[Review] Elecom Bluetooth Receiver/Amplifier - Bluetooth Streaming on Steroids

This is a quick review of the Elecom LBT-PHP500AV Bluetooth receiver (RF Amplifier, 200mW output).

First of all, wireless streaming is a must for me since I'm using the Sony Xperia Z which has the headphone jack covered with a cap (if the caps become damaged by repeated usage - waterproof phone no more) so I had 3 bluetooth receivers so far, and all of them were a huge dissapointment. I had to use an portable amplifier with the bluetooth receiver which only made things cluttered and complicated, rendering hands-free usage almost impossible.

In my experience with wireless music the top issues are:

1. Battery limitation (5-6 hours) which isn't enough, not even for half the day;


2. Low output volume (even if I'm using headphones with high dB sensitivity);


3. Poor transmission range (which sometimes was a problem eg. gym);


4. Decent to low sound quality (high quality sound over Bluetooth usually requires spending some serious bucks).

So, after a long search I found, what seems to be the perfect fit between performance and price tag and that is the ELECOM LBT-PHP500AV. I already made a (crappy) review on YouTube and a follow-up, which can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7IaXYDUbOI
The Elecom Bluetooth receiver can be order as stand-alone receiver (about 40$) or with headphones at 50-60$ (which are pretty good - they're about 30$) on ebay.

Product Specs can be found here: http://www.elecom.co.jp.e.gj.hp.tran...0av/index.html and headphones specs here: http://www2.elecom.co.jp.e.gj.hp.tra...one/ehp-c3560/

When I first saw it, I felt a cosmic attraction not because of how it looks, but because of what it does, which is: almost 4 times the battery life you're getting in a bluetooth headset, high quality audio codecs, transmission range and of course the retro look. Everything seems too good to be true, but now, it became my daily driver and for 50 dollars, it is too good. :D

Without taking this love story any further, I'm going to switch to pros and cons of the elecom bt receiver.
PROS:

• Huge battery (they advertise 18 hours of playback) - I've been using it for 3 days without the need to charge it - something that never happened to me. Battery size is 365mAh in contrast to the usual 80-100mAh. This thing lasts more than the phone. :D


• It's fairly loud - I'm no longer using the external amplifier. Cranking the volume on this thing to the max is a bit too loud. Using it with the laptop grants me almost twice the volume i get on my android.


• Very nice build, and finishing touches - volume rocker is made of metal which feels really nice. The body is plastic but it feels high quality and resistant to shocks.


• Excellent clip functionality - it is plastic but looks and feels pretty solid. The clip has small hooks and on the body side there is rubber that will ensure a firm grip on the fabric (as seen in the video).


• Impressive sound quality - no stuttering. Also NFC connect for convenience;


• It also works while charging without interruption of any kind while it's plugged or unplugged from power;


• Bundle Headphones are pretty pretty good (very unexpected) - Very deep bass with crisp notes ( FQ response of 5Hz - 24 kHz with 99dB sensitivity).


• Transmit range - better than my previous receivers it goes 10 extra meters before it starts dropping frames.***

CONS:

• Headphones wire is way too short.... It doesn't even reach the belt level - this is due to the idea of wearing the receiver around the neck - but it's a bit too big to be clipped near the neck. I guess the cable length won't be an issue (i'm used to really long headphone cables).


• No HD-Call support - for me it's not really an issue since i can safely use it as a hands-free (the microphone might pick up too much background noise while in a loud or crowded area).


• No battery meter (at least not on android) - which is kinda important - you might not have to charge it 2-3 days but you'll want to know exactly how much battery you have left before leaving the house.

*** The theoretical transmit range of 100m depends on a lot of factors. It does perform better than normal bluetooth headsets but in everyday usage (in enclosed spaces) you probably won't get more than 20 meters of range. Again, it depends on the device you're transmitting from (i use my android phone) and power it reserves for bluetooth operations and the obstructions between transmitter and receiver. It's not really a down point. It's more of a notice.

I've got it from ebay at "trickstar_inc_nippon". I had a great experience with the seller - item was shipped the next day and it got from Japan to Europe in only 3 days. For someone like me who is choosy when it comes to music players, this is a great and powerful headset, on an affordable price. This is an impressive device for it's price and I can safely say it's going to be my daily driver without having to carry the external amplifier or the battery with me.

I hope the review was helpful (if it was hit Thanks!). Here is a box.com folder with more hands-on pics https://app.box.com/s/oo8ani1ipp97lvnwxr0va17lykx47vre :p For any questions you can PM me.
Cheers!

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