Therefore, when a colleague asked me to help him bring the Bluetooth speakers he liked from the USA, I agreed without hesitation. So, as a contender for the laurels of a recommended wireless audio system under $300, we had a chance to review a product from Edifier - the Spinnaker E30 wireless stereo system.
The company, known to us up to this point exclusively as a noteworthy manufacturer of wired speaker systems, with the release of Spinnaker, it began to share the niche of wireless solutions with such products as Klipsch KMC 3, Creative ZiiSound, Bose SoundLink, Jawbone Jambox, Samsung DA-E670 and many others.
At the same time, despite the presence of famous brands in the list of competitors, none of us had any prejudices regarding Edifier’s Asian roots. Still, the equal sign between “made in China” and “g#%but” has long been crossed out good products in the wired field. Moreover, at first glance it becomes clear that the build quality here is pretty good.
There was no burning sensation in the pelvic area, even when we placed the spinnakers next to the “reference” B&W Zeppelin Air; everything was assembled soundly and conscientiously. And, as you can see, there was a lot to collect - the design of the speakers is at least unusual.
Tusks, fangs, horns - whatever associations the guests may have, but the sea wolves know that the spinnaker is, in fact, one of the sails of the yacht. Forty-centimeter speakers covered in black silk fabric definitely look aggressive, and a pair of Spinnakers should fit perfectly into a modern interior.
Let's pay tribute to fashion, a few words about the configuration. After opening numerous packages and boxes, there was a decent pile of wires on the table, because the kit included: a connecting cord for communication between the speakers, an optical audio cable, a 3.5 mm mini-jack, an RCA cable and a remote control remote control with a standard microUSB-USB cord for it.
To be honest, such an abundance of wires for seemingly “wireless” speakers is discouraging at first, but in reality only two cables are enough - power and a 6-pin connecting cord between the speakers. You get the rest of the cables as a bonus and will certainly not be superfluous in your household.
The presence of mini-jack and optical cables already indicates that the speakers can be connected to the playback source in the good old wired way, for which an Aux IN/Opt IN port is allocated on the connector part of the right speaker.
The attentive reader will notice the Sub (Line) Out port, designed to connect an external subwoofer, which, to be honest, would be very useful for a pair of Spinnaker sails. But a “wired” connection is more likely nice bonus, rather than the main purpose, which lies in the wireless plane.
The pairing procedure via Bluetooth is absolutely standard: wait for the blue diode at the peak of the right speaker to blink and wait a couple of seconds until the Secure Simple Pairing procedure connects the two devices without entering any PIN codes.
As soon as the sound transmission external device will be activated, the volume will become changeable using the supplied remote control, whose button on the top end plays the role of a Play/Pause switch, and a long tap switches the input source (bluetooth-line_in).
The remote has a non-slip base and a backlight to help you find it in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, the backlight with its brightness level only reflects the charge level of the internal battery, but does not allow you to understand what sound source mode (Bluetooth or Line In) the audio system is in.
But no matter what happens to the ergonomics and behavior of the remote control, the most important thing in the speakers is still the sound. From this point of view, Spinnaker can be seen as the owner of three emitters in each speaker, connected according to the tri-amp scheme!.. But this is what they write in the press release (very filled with technical details, by the way), we will describe the subjective perception of the playback quality because describing high audiophile matters in a system made of plastic, and even in an “art” format, is a questionable matter.
The overall impression of listening to compositions of various musical genres can be assessed on a ten-point scale of 7 points. Perhaps it’s not for nothing that 3 pairs of emitters in the speakers are equipped with their own channels from the amplifier. On the other hand, we would not label this sound “crystal,” as they say in the press release.
The Spinnaker E30 may not boast a record volume reserve, but at volume levels up to 90% the sound did not become hoarse, and the tracks were played back without audible distortion.
The lack of deep bass, as, for example, in the KMC 3 and Zeppelin Air, is attributed to the lack of a large diffuser, which simply did not have enough space, sacrificed to the god of design. The largest speaker, responsible for low frequencies, is directed downward and located at the base of the speakers. Thus, there are already two “subs”, but their small size will not make your floor vibrate.
However, if you have an old sub from any other system lying around, then try connecting it to the spinnakers; such a symbiosis should satisfy both you and your neighbors.
The strong point of spinnakers, of course, is the “not crushed” mid frequencies and the overall sound balance. If for the same Klipsch KMC 3 the crystal ringing of the upper frequencies can even be considered a disadvantage, here the highs are clearly audible without annoying protrusion.
