I purchased this little device after reading the great review by unknownsolo. I also have a Noble Audio BTS that I have been using every day for the past 6 months. This is an amazing little amp is dead quiet when connected to my IEMs, and compares really well to the BTS in that low noise floor. I tested with a silent audio file and there is a really minor hiss when it plays, but I can't detect this when there is low volume music.
I was looking for a solidly reliable device and the resemblance of this amp to a wireless mic helps to send the impression that some very significant engineering went into it's design. At about 30 grams it is light but has a very rigid feel and heft to it. The display is mirrored, and that looks cool but makes it a bit hard to read in the direct sun. The body is slightly textured and the buttons have a decent tactile feel.
The display shows the codec and bluetooth profiles on the display when connected, and there is indication when the device is receiving audio or data. This is really useful in troubleshooting connections to a laptop, or a phone. Bluetooth can feel like a dark art when it does not work and this helps to clarify when things are working or not. When a song starts playing you will see if it is using AAC or APTX on the display as well as hearing the quality difference.
The device seems to hold connection to my phone while playing audio and I have not had any audio corruption when using ITunes, VOX, Overcast, or Audible apps on the iphone. I play a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, and I have had problems with the audio skipping and dropping out when I first started playing it with other bluetooth headphones and adapters. This device did not have any issues during that startup phase or during the playback. VOX allowed me to play some lossless audio, and I was impressed with this even as compared with a directly plugged connection.
Multipoint seems to work decently, but it is unclear to me how to switch devices or which take precedence. It seems like if I connect to the laptop first, then connect the iPhone it will be connected to both and the laptop audio will take precedence. I wish that were a little more clear. I have connected the amp to a Plantronics BT300 usb dongle and used that to make the device act as a headset for my Mac. I It will pause audio that is playing on the phone when audio starts on the laptop. The BT300 does not seem to use APTX but the audio quality is okay for a VoIP phone call. When I use the built in bluetooth on the Mac it will use APTX and the quality is great and loud, but this is a less reliable audio path for use as a VoIP phone headset.
Unlike the BTS, there are distinct track forward and back buttons and that is a big help. There is also a lock switch that will prevent inadvertent button presses, which I have not yet needed but I think it will be useful.
There is a separate snap on clip for attaching the amp to a pocket, and because I have a very short cable for my IEMs, I can keep it clipped to my shirt pocket. This also has the advantage of placing the microphone close for taking phone calls.
The microphone is of good quality and seems to work well on phone calls. This will require significantly more testing, as this will be one of my primary uses for the device. The mic gain is higher than the BTS and it seems to have some built in gain control to keep the sound in a decent range.
Overall this is a good buy, but I do wish that Audio Technica would officially bring it to the US. I expect a lot more interest in this as Apple ships the iPhone 7 and folks look for alternatives to use their expensive cans and IEMs. You can grab the japanese manual from the audio technica's japanese site and run it through google translate, and it gives you a mess of text but it can help with functions.
I was looking for a solidly reliable device and the resemblance of this amp to a wireless mic helps to send the impression that some very significant engineering went into it's design. At about 30 grams it is light but has a very rigid feel and heft to it. The display is mirrored, and that looks cool but makes it a bit hard to read in the direct sun. The body is slightly textured and the buttons have a decent tactile feel.
The display shows the codec and bluetooth profiles on the display when connected, and there is indication when the device is receiving audio or data. This is really useful in troubleshooting connections to a laptop, or a phone. Bluetooth can feel like a dark art when it does not work and this helps to clarify when things are working or not. When a song starts playing you will see if it is using AAC or APTX on the display as well as hearing the quality difference.
The device seems to hold connection to my phone while playing audio and I have not had any audio corruption when using ITunes, VOX, Overcast, or Audible apps on the iphone. I play a lot of audiobooks and podcasts, and I have had problems with the audio skipping and dropping out when I first started playing it with other bluetooth headphones and adapters. This device did not have any issues during that startup phase or during the playback. VOX allowed me to play some lossless audio, and I was impressed with this even as compared with a directly plugged connection.
Multipoint seems to work decently, but it is unclear to me how to switch devices or which take precedence. It seems like if I connect to the laptop first, then connect the iPhone it will be connected to both and the laptop audio will take precedence. I wish that were a little more clear. I have connected the amp to a Plantronics BT300 usb dongle and used that to make the device act as a headset for my Mac. I It will pause audio that is playing on the phone when audio starts on the laptop. The BT300 does not seem to use APTX but the audio quality is okay for a VoIP phone call. When I use the built in bluetooth on the Mac it will use APTX and the quality is great and loud, but this is a less reliable audio path for use as a VoIP phone headset.
Unlike the BTS, there are distinct track forward and back buttons and that is a big help. There is also a lock switch that will prevent inadvertent button presses, which I have not yet needed but I think it will be useful.
There is a separate snap on clip for attaching the amp to a pocket, and because I have a very short cable for my IEMs, I can keep it clipped to my shirt pocket. This also has the advantage of placing the microphone close for taking phone calls.
The microphone is of good quality and seems to work well on phone calls. This will require significantly more testing, as this will be one of my primary uses for the device. The mic gain is higher than the BTS and it seems to have some built in gain control to keep the sound in a decent range.
Overall this is a good buy, but I do wish that Audio Technica would officially bring it to the US. I expect a lot more interest in this as Apple ships the iPhone 7 and folks look for alternatives to use their expensive cans and IEMs. You can grab the japanese manual from the audio technica's japanese site and run it through google translate, and it gives you a mess of text but it can help with functions.