Call me late to the party, but I’ve finally fallen in love with Bluetooth audio streaming. At this point most readers should be familiar with Bluetooth, which facilitates pretty easy wireless connections between devices of all kinds. In this case I’m specifically discussing using Bluetooth to send audio from a computer or mobile device to headphones, speaker or stereo.
Now, Bluetooth has been around a good decade, and those little Bluetooth headsets have been hanging off people’s ears for nearly as long. I even picked one up a few years ago to make it easier to listen to podcasts while walking or riding my bike without getting tangled up in cables.
But aside from that convenience, I otherwise disregarded the development of other Bluetooth audio devices. I had a perfectly nice rechargeable iPhone dock that I used on my patio, and was otherwise happy to plug my smartphones into stereos and speakers via a headphone cable. Sure, it could be a pain when I misplaced the cable or the connection got weak and scratchy, but nothing I couldn’t prepare for or deal with.
In the last year, however, it seems like Bluetooth speakers went from being pricey toys to becoming near commodity items. On top of that, a number of companies started offering higher-quality powered speakers and Bluetooth receivers to plug into your stereo or existing speakers, all promising a step up in fidelity from the previous generation devices.