Let's not forget about the possibility of stereopair diversity. Still, stereo sound from speakers living in the same housing turns out monophonic at a certain distance from them. By placing a pair of speakers on opposite sides of the table, we got a very spacious sound picture, without having to put up with the sensation of sound coming from one point.
The bottom line is an aggressive and memorable design, an unusual remote control and decent sound with the possibility of stereo diversity. I think that all this will definitely be useful on the farm. In addition, a connector for connecting an external subwoofer will smooth out the lack of bass for those who will sorely miss the built-in woofers.
There are a couple of questions about the ergonomics of the remote control and the arrangement of the cable holder in the aluminum base of the speakers, but it is enough to select the most comfortable location for them once and for all to forget about the hassle with wires.
The answer to the question “can the Spinnaker E30 be recommended in the price segment up to $300?” will be “yes,” if the above-described disadvantages are not critical for you. For a friend, this system cost Amazon $279.99 + $55 for delivery, but in Russia the retail price for the Spinnaker E30 ranges from 11-12 thousand rubles.
Speaking of its closest competitors, we can note the Creative ZiiSound D3x + DSx set, which wins in the lows due to the presence of a full-fledged sub, but in the upper and middle parts a drawdown is felt. Top-shelf Bluetooth speakers, of course, are more expensive, and sometimes much more expensive, so is it worth overpaying for a brand when you can get decent sound quality and a memorable appearance now?
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The world has stepped into wireless era. Keyboards and mice, data transfer, Internet access - everything has gone away from cables quite a long time ago. However, there are still certain things that literally hold us back in this terrible world of wires. And besides the most obvious - for example, chargers, there are also less noticeable, but no less important accessories - headphones. After all, you must admit, not everyone likes to think every time about where and how to “stick” the wire just to go outside. And when playing sports, it’s better not to think about headphones at all. Well, have you ever been annoyed that you have to take them off to get up from your computer? Therefore, for many, the question of purchasing wireless headphones It's quite sharp. It would seem that everything is there for this - at the moment this market is already saturated enough to find a suitable option. But, unfortunately, there are a certain number of problems. After all, in fact, bluetooth headphones have not made significant leaps in quality since the very moment of their appearance.
But on a certain day such a question came to me. Being confident that by this year technology had already matured, I quickly chose my gadget - Jabra Halo 2. [Lyrical digression]: yes, we can say that Jabra Halo 2 is not an indicator and a bad example. However, not every average buyer can afford advanced technology like or - although it is possible that they will also be deprived of all the disadvantages listed below. Moreover, even the Jabra Halo 2 cannot be called budget - let me remind you that for the same one thousand hryvnia you can buy quite serious wired headphones [end of lyrical digression]. And almost a year after the start of operation, I’m ready to talk about all aspects of life with mid-class bluetooth headphones.
The first disadvantage surfaced almost immediately - as soon as the phone ends up in your jeans pocket, the signal begins to be lost. I had to put the phone in the pocket of my jacket, jacket, or bag (however, it turned out that the connection was much better in the right jeans pocket, but this did not completely solve the problem). And in general, sound interruption is the most common problem. Interference can catch you literally at any time, and it is so nasty that you begin to involuntarily turn the phone in your pocket in search of the “optimal position.” Moreover, it happens that the signal is affected by the environment - near the local stadium, for example, interference is almost always observed. Also, the gap will haunt you in the first minute or two after connecting to the device.
The second problem is the sound quality. Yes, in fact, bluetooth headphones sound great - but with a wire connected. With a wireless connection, they are only suitable for listening to podcasts, radio, watching videos from YouTube and chatting with friends. Music connoisseurs will turn up their noses in disbelief (and rightly so), although not particularly picky users (like me) will be satisfied with this.
And it is logical that the speed of work is a little lame. From the sound itself to its playback in the headphones, some time passes within a second. Moreover, from the very first day, the user will notice that before starting to play the sound, the headphones will turn on a barely noticeable noise (against the background of the music it is completely lost), and when the playback ends, this noise will disappear, with a fairly sharp click, which is at a high level the volume can be quite hard on the ears. However, you can get used to it quite quickly.
And at least these three minuses already predetermine the fate of wireless headphones. They have no practical meaning. It can be seen that this direction is gradually developing, but at the moment it is a waste of money. It feels like the market exists so that it exists at all - but there will still be a user. Believe me, freedom from wires is not worth all the problems described above. Although there are positive aspects of using such headphones, my advice to you is: either buy expensive bluetooth headphones, or buy good wired ones.
