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Need some advice on audio without cables

lococola

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Hi, I'm kind of a newbie with regards to dac, streamers, bluetooth etc so I have been spending the last week reading up on it and watching many, many reviews of all kinds of devices from brands like SMSL, Sabaj, Loxjie etc. But I get the impression that it's assumed that these devices are connected to via either USB or perhaps even RCA. Also BlueTooth is sometimes mentioned, and this is what my question is about.

My situation is very very basic: I have 2 hifi speakers (with speaker cables), and I have a laptop (Windows 10). I would like to be able to have any audio from the laptop, mostly Winamp playlists, to play over the speakers without using any cables whatsoever. Since I will be moving around with the laptop in my room a lot, cables are not practical.

What is the most logical way to get this to work? I was thinking of getting one of those DACs like the AO200 from SMSL or the Loxjie A30. Connect my speakers to that and then somehow stream the audio from my laptop over Bluetooth to the DAC? Is that about how it should be done?

It is important to me that I do not need special software or a phone app in order to control the audio. I just want to use my laptop as normal, so any kind of audio program should work with it. Sound quality is somewhat important but it doesn't have to be the very best, so if BlueTooth means an slightly degraded sound quality compared to for example USB, I am ok with that.

I appreciate any advice in this! Thank you.
 

JayGilb

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I would use a stereo receiver that has builtin bluetooth or purchase a separate bluetooth receiver and connect it to line level inputs on a stereo receiver. Pair up your laptop to the receiver and you're ready to go.

You can also use a integrated amplifier in place of a stereo receiver. You can control the volume completely from your laptop, but I'm personally a fan of physical volume controls.
 

JeffS7444

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What is the most logical way to get this to work? I was thinking of getting one of those DACs like the AO200 from SMSL or the Loxjie A30. Connect my speakers to that and then somehow stream the audio from my laptop over Bluetooth to the DAC? Is that about how it should be done?
Yes that would work very well, and because Bluetooth is such a popular standard, it should continue to be viable for many years to come.
 

DVDdoug

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Parts Express has lots of ""Bluetooth stuff" if you don't want to buy a receiver or a regular Bluetooth speaker.
 

TimW

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Wow, you're using a media player originally developed in 1997. I suppose it has had many updates but that's still crazy to think about for me. And they're involved in NFT's now!?

Bluetooth would certainly work but you may be able to do some sort of network streaming as well. Do you have an amplifier for those speakers?
 

Apesbrain

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lococola

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Thanks everyone for the replies! Good to hear that I was on the right track with my line of thinking :) I will continue researching and comparing devices that would suit me the best for my particular use case.

Would you say that the built-in BlueTooth in a laptop is good enough for hifi audio? Or would it be advisable to purchase a dedicated BT dongle like the Avantree DG80?
 
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lococola

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Wow, you're using a media player originally developed in 1997. I suppose it has had many updates but that's still crazy to think about for me. And they're involved in NFT's now!?

Bluetooth would certainly work but you may be able to do some sort of network streaming as well. Do you have an amplifier for those speakers?
Well, yes, Winamp is still my favorite audio player. Although these days I use WACUP which is an modern version based on WinAmp that is still actively being updated. :)

I do not currently have an amplifier, which is why I am looking at a DAC with Bluetooth.
 

JeffS7444

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Would you say that the built-in BlueTooth in a laptop is good enough for hifi audio? Or would it be advisable to purchase a dedicated BT dongle like the Avantree DG80?
I'd say the built-in BT is probably fine. If you are specifically thinking about AptX, just remember that both your source and device need to support it, else it will fall back to the next available standard. Apple notebooks and desktop machines are kind of odd, in that they already have the appropriate hardware, but AptX is switched off. The last time I checked, it could be enabled via an obscure developer's tool from Apple, but I can't say that I heard an obvious difference.
 

TimW

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Well, yes, Winamp is still my favorite audio player. Although these days I use WACUP which is an modern version based on WinAmp that is still actively being updated. :)

I do not currently have an amplifier, which is why I am looking at a DAC with Bluetooth.
Well the DAC won't power passive speakers if that's what you have, you'll need an amp for that. What kind of speakers are they?

EDIT: just realized the 'DACs' you mentioned getting were also amplifiers.
 
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lococola

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I'd say the built-in BT is probably fine. If you are specifically thinking about AptX, just remember that both your source and device need to support it, else it will fall back to the next available standard. Apple notebooks and desktop machines are kind of odd, in that they already have the appropriate hardware, but AptX is switched off. The last time I checked, it could be enabled via an obscure developer's tool from Apple, but I can't say that I heard an obvious difference.
Good to know! I guess I can always first try with the Bluetooth from the laptop itself, and then possibly upgrade from there if needed. Thanks!
 
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lococola

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Well the DAC won't power passive speakers if that's what you have, you'll need an amp for that. What kind of speakers are they?
To be honest I'm not sure. These are speakers that I inherited which were purchased from somebody who made them himself. They're very good, but I can't open them up to see what parts are in there. However they are certainly passive speakers, I do know that.

So a digital amplifier like the SMSL AO200 or the Loxjie A30 would work with that, right? Or maybe I'm now confusing a DAC with a Digital Amplifier..
 

TimW

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To be honest I'm not sure. These are speakers that I inherited which were purchased from somebody who made them himself. They're very good, but I can't open them up to see what parts are in there. However they are certainly passive speakers, I do know that.

So a digital amplifier like the SMSL AO200 or the Loxjie A30 would work with that, right? Or maybe I'm now confusing a DAC with a Digital Amplifier..
Yeah those amps should work fine. They have DACs built in but digital amplifier is what they seem to be called these days. Traditionally they are what would be called an integrated amplifier. I would go for the AO200 for the extra power.
 

Chazz6

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Another solution would use wi-fi, which would be convenient if you already have a router broadcasting to a home network. Your computer can start the broadcast of a stream or audio file; foobar2000 is one program to do that. A device like the Audioengine B-Fi will receive the wi-fi stream. You connect the B-Fi line output or its optical Toplink output into your DAC.
 
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