Side by Side Comparison of: Etekcity vs AmazonBasics

Came across this when our Sirius XM internet tabletop radio finally died after 6 years. I needed something that work work with our wifi connection, but play through our old, existing stereo speakers that we have hooked up to an stereo from the 90's. We use this at a business, where we use an ipad as our register system. Just downloaded the Sirius app on the ipad, and easily connected the ipad and this receiver via bluetooth. Hooks right up the audio jacks on the stereo system. It was literally just plug & play. Doesn't get any easier. The sound is crystal clear, and sounds so much better than the old tabletop internet radio. It even sounds better than if we were playing old CD's on the receiver through the speakers. Can't beat it for the price!

I have a sound system for group exercise (Jazzercise). Many instructors use their iPhones to play their music lists. With the iPhone 7 having no headphone jack, there was a problem for some. Apple supplies an adapter that plugs into the charging port of the phone and then to the 3.5 MM auxiliary cord. However, it did not always work. This works beautifully. The only glitch is that we would like to put the phones on Airplane Mode to keep from having interruptions during class. Since you have to use Bluetooth, no can do. I would have given it 4 stars for that, but that is not really an overall function problem. Afterall, it is a Bluetooth device. For the price, this works just as expected. Sometimes I have to turn it off and on before it will connect. Otherwise, seamless streaming!

Paired with TaoTronics Wireless Bluetooth Transmitter without any problem. It takes a several seconds to initialize when power is applied. Audio tones sound when the unit is activated and again when pairing is established. Light weight. We have used it 24/7 for a couple of months with no problems. When power is applied it automatically repairs with the last source.

Best $20 I have spent in awhile.This device paired easily and instantly to my Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone, and the audio sounds great coming through my home stereo.Now, I can stream music to my home stereo as well as iHeart Radio (girlfriend lives in an area where I cannot get Rush Limbaugh on the radio).This item is a "no brainer" with respect to inexpensively upgrading your home stereo system to Bluetooth compatability.

AmazonBasics Bluetooth 4.0 Audio ReceiverI was a bit hesitant based on prior reviews however the price, along with the fact that I have thousands of dollars worth of "old" receivers that are outdated simply because they don't have Bluetooth capability, convinced me to take a chance. After all, Amazon has an excellent return policy - so why not? I am very glad that I took the chance!1) Apparently they have updated the new models because there is no "thump" on disconnect as described in previous reviews. On both connect as well as disconnect, there is a very pleasant multi-tone series of beeps. Not too loud and not of the frequency that makes you frown. Pleasant!2) Also, I experienced no problems whatsoever playing, pairing and switching between multiple devices. (4 in all). I paired each individual device (Apple, iPhone x 2 units and an iPad x 2 units), once the device was in the profile of each device, swapping between devices was as simple as turning off Bluetooth on the paired unit and within seconds, the multi-tone beeps are heard indicating an "un-pairing" of a device. Then go into the Bluetooth screen for the new device you want to connect to and look at the Bluetooth device list, select the Amazon Audio device, poke on "connect" and again within seconds, the multi-tone beeps confirm that it connected.As I've already mentioned, the unit works flawlessly! As a matter of fact, I am listening to the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers album over Amazon Prime as I type this and the album sounds like it always has...very very good! I have been listening to this album and the various remasters for the last 35 years and I know the music very well. I've heard it on the radio, in concert, on vinyl, on cassette, on MSFL vinyl and just about every way the album has been released and this Bluetooth stream from Amazon Prime is perfectly acceptable and enjoyable over my old school component stereo system.Sure, Bluetooth ain't audiophile quality...sure, I could look at the playback on a spectrum anaylizer and tell the difference...sure, I could look at the signal on an oscilloscope and tell the difference...sure, it don't sound like a $200 MFSL album or the $40 MFSL compact disc but it sounds every bit as good as over the air broadcast quality from an FM radio station and that is good enough for me.It's a good little unit and the $20 price tag is perfect for what I want it to be...decent, enjoyable sound just as good as FM broadcast sounds from a power station. If I want to hear Mick Taylor's pick hit the strings, I'll break out the $200 vinyl and crank up the volume; If I just want to conveniently listen to my favorite music without playing the big vinyl disc...this'll do the trick.If a reviewer is going to be critical of a $20 device, and compare it to an audiophile quality sound...well, that is the kind of reviewer that would complain if it were raining $100 bills.Bottom line - get it if you have reasonable expectations. if you want audiophile quality, you're going to have to pony up a tad more than $20 and Bluetooth will not do the job anyway.

