How to send Bluetooth audio to non-Bluetooth speakers?

Question

In short, I am looking for a Bluetooth->3.5 mini stereo converter. What is this type of device called, and what are some of the best models (is there a difference in audio quality/lag)?

I wish to connect some speakers (Altec Lansing inMotion IM7), which does not support Bluetooth, to my laptop (Lenovo X301) wirelessly.

Currently, I can connect my laptop's headphone jack to the AUX jack on my speakers via a mini stereo cable. How do I replace this cable with some type of Bluetooth setup?

I am not sure what this Bluetooth device is called. I thought I found something, but it actually does the opposite of what I need (3.5 mini stereo->Bluetooth).

(My OS is Vista Enterprise, if that matters)

Answer 1

What I was looking for was a Bluetooth audio (A2DP) receiver. All Bluetooth headsets qualify; some are designed with a 3.5 mini stereo jack so other wired headsets (or speakers) can be swapped in.

Unfortunately, all many Bluetooth receivers seem to suffer from audio lag. This means video ends up not sync'ing with the audio properly. This may be fixed with the upcoming 3.0 version of Bluetooth. See SHIFT: Why you don't have Bluetooth headphones yet for more info.

Update: I did some more research recently. Bluetooth does not have enough bandwidth to transmit raw audio; it must be compressed in some way. This is why there are lag/video sync issues: in many cases the audio signal is delayed by an extra encoding/decoding step.

There are a couple of ways to avoid this problem:

1. Skip the extra encoding/decoding. If the paired Bluetooth devices both support the codec being played (like MP3 or SBC) the audio signal does not have to be re-encoded. SBC is the only codec mandated by the Bluetooth spec[PDF].
2. Calculate how much lag encoding/decoding will cause, then delay the video signal by that much.

So if you pick your Bluetooth hardware carefully, you may be able to avoid much of that lag. The previously suggested BT3030 seems like it would pair well with the Broadcom Bluetooth chip on my Lenovo X301, but now I am having trouble finding a place to get it.

Answer 2

I believe the Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver should do the trick.

http://www.belkin.com/iwcatproductpage.process?product_id=508754

Answer 3

this is what I am using now to send BT audio to my speakers in my room.

X2-N88

The Jabra BT3030 Dogtag is the rebranded, more expensive version of the same product. Have your pick, both works just as well with no issues whatsoever.