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By Adrienne Maxwell and Dennis Burger Bluetooth Module 5.2
We have merged three guides into one. Our picks for best headphone adapters, best Bluetooth audio receivers for home stereos, and best Bluetooth transmitters are listed below.
These days, most mainstream audio electronics have Bluetooth connectivity built in. But if you own older or specialty AV products—such as a beloved set of wired headphones or powered speakers or maybe a plasma TV—there’s a good chance it either lacks Bluetooth connectivity or relies on an older, less-capable version of Bluetooth.
So what do you do if you want to use that product with a newer, Bluetooth-capable device? You don’t have to scrap your gear. You just need to get yourself a good Bluetooth audio adapter that’s reliable and user-friendly.
Whether you need a headphone adapter, a Bluetooth receiver for your home-audio setup, or a Bluetooth transmitter for your TV, we’ve tested them and have recommendations.
Use this tiny, battery-powered Bluetooth receiver to pair wired headphones with a phone that lacks a headphone jack.
Use this larger, non-battery-powered Bluetooth receiver to stream audio from your phone or computer to a home-audio system.
Use this to connect wireless headphones or speakers to a source that lacks Bluetooth, such as an in-flight entertainment system or TV.
Bluetooth latency can cause audio and video signals to be out of sync. Consider using RF-based wireless headphones with your TV.
If you want to use a pair of wired headphones with a phone or other source that lacks a headphone jack, a Bluetooth headphone adapter is the simplest option.
This type of Bluetooth audio receiver is battery powered and generally the size of a USB stick (or smaller), and you plug your headphones into it. The adapter receives a Bluetooth audio signal from your phone, lets you control playback, and has a microphone for you to take calls or do video chats—so you can keep your phone or tablet stashed safely in a pocket or bag or charging across the room. You still have to deal with the headphone cable, but it’s not connected directly to your source.
These small adapters are also a good choice for use in a car, to stream audio from your mobile device to an older car stereo that lacks Bluetooth. But your car’s stereo system must have an auxiliary audio (3.5 mm) input for this setup to work.
This adapter provides a stable wireless connection and offers good battery life and a decent microphone. Unlike similarly priced competitors, it has no major flaws.
1Mii’s MiiLink ML100 is our favorite Bluetooth headphone adapter for most people because it does what it’s supposed to do without any glaring issues or quirks—and we can’t say the same about the other adapters in its price range that we tested.
The Bluetooth performance is reliable. The ML100 paired easily with our devices, and every time we powered it back on, it automatically reconnected to the last paired device.
It was also one of the most consistent performers in Bluetooth range and reliability, exhibiting fewer pops and signal dropouts as we moved around the house.
The design is compact and user friendly. While the ML100 is similar in form to most of the other low-priced headphone adapters we tested, it has a few distinguishing design elements that made it easier to use.
This adapter is roughly the size of a domino and relies on USB-C for charging. A large multifunction button sits alone on the front panel. That button controls Bluetooth pairing/connection, play/pause, and call answer, and it’s easy to find by feel since there are no other buttons around it. There’s also a slowly pulsing blue light around the button that improves visibility without being too distracting.
The ML100 has a dedicated power on/off switch, which is surprisingly rare. With many adapters, you have to press and hold the multifunction button to wake up the adapter; inevitably you end up holding it too long and putting the device in Bluetooth pairing mode when you don’t mean to. And when you press the multifunction button to try to disconnect, you may be unsuccessful and not know that your phone is still connected. A dedicated power button is just clearer.
A set of + and - buttons on the side lets you control volume up/down with a quick press and track forward/reverse with a long press. The ML100 takes over the volume control of your source, or at least it did so with our iPhone XR and MacBook’s iTunes.
The built-in microphone sounds better than those of the competition. The ML100’s microphone offered the best vocal clarity among the sub-$35 adapters we tested, though the volume was a bit lower than we would’ve preferred. Some models we tested had ridiculously low volume levels, while others sounded harsh, muffled, or unnatural, or picked up more hiss and background noise.
