Blueair BA-01 User Manual

BlueAir

User manual

Set up and use instructions
for BlueAir adapter BA-01

1

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing a BlueAir Bluetooth audio adapter

The BlueAir Bluetooth audio adaptor opens a
whole new world of freedom and sponteneity for
leisure and informal public performances.

Equipped with your BlueAir audio adapter, you
can turn almost any musical or speaking oppor

­tunity into a performance. Whatever audio am­plification equipment is available, from profes­sional public address systems to guitar amplifiers
and even most computers or home entertain­ment systems, you can connect your (or anyone
else’s) Bluetooth headset to make an instant live
sound system. The quality of audio reproduc­tion is great for most small scale public engage­ments, from pub entertainment to village fete
performances. Being extremely easy to use, the
adaptor is also ideal for impromptu or fun audio
amplification in the home or at parties.

The design is based on Bluetooth adaptors de­veloped to allow Bluetooth headsets to be con­nected to non-Bluetooth enabled mobile phones.
It should therefore work perfectly with essential­ly any Bluetooth headset intended for use with
mobile phones. It is not however possible to use
the adaptor with Bluetooth enabled stereo head­phones as these employ a different Bluetooth
“Profile”.

2

© 2012 Exploraudio, all rights reserved

Under copyright law this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part,
without the written consent of Exploraudio.

Exploraudio, LiveStrings, LiveGuitar, LiveCello, LiveBass, BlueStrings,
BlueAir and H-clamp are Trademarks of Exploraudio.

Bluetooth is a registered Trademark of the Bluetooth SIG.

Other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks
of their respective companies. Mention of third party products is for infor

­mation purposes only and represents neither an endorsement nor a recom­mendation. Exploraudio assumes no responsibility in respect of the per­formance or use of these products.

Exploraudio is an Explora ltd company.

PO Box 4473
Wedmore
BS28 4WE

www.exploraudio.com

3

Contents

This manual contains basic instructions for setting up and using the BlueAir
Bluetooth audio adaptor and suggestions for where and how it may be
used but the places you can take it and reasons you might use it are lim­ited only by your imagination.

Section Page

1. Before you start 5

2. Connecting to headsets (pairing) 9

3. Connecting to audio equipment 13

4. Using your BlueAir adaptor 27

i. Basic operation and suggested uses 29

ii. Headset quality 37

iii. Range & interference 37

iv. Avoiding feedback & distortion 37

v. Troubleshooting 37

4

BlueAir Adaptor,
showing the function
button,inducator lights
and charger socket
used in its operation.

Complete wireless freedom and the ultimate in ‘go anywhere’ convenience
make the BlueAir adaptor the perfect pocket companion for impromptu
amplification.

With BlueAir, your own (or someone else’s) Bluetooth headset and almost
any audio system that may be to hand, you have instant live amplification.

Whether purely for fun or for serious performance, the BlueAir adaptor
can’t be beaten for amplification on-the-hoof with everything from violins
to guitars and vocals.

But its uses don’t end with live music and public address. Plug the BlueAir
adaptor into most computers’ standard audio input and output ports and
immediately your Bluetooth headset can be used for internet phone com­munications using services such as Skype. Not only does it work with non­Bluetooth enabled equipment but with BlueAir, there is none of the added
latency (audible delay) introduced by Bluetooth headsets connected using
Bluetooth dongles or any built-in Bluetooth connectivity your computer

may have.

5

Before you start

The BlueAir BA-01 Bluetooth audio adaptor pack­age contians the following:

1 BlueAir Bluetooth audio adaptor
2 Mains power adaptor
3 Selection of connector adaptors

Connector adaptors

(Descriptions on next page)

1

BlueAir Adaptor

Power supply

6

2 x 3.5mm stereo jack to mono RCA socket

3.5mm stereo jack to dual (split stereo)

RCA socket

3.5mm stereo socket to dual (split stereo)

RCA jack

3.5mm stereo socket to dual (split stereo)

RCA jack (lead)

2 x single mono RCA socket to dual mono

RCA socket

2 x single mono RCA jack to dual mono RCA

socket

1/4” mono jack to dual mono 1/4” socket

2 x single mono 1/4” jack to single mono

RCA socket

1/4” stereo jack to dual (split stereo) RCA

socket

7

Preparing for use:

1. Remove all components from the box and using the diagram and con-

tents list on pages 5 and 6, check that they are all correct

2. Powering the BA-01:

Plug the power adaptor into the mains electricity supply (100V - 240V)
and insert its small power connector jack into the socket on the BA-1
(it is the only socket on the unit). A red light will appear on the unit to
confirm that the power supply has been connected correctly.

To switch on the unit, press and hold its button until a green light starts
flashing.

3. Compatibility:

A) Headset. The BlueAir Adaptor will work with all Bluetooth headsets
designed for use with mobile phones but not Bluetooth headphones
designed for use with MP3, MP4 or other stereo audio players.

B) Audio equipment. The audio input and output levels of the BlueAir
Adaptor are broadly compatible with most standard audio inputs and
outputs of both professional and domestic audio systems and computer
equipment. The adapter can be connected to the ‘line’ or microphone
inputs and ‘line’ or headphone outputs of almost all audio equipment
and should work well with everything from PA (public address), instru­ment and domestic audio equipment to professional mixers / pre-amps,
karaoke systems, portable audio products and computers.
It should not be possible to damage the BlueAir Adaptor by connect­ing it incorrectly but do not connect it to sensitive, high quality

HiFi or video systems if there is any possibility that they may be
harmed by incompatible electronic equipment.

