Logitech, the Swiss hardware and peripherals manufacturer, is best known for its third-party keyboards, mice and speakers. Its new Bluetooth adapter, the Wrls Spkr, is aimed at people who want to stream music wirelessly from their phone or computer to their speakers without the burden of electronic spaghetti.
Fortunately, the adapter works on any speakers with RCA connections, and not only Logitech’s gear.
The small, square, black adapter is independently powered and comes with the necessary RCA cables included. The unit has its own RCA connectors on the rear for additional connectivity options.
Rather than simply plugging the 3,5mm-to-RCA cable into a set of speakers, amplifier or television, it’s equally possible to connect the RCA end to the wireless adapter and the 3,5mm end into a PC, laptop, speakers or anything else with a 3,5mm jack and use it as an output device.
The unit has a matt top and glossy sides with rounded corners, making it look rather like a miniature Apple TV – possibly a deliberate decision by Logitech.
Aside from the connection ports on the rear, there’s a “connect” button on the top of the device and an LED on the front that indicates connectivity status.
Pairing the unit with a laptop, tablet, phone or any other Bluetooth device is done using the connect button that activates the Bluetooth and makes the unit discoverable. The stock-in-trade password of four zeros is all that’s then needed to get the unit streaming music to whatever device it’s connected to.
Arguably the most impressive thing about the adapter is its range. During our tests, streaming music from a mobile phone, it only lost signal when three walls got in the way of the phone and the receiver, making it perfectly suited to your average flat or small house.
Also, there was no noticeable interference or decline in audio quality as the device doing the streaming was moved about. Once it got out of range the sound simply died.
Available in SA from November for R499, Logitech’s Bluetooth adapter isn’t the cheapest accessory considering its specific (and thus limited) functionality. However, it does exactly what it says on the box and does it well. You can’t ask for much more than that. — Craig Wilson, TechCentral
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