Home Reviews ,,,,, There are a large number of Bluetooth audio transmitters with the dual function of receivers on the market now. Our editorial team has tried several in the past that, even with a few tens of euros, allow you to put Bluetooth practically anywhere, from wired headphones to the home stereo to the TV to be able to follow your favorite TV series at night and without disturb the other inhabitants of the house.
More recently we had the opportunity to test Avantree's solution which, although physically bulkier than others, ensures far superior performance and compatibility, so much so that it deserves the label of “the 2-in-1 of the definitive Bluetooth audio”. It is called Avantree Oasis and among its top features we find in fact a better signal reception both in terms of distance between the connected parts, and from the point of view of the quality of the audio signal. But this is not the only place where it wins the comparison with the most common Bluetooth RX-TX devices.
As did
As we said it is much larger (11.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 centimeters) than the common 2-in-1 Bluetooth, but for more than one reason. First of all, it does not offer only the Aux output with 3.5mm jack connection : here in fact there are two, distinct, for operation in Receiver mode (RX) and that as Transmitter (TX), together with as many optical audio sockets , four ports which therefore require more physical space for their implementation.
In addition to the microUSB socket for the power supply there is also an external antenna which, as we will see later, greatly improves signal reception precisely because it is external and larger than the smaller internal antennas that we find in competing devices. On the sides it has two switches , one to switch from RX to TX mode and vice versa, the other turns off the device or allows you to turn it on in Bluetooth or Bypass mode. It also incorporates a loudspeaker very useful in the configuration of the device, although the assistant that will guide us during the various stages of the process will only speak in English.
The base is accompanied by a rubber ring to prevent the device from slipping away when placed on smooth surfaces, while on the upper side we find a recessed touch area which, through some white and green LED indicators, will show us the active modes and the various buttons for their management.
Accessories in pack
Appreciated the accessories compartment included in the box. In fact, here we find a 3.5mm jack-jack cable for the AUX connection, a cable with AUX socket and mono audio plugs (white and red) for classic connection to old-generation stereos and TVs, an optical cable and the microUSB cable for the power supply of the device, which in the case of the TV we can also connect more simply to one of its USB outputs capable of delivering 1A, alternatively a small USB charger with Italian plug is also offered for connection to any electrical socket.
Obviously there is also all the manuals, also translated into Italian, with different screens and connection examples for the most diverse uses.
How does it work
The operation is really intuitive, both because we will have the guide voice at our side, and because even if we want to ignore it (it can be deactivated by pressing a button for three seconds) the user manual is perfectly clear, describing one after another the individual steps to be taken. follow to activate each of its functions.
In general, however, it is managed like all the others: in the case of operation as RX and TX, the switch is turned on by moving it to Bluetooth and selecting the relevant mode with the other, then pressing the touch button for pairing, an operation that between the other occurs within 3 seconds. In the past we have had to wait up to 30 before the devices “saw” each other (for example when connecting a Bluetooth headset to the TV), while here Avantree Oasis, perhaps thanks to the more powerful antenna, makes no effort to connect to headphones, speakers and any other Bluetooth devices you intend to use.
It is worth noting that the (+) and (-) buttons allow you to adjust the volume, but only for the inputs and outputs connected via AUX. With the optical socket (OPT) the volume must be adjusted at the source (in the case of the TV, through the relative remote control).
Receiver Mode (RX)
This mode is used to put Bluetooth on any wired headset or stereo, thus being able to transmit your music (but also the audio stream of a movie) coming from smartphones, tablets and computers.
The receiver is connected to the mains to power it (and in that case it will turn on automatically, in fact there is no switch to adjust the ignition), then physically connect it to the desired speaker (via AUX or optical cable, taking care to connect it to the correct socket) and move the switch to RX mode: in an instant it will appear among the nearby devices (in our case on the iPhone 7) and can be selected for pairing, which takes place in equal speed and without the need for enter any code.
The voice will confirm the pairing and at that point it will be sufficient to press the play button on the device.
Transmitter Mode (TX)
This mode is for using a Bluetooth headset or stereo to listen to the audio stream from a TV, old CD player or any other source. Also in this case, after having powered the transmitter, you physically connect it to the device with one of the cables supplied, then set the first switch to Bluetooth and the second to TX mode. It is then necessary to activate the pairing mode on the headphones or on the Bluetooth speaker that you intend to connect (this operation varies according to the product, you will certainly find information in the relative user manual): even here a few seconds are enough to complete the pairing. .
Bypass mode
Until now we had never found this third mode in a device of this type, however it proved to be really useful in one of our tests as it allowed us to connect a wired headset (3.5mm jack plug) to the TV. whose only output is the optical one.
Basically Avantree Oasis can also function as a bridge to physically connect two devices that use different sockets, AUX on one side and optical on the other: no special coupling is required, simply power up the device and move the selector to Bypass mode .
How is it going
First of all, its range of action is surprising: although the apartment where we carried out the tests is not very large, we never noticed any loss of signal, even when there were two rooms with closed doors to separate the headphones from the TV to which we had connected the transmitter. The manufacturer assures 50 meters, a distance that we could not fully verify, but the 30 meters with walls in the middle were not at all an obstacle for this device.
Another highly appreciated feature is the built-in APTX technology which, when combined with a headset equipped with the same technology, ensures zero latency in audio transmission. This is especially noticeable when listening to a movie on television, where the audio with the cheapest transmitters is not always perfectly aligned with the video. Even a few milliseconds are enough to ruin the user experience and in this case the transmission takes place without a hitch. For the record we also tried connecting the device to our iPad via AUX cable (thus ignoring the integrated Bluetooth) to test the streaming on a pair of Bluetooth headphones during a game with Asphalt 7: here too the audio transmission takes place in real time, without even a minimum delay.
Conclusions and price
Avantree Oasis is the best 2-in-1 Bluetooth audio we've tested to date. The only negative point, if we want to define it that way, concerns the dimensions, certainly not comparable to the RX-TX devices that we often buy to put Bluetooth in the car or to the home stereo. The design is quite modern so it certainly does not look bad and if you are willing to accept this small compromise, you will then gain in performance and connection methods, including the already mentioned and appreciated Bypass and optical output. Unfortunately, all this also has a price, in some cases almost tripled: on Amazon you can find it for sale for 59.99 euros.
,,
