Bluetooth transmission is an extremely convenient solution for listening to music with Bluetooth in-ear headphones, True Wireless earbuds, Bluetooth headphones, a Bluetooth speaker or a Bluetooth receiver connected to a DAP, a TV or a 4K UHD Blu-ray player.
Bidirectional Bluetooth transmission: dual application
DAP manufacturers recently decided to improve the way integrated Bluetooth controllers operate. Nowadays, the chip isn’t limited to the transmission of Bluetooth signals but can also receive signals. This new feature allows the user to listen to audio files using Bluetooth headphones and to use the DAP as a Bluetooth enabled peripheral device to stream music from a computer or a smartphone. In this instance, the portable audio player works as an external Bluetooth DAC.
The following DAPs feature this function: Shanling M0, Hidizs AP60 II, Shanling M1, Hidizs AP80, Cayin N3, FiiO M9 and Shanling M5s.
Bidirectional Bluetooth transmission: controlling a DAP using a smartphone
Some portable players, for example models made by Shanling and Hidzis, can be controlled using a smartphone via Bluetooth transmission, simply by installing the HibyMusic app on a smartphone. Once the smartphone and the DAP are paired, the two devices will be able to interact. The HibyMusic app indexes the audio files stored on the audio player and allows playback control from the smartphone.
It is therefore possible to listen to a DAP using a smartphone.
Blu-ray players can also benefit
A selection of 4K UHD Blu-ray players also feature Bidirectional Bluetooth transmission. The Sony UBP-X800 is fitted with an on-board Bluetooth controller which allows the user to stream any type of content the player handles: optical discs, video files, Netflix…
Yamaha AV receivers from the Yamaha MusicCast range, such as the Yamaha RXA-870 and models from the RXA-80 series (firmware update soon to be available) are also compatible with bidirectional Bluetooth transmission. The content handled by these receivers (connected sources, streaming services, audio files, radios, etc.) can be streamed to Bluetooth headphones for example.
Note that if your prefered listening device doesn’t feature comparable functions, it is possible to use a Bluetooth transmitter provided that the device features a digital or analog output.
