Onkyo Bluetooth Dongle

fish357
fish357 Posts: 304
edited September 2020 in Electronics
I have a Onkyo TX-NR616 receiver. My son forewarned me before buying, that I should have gotten the next model up, as it was Bluetooth equipped.
He was right.
There is, however, a Bluetooth dongle Onkyo put out which fits the usb slot. It’s a UBT-1. The problem is, this is a ten year old receiver, finding that dongle new, or used, is like $200.
My question is this- would I be able to find a different Bluetooth adapter to use with my iPhone, or would the oe adaptor be the only one that plays nicely with the receiver?

Comments

  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,056
    You didnt mention budget but a Audio Engine B1 is a good choice.
    https://audioengineusa.com/shop/adapters/b1-bluetooth-music-receiver/
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  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    That’s cheaper than the dongle that I’m finding used. Would this be a better choice that just the little usb unit? Is there a difference? I just figure that if you’re transmitting a signal wirelessly, the sound can only get so good.
    Thanks for the suggestion!
  • Faustin
    Faustin Posts: 1,149
    You may want to check out the BluDento bluetooth units. I have 2 of them and they are under $100
  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,471
    Do you have a home network? The 616 is a network receiver. If you have it connected via ethernet, it should show as a DLNA renderer in most apps. Another option would be a Chromecast.
  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    I’ll check both of those out, thank you.
    I do like that the Audio Engine advertises itself as having increased range.
    @DaveHo I do not have a home network.
  • EDUBAG
    EDUBAG Posts: 401
    I just use an amazon echo dot with a 3.5 mm to rca adapter. Use it on Bluetooth mode. Cost me 25 bucks on sale
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  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    @gudnoyez After reading and watching a lot of reviews, I landed on the Audioengine B1.
    It seems to be what I’m looking for, although it’s way more than I wanted to spend.
    Thank you for the recommendation.
    sh4mmhk6jkm3.jpeg
    I like that reviews say it gives you true stereo sound, plus one guy took the unit apart, and the board is pretty busy inside.
  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    As I think about it, another question pops into my meager mind- Will this Bluetooth device be susceptible to interference from a high current amp?
    Should I have it placed away from the rest of my system?
  • gp4jesus
    gp4jesus Posts: 1,969
    fish357 wrote: »
    As I think about it, another question pops into my meager mind- Will this Bluetooth device be susceptible to interference from a high current amp?
    Should I have it placed away from the rest of my system?
    plan for it. Worse case, you’ll need a longer connection. I’look forward to your reviews. How easily does it pair? Does it allow for easy switching from one phone to another? I’ve read reviews of similar products w/either or both issues.

    I want a similar device for an outdoor system - not a priority at the moment as I have a bunch of carpentry work in front of me.

    Enjoy. Tony
    Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga - LCR mids, inside* & out 8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out *soldered LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & “Plugged*” Mids - 981, connected w/MP Premiere ICs Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s *Xschop's handy work
  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 675
    edited November 2020
    Try this ....

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Naxa-NAB-4003-A2DP-Wireless-Bluetooth-USB-Adapter-Dongle-for-Car-Home-Stereos-/112540838941

    k0zz4cmv2rlo.jpg


    Few years ago when Onkyo stopped supporting SiriusXM on my patio-use TX-nr609,
    this is what they mailed to us unhappy customers ..... told us to use Bluetooth from phone to receiver for SiriusXM.... said an update was forthcoming.... ha ha .... it NEVER happened !

    Should work perfect as it’s what Onkyo sent us....

    See if you can grab that eBay one , and if you can’t , lemme know and you can have mine gratis....


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  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    edited November 2020
    @gp4jesus The device paired flawlessly in only a couple of seconds with my i6, but it had one flaw I couldn’t overlook. Every once in awhile it would cause my speakers to give a loud pop, or screech. On the advice of @teekay0007, I sent it back within the 30 day return period.
    I couldn’t figure out why it was happening, but after digging around on the web, I saw other complaints similar to what I had experienced.
    There weren’t a lot of complaints about it, but I didn’t want to chance losing drivers.
    The sound was great, too bad it had that one hiccup.
  • fish357
    fish357 Posts: 304
    edited November 2020
    @gyosa Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll see if I can grab it on Friday from eBay.