Banish the cable
We can talk to anywhere in the world from anywhere in the world, we can browse the Internet on our laptops from a sun lounger at the bottom of the garden so why exactly is it we can't listen tour our music players or portable games consoles without that ugly cable hanging round our chins? In a world multi-gigahertz processors, manned space flight and tea that comes in itty bitty bags why is it so difficult to get sound to travel across the two foot gap from our hands to our ears without resorting to a principle so old even Alessandro Volta didn't get excited by it.
Well fear not because today we're exploring a very nice wireless audio solution for Sony PSP and PC users from those very nice folk at Bluetake, a relatively young company established only in 2001 but who are developing a hard-earned reputation for their quality line of Bluetooth products.
The problem with any Bluetooth audio product is there are two parts to it, a transmitter and a receiver, and unless your hardware has one or both parts built in you're going to need to provide then yourself. This isn't a great problem except that with something as radically styled as a PSP you really don't want some ugly looking appendage stuck out like a sore thumb and making it look about as stylish as a Trabant with pink alloy wheels. Luckily Bluetake had already thought about this and by keeping their design teams working day and night and poking then occasionally with cattle prods they developed what can only be described as a very cool and very clever little device with a very long and very grand title, the BT450Px i-PHONO Mini Bluetooth stereo Pod Transmitter.
The whole idea of the BT450Px is that is melds with your PSP. Such is the design it becomes as one with the whole casing design like a hi-tech chameleon blending seamlessly without drastically altering its handsome silhouette. OK, I'm milking it a bit now but you get the idea.
Within the long and low casing resides a battery, charger circuit, Bluetooth transmitter and of course the related controller. A single button with a status LED alongside it is used to pair the transmitter with your Bluetooth speakers, headphones or what ever it is you've decided to listen with. The BT450Px uses the A2DP profile for stereo audio distribution.
One the edge near the pairing button is the charging port.
In a fit of genius Bluetake then turned their attention to the charging. Because both the PSP and the BT450Px both need charging it clearly makes sense to be able to charge both at the same time, ideally without un-coupling them first. The solution was simple yet brilliant...
The idea is that the supplied distribution block takes the feed from your PSP charger then splits it into two separate outputs, one which plugs into your PSP and one which plugs into your transmitter. A full charge should be good for up to six hours of use.
The distribution block also features a USB port through which you can charge other peripherals.
There are no drivers to install or settings to fiddle with. Apart from the pairing process installing the BT450Px is as simple as plugging it into your PSP's earphone socket.
After which it simply becomes an extension to the PSP and if anything slightly improves the handling if, like me, you find the analogue thumb controller is too low and too close to the bottom edge.
So with the transmitter taken care of how about something to listen with? First the specs then we'll tackle the headphones.
UNIT
Dimensions: 126 x 20 x 30 mm (4.96 x 0.79 x 1.18 in.)
Weight: 20 g (0.71 oz.) (Battery Included)
Built-in Stereo Plug: Ř 3.5 mm (1/8 in.) (Diameter)
COMPATIBILITY Audio-source: SONY® PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable)
Audio-receiver: i-PHONO mini BT450Rx Bluetooth Stereo Headphone
i-PHONO PLUS BT420Rx Bluetooth Stereo Headphone
SOUND
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Sample Rate: 48 KHz, 16 Bit
Input Impedance: 20 KΩ @ 0 dB gain
Line-level Input: 400 rms – 4 rms Vrms @ 0 dBFS (Full Scale)
BLUETOOTH
Specification: Bluetooth v1.2 compliant
Bluetooth Profile Supported: 48 KHz, 16 Bit
Input Impedance: A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)
Connection: Point-to-Point
Audio Codec: SBC
RADIO
Carrier Frequency: 2.4 - 2.480 GHz
Spread Spectrum: FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)
Modulation Method: GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)
Radio Coverage: Class 2, up to 3–10 m (9–30 ft.) in open field
Sensitivity: < 0.1% BER @ -80 dBm
RF Output Power: -6 to 4 dBm
POWER
Power Consumption: 30 mAh
Power Input: 5 V / 200 mA
(The regular AC adapter and AC power cord of Sony PSP are essential to charge the BT450Px Bluetooth
Stereo Pod Transmitter.)
Built-in Battery: 3.7 V / 200 mAh / Li-Polymer / Rechargeable
OPERATION
Operating Time: approx. 6 hours
(The actual operating time depends on the usage frequency and environmental factors.)