I'm musically inclined. I have great ears. I can tell when music sounds awesome and when it sounds terrible. I care about quality, and Bluetooth audio has been bothering me for a very long time.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/HomeSpot-NFC-Enabled-Bluetooth-Receiver-System/dp/B009OBCAW2/HomeSpot, NFC-capable, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDRThis one had listenable, not great, audio quality, but there was a very noticeable, very annoying "pop" every single time it engaged and disengaged to play sound.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/Brightech-BrightPlay-Bluetooth-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B00HZVPD72/Brightech, NFC-capable, Bluetooth 4.0This one had terrible audio quality, with lots and lots and skips and distortions. Audio played slower, lagged, then played 2-3x faster to catch up. The whole thing was a mess. There was also a terrible beep/screech sound when it disengaged after playing sound. By far the worst of the bunch.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Receiver-SoundDock-Speakers--Generation/dp/B009WNR13U/BMR, 30-pin, Bluetooth 3.0This one had listenable audio quality, but was a nightmare to pair, not to mention that fact that it basically just shut off after being unpaired for a few minutes. To repair, it needed to be pulled and put back in. The whole thing was a mess.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/Aluratek-Bluetooth-Audio-Receiver-iPhone/dp/B00CG5EH7E/Aluratek, 30-pin, Bluetooth 3.0This one just had absolutely god-awful audio quality. It was like listening to music after it having been run through a meat grinder.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/I-Link-Bluetooth-Receiver-Adapter-Sounddock/dp/B00L68N8AEAnd probably the other variants with the same casing, like:http://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Receiver-Adapter-Sounddock-Speaker/dp/B0094G44PS/http://www.amazon.com/TekuOne-Wireless-Bluetooth-Receiver-Sounddock/dp/B0087XSV08/This one was alright, but it crushed the highs like cymbals and such to a noticeable degree. If you must get a 30-pin Bluetooth adapter, that's the best I've tried. The best I can say is that it wasn't terrible.I've tried:http://www.amazon.com/August-MR240B-Bluetooth-Receiver-Systems/dp/B00ED3JE70/August MR240B, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDRThis one had hissing, an electronic clicking noise, and was an absolute pain to connect to.---All of these problems are nonexistent in AmazonBasics' adapter. There's nothing wrong with it. Its audio quality is equivalent to auxiliary input (about as near as is possible), it doesn't pop or hiss, it doesn't act up in weird ways. It works, and it works damn well.The search is over.UPDATE: My unit has developed a slight pop when the audio "disengages". It's not terrible, certainly not bad enough to bother with, and it does nothing to change this Bluetooth receiver's supremacy, but it's there--however slight. I have an incredibly sensitive system, though; it's quite likely no one else will ever notice.

TLDR: Sounds good but not great. Connects easily and reliably. Comes with RCA cable and power supply. I recommend.Have had this for a few months now and use it every day. I have a 1980s vintage Pioneer stereo receiver and some newer Pioneer bookshelf speakers in my bedroom. This system was in my living room but I bought a Yamaha surround receiver with built-in Bluetooth to replace it. I was curious to see how good music from my phone would sound through my new receiver and it sounded good enough that I decided to set up my older system in my bedroom with this Amazon branded Bluetooth receiver. It does not sound nearly as good. There's a fair amount of compression artifacting so highs and lows are lacking. As you would expect, high bitrate MP3 and FLAC files sound better than Spotify. The sound quality is roughly on par with a cassette tape player. Maybe a little better.That being said, it still sounds heads and shoulders better than any dedicated Bluetooth speaker or sound bar I've heard. And it's acceptable for the bedroom although I'd never use this in the living room where company might hear it.I connected the BT receiver power supply to the switched outlet on the stereo receiver so it powers up and down when I power up and down the stereo with the remote and it works flawlessly and connects immediately and reliably.I use it for wake up, relaxing for sleep, and sex music nearly every day and it works well in that role.Unlike most of the direct from China versions you find on eBay, this one comes with the mini phono to RCA cable needed to connect it to a stereo and a power supply.So, I recommend it if you want to re-purpose an older 2 channel receiver without spending a lot of money. I only spent twenty dollars and was able to add decent quality music to my bedroom and keep this old receiver from the landfill.

