AXPONA 2015

AXPONA 2015: Noble Audio Bluetooth Solution

Tyll Hertsens  |  Apr 28, 2015

I've got a palm print on my forehead from the "why didn't I think of that" moment when I first saw this dandy little gadget. Brannon Mason of Noble Audio introduced me to their new BTS (Bluetooth Solution) at AXPONA.

Primarily designed to convert any of their in-ear monitors into bluetooth headsets, the BTS is a low output impedance (<1 Ohm) Bluetooth receiver and headphone amp. The BTS supports BT4.0 with aptX and Apple lossless (CSR 8645) codecs; supported Bluetooth profiles are HFP1.6 (HD Voice ready), A2DP1.2, and AVRCP1.4. The battery charges in two hours and provides 7-8 hours continuous playback.

Pre-orders are being taken now, and the BTS should be shipping within a month. Find out more on the BTS web page. Here's Brannon to fill you in.

Click here if you can't see the video.

COMMENTS
tony's picture
Submitted by tony on April 28, 2015 - 3:54pm

In all my travels I see the iPhone acting as "everyman's" music system.

Presented here is a device that allows the nicer in-ear stuff to be useful in the "Real World", if the darn thing actually works it's gonna sell.

It might even enable an Impulse Buyer ( like me ) to justify buying the better IEM device.

What?, $99, gimme that, I'll take it! Where do I swipe my Card?

It's gonna be that easy.

I can even see em on Sale at those little Shops at the AirPort and I can see folks ripping open the packaging at the Coffee Shop Kiosks, anxious to give it a go for the trip they are about to make.

Hmm, a winner product. Wish I'da thought of it.

Helps to have the Noble Name brand attached to it.

Tony in Michigan

ps. I wonder how many folks will forget the darn thing at home and end up buying a second one?

MonkeyMan's picture
Submitted by MonkeyMan on April 29, 2015 - 2:19pm

These have been around for years, I've had a couple from Samsung (I use one everyday at work, sound with my Denon IEM's is surprisingly good) I also have a Sony one.

I'm sure this one will sound significantly better though.

drm870's picture
Submitted by drm870 on May 1, 2015 - 3:15pm

I used a cheap $30 one from Amazon for a brief period of time a few years back. This one will have a low enough output impedance for balanced armature IEMs, though, while I'm very much willing to bet that my Amazon one didn't. (And yes, I've preordered the BTS.)

Thorsten Mühler's picture
Submitted by Thorsten Mühler on May 27, 2015 - 12:31pm

Just sayin'. And the Bluetooth chip used inside it, the CSR8645, is the same one used in no-brand models you can get off Amazon/eBay. I'm not sure how much you could tweak such a design to get better sound quality, considering that the CSR8645 integrates Bluetooth and audio encoding/decoding inside a single module.

Thorsten Mühler's picture
Submitted by Thorsten Mühler on June 2, 2015 - 10:53am

It is the Jabra Play, just with aptX enabled (and maybe a different output stage, though I'm not holding my breath TBH). The user interface is exactly the same, and the user guide provided on Noble's website mirrors that of the Jabra Play. It should also be noted that the Jabra Play costs half the price of the BTS.

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