inches, which is about the size of my thumb, slightly smaller than my Creative MuVo 200 MP3 player. It has an internal rechargeable battery, which is charged via a mini USB interface.
The headset is a standard 3.5mm jack and of course you can replace the supplied headset with any of your choice. See later in the in use section.
As the BTH-820 supports a number of different Bluetooth Profiles there are buttons to control the various functions available.
The Globalsat Bluetooth Audio in use
Initially I used the Bluetooth Entertainment Pack in the configuration it is marketed in: on my iPOD. Now despite my figure I do actually do quite a lot of physical activity down the gym or on my pushbike. In the gym it is very tedious cycling or running on the exercise machines and I find that my music helps me get through the 45 minutes of physical torture a little easier. The main problem is that the iPOD is quite large and the cable is always snagging on things. I am often concerned that one day the whole lot will get caught and go flying.
Replacing the wired headphones with the BTA-830 and the BTH-820 allows me to keep the iPOD in my kit bag but still listen to then music with no fear of the valuable iPOD taking a short and expensive trip across the gym. The drawback with the BTA-830 Audio Gateway is that there is only the audio output, and no remote control. This can be overcome by having a number of suitable playlists for the workout.
The sound quality produced is very acceptable. I am used to having over the ears type of headphones rather than the ear bud type. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and the noise isolation, but even more surprising was the comfort of the headphones.
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