Harman Kardon BTA-10 External Bluetooth Adapter

I ordered this Harman-Kardon BTA-10 External Bluetooth Adaptor to replace an aging SlimServer Squeezebox, which has long since been abandoned by Logitech, to play Pandora, Prime Audio, etc through my Yamaha receiver. I was skeptical, but the reasonable cost convinced me it was worth a shot...Let me just say that this product is truly plug-and-play! My Echo Dot - which is approx 15 feet away with lots of obstacles between it and the BTA-10 - connected via bluetooth very quickly, and I just tell Alexa what to play, and it plays through my receiver. If I don't want to listen through my receiver, I just say, "Alexa, disconnect bluetooth" and my Echo Dot toggles to the internal speaker; if I want to toggle back to listening through the receiver, I just say, "Alexa, connect bluetooth" and that she does. Brilliant! The BTA-10 goes into a sleep mode if not communicating after a while, but simply telling Alexa to connect brings the BTA-10 back on pretty quickly. The BTA-10 is very small (about 2" x 2" .75"), so it doesn't take up any significant space and it is very unobtrusive. Sound quality - through its RCA output plugs - is every bit as clean and enjoyable as it was through my Squeezebox. There are other product options out there (Audioengine B1, for example) which give you the choice of RCA plugs or Digital Optical, but not sure it's worth the triple price that you would pay to have the digital optical option. All in all, I highly recommend the Harman-Kardon BTA-10 External Bluetooth Adaptor.

Works great for our Harmon Kardon AVR 254. We weren't ready to buy a new receiver and I really wanted the freedom of Bluetooth so I followed all the great reviews purchased this one. It was very easy to set up and came with everything I needed to get it hooked up. Included in the package was the power supply and a AV to audio jack. Just plug the AV side into the audio input ports on the receiver, press the AVR button on the remote , select source selection, and choose the one on the list that you would like it to be and then it's ready to pair. It will show up on your Bluetooth list as HK BTA 10. It had excellent range of more that 45 feet in an open area. There was no lag in the music and the sound quality was not affected that I could tell. The device is only about 2x2 inches and looks fairly sleek. I was a bit put off due to finding a place to plug it in, but the Harmon Kardon has an outlet on the back to plug extra devices into. Harmon Kardon defiantly makes a quality product, I have two receivers, a surround sound system and now a blue tooth device that stand up to the quality that I have come to expect.

It arrived and is it ever tiny! The Logitech BT adapter I purchased earlier is much larger. If space is at a premium, this is the way to go. So far, the performance is excellent. The sound quality is as good as, if not better than, the Logitech. The most noticeable difference is increased range. Where the signal from the Logitech starts to break up beyond 20', the h/k BTA 10 has a strong connection at twice that distance. With the unit in the basement, I'm able to go to the floor above and maintain a strong connection. But remember, if you have a connection for more than 4 hours, consult a physician . . . or I am thinking of something else? It was plug and play. There are no controls, only the blue light showing connection. The small size could be useful, but if it were any smaller it would be too small. The h/k logo is sexier than Logitech, but I need reading glasses to see it. As it is, the cables lift it. Double-face tape it to your receiver, amp, etc. and you're good to go. One other difference is connection flexibility. The Logitech has a stereo mini-plug and RCA outputs, whereas the h/k has only a stereo mini-plug output.

Bought this little device to add Bluetooth to our car for pairing with our smartphones. I'm using a Galaxy S4 and my wife is using an iPhone 5S. I installed this device to the inside lid of the armrest storage space with a little Gorilla tape and Velcro to help minimize the loose cords in that space. So far this device is working really well in this space. Inside that storage space we have one of those round power outlets that resembles a lighter outlet, I had to buy a USB connection for power to this little device and when we go to power on the car it auto connects via Bluetooth, if the smartphone's Bluetooth is enabled. The sound is incredible so far. The only thing you have to be aware of though is that this device is only meant for media output, it will not pair with the phone's phone Bluetooth connection for making calls. That's ok though for us because we have that option with our car. It's pretty cool though because if you have to make or receive a call the media Bluetooth channel will pause while the call is in progress. Also, this device will allow you to use the navigation function from your phone, using the phone's screen, which is really handy for us because we decided to not get the navigation system with our car because it added like a couple of thousand dollars to the price of the car. You can decide, if you want to go with a factory installed navigation system on the car, which quite possibly will be outdated in a few years, or use the one that Google Maps provides with your smartphone that will probably always be up to date. In total I spent less than $100 for this solution instead of going for a $1,000 plus option. All we do is switch to AUX on our car audio system and off we go. Now if we are going to listen to the FM Radio, CD, or other we are pretty much out of luck. But honestly these days most people I know stream from their smartphones instead of listening to the radio, etc. It would be nice if Harman Kardon would produce another iteration of this product that pairs with both the media and phone Bluetooth channels. Or if possible push out a firmware update for this device that adds that function.

I'm old. When I was in high school in the 70's, it was every kid's dream to have an awesome home stereo. I don't walk around with ear buds hanging from my head. I have an Yamaha receiver from the 90's, and I had an old Yamaha 5-disk CD changer, and some old ADS speakers from the 80's. Now THOSE are awesome, but I digress. Well, the CD changer quit working. Now what does an old guy do? Buy a new one, of course! How much could they be? They must be like $89 now for a great one, what with advances in electronics. NOPE. It seems that CD changers are almost extinct, and they're anything but cheap. So I thought well, it seems that everyone now listens to music from their phone. I wonder if I can get a bluetooth device to receive the music from my phone and send it to my stereo? And that's what this is. I tried ripping some CD's with my new computer, and I can rip one to a flac file (lossless compression) quite fast - only a few minutes at most. And then put it on my phone, and send it via bluetooth to this thing, which is plugged in to my Yamaha receiver, and by golly, I'm listening to music on the real stereo! I have a pixel 3 phone, and it doesn't have any problem sending the bluetooth from the living room to the kitchen. And I'm actually kind of liking it. I have instant access to a lot more CD's, and don't have to mess around with loading only 5 at a time into the changer. Who knows? Maybe some day I'll even listen to pandora.

