Getting started in the world of high-fidelity audio can seem incredibly complicated, especially if you find yourself with little to no starting experience. For many people, using the onboard speakers on the television, the earbuds that come in the box, or the speakers that ship with the computer is good enough to make them happy. However, the world of technology embodies the pursuit of excellence and the improvement of the human experience, and so for many people, that just isn’t quite good enough.
For millions of people every year, the pursuit of something just a little bit better and just a bit more usable drives them to try new and different technologies. The home theatre market is no stranger to this pursuit. The desire to try new and better things pushes people every year to forgo the movie theatre experience to try and create something at home that increases their viewing and listening experience in the comfort of their own home. The growth in television technology and the explosion of the home stereo are the main reasons for this push.
In this article, theAuris team explores the various types of home stereo, how to stream audio directly to them using Bluetooth technology, and how to select the best products to make sure your home stereo experience is the best it could possibly be.
What Kind Of Home Stereo Are There?
Looking to get into any new kind of technology can be complicated for several reasons. For one, trusting the internet to find you the best product is often a lost cause. You’re more likely to find a product on Amazon with fake reviews that have 4.9 stars and costs $12 than a product that will improve your lifestyle.
Home theatre is no different. It’s so easy to find yourself wasting money on products that will fall apart right after you set them up or provide no extra value to your home stereo experience.
Here’s a short breakdown of the different types of stereo systems available on the market today:
Hi-Fi
Also known as a high-fidelity audio system, hi-fi represents the best home theatre and home stereo solutions. These systems usually feature heavy and feature certifications like the Dolby ProLogic circuitry or Dolby Digital, maintain 40-100 watts per audio channel, and usually cost upwards of several thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of the sound.
However, in the past few decades, the price to performance ratio in this category has steadily gotten better, with systems that would have cost several thousands of dollars in the 1990s only being a few hundred dollars now.
Turntable Stereo Systems
Reminiscent of the vinyl setups of the last century, the turntable home stereos rely heavily on nostalgia to take people back to the audio experience of last century. While these systems are quite rare and expensive, enthusiasts believe they offer the highest level of fidelity and represent the “true experience” of listening to music.
Home Theater Stereo
Home theater stereo systems are designed specifically for home visual entertainment, either television or movies. These systems are usually centered on surround sound and use 5.1 or 7.1 stereo setups designed to make the viewer feel as immersed in the quality as possible.
While they might not offer the highest quality or resolution of audio, it’s hard to beat their realism.
What To Look For in Home Stereos
When you’re looking to invest in a home stereo, it’s easy to get lost in the sunk cost fallacy. Let’s say you’re looking to find additional speakers that interface with your current setup.
You could potentially find some really good speakers from the same or similar brands, but more likely than not, if your current home stereo system is more than a few years old, you might be better served starting from scratch.
When it comes to shopping for a home stereo, the bottom line is that you need to find something that fits your use case; there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to audio. If you’re looking to listen to music, a home stereo might not even be the best option.
Consider investing in high-fidelity studio reference headphones and a good preamp to get the best listening experience. However, if you decide that you do want a home stereo system, features are key. Decide what you want your stereo to do for you, and then look for something in your price range.
Often, manufacturers load up on marketing buzzwords, adding on features that would be cheaper to just add yourself after the fact. One such example of this is Bluetooth-enabled stereo systems.
What Is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth technology is a short-range data transfer protocol. In layman’s terms, it allows devices that are close to one another to communicate and share data, usually audio streams or small files.
It’sa wireless technology that makes use of radio frequencies (changed several hundred times per minute) to send that data between two previously paired devices. The most common use of Bluetooth is connecting audio devices to send or receive an audio stream wirelessly.
Most people use Bluetooth to allow wireless speakers to play the audio that’s currently on their phones. However, the technology is certainly not limited to smartphone use.
Does My Home Stereo Support a Bluetooth Signal?
Another common implementation of Bluetooth is in a home stereo and higher quality audio. The frequency bandwidth of Bluetooth can support high-fidelity audio. In a few home applications, Bluetooth audio is more practical than a hard-wired audio setup. However, to get Bluetooth as a feature on a home stereo, you’re probably going to have to pay a premium.
To get customers to pay a higher price, manufacturers usually put these kinds of technologies on higher-priced models, keeping feature sets behind paywalls as barriers to entry. As unfortunate as this is, there’s actually a solution.
TheBluetooth Receiver for home stereo is an excellent device that can be used to transform almost any existing stereo system into a Bluetooth-connected device, allowing you to stream audio directly from a smart TV, your smartphone, or any other Bluetooth device directly to your existing stereo.
Finding the Best Bluetooth Receiver For Your Stereo
As with any new technology, it can be hard to feel like you’re making the best decision when looking for something. For example, if you wanted to find “the best smart speaker,” you might find yourself just searching for that term online where you’re more than likely to see bad products with fake reviews, making it difficult to feel like you’ve made the right decision.
Here at Auris, we care about making your experience aspremium and effective as possible.
We created the BeamIt Wireless Bluetooth Audio Receiver with as many features as possible to ensure that the user experience is excellent.
The BeamIt also acts as both a receiver and a transmitter, meaning that it fills more than one function and can send or receive a Bluetooth signal.
As a receiver, it can be used to take a Bluetooth audio stream from your phone and, using Bluetooth 4.2 with the Qualcomm aptX audio codec, provide clear, distortion-free digital sound.
The Bottom Line
The answer to whether you needa Bluetooth receiver for your stereo is yes.
If your current home stereo system doesn’t feature Bluetooth and you’re looking to up your audio game without breaking the bank, a Bluetooth receiver checks all the boxes.
It provides you with a wide range of compatibility with both analog and digital inputs and outputs, transforming your everyday listening experience into something even better than it ever was.
To top it all off, the BeamIt from Auris connects to up to 2 devices concurrently, meaning you can connect to more than one system and adjust volume and EQ separately.
Sources:
The Best Bluetooth Audio Receiver for Your Home Stereo or Speakers | Wirecutter
What is Bluetooth and how do I use it? | Samsung
The State of Bluetoothin 2018 and Beyond | Bluetooth® Technology Website
