We have tested a good Bluetooth receiver for your iPhone and iPad, which understands AAC. It even has an integrated battery – the August MR260.
August MR260 Bluetooth AAC Receiver
Pros
- good sound quality
- AAC & aptX codec
- lots of cables included
- stable operation
- integrated battery
- can work as sender
Cons
- after first pairing volume is on maximum
[amazon box=”B01BC0D4N6, B00CBCXZ3E, B01INC75QS” template=”table”]
Finding a good Bluetooth receiver is not that easy. There are apparently not so many people who want to upgrade their existing audio system with the short-range radio. Either because they find the quality too bad or because they use smart speakers like the HomePod directly. Nevertheless, Bluetooth receivers, which translate from the radio signal to RCA, have their authorisation if the existing system is good and only the streaming is to be upgraded.
Qualitatively without compromises you could stream if you do it via AirPlay. But there are almost no more products available. The only possibility would be an extra Apple TV that still has an audio output. So Bluetooth remains. To say it in advance: yes, if you concentrate you will hear that the August MR260 sounds a bit worse than CD, but no, it is so good that it doesn’t attract attention in everyday life and certainly doesn’t annoy.
Good Bluetooth receiver with AAC for iPhone and iPad
Practically, the receiver offers aptX as a codec. So you get the best streaming quality when streaming music from your Mac (if you don’t look here) or from other devices that support the aptX codec. Apple users have the following problem: the iOS devices do not support aptX but only AAC. Therefore you need a receiver that understands this, otherwise the SBC codec is used and it sounds really bad. Finding an AAC-capable receiver is quite difficult, because many manufacturers simply don’t support AAC, since aptX is usually on board.
Our model from August seems to have been developed by nerds and fortunately offers the codec! Unfortunately there is nothing about it on the package. Not a word is said that it works perfectly with Apple devices. But that would be the Google and sales argument! But now you know.
In everyday life the small box (with soft-touch surface – whoever likes it) behaved very well. The instructions consisting of pictures explain the essentials in an easy to understand way. The pairing worked well with several devices, also the login and logout did not cause any problems. To mention here the following peculiarity: Some Bluetooth receivers can manage multiple devices and play the signal from the device on which Play was pressed. August can not do this. The connected device must be explicitly logged off before the next device can be used. This can have advantages in certain situations, but is not so practical if you are constantly changing devices. But if you only have the same iPad connected to the system it is no problem.
The only disadvantage we noticed with this device is that it turns everything up to full volume for two seconds the first time it is played. It seems as if the music data arrives first and only then the selected volume. So turn your system down, start streaming and then turn it up. But once the device is paired, the problem does not exist anymore.
Good equipment and flexible function also as transmitter
Inside the box there is a good micro-USB cable for the power supply. We simply attached it to an old USB-C power supply, but the battery should provide up to eight hours of battery life. There is also a 3.5 mm jack to 3.5 mm jack and a cable that adapts from jack format to cinch. So you should be able to connect the August receiver directly to your system.
We almost missed another practical function: the box can not only receive, but also transmit! So if you have Bluetooth headphones, you can connect the August MR260 to the sound output of your system and then output the sound to your headphones. It’s a very flexible device and especially in combination with the battery it’s a great thing.
The ideal Bluetooth receiver for Apple iOS users
We are quite excited about the small box, which can do more than it promises and has proven itself in everyday life. The function is stable, the signal reaches relatively far and the sound is good. In addition, it can handle the two better Bluetooth audio codecs including AAC, which is especially necessary for Apple users. We also find the price of around $30 extremely fair. This makes the August MR260 our recommended Bluetooth receiver for Apple users who want to make an older system fit for occasional streaming.
August Bluetooth Receiver: Amazon
