By definition, a 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitter is a portable device that allows you to send audio from a non-Bluetooth enabled device like a television, DVD/CD player, PC, or car stereo to Bluetooth headphones, earbuds, or speakers.
Let’s say, for example, that you own a Smart TV or home audio system that does not have built-in Bluetooth functionality but you’d like to be able to watch movies or listen to music from it with Bluetooth headphones, earbuds, or speakers. That’s what you need a Bluetooth transmitter for.
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How a portable 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitter works
As already explained earlier, a portable Bluetooth transmitter lets you stream audio from a non-Bluetooth device, e.g. TV, games console, PC, car stereo, etc, to Bluetooth earbuds, speakers, and headphones.
To use a portable audio jack Bluetooth transmitter, you have to plug the jack into a 3.5mm port on the media player equipment such as your TV, Gaming Console or PC.
Next, you have to turn the transmitter on and then pair it with your Bluetooth earbuds, headphones or loudspeaker.
Once paired, you can start playing video or music on the host device and you will be able to listen on your Bluetooth device.
How many headphones can connect to a portable Bluetooth transmitter?
Usually, you can connect not more than two Bluetooth devices at the same time.
Different types of 3.5mm Audio Jack Transmitters:
Basic Transmitters: These are the most common type, have the most basic functionality, and are typically small, portable devices that are about the size of a flash drive.
High-Fidelity transmitters: These 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitters are of higher quality and support advanced audio codecs like Qualcomm’s aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, or AAC, offering higher-quality audio than basic models. They tend to look like small external hard drives or portable WiFi.
What sets them apart is the cost. Basic transmitters are more affordable than high-fidelity transmitters.
Also, some Bluetooth transmitters are also receivers. This means they are dual function and can be used to stream, as well as receive, Bluetooth signals. Of course, you can only use it in either receiver or transmitter mode at any time. It can not serve as both at the same time.
The models that are strictly transmitters are also often labelled as “Transmit Only”.
Cost
Many basic 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitters cost as low as $19.99 and as high as $55.99 on Amazon. The prices at other retailers won’t vary much from these. Of course, the more highly specialised high-fidelity models sell for much higher.
What to look out for when buying one
When shopping for a 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitter, look out for the best quality possible for your budget. You want to pick one with as many of the following features as possible:
- Higher Bluetooth version, e.g. v5.1, v5.2, v5.3. anything lower than v5.0 is terribly outdated.
- A transmission range of at least 30 feet.
- Advanced Bluetooth codecs like AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and the like. These codecs support high quality audio and low latency.
- High quality physical build. You want a product that will last; the better the physical quality, the better the chances that it will stand the test of time.
As a rule, the cheapest 3.5 mm audio-to-bluetooth transmitter models have the least amount of features and the lowest performance. This is because advanced features cost something.
Don’t use price as the only yardstick though; be sure to look through the specs listed for each transmitter that you are interested in. That way, you can compare information to see whether it has some of the recommended features listed above.