That said, the ML100’s mic didn’t sound great—voices definitely weren’t as clear and natural as what you’ll get if you move up to our upgrade pick. In that model’s price range, all of the adapters had much better-sounding microphones. But the ML100’s mic performance was adequate for short phone calls and video chats.
Battery life and power output are solid. The ML100’s stated battery life is 14 hours, and we got about 13 hours in our test.
As for the power output to drive the attached headphones, the ML100 measured 27.7 milliwatts into 32 ohms. Although that’s much lower than what you can get from our upgrade pick, the ML100 should be fine to power basic earphones and headphones that aren’t especially hard to drive. I got plenty of volume from my Etymotic earbuds and Bowers & Wilkins headphones.
Flaws include limited customization options and Bluetooth codec support. This is a connect-it-and-forget-it device, with no accompanying mobile app to customize how the buttons work or to get feedback on other details such as battery life and Bluetooth format. Many people may appreciate that simplicity, but if you’re the type who wants more control over the user experience, you’ll need to move up in price to our upgrade pick.
This adapter supports only the standard SBC codec, not higher-performance options like LDAC, aptX HD, or aptX Low Latency. This was true of almost all the low-priced adapters we tested; again, you’ll need to move up in price to get more codec support.
You may not need that support, though, depending on which codecs your phone supports. (You can read more about Bluetooth codecs in this article.) I did not observe any significant latency issues with the ML100 when watching YouTube videos on my iPhone.
This adapter has more features, more power, and a better microphone than our top pick. But the higher price may be worth it for only the serious audio fan.
The Qudelix-5K is a worthwhile upgrade for those who own harder-to-drive headphones or want to have more control over their listening experience. But for the more casual listener who just wants a simple, affordable Bluetooth headphone adapter, this one is probably overkill.
This adapter has a ton of customization options. Unlike all of the cheaper adapters we tested that offer little to no feedback or customization, the Qudelix-5K works with a mobile app for iOS and Android that’s loaded with tools for audio enthusiasts—all in a clean, clear presentation.
Among the options are the ability to get precise feedback on battery life and Bluetooth codec, change the behavior of buttons, prioritize the power output based on sound quality or battery life, and adjust the audio quality with a 10-band equalizer. A lot of the advanced controls require some understanding of audio principles.
The Qudelix-5K has more amp power and a better microphone. If you own a pair of higher-end audiophile headphones with a low sensitivity rating (below 98 decibels) or a high impedance (above 100 ohms), you may need more amp power than a cheap adapter delivers to produce satisfying volume levels. You can read more about this in our guide to portable headphone amplifiers.
We measured 80 mW into 32 ohms from the Qudelix-5K’s standard, unbalanced headphone output, and 254 mW from the balanced output. That is more than enough power to drive almost every headphone type on the market.
All of the pricier adapters we tested (above $70) had notably better built-in microphones than what we heard from cheaper adapters. Whereas the ML100’s mic delivered passable vocal quality for the occasional phone call, the Qudelix-5K’s mic produced excellent vocal clarity and minimal background noise (though we did not test it in wind).
If you use wired headphones that already have an inline remote/mic, the Qudelix app gives you the option to keep using your headphone mic if desired.
This adapter has a simple, compact design. The Qudelix-5K is small and light, with a USB-C charging port and a helpful clip on the back to easily connect it to your clothing or bag. It has dedicated volume controls on one side; on the other side are power and play/pair buttons that also handle track skip.
While the buttons aren’t labeled on the adapter itself, the cardboard package it comes in has diagrams to show you what every button and port does. Once you get a feel for where everything is located, the buttons are pretty easy to find and use without looking—more so than on competing models that lined up all the buttons on one side.
The USB-C port also functions as a USB DAC, supporting audio sample rates up to 24 bits/96 kHz. You can read more about the DAC element in our guide to portable headphone amps with built-in DAC.
Bluetooth performance was excellent. The Qudelix-5K provided the most reliable Bluetooth connection in its price class, and we encountered no problems during the pairing process. Plus, this model supports most of the major codecs, including AAC, aptX HD and Adaptive, and LDAC.