I purchased this unit to add Bluetooth audio capability to an existing car stereo that has an aux. input. I had a fantastic HTC device previously, but charging the battery at all times made me nervous. When that old HTC device got fried from excessive cabin/charging heat, I had to replace it. Countless BT devices are available on the market, but I read about many problems with sound quality or the speed of connecting. I wanted something that has no battery, only turns on when the stereo is playing, with decent sound quality and high reliability/simplicity in connecting. Based on positive feedback here on Amazon, I decided to try out this AmazonBasics Bluetooth receiver.First, I was a bit frustrated to find out that it runs on 5V DC. I had hoped it would run on 12V and NOT require a converter, but I did have to order a step-down converter (~$6) to run the BT receiver off the 12V in the car. Once the unit was turning on/off with the ignition, pairing with my LG G4 phone was effortless. The BT4 and A2DP also ensure that when I upgrade to new phone, there will be no issues with pairing. Every time the car starts up, I get a pleasant sound confirmation that the unit has powered up, and a sound confirmation that it has sync. with my phone. I can easily pair it with a different phone within seconds, which is GREAT when my family and I are road tripping. When the phone rings, I do have to use the phone’s speakerphone, otherwise I get feedback and the person calling can’t hear me.In all, the device is almost everything I wanted, but does everything I need, quite well. I would not hesitate to recommend this unit for home use, or special projects like my automotive installation.

This works great. Very easy to install and gets good signal from my phone. My only issue with this is that it can only pair one device. If you pair another one, the instructions say you have to re-pair the prior device before using it. I use it to listen to my podcasts while working in the garage. Doubt I'll pair another device until I get another phone.

I only gave it 4 stars because it cannot be used to power speakers directly. It must go through some type of amplifier. It does work very good though. I did have some difficulty getting my phone to "see" it. I did not give up and kept trying it. After about the 10th attempt my Galaxy S5 finally found it and it has worked flawlessly since.

Simple and easy to use. I would recommend this for people who don't use too many Bluetooth devices though since once it's paired with a device, it's very difficult to not have it auto-pair unless you just unplug it. It has an incredible range. Set it up on a second floor loft through a stereo receiver and could get it to work with an iPhone connected that was downstairs over 30 feet away and with walls in between!

After only one year the receiver stopped pairing with both my I-pad and I-phone. None of the troubleshooting hints helped.The manual doesn't contain any warranty information or contact information so I am left with no options. I'm disappointed that amazon would put their name to something like this Also I have not found any way to contact Amazon directly to ask for some resolution to this problem. An update: after reading the problems encountered by "A_Long_Time_Amazonian" in the comments section I realized that if I simply removed the AmazonBasics from my bluetooth list of receivers on my I-pad and then re-pair it again it works perfectly. A bit of a hassle but all is good now.

Does the job and connects instantly except it's better used with a system that has an on/off button since this item doesn't. I bought it to convert my Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speakers to Bluetooth since they have an 1/8" input on the side of the controller and would allow me to use my iPhone Amazon Music account through the speakers in my kitchen without having to connect the built in line-in plug into the iPhone as I've done for years. The Klipsch have an on/off switch except it's on the sub-woofer which I have stashed under the bench in our breakfast nook so I just leave it on all the time. Because the Bluetooth receiver doesn't have an on/off switch, every time I get within range, the iPhone connects and I hear the little tone indicating a successful connection. Then, all the sounds that the phone makes come out of the speakers including my calls. I'm currently shopping for a different Bluetooth unit that has an on/off switch.

I used this device to connect an Echo Dot to my stereo. The device worked perfectly fine, for this purpose, but the only way I could disconnect the device from the Dot, was to unplug the power connector. Although the Dot disconnected (using voice commands) it immediately reconnected. After several attempts, the power disconnect was the only option, as the device does not have an on/off switch.

