By Steven Iglesias-Hearst
Manufacturer: A Bitmore, Ltd.
Product Name: Universal Bluetooth Wireless Audio Adapter
Model Number: M8 Bluetooth 3.0
UPC: 6934698501997
Price As Tested: £24.99 (Bitmore)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Bitmore.
Technology will always struggle to keep up with itself. Sometimes this is due to new or better technology replacing old or inefficient technology, and sometimes it is due to planned obsolescence. It’s a policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.
This is where adapters come into play. But they are in themselves a product of planned obsolescence. Take the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver Benchmark Reviews has today for instance; On the one hand it will enable bluetooth connectivity on a wide range of audio devices – and potentially save you from spending lots of money on upgrades, but on the other hand it is another purchase that you wouldn’t have had to make otherwise.
The Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver will prove quite useful to those of us that like to get the most out of their technology. We are conditioned to think that old means useless, but we need to shake off that concept. Has anyone ever told you that things aren’t made like they used to be? Certainly we have made lots of advancement in certain core areas but a lot of things are replaced or superseded with worse or cheaper alternatives.
- Turn your Dock, speakers or Hi Fi (with AUX-in) into a wireless Bluetooth system
- Stream music from any Bluetooth enabled device
- Supports Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile A2DP / AVRCP
- Supports Bluetooth version 4.0 and Bluetooth version 3.0, 2.0+EDR backward compatibility
- High quality 95db SNR DAC’s with 48kHz sample rates for high-fidelity playback
- Frequency Range: 2402Mhz~2480Mhz
- Modulation: GFSK, 1Mbps. 0.5BT Gaussian
- 10m (approx 30ft) transmitting distance – Depending on environment
- Built in lithium battery – Lasts up to 8 hours
- Power consumption: 40mA
- System requirements: Windows or MAC with Bluetooth function or A2DP Bluetooth stereo enabled device
The Bitmore M8 bluetooth audio receiver will save you much more than it will cost, but let’s see exactly what £25 will get for us.
The front face of the M8 Bluetooth audio receiver is quite plain to look at. Apart from the obligatory branding there is a little plastic button with a Bluetooth logo. When you power on the unit the Bluetooth logo will flash blue on and off, and when you connect to a Bluetooth device the logo will remain lit solid. The construction is plastic but it has a soft rubber coating which gives it a quality feel.
The reverse side has info pertaining to the function and ratings of the device.
The reverse label can be removed to reveal a large-ish rubber pad that will ensure to a certain degree that the unit will stay where you put it..
Pretty much self explanatory, The unit is powered on and off by the flick of a switch.
Accessories include a 1m long micro USB charging cable and a 1m long 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack audio cable. The packaging would suggest that there would also be a wall adapter included but there wasn’t one present with this sample. As you can tell, the M8 Bluetooth Audio Adapter is quite small. This will serve in it’s favour I think.
There are two ports on the M8 Bluetooth audio receiver. The micro USB port is for charging the unit, and the 3.5mm audio port is for audio output.
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.
- Audio Source: Samsung Galaxy S3 Smartphone
- Audio playback devices:
- PC Speakers (via line-in)
- Car stereo
- Headphones
- Television
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.
The Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is a really simple little device that will allow you to get extra life out of your existing audio equipment that lacks Bluetooth connectivity. With a short audio cable you can even give your favourite headphones Bluetooth capabilities. The lack of microphone means you need to unpair or use speaker phone when you get a call (if paired to your mobile phone) otherwise the caller won’t hear you.
Once you have paired it with your mobile phone or tablet, you can connect it to any stereo device in your home or car that has an auxiliary input or takes input from a 3.5mm jack. Range is good, you will be out of earshot of the sound before you drop connection. I got a little over 10 hours battery life from a 2 hour charge over the course of two days use, which is more than I can say for my Samsung Galaxy S3.
In this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar product that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself.
The Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver outperformed my expectations. I was expecting lower volume and the Bluetooth compression of lesser devices but what I experienced was so much better. It’s not audiophile quality, but it recreates the source as close to perfect that if you are not listening for it you won’t notice the difference.
The Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is quite plain and unassuming. It wont be winning any design awards but it doesn’t need to. Garish looks would only serve to raise the price anyway. It is nice and small and can be easily hidden which is a bonus in it’s own right.
The Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is made in china and needs to be treated as such. It is very light so dropping it won’t break it and the lightness also serves in it’s favour anyway. The overall construction is above standard, there are no sharp edges or flexing joints, you won’t break it too easily. There is a soft rubber coating to the plastic construction which adds a feeling of better quality.
The Bitmnore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver has but one function – receive Bluetooth audio and play it back. It could benefit from the addition of as microphone but this might also change the price and USP of the unit. The range is more than you will need and the battery life to charge time ratio is excellent too.
Value is a little harder to judge than the other ratings. For £24.99 (Bitmore) you don’t feel like you are getting much for your money. When you weigh that up against purchasing a Bluetooth enabled stereo for your car and home or even bluetooth speakers, then it suddenly feels like you are getting excellent value for money since you also get extended life out of your current audio gear. Thrifty shoppers will be able to find the same device under a different brand name.
After giving much thought to the rating scores I have decided that the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is deserving of our Recommended Product award.
+ Great audio reproduction
+ Fair value for money
+ Lightweight construction
+ 10 hours battery life from 2 hour charge
+ 100ft range outdoors
+ Extends life and function of current audio equipment
+ Simple to use
– No microphone
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Performance: 9.00
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Appearance: 8.00
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Construction: 9.00
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Functionality: 8.50
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Value: 8.00
Recommended: Benchmark Reviews Seal of Approval.
COMMENT QUESTION: Do you think the Bitmore M8 Bluetooth Audio Receiver is deserving of it’s £25 asking price?