The only codec missing was aptX Low Latency, which can help sync up the audio and video when you’re watching a source like YouTube. But the included aptX Adaptive codec does help reduce latency, too, if your phone supports it.
As for battery life, we got up to 15.25 hours in the standard power mode, which was the best in our most recent round of testing. In the high-performance mode, we got a still-good 11.5 hours.
The Qudelix-5K does not take over the volume control of your source, so you’ll want to make sure the volume is set high enough on your source device before you start using the Qudelix’s volume controls.
If you want to stream audio from your phone or computer to an older, non-Bluetooth–friendly home-audio system, you want a more robust Bluetooth audio receiver that can sit in your equipment rack and connect directly to your gear—be it an amp-and-speaker combo, a pair of powered speakers, or maybe an older soundbar. These Bluetooth receivers are usually larger than portable headphone adapters and are not battery-powered.
Sound quality is probably your number one priority here, and these receivers support higher-quality Bluetooth codecs. Indoor signal range—as well as the ability to receive a signal through multiple walls or in the presence of other radio-frequency devices like Wi-Fi routers and smart-home appliances—is also important.
This Bluetooth audio receiver sounds amazing, is simple to set up, and offers surprisingly good range—but it lacks digital audio outputs.
The iFi Audio Zen Air Blue offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and supports all relevant Bluetooth audio codecs, including SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX LL, LDAC, and LHDC/HWA. It also offers great signal range, and it’s the simplest and most straightforward receiver we tested in respect to setup and daily use.
The receiver sounds great. In our listening tests, its sound quality was practically indistinguishable from that of its much more expensive sibling, the now-discontinued Zen Blue V2. It uses the same ESS Sabre ES9023 Premier Stereo digital-to-analog converter, which is a great-sounding DAC.
In our audio comparisons, we couldn’t hear a meaningful difference between the DAC in this little $100 box and the DAC in the $1,100 Rotel A12 MKII integrated amplifier that we used for testing.
The Bluetooth performance is reliable. Pairing the Zen Air Blue proved to be as easy as with most of the other Bluetooth receivers we tested, and its reconnection with sources was far above average in reliability, consistency, and speed.
In our range tests, the Zen Air Blue held its connection perfectly up to a distance of about 32 feet in a direct line indoors. But more importantly, the signal passed through five sheetrocked walls before the audio started to stutter, skip, or take too long to reconnect. In practice, that meant that we could walk to any corner of any room in the house with the phone in our hand or pocket without losing a signal.
It’s more user-friendly than other receivers in its price class. First, it’s always on, so all you have to do is connect to it and switch to the appropriate input on your sound system, and you’re ready to listen without delay.
It also gives a nice verbal confirmation when a device is connected, and it lets you know which codec is being employed so you can be sure the device is receiving the best codec possible—for instance, “Device is connected … AAC.”
If you happen to miss that vocal announcement, the unit also gives visual feedback about the quality of the incoming signal by way of two front-panel LED lights. One light indicates the Bluetooth codec, and the other indicates signal resolution.
From the very first note, the Zen Air Blue never failed to deliver sound. Many receivers, especially in this price range, mute the audio when no music is playing and often take a second or two to unmute when sensing a signal, but this iFi model never did so. It also handled gapless albums like some of our Grateful Dead concert albums, as well as studio albums like the Black Crowes’ The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, without any pauses or silences between tracks.
Connection options are limited. The only audio output is an analog RCA stereo pair. There are no digital audio outputs, which may be a concern for you if the only available audio connection on your home stereo or speakers is optical or coaxial digital—or if you would prefer to use the DAC built into your audio gear (or an external DAC, for that matter).
We formerly recommended the Zen Blue V2 as an upgrade pick if you needed digital outputs or even better Bluetooth signal range. However, that model has been discontinued and replaced by the Zen Blue 3—a transmitter/receiver combo that supports Bluetooth 5.4 and aptX Lossless, and it adds analog and digital inputs (including USB-C). But it comes with a big price jump to $300, so it's likely overkill for most people looking solely for a Bluetooth audio receiver.
