Making
the wired wireless.
Bluetooth
headphones are exceptionally useful. Not only are they more
convenient, enabling you to move feely about while listening to your
media without having to lug your player about with you, they free you
from the tangling and unsightly world of wires. However, most older
model TVs don't feature Bluetooth, so if you're hoping to enjoy some
personal viewing with headphones, looks like you'll need one very
long wire. Fortunately Mee Audio have a product that will help,
modernising even the most traditional of tellies. We review the MEE Audio Connect Bluetooth Transmitter.
The Connect is essentially a teeny tiny little gadget that plugs into your TV and gives it Bluetooth connection abilities. You'll be able to connect up to two separate pairs of wireless headphones to it, allowing you (and a friend) to watch TV very loudly, without disturbing the whole house. Sounds good? It is.
The device itself is alarmingly small at just a couple of inches across. The surprising element is that it contains a rechargeable battery, which is juiced up via the Micro USB port on the back. This means you don't have to worry about powering it while hooked up to your TV, and it also makes it easy to use while travelling or in a hotel. One charge provides a total of 12 hours of non-stop use (ten hours if using two pairs of headphones), with a standby time of 44 hours. Impressive.
There
are three ways to hook your TV up to it; via an optical cable, a
3.5mm headphone cable, and also the standard RCA cables. And yes, all
three kinds are included in the box, so no matter what kind of ports
your TV has, you're sure to connect really easily. And once plugged
in, it's all about the Bluetooth.
The
MEE Audio Connect Bluetooth Transmitter uses Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX
Low Latency. This makes it very clear and crisp, with absolutely no
perceptible lag. Using it felt very much like using Bluetooth
headphones with a modern phone or tablet, and we had it hooked up to
an older model Panasonic TV! Connecting took just seconds, and the
range was more than enough to completely cover the living room, and
beyond.
But
the uses for the MEE Audio Connect Bluetooth Transmitter go beyond
just making your TV wireless. Last week we reviewed the Groov-e RetroVinyl Record Player, something designed for listening to older
records. If you wanted to, you could hook up this gadget to something
like that, and hear the pops and crackles and of vinyl wirelessly.
This
is a fantastic bit of kit that worked very well. If you were looking
to upgrade your TV purely to get one with Bluetooth, don't – get
this instead.
£54.99
£54.99