The range and function are quite good, BUT there is no on/off switch so you cannot just set it discretely in an entertainment center and forget it, it will always be on, trying to grab your Bluetooth signal, even if you are pairing to another device.

This unit was very easy to connect and the sound quality, when coupled with a good audio cable, is quite good, with good bass response. However, the bluetooth range was surprisingly limited, certainly not the advertised 30 ft. I'd say more like 15, which is somewhat disappointing. I may end up returning it for that reason.

LOVE IT AND HATE IT! NOT GREAT FOR DOT!REVIEW: AMAZONBASICS BLUETOOTH 4.0 AUDIO RECEIVERUSE 1 LOVE: BLUETOOTH RECEIVER FOR MY TURNTABLE IN A DIFFERENT ROOMThe main feature I love and that is working well in this case is what is being called “AGGRESSIVE PAIRING” requests from this device.I have a new turntable that I purchased but I don’t have any room to put it currently where my main receiver is located. However, I still want to play albums and have the audio come out my main speakers. (Obviously I am not a nut about audio quality it is just fine). I just want to play some old albums.All of the Bluetooth transmitters I have tried have a timeout feature after a few minutes of inactivity where I have to press a button on the transmitter to initiate connection again to the Bluetooth receiver. Thanks in part to the aggressive paring characteristics of this device, it is overriding the timeout features and keeping the Bluetooth connections live 24/7 so I don’t have to climb behind the couch to press the button on the transmitter. (I had to move the transmitter as close as possible to the receiver in the other room with a long audio cable) Now I just tell Alexa to “Turn on the Turntable” (which powers on the stereo and sets the input via my Harmony remote), and I press play on my turntable and I’m off and running.USE 2 HATE: BLUETOOTH RECEIVER FOR MY AMAZON DOT V2The main feature causing problems as other reviews will note is what is being called “AGGRESSIVE PAIRING” request from this device.The same feature I love in USE 1, is causing me problems in USE 2. I have an Amazon Dot connected to this Bluetooth receiver so that I can stream music to the Stereo with a command like “Turn on the Stereo” and “Play Playlist Background”. But, because the Bluetooth receiver is always on, it is permanently connected to the Dot. Supposedly you can tell Alexa/Dot “Disconnect” which is supposed to drop the connection until asked to “Connect” to the Bluetooth receiver, which is does for about 2 seconds then it immediately connects again. This means that if the stereo is off (99% of the time) then you can’t hear the dot respond because it is streaming all audio to the Bluetooth receiver even if the stereo itself is turned off. I don’t have this problem with my 2 other Dot’s and other speakers (Bose). One suggested work around was to plug the power supply of this unit into the Aux Power on the Receiver, but It would still cause problems if I was listening to a movie or music from another source then the Dot could not be heard. My final work around was not cheap, but I was tired of experiments and crawling under the desk to get to my receiver and returning things to Amazon. I had some TP-LINK internet connected plugs that I was using previously for my Christmas trees. I added one to a group in Alexa, so that when I tell the Dot / Alexa to “Turn on the Stereo” it also turns on the TP Link outlet, which also powers on the Bluetooth receiver, which then automatically connects to the Dot. (The Stereo is turned on separately and the proper input is selected through my Harmony Remote also part of that same group in Alexa). It might be a little inelegant kludge of a solution, but it works.So in the end this costs me about $20 for the AmazonBasics Bluetooth Receiver and about $30 for the TP Link remote outlet. Yes, I probably could have returned this and experimented with a few more devices, but I just wanted to be done with this project and move on with my life.I “Chatted” Alexa Tech Support and they had no awareness of this problem. Their advice “did you try turning it off then back on again”. (They have watched too many episodes of the IT Crowd I guess)

