Analog stereo to Bluetooth Speakers?


Hi. I have an analog stereo at my cottage that I use to play cds and listen to the radio.  I was thinking of getting a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver so I could also stream music. But to save space, I would also ideally like to get rid of my wired speakers and replace them with some compact wireless speakers. My question is, would a Bluetooth transmitter receiver allow me to play CDs on my stereo and have the sound play on the wireless speakers? Sorry, not the right technical language but hope you get the idea. 

alta

You can buy Bluetooth transmitters from Amazon. They are relatively inexpensive. However, using Bluetooth is not likely to give you the same quality of sound as a wired connection.

The signal will be converted to digital by the transmitter and then compressed in one or another Bluetooth codec. That compression is lossy (NOT lossless). The speakers, in turn, will decompress and convert back to analog.

There are many different Bluetooth codecs, some better than others. The last time I read a comparison, Sony’s LDAC codec was the best at preserving fidelity over short distances. At longer distances, as the signal strength decreases, it falls back to lower fidelity.

Not all Bluetooth codecs are supported by all devices. It’s also important to make sure that whatever codec you want to use is supported by BOTH the transmitter and the speakers.

Personally, I think Bluetooth is a mess, suitable for listening on an airplane or connecting a phone to a car, but not so great for high fidelity. However, depending on the circumstances, it might work for your setup.

Thank you very much for your reply. I was pretty certain I could use a Bluetooth transmitter to stream music from my phone to my analog stereo and have been reading reviews of transmitters. But what I am not sure about is whether I can ditch my wired speakers, which take up too much space, replace them with wireless speakers, and with the transmitter, play music from my analog stereo through the wireless speakers. In your response, you said “The speakers, in turn, will decompress and convert back to analog.” That suggests you thought I want to keep using my wired speakers, but I don’t. So can you clarify if the Bluetooth adapter will convert an analog signal from my stereo to digital so it will play through wireless speakers? Thank you! 

I would just get smaller conventional passive speakers and a Bluetooth transmitter to your current system.  If your aim is not only to save space with smaller speakers but also eliminate the space dedicated to amplification, then get small powered speakers and make sure that they have a digital input for your CD player.  I am imagining that small powered speakers exist that contain an internal Bluetooth receiver.  If not, make sure that the powered speakers also have an input for the external Bluetooth receiver.

  You referenced your lack of knowledge with audio terminology.  Technically your current setup isn’t analog since CD players are digital sources.  If your source was a turn table, tape player, or non-digital tuner, it would be an analog system.

  Regarding Sound Quality (SQ), with small speakers and Bluetooth you will have music to enjoy but from an Audiophile Perspective it’s not going to cut the mustard.  I therefore wouldn’t get caught up with worrying about Bluetooth codecs as your system probably wouldn’t be able to allow you to appreciate any differences.

  I hope this was helpful and I didn’t intend my comments to be snarky, but rather informative