A few key accessories are missing. The Zen Air Blue doesn’t come with audio cables of any sort, so you need to purchase a good pair of stereo RCA interconnects.
More frustrating is the fact that the receiver doesn’t come with a USB power adapter. Its 5-volt DC power cord terminates in a USB Type-A connection, which you can plug into the USB power port on the back of most audio components these days, but if your sound system is older or for whatever reason omits such a connection, you need to buy a good USB wall charger.
The always-on nature of the Zen Air Blue can be a blessing and a curse. It means that you won’t have to remember to turn it on before use, but it also means that your portable devices might sometimes connect to the Bluetooth receiver when you don’t want them to.
If your sound system has a USB power outlet, you might benefit from plugging the Zen Air Blue into that outlet instead of the wall so it powers up and down with the rest of your audio gear. Just be aware that some sound systems send pass-through power to their USB ports even in standby mode.
Wireless headphones are great—until you want to use them with a source that lacks Bluetooth, such as an in-flight entertainment system or an older TV or projector. A Bluetooth transmitter solves this problem by making any AV device with a headphone jack (or other type of audio output) compatible with Bluetooth.
Some models are small and portable, with a built-in battery, while others are designed to be stationary and used with your TV so that you can listen to what you’re watching through your headphones without disturbing others.
This small, portable transmitter sounds as good as any other model we tested, and it actually works as advertised, which isn’t a given in this category.
The 1Mii ML300 is the best portable Bluetooth transmitter because it’s full-featured and actually does everything it claims to do, which wasn’t the case with other transmitters we tested. It lets you pair one source with two sets of headphones simultaneously, and its flat design, light weight, and decent battery life make it easy to use on the go.
The ML300 supports aptX Low Latency for improved audio and video sync. In our tests, when using the standard SBC Bluetooth codec, we found that the lag was 139 milliseconds (the average for all the devices we tested was about 132 ms, and you’re not likely to notice that 7 ms difference). This isn’t a problem if you’re only listening to audio, but the lag is noticeable if you’re watching video.
On the other hand, when we used the aptX Low Latency codec with compatible headphones, the latency measured a much more acceptable 29 ms, just under the 31.4 ms average. At that rate, there won’t be a noticeable lip-sync lag. But remember, your headphones must support aptX Low Latency to get that low number.
The ML300 delivered consistent performance, which was not a given in our testing. Similar models we tested did not pair with two devices, as advertised, no matter how many times we followed the instructions to the letter.
This category is a race to the bottom in terms of both price and features, and while the ML300 didn’t absolutely “wow” us, at least it delivered on what it says it will.
It’s slim enough to fit in most pockets. The ML300 is a 2.1-inch-by-1.5-inch rectangle with rounded edges, and it measures only about half an inch thick. And since it weighs a mere 0.63 ounce, it won’t weigh you down.
In addition to the 3.5 mm auxiliary port and the USB-C charging port, the ML300 has a switch to move between transmitter and receiver modes or to turn off the device, a multifunction button for pairing, and a button to switch to aptX HD. The transmitter comes with a 3.5 mm audio cable, a USB-A–to–USB-C charging cable, and a carrying case.
1Mii says the ML300 has a 12-hour battery life in transmitter mode (we didn’t independently test this figure). That’s long enough for many flights or a week of trips to the gym, but it falls short of the figures that some pricier models promise. If you need a longer-lasting battery for lengthy flights or any other reason, consider Aluratek’s ABC01F or Twelve South’s AirFly Pro.
The ML300’s controls could be more intuitive. This transmitter isn't as easy to control as some others we tested. You’ll likely need to use the instruction manual to get everything set up, especially if you’re pairing to two devices.
There’s only one button that serves multiple functions, including power and pairing, so you have to use a Morse-code–like system of clicks and holds to connect your headphones, and the only real indicator of success is a flashing LED light that’s equally ambiguous. It’s not obvious when you have things in pairing mode, nor when you get that second set of headphones connected, unless you’re closely following the manual.