Does the job, and is easy to pair with. The only thing I don't like is that it automatically connects, so if more than one person pair to it, you have to have them turn off their Bluetooth if you want to use it. and if it's hooked up to a speaker full time, it will constantly "beep" trying to find a device to pair with. (I have mine on an "ON/OFF" switch) Mine is hooked up to a ceiling speaker in my bathroom, so if you come home from work and forget you're paired to it, all your phone notifications and sounds play through it. Snap chat or any video's for instance, I'll be in the living room, and hear the video's playing in my bathroom because I forgot to turn off my Bluetooth when done using it....haha. Although it's kind of fun when we have guest are over, and when they use the bathroom I can play things on my phone to mess with them. But other than that rare occasion, it's kind of a pain to constantly turn your Bluetooth on and off, it trumps out other devices so you can't connect to them too. so if you have Bluetooth in your car, and this thing is withing 50' of that, you have to wait until you get away from home before your car will connect. But if your using it for one thing, it's does the job for the money!

Didn't live up to some of the positive reviews in my opinion. Audio out is very low, and doesn't have the full clear audio I'm used to. I'm comparing first to Apple Airplay (which got flaky on my receiver, which put me on this path), next comparison is to Amazon Echo DOT. The volume level needed for good audio with Airplay is way less than this receiver, and sounds much better. The Echo DOT needs a little more volume than Airplay and doesn't sound quite as good as Airplay, but it's still much better than this BT receiver. If your looking for quality audio from a good stereo system, I suggest looking elsewhere. I'd really like to know if there is something under $100 that does a better job than the DOT, but for now I'm happy with the DOT.

The audio quality is fine. My BIG objection is the device's obnoxious habit of connecting to Bluetooth sources even when I don't want it to do so. I have an Echo Dot that is paired with this receiver. When I'm watching TV the stereo receiver is selected to the TV as it's audio source. At those times I want to be able to use the Echo independently. I disconnect the Echo from the AmazonBasics receiver only to have the AmazonBasics receiver immediately reconnect to the Echo and the only way I can prevent it from doing so is to unplug it. So, every time I want to watch TV I have to unplug the AmazonBasics receiver and when I want to stream music on my Echo I have to plug it back in. Very frustrating.I want to be able to say, "Alexa, disconnect speaker," and have it stay disconnected until I say, "Alexa, connect speaker."

It works fine, except with the Amazon Echo. If you tell the Echo to "Disconnect Speaker", it disconnects but immediately reconnects...Grrrr!I returned it due to this incompatibility.

I bought this for use with my Echo Dot. I use a home theater receiver and like voice control for Spotify.It connects and works great. But it won't disconnect. If I want to use my dot without being connected to bluetooth, it auto connects and makes me use my home theater receiver. If you connect your phone with multiple bluetooth devices and this Amazon Bluetooth receiver is on, it will connect and not allow you to make any other connections unless you unplug it, since there is no on/off switch. VERY INCONVENIENT!I upgraded from the logitech which would not connect all the time. Now I have the opposite problem where it won't disconnect. HORRIBLE DESIGNI would NOT recommend this product to any friend of mine.

The device transmits bluetooth sound fine, but you just can't unpair it; you have to pull the plug from wall outlet to disconnect from your smartphone. This is a real nuisance. Whereas with a Homespot, just a push on the button disconnects the phone; however with that device you have to to the Bluetooth settings to connect to it again, just one extra step every time; not automatic like my Bose Soundlinks.Amazon really needs to FIX THIS ISSUE.

Just got this item today. Works well. As other people have mentioned, though, it automatically reconnects when you try to disconnect it from a device. Some people said you need to unplug the power. However, I found that you don't need to. What you need to do is hold down the "Pair" button on the back while you disconnect it from your device. It's still too bad you have to press a physical button to get the receiver to disconnect, but the receiver works fine otherwise.Updated review -- now down from 4 stars to 2:As mentioned above, I thought I had solved the issue with the Receiver auto connecting after a device is disconnected from it. I thought holding down the Pair button and disconnecting the device solved the problem. However, after having the Receiver for a while, it doesn't always work. So I am now considering a different receiver.