Operating Temperature: -10°C ~ +55°C (+14°F ~ +131°F)°C
Storage Temperature: -20°C ~ +65°C (-4°F ~ +149°F)°C
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Well fear not because today we're exploring a very nice wireless audio solution for Sony PSP and PC users from those very nice folk at Bluetake, a relatively young company established only in 2001 but who are developing a hard-earned reputation for their quality line of Bluetooth products.
The problem with any Bluetooth audio product is there are two parts to it, a transmitter and a receiver, and unless your hardware has one or both parts built in you're going to need to provide then yourself. This isn't a great problem except that with something as radically styled as a PSP you really don't want some ugly looking appendage stuck out like a sore thumb and making it look about as stylish as a Trabant with pink alloy wheels. Luckily Bluetake had already thought about this and by keeping their design teams working day and night and poking then occasionally with cattle prods they developed what can only be described as a very cool and very clever little device with a very long and very grand title, the BT450Px i-PHONO Mini Bluetooth stereo Pod Transmitter.
The whole idea of the BT450Px is that is melds with your PSP. Such is the design it becomes as one with the whole casing design like a hi-tech chameleon blending seamlessly without drastically altering its handsome silhouette. OK, I'm milking it a bit now but you get the idea.
Within the long and low casing resides a battery, charger circuit, Bluetooth transmitter and of course the related controller. A single button with a status LED alongside it is used to pair the transmitter with your Bluetooth speakers, headphones or what ever it is you've decided to listen with. The BT450Px uses the A2DP profile for stereo audio distribution.
One the edge near the pairing button is the charging port.
In a fit of genius Bluetake then turned their attention to the charging. Because both the PSP and the BT450Px both need charging it clearly makes sense to be able to charge both at the same time, ideally without un-coupling them first. The solution was simple yet brilliant...
The idea is that the supplied distribution block takes the feed from your PSP charger then splits it into two separate outputs, one which plugs into your PSP and one which plugs into your transmitter. A full charge should be good for up to six hours of use.
The distribution block also features a USB port through which you can charge other peripherals.
There are no drivers to install or settings to fiddle with. Apart from the pairing process installing the BT450Px is as simple as plugging it into your PSP's earphone socket.
After which it simply becomes an extension to the PSP and if anything slightly improves the handling if, like me, you find the analogue thumb controller is too low and too close to the bottom edge.
So with the transmitter taken care of how about something to listen with? First the specs then we'll tackle the headphones.
UNIT
Dimensions: 126 x 20 x 30 mm (4.96 x 0.79 x 1.18 in.)
Weight: 20 g (0.71 oz.) (Battery Included)
Built-in Stereo Plug: Ř 3.5 mm (1/8 in.) (Diameter)
COMPATIBILITY Audio-source: SONY® PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable)
Audio-receiver: i-PHONO mini BT450Rx Bluetooth Stereo Headphone
i-PHONO PLUS BT420Rx Bluetooth Stereo Headphone
SOUND
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Sample Rate: 48 KHz, 16 Bit
Input Impedance: 20 KΩ @ 0 dB gain
Line-level Input: 400 rms – 4 rms Vrms @ 0 dBFS (Full Scale)
BLUETOOTH
Specification: Bluetooth v1.2 compliant
Bluetooth Profile Supported: 48 KHz, 16 Bit
Input Impedance: A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)
Connection: Point-to-Point
Audio Codec: SBC
RADIO
Carrier Frequency: 2.4 - 2.480 GHz
Spread Spectrum: FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum)
Modulation Method: GFSK (Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying)
Radio Coverage: Class 2, up to 3–10 m (9–30 ft.) in open field
(The actual range depends on the paired Bluetooth device, battery power, and environmental factors: orientation of devices relative to each other, obstructions, enclosures, radio frequency noise, and interference.)
Antenna: Embedded Patch AntennaSensitivity: < 0.1% BER @ -80 dBm
RF Output Power: -6 to 4 dBm
POWER
Power Consumption: 30 mAh
Power Input: 5 V / 200 mA
(The regular AC adapter and AC power cord of Sony PSP are essential to charge the BT450Px Bluetooth
Stereo Pod Transmitter.)
Built-in Battery: 3.7 V / 200 mAh / Li-Polymer / Rechargeable
OPERATION
Operating Time: approx. 6 hours
(The actual operating time depends on the usage frequency and environmental factors.)
Operating Temperature: -10°C ~ +55°C (+14°F ~ +131°F)°C
Storage Temperature: -20°C ~ +65°C (-4°F ~ +149°F)°C