This transmitter integrates easily into your existing home theater setup and offers the lowest latency of any we’ve tested.
If you’re looking for a stationary transmitter to use with your TV or another home-audio source, we recommend 1Mii’s B03. It has the same features as the ML300, including good audio quality, aptX Low Latency, support for up to two pairs of headphones, and a receiver mode. But it adds features that are tailored to TV use, including an optical digital-audio input and output so you can pass audio through to a soundbar, an AV receiver, or powered speakers.
The B03 had lower latency when using the aptX Low Latency codec than any transmitter we’ve tested. Our resident audio expert Brent Butterworth described it as a “screamingly low” 10 ms. That may not guarantee perfectly lip-synced video, but it’s as close as you’re going to get with one of these devices. To get this low number, though, your Bluetooth headphones or speakers must support aptX Low Latency, too.
When using the SBC codec, we measured latency at 120 ms. That’s still laggy when you’re watching TV, and you may be bothered seeing people’s lips on screen being out of sync with the audio.
If your wireless headphones lack aptX Low Latency support and you notice AV sync issues, you can try connecting the Bluetooth transmitter directly to your AV source device (if it has a 3.5 mm or optical audio output), which may cut down on some lag created when the signal has to pass through the TV’s audio processor. Or, consider dedicated wireless TV headphones designed specifically for this purpose.
The B03 supports audio pass-through. In addition to its 3.5 mm audio input, the B03 has two optical digital-audio ports: one input for connecting to your TV and one output for connecting to a soundbar or other audio-playback device. This setup allows for audio bypass, meaning you don’t have to unplug the B03 when you want to listen to sound from your external speaker or soundbar; rather, you just toggle a switch.
Other competitors offer a similar setup, but what makes this one different is that you can transmit to Bluetooth at the same time the audio plays out loud, instead of having to choose one over the other. You might want to do this if you’d like to keep up with the audio of a game while you move from room to room, for example, or if someone in your family needs a higher volume level through headphones to hear the dialogue in a TV show.
The overall performance was solid. The B03 is one of the few models we found that supports the aptX HD codec, which offers higher-fidelity audio if you have compatible headphones.
The B03 is physically larger than our portable pick, but it’s not meant to travel along with you, so that’s okay. It has a footprint of just 4.5 by 3 inches, and it’s only about 1.5 inches tall at its highest, so you should be able to hide it in almost any home theater setup or living room.
The lack of a battery means the included Micro-USB cable needs to be plugged in at all times, but the USB port on any modern TV should provide enough power. This transmitter also comes with an optical audio cable, a 3.5 mm audio cable, and an RCA adapter.
You may need to change your TV’s default audio-output settings. The B03 doesn’t have built-in Dolby or DTS decoding, so you should change your TV’s sound output to the PCM setting when using it. If you don’t, you won’t be able to stream from services that offer Dolby Digital output, such as Netflix. The PCM setting downmixes the stream to stereo; in our tests, we didn’t notice any quality differences.
Adrienne Maxwell is the supervising editor of Wirecutter’s AV coverage and has worked as a writer and editor in the consumer electronics industry for more than 20 years. She specializes in display reviews and is an Imaging Science Foundation Level III–certified video calibrator, but she also tests AV receivers and other audio products.
Dennis Burger has been reviewing headphones, speakers, AV receivers, home-automation systems, home theater gear, and high-end audio gear for nearly two decades. He is currently senior editor at SoundStage Solo.
Portions of this guide are based on previous testing by writer Nick Guy.
Check out this running list of the specific Bluetooth audio accessories we tested that did not earn a spot in this guide.
This guide was edited by Grant Clauser.
I oversee all of Wirecutter’s coverage of AV gear, including headphones, TVs, speakers, and more. I also write all of Wirecutter’s projector guides, and I test peripheral AV equipment such as screens, remotes, and HDMI transmitters.
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