It connects and plays fine, and then you can NEVER disconnect.Once you've connected to it ever, it will always connect when you are in range. If you try to disconnect, it will immediately reconnect. My other Bluetooth receivers (Like the MPOW) will allow you to disconnect and it remains disconnected until you choose to reconnect.The only way to prevent the audio from your naughty movies spontaneously playing out of your living room speakers while your roommates are watching SpongeBob is to completely forget the device and re-pair when you want to use it again, which is extremely slow and inconvenient.The other stupid solution is to "simply turn off the device when you don't want to connect to it." That would be a possible solution IF THE UNIT HAD A POWER SWITCH! It does not and you have to unplug it to turn it off.My solution was to use it with my Lepai amplifier that had a power switch. I retrofitted the amplifier to have a USB power port on it connected to the switch. Then I cut the coaxial power plug off the power cord, soldered it to a USB cable, and plug it into the amplifier. That way, it turns off when the amplifier turns off. So it now works acceptably well in my office, and I will get another adapter of a different type for my home. See myLepai LP-2020TI review for details.

Bought it to stream music from a Fire tablet to an amplifier. It sits unobstructed about 10 feet from the router...it drops out every couple of songs and needs manual intervention. I have never had issues with any Bluetooth devices until I bought this device. DO NOT ORDER THIS DEVICE.

So this is a great item if you just have one system you need to connect AND you have no other Bluetooth devices AND you are NOT using a windows device to connect to it. Sound was good and set up was very easy. However, I have multiple Bluetooth systems and I was using my windows 10 laptop to attempt to connect to this device. NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. Every time my laptop would sleep, I would loose the connection to this device. Then I would be forced to restart my laptop (tried to just remove device, and it would just freeze in "unpairing" status) and re-establish the Bluetooth connection on the Amazon (i.e. press pair button on the rear of the device). As you can imagine, this is unacceptable. I have one of these set up in a bedroom unit for use with an ipod touch. No issues. Works great. If you are planning on using this with windows, look elsewhere.

Pretty much the same issue others have stated.This device is extremely "needy" - Once paired to anything, if not connected, it will repeatedly try to reconnect to that device.So it's impossible to disconnect from it and use local audio.In my home, I occasionally want to play Bluetooth audio through my surround system. However - most of the time, my sound system is either off or it is switched to a different input than the 3.5mm stereo input. The moment I pair a phone to this - the phone's audio is now useless unless I have my surround system turned on and switched to the 3.5mm input. Similarly - This is not suitable for use with the Echo Dot (despite Amazon's implication that it is) as you cannot cause the Dot to disconnect from Bluetooth to use the local speaker for more than 5 seconds. The Dot also issues the reconnection status audio AFTER it reconnects - so you have no idea why it is no longer working.Other than that it seems to be OK - but the forced reconnect makes it useless.

REALLY easy setup. REALLY good sound. Problem? The first day, I was getting 20 to 50 sound dropouts per track played. And the device was only 10 feet from the computer --- 1/3 of its advertised range --- with an unobstructed line between the two. So I downloaded a new Bluetooth driver, in case it was my laptop (Dell Inspiron 5558, Windows 10 Home). That didn't change anything.Second day, it worked without a hitch --- and I revised my original one-star rating to a four-star rating.Third and fourth days, same original problem is back. I connected the laptop to another bluetooth device, just to confirm it wasn't the computer --- and didn't get any interruption of sound --- so I am officially giving-up on this one, and returning it. Really disappointed, because the sound quality is VERY good.

Alright... I've had this receiver for a few months now so I can leave a proper review. I dont use it because its a pain in the ass. How so you ask? Well, I have multiple Bluetooth devices that I use for listening to audio on my phone. I have Bluetooth headphones, a Bluetooth speaker in my room, and another in my office. I wanted to have a nice little compact Bluetooth receiver for my living room audio setup so that I wouldn't have to tether my phone to the actual aux cord.So i bought this, connected it to my stereo, sync'd with my phone. Yay! it connects, it plays my music. PROBLEM: It does not disconnect from Bluetooth. If I leave the little receiver connected and go into my room and connect to my Bluetooth speaker, it will not be able to connect because my phone will still be connected to the other one in the living room. EVEN when I force the disconnect it connects again. Its like a pesky little device that never wants you to let it go.For that reason alone is why its a 1 star. If this is your only Bluetooth audio receiver you use in your house, than I'm assuming it will be more than adequate. If you're like me and have multiple devices that you connect to interchangeably based on purpose/function, this will drive you crazy.