• 07-26-2006, 04:22 PM
    Zaurusman
    Send laptop sound to receiver via bluetooth?
    I'd have thought that my first google search would turn this up since it's such a simple idea, but I must be using bad keywords or something...

    I currently have a desktop PC on my wi-fi network in my entertainment center. I use its headphone jack to feed to a y-splitter and thereby send RCA audio into the back of my receiver. I remote control the desktop over the 'net with my laptop.

    The desktop's a piece because I didn't want to spend too much on the project, and remoting to it is more of a pain than I thought it would be. I don't want to clutter up the entertainment center with a monitor, mouse and keyboard. So I'd rather keep the music on the laptop and send it to my stereo that way. The only way I can do right now, though, is to stop using the laptop except for music, close it, and slip it in with the other components. I could do that, but half the time I listen to music I'm on the computer.

    But I have bluetooth on the laptop. It claims that it will work with bluetooth headphones, but what I really want is a bluetooth receiver that I can put in my entertainment center. Headphone jack, RCA out, either would work for me. I'm not looking for top notch sound; when I want that I play a record or pop in a CD. I'm more interested in using my playlists and stuff. Would bluetooth have decent sound given that?

    I guess I'm looking for leads on a "bluetooth receiver." Any ideas?
  • 07-26-2006, 07:46 PM
    Mike Anderson
    $250 gets you a Squeezebox. Look into it:

    http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html

    Pretty high quality sound, to boot.
  • 07-27-2006, 06:37 AM
    noddin0ff
    I haven't used bluetooth yet. I'd be concerned about range and maybe data rate.
    Another option for ~$130, if your laptop is already wireless you could use something like this
    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
    You'd have to use iTunes with it, I think. You can stream from iTunes to the AEx. The you can connect to your system either analog or digitally. The AEx can integrate into existing networks and will support PC's and Macs.