Currently, there are many types of different Bluetooth headphones, headsets and speakers to choose from that receive sound using this protocol. Very often when purchasing inexpensive headphones There are problems with sound quality, namely sound stuttering and lag. There are several ways to solve this problem...
The main problem with stuttering Bluetooth headphones is the quality of their manufacture and the incompatibility of standards. The problem may be a low-sensitivity antenna and the power of the processor built into the device. And accordingly, there may be a lack of power on the transmitting device: computer, tablet, phone and bluetooth module inserted into USB port PC, as well as incompatibility of the BlueTooth version.
It was also noticed that the headphones work well indoors, but outdoors the connection is constantly interrupted. In a room where there are walls close, the signal is reflected from the walls and hits the wireless headset receiver and everything works fine. Where there are no walls, sound is lost.
It has been noticed that the same headphones work fine on one smartphone, but stutter on another. And it happens that everything was fine, but after installation new program or application updates, sound desynchronization appears. This also occurs when the screen is turned off. mobile device or when the phone goes into locked mode.
Especially often, sound cuts occur when installing, deleting, or copying files from a flash drive to a flash drive. Since at this moment system resources are used. All this degrades the sound quality in the headphones. If this happens, then you need to keep in mind that the processor power is not enough to compress the sound and transmit it via the Bluetooth protocol.
Clear, loud sound without wires.
The main advice is, before you buy a Bluetooth headset, check its playback quality, as they say, “without leaving the checkout,” right in the store. If this is not possible, keep the receipt and packaging of the goods to return it back to the point of sale.
What to do if the product cannot be returned to the store?
How to solve the problem of sound stuttering in bluetooth headphones?
1.If you have a PC and the USB bluetooth module is inserted into the rear port of the computer. Then move the USB-Bluetooth to the front of the PC. Better yet, buy a USB hub on a wire, raise it higher and plug a USB-BlueTooth module into it. If the Bluetooth adapter is old, then it is better to change it to a newer and more modern one.
Update Bluetooth driver in Windows Task Manager.
2.If you have a PC, change the drivers in the Device Manager to “Sound and Game Devices” and in the “BlueTooth” subsection. Here you need to start searching for drivers using Windows. To do this, select "Update".
If this does not help, then you should try setting different versions drivers and check if some can work.
When syncing with a PC, older Bluetooth headphone models may have compatibility issues with Windows drivers.
3. While outside, to avoid interruptions in music playback, place your smartphone as close to the headphones as possible. Move your smartphone from pocket to pocket, and the higher it is to the headphones, the better. Or put it in the top, inner pocket of your jacket. Do not use headphones in cold weather.
4.In the player settings or in the audio device settings on the PC, lower the playback quality of the audio stream, i.e. If you listen to music at 320kbps or more, try audio of no more than 128kbps. Audio mp3 files must be recorded at a low bitrate.
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5. Set the BT mode on the transmitting device to “Visible to everyone”. In this mode, the system loads the processor less.
6.Bring the devices closer to each other for a few seconds or pause the sound playback in the player or in YouTube, this is necessary to synchronize the devices. For full synchronization It may take a few seconds for the sound to sound.
7.In Android 6.0 in the settings there is an item: “Application permissions”, in it “Transfer via bluetooth”. Here you need to uncheck all the boxes except “Volume”. Here we click: “Change Settings” and select “Do not disable”.
8.The Android OS kernel can be overclocked via special programs types: SetCpu, Tasker, Antutu CPU, Tegrak, OverClock and others. Changing OS operating parameters is done in the "Performance" section. The following values need to be changed: Governor in “performance”, Scheduler in “cfq”. Another recommended solution is to install Kernel Adiutor with CPU Governor in the ondemand position (+ “Apply on boot” for convenience).
9.You can reduce the load on the system using special software. There is a program called Droidwall that can control Internet access for each Android OS application. To reduce the load on the processor, prohibit applications that are not needed at the moment from accessing the Internet. This can be done through the program menu.
10. Re-soldering the antenna in the housing of headphones or bluetooth speakers. If you remove the housing cover, there should be a snake-shaped track on the board. Craftsmen solder a 4-5 centimeter piece of copper wire to this track. After this, the signal quality improves and the sound stops stuttering.
Video: My Ideal Wireless Bluetooth Headphones.
Video: 5 Bluetooth headphones. Parcel from China.
11.You can also reduce the processor load on your PC by turning off the microphone on your Bluetooth headset. To do this, go to Control Panel => Sound => Recording => Microphone => Properties => Listen => uncheck “Listen with of this device" And restart your computer.
12.Interference from other devices greatly affects the quality of the connection. If a wireless speaker or sub is located next to a router, TV, computer, microwave and other sources of radio interference, then it should be moved away.
13.A poorly charged battery is the reason for the lack of processor power in the Bluetooth device.
14.Outdated models of Bluetooth headsets may not be compatible with new smartphones and vice versa. This is the main reason for instability and music stuttering. Therefore, before purchasing a wireless device, you should always check whether these two mobile devices will connect well.
You can read more about the BlueTooth protocol in the article on habrahabr.ru. There the process of signal loss is analyzed with screenshots and graphs.
Analysis of the impact of the human body on the power of audio data transmission via the BlueTooth protocol.
The picture above shows that the dump shows that the bitpool value for this portion of traffic is 48, but as soon as I blocked the path from the laptop to the speaker with my body, the bitpool value began to decrease, accompanied by interruptions and clicks.
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After the bitpool value settled down to 30, the clicks disappeared and audio playback became continuous again. Everything indicated that the codec performed auto-tuning, noticing degradation in signal quality.
But did I really introduce such a significant attenuation with my mortal body? Well, time to look at the graph indicating the received signal power level.
Good afternoon. Today I will briefly talk about our experience testing completely wireless headsets, and perhaps this will help someone when choosing headphones.
Despite the fact that our company (Medgadgets) has temporarily ceased activity on Geektimes, I, as the owner of the store, am still haunted by the fact that we once “drew” many of our readers into some process of waiting for Bragi Dash headsets, and then disappeared, without talking about the problems they encountered.
To date, we have already tested many similar wireless headphones, including those from the list, and 99% of such devices currently have one main, unsolved problem.
It was revealed when we finally got a Dash sample: unstable Bluetooth. According to the official response from the developers, this is "normal." Indoors, such headphones will work correctly, but on the street or in another open space, the user will be faced with the fact that the sound will disappear, stutter, and the headphones will constantly disconnect from the smartphone.
This is due to the fact that “on the street (direct quote) Bluetooth is not reflected from the walls,” and the antenna power is not enough to maintain a stable connection with the phone. Dash reminded that the headset works great as a standalone player, but...
To better understand how this happens, I will share my personal impressions: for example, you cross the road, turn your head slightly to look around, and that’s it. Tearing and stuttering. It is also impossible to give a full description of this situation in order to somehow warn clients. Because on different ears (and we tested the whole office), on different smartphones All these symptoms manifest themselves in different ways.
You can try to get out of the situation, for example, by moving your smartphone from pocket to pocket, and the higher you go to the headphones, the more stable the sound will be: for example, in an internal pocket versus a jeans pocket. And again, keeping a phone in the left jeans pocket is worse than in the right, and so on, and so on...
Biggest disappointment. On most Android smartphones The connection is lost at the slightest deviation of the head. Yes, it works better in the right jeans pocket than in the left. Yes, it works better in the inside pocket of a jacket than in the right pocket of jeans. Yes, it works more stable on IOS... Well, such a bunch of nuances in no way justify it.
The story began with one of the crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, after which there was a series of loud promises and statements. Now the project is, as it were, divided into two independent parts: one of them is representation in the press and media, where everything seems to be not so bad. The second one is in closed group on Facebook, where the headphones are mostly criticized.
The main reason for the negativity is Bluetooth. True, some are already going further and hinting that the heart rate monitor is also not so accurate. The story with the heart rate monitor develops separately. A lawsuit against Dash from Valencell was recently published. This is the same Mio antagonist company that makes heart rate monitors for Atlas, LG, Jabra, and probably has big amount patents for “pulse from the ear.”
Apparently, having had enough and realizing the problem, the Bragi company announced Bragi Headphones, which they promised to release in November, but so far they have only reached Verge journalists. And hope flashed in the review: the editors admitted that there are no such problems with Bluetooth in this version. Everything works correctly and stably.
At the same time, Headphones have lost most of the capabilities of Dash headphones: the case will not be able to charge them, and there will be no touch controls. Of the amazing and innovative functions, only “capturing external sounds” will remain, when either in parallel with music or without it, the user can hear everything that is happening around thanks to the built-in microphone, which “captures” and amplifies external sounds.
The Chinese, of course, don’t inspire much confidence, but somehow the image of Xiaomi is slowly spreading to everyone else, so I wanted to test the headphones from Aliexpress. The task was simple: find some of the cheapest ones and compare them with the most expensive ones.
As a result, for those who want to try what it's like when the headphones are not connected by a wire, you can pay attention to this model: Q800.
Surprisingly, both in terms of sound quality and quality Bluetooth operation- it's almost Rowkin. The connection with the phone on the Q800 seems stable, the sound on the street when the phone is in the “correct” position in the right pocket is more stable, and when you put the smartphone in the inside pocket, it seems like there are no problems at all.
They begin to stutter, however, not only because they lose Bluetooth on the street: when the battery is discharged - please. Moreover, of course, they do not work out the stated 3 hours - an hour and a half. They are charged from the docking station, with which they are sold. But with all this, you are more willing to put up with such shortcomings when your headphones cost one and a half thousand, rather than one and a half to two tens of thousands of rubles.
As a result, I would like to note that on the one hand it was naive to expect that the first pancake would not come out lumpy. Even the niche of heart rate monitors, which has been developing for about 50 years, is still encouraging news about the inaccuracy of certain models, and in optics there are constant trials of Fitbit.
So, it turns out, we need to wait a little, and, judging by Verge, it will not be half a century, although we would not recommend buying new headphones blindly, but to wait for much more extensive tests and reviews. Are such headphones even needed as a class? It’s hard to say, but the developers did not come empty-handed: after all, it was added new feature Capture external sounds!
Now it turns out that it is too early to buy such headsets, and we, of course, apologize for so actively encouraging you to leave requests on the site, and now, in fact, we have refused to order Dash. However, we let you down so as not to let you down even more, and therefore we hope for your understanding.
And it’s easier to use such accessories.
However, often using headphones brings discomfort, which results in interrupted sound. Why does this happen and what is the cause of the problems? Let's find out in the article.
Modern Bluetooth headphones attract with their affordable price and excellent functionality. In addition, many manufacturers are depriving the traditional audio jack. Therefore, even those who don’t like wireless headsets, you have to sacrifice principles and select an accessory.
Unfortunately, Bluetooth headphones can't boast high quality sound. Even the most advanced models still sound worse than conventional wired headphones. In addition, users complain about problems such as audio lag or interruption. These two troubles are familiar to owners of budget and expensive devices. Is there really no solution?
Let's say you can put up with average sound, but what about signal interruptions? A similar situation, repeated regularly, can infuriate even the calmest person.
Alas, experts have not yet been able to determine the causes of micropauses when listening to music on Bluetooth headphones. Many attribute this to insufficient channel power for data transmission. In other words, the Bluetooth connection simply does not have enough power to broadcast the signal stably. For comparison, Wi-Fi can penetrate even walls and concrete floors, but sometimes even the lining of a coat pocket interferes with the Bluetooth signal.
Placing the smartphone in close proximity to the headphones does not solve the problem. The headset continues to produce sound with delays or pauses. Perhaps the headphone chip and the Bluetooth module are not compatible with each other. But the signal is standardized, so how then do manufacturers allow such errors?
When planning to purchase a Bluetooth headset for listening to music, be sure to study the model’s parameters. Compare the characteristics with the parameters of the smartphone to make sure that the devices are compatible with each other. Ideally, the version of Bluetooth used should be the same.
Headphone models that connect to a computer can be customized. In particular, try changing the audio output from DirectSound to WaveOut. This action sometimes solves the problem.
As for sound quality, it is affected by two aspects. The first is the Bluetooth connection version. The new generation modules receive improved capabilities and an increased operating radius, and accordingly, the sound quality becomes better. Therefore, there is no point in buying headphones with Bluetooth 2.0 if a 4th generation module is installed on your smartphone.
The second aspect is the quality of the files themselves that are played. It is recommended to pay attention to the bitrate of the songs. The higher it is, the better the sound will be. The optimal setting is 320 Kbps and above. If you consider yourself a true music lover, the MP 3 format is not for you. Use less compressed files, such as FLAC. The weight of the music will be greater, but the sound quality will also improve.
And lastly, the sound quality and the possibility of problems also depend on the headphones themselves. It is foolish to expect excellent sound from simple models costing 1,500 rubles. For high-quality sound, you will need a better accessory, and it will cost more. But on the other hand, you will be able to enjoy the excellent sound of your favorite compositions, and the chances of micropauses or sound delays will be minimal.