I've tried a number of these Bluetooth solutions and for the price, this unit is not bad at all. Of all the less expensive options I have found that sound quality and volume were way off and connectivity was sporadic. The HK did a great job, sound quality was close to my components after you dialed in the adjustments of bass,mid, and trebble, and volume was about 10% lower (just make sure your mobile device is set at max volume). I think you can fix this by using a line driver like the PAC LD-10 but that uses a 12v power source and the HK uses a 5v so you will need to use two different power supplies. But as long as you remember to turn the volume down by a hair on the receiver before switching inputs, it should be fine and even if you don't, the volume difference is not that great. I also tried a direct cable from my phone to the receiver, a 3.5mm male to 2 RCA male plugs. Volume was way higher even compared to my component inputs but sound quality fell off like a brick, very muffled. And there are a myriad of other solutions from auto and marine bluetooth devices to much more expensive units upwards in the $200-300 range. But I like the HK, good sound quality, easy to use, good range, and even when I was outside my house, it did not lose connectivity. But most of all, it looks integrated with my vintage system. Not obtrusive, no array of wires everywhere, simple plug and play, simple connect with you mobile device, and it works every time. I'm using it on my Marantz 2285BD with Klipsch 160m speakers (phenomenal speakers BTW). Put the power supply plugged into the switch outlet on the back of your receiver and it powers up soon as the receiver is turned on. Connect to the HK bluetooth signal on your phone (you only have to do this once and it will connect every time automatically) , and turn on your music app and enjoy. It doesn't get any simpler than this.

I already have an Apple TV for my "real" system. That offers the range of wifi and up to PCM quality depending on the music file type. Perfect, but it costs $100 and only outputs digital. For my gym radio, I don't need an uncompressed signal, nor do I have the digital input for such. I tried the Xtrememac, but it kept dropping out after a couple songs. All the other bluetooth receivers got mixed reviews. The Harmon Kardon, though a bit more expensive, is still $40 below an Apple TV or Airport Express (which also has the analog out I was looking for). It also gets way better reviews than the other receivers. So far, my phone keeps its connection everywhere within a 20' x 20' basement and only breaks up if I go upstairs behind a metallic object (like the fridge). Sound quality is not as drop-dead gorgeous as on the Apple TV, but still excellent. I can't imagine a real CD sounding any better on that boom box to be honest. The sheer lack of technical difficulty and total lack of dropouts in the gym area make my previously tense neck muscles relax. Before, on cool-downs I had been on edge all the time wondering when the thing would quit on me. Now I can just relax and enjoy the music.

Products tested: Philips AEA2000/37 Bluetooth Hi-Fi Adapter ($24) Harman Kardon BTA-10 External Bluetooth Adapter ($60) HomeSpot NFC-enabled Bluetooth Audio Receiver for Sound System ($28) Black Rx Bluetooth Receiver Conversion Wires ($20) First they are all very similar to me. I have a home stereo Harman Kardon amplifier and 2 JBL column speakers. My system cost me $1800, so it's not professional grade but it's not junk either. Also I'm 35 and still have good hearing capabilities :) My fiancee and I couldn't tell the difference between all of the receivers in term of sound quality. We tested them for 1h~2h with different music on and the difference wasn't flagrant. I kept the philips. Why? here are the reasons: Range: The range was the best with the Philips, but not by a lot! I think this is because these devices must fit the bluetooth norms. In other words if you're looking for a 100 yard range bluetooth device you shouldn't be able to find it. I went upstairs, in the basement, all the way to the end of the garage with my phone in my pocket. They all behaved pretty much the same EXCEPT the cheapest one that had a terrible range (5 yards) and keep breaking up (could be a bad unit...). Connectivity: They all behaved in a very similar way here too. All 4 easy to install and hook up to my phone or my computer. No problem with this. Once the sound quality, the connectivity and the range were tested there were still 3 candidates left. I chose the philips for the price, the look and the brand name. I would have picked the Harman Kardon for their reputation with the quality of their product but I prefer to save $35 for another device that works exactly the same. Also with the philips, after a while, you do need to push the button to activate it then your phone will hook up to it right away. You may not have to do that with the HomeSpot or the Harman Kardon but I forgot to verify this. Hope that helps!

El audio se manda de la mejor calidad posible sin distorsiones ni interferencias continuas, conectado a mi amplificador h/k da un excelente sonido a diferencia de otros dispositivos

These work great. I have one in my car, and in each of my boats. They put out great sound and hook easily and reliably to the Bluetooth signal.

A small and easily installed device making use of my vintage stereo amp and Mac to produce great sound.

Excelente, muy fácil de instalar, pequeño y bonito. Sstifecho al 100% único detalle es su precio un poco alto pero al tratarse de Harman kardon no importa vale la pena pagar mas, lo único sobre la faz de la tierre que mejor... e s Bosé, pero es mucho más caro.

Estoy más que feliz. Anteriormente probé varios tipos de estos dispositivos y eras terriblemente malos en cuestión de calidad audio. Pero este Hartman Kardon es fenomenal. Calidad de audio insuperable. Mi estéreo de 1999 Sony cobró vida con este dispositivo y estoy más que contento con mi adquisición.