8

9

Connecting to headsets (pairing)

Connecting the BlueAir adaptor to Bluetooth headsets is very simple but
before you begin you will need to know your headset manufacturer’s in­structions for switching the headset to “pairing mode”.

As with any device used with Bluetooth headsets, to start using the BlueAir
adapter it must first be connected to the headset of your choice using the
process known as “pairing”. Pairing simply registers the headset with the
BlueAir adaptor so that when it is in range the BlueAir adaptor will link to it
and respond to the headset’s ‘call’ button being pressed.

To pair the BlueAir adaptor with your chosen headset:

1. Switch on the BlueAir adaptor by pressing and holding down its function
button

2. Turn your headset to pairing mode

3. Press (and let go straigt away) the BlueAir adapter’s function button

While the pairing process is in progress (only a few seconds), the BlueAir
adaptor’s green function light will glow continuously. When the process is
complete, the green function light will go out and then flash once every 3
seconds (approximately). The BlueAir adapter is now paired with the head­set and in stand-by mode, awaiting command signals from the headset.

When the BlueAir adapter is in stand-by mode and the headset is in range,
it can be activated (to switch on the sound transmission to / from the au

­dio equipment) by pressing the headset’s “call” button. The headset’s call
button is the one that is pressed to pick up and end calls when the head­set is being used with a mobile phone). Pressing the headset’s call button
again switches off the sound transmission. This toggling on and off of the
sound transmission can be repeated at will.
Note: For some headsets, the first time after pairing and/or after switching
the BlueAir adaptor on (if the devices have already been paired) the call
button may need to be pressed twice (approximately 3 sec between each
press) to prepare the adaptor for use. After this, the adaptor will work
normally, that is, the first press of the headset’s call button starts sound
transmission and the next one ends it.

2

10

11

To make the most of the freedom of movement gained by using a Blue-

tooth headset as a wireless instrument microphone, the headset can be

mounted on one of our unique H-clamp microphone mounts. The H-clamp

attaches to the body of instruments such as acoustic guitars and has a

boom that allows microphones to be held in the perfect position to capture

the best possible sound (see pictures on page opposite).

Practically any Bluetooth headset can be mount

-

ed in the multi-purpose shock-mount available

for use with the H-clamp. The pictures show

suggested fitting options for a variety of different

styles of headset.

Although the multi-purpose shockmount lends

itslef well to Bluetooth headset attachment, it

should also be possible to find simple ways to

mount a Bluetooth headset in most other shock-

mounts or ordinary microphone clips.

The H-clamp is available for purchase either

alone or as part of packages including a mutli-

purpose shockmount. For details, visit explorau

-

dio.com or write to Sales at ExplorAudio (see

page 2 for address).

The H-clamp is often the best way to combine

maximum freedom of movement with the best

possible sound quality but it is not suitable for

instruments such as violins or violas. For these,

it is better to wear the Blutooth headset in the

ear nearest the instrument.

12

13

Connecting to audio equipment

The audio input and output levels of the BlueAir Adaptor are broadly com­patible with standard audio inputs and outputs of both professional and
domestic audio systems and computer equipment. The adapter can be con­nected to the ‘line’ or microphone inputs and ‘line’ or headphone outputs of
almost all audio equipment and should work well with everything from PA
(public address), instrument and HiFi equipment to professional mixers /
pre-amps, televisions, portable audio systems and computers.

The packs of connection adaptors included in the package give the BlueAir
adaptor a wide range of potential connection options. The most common
ones are described here but many more may be possible.

Terminology

In the connection guidance that follows, it is important to remember:

1. The end of the audio connectors with a stalk is

referred to as either the “plug” or the “jack”.
The end with the a hole is called the “socket”.

2. The BlueAir audio jacks are colour coded to

distinguish “input” and “output” (the direction
in which the sound travels).

The output jack has a black ring. Sound from any Bluetooth headset be

­ing used with the BlueAir adaptor travels to this jack and can be passed
on to audio systems by plugging this jack into them.

The input jack has a red ring. Sound from audio equipment plugged into
this jack is sent to any connected Bluetooth headset.

The “sound source” is what is making the sound being picked up by the
Bluetooth headset and being amplified by the “audio system”.

3

14

Professional stage / public address equipment

Use the connection adaptors shown to the right.
Connect a BlueAir adaptor jack to the socket end
and plug the other end into the socket of the
sound equipment.

To use a Bluetooth headset as a wireless micro

­phone, plug the BlueAir adaptor’s output jack
(black ring) into the connection adaptor and
then plug the connection adaptor’s jack into one
of the sound system’s inputs.

There are two options for using a Bluetooth
headset as a wireless monitor earpiece:

1. Plug the BlueAir adaptor’s input jack (red
ring) into the socket of the onnection adapter
used above, then plug its jack into any monitor­ing output socket (including headphones) in a
mixing desk or amplifier.

2. Plug the connection adaptor shown to the
left into a headphone socket and then plug the
BlueAir adaptor’s input