Testing & Results

Testing Methodology

The purpose of the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth audio receiver is to give wireless bluetooth connectivity to an older or non bluetooth audio device which has an auxiliary in port. After all, why would you want to replace a perfectly good stereo with a substandard device just because it has bluetooth connectivity.

The usage scenarios are vast too, you are not restricted to the PC speakers/iPod dock/HiFi described in the features and specifications. You can also use it on your car stereo or your TV too. Better still, you can get an extra short 3.5mm audio cable (10~15cm) and make your favourite headphones (semi) wireless too. I will discuss these usage scenarios in the results below. Since we are dealing with a wireless device, battery life also comes into play. We want less time charging and more time playing, otherwise it will simply become a chore to use.

Test equipment

• Audio Source: Samsung Galaxy S3 Smartphone

• Audio playback devices:
  • PC Speakers (via line-in)
  • Car stereo
  • Headphones
  • Television

Results

When it comes down to it, nearly any powered audio device you can conceive will have better sound quality than a mobile phone. Speaker technology hasn’t advanced enough yet to provide little phones/tablets or even some laptop speakers with enough depth and volume to satiate our desires. To this end external audio equipment is necessary. This poses the problem of wired connections to a wireless device – we want good sound but we want to remain portable too.

Pairing the M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is simple, there are no pass codes to enter so connection is instant. The hardest part is finding the auxiliary input on your audio playback device. I wasn’t expecting too much from the little M8 Bluetooth Audio adapter in the way of sound but I must say I was pleasantly surprised, this nifty little unit recreated the source almost perfectly. It’s so small too, it’s easy to slip it in your pocket on your way out. Keep it paired to your phone and connect it to your car stereo (or headphones if you’re on foot). Range is very good, I still had playback outdoors at close to 50 feet away.

It makes me laugh that we still have to use wires to make something wireless, although I don’t think we ever will see the day when we can go 100% wireless. The other issue of going wireless is power. The M8 Bluetooth adapter doesn’t have a charging level indicator so it’s difficult to impossible to gauge the time it takes to recharge the internal lithium battery. After draining the battery flat and charging the unit for 2 hours I got an impressive 10 hours playback over the course of two days. There is a 3-beep alert when the battery is getting low which will sound every other minute until you place it on charge.

There is just one issue if you are using the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver with your mobile phone – No microphone. If you get a call you will need to unpair or turn the M8 Bluetooth receiver off with the power switch. Your notification tones will also be played back though whichever speakers the M8 Bluetooth audio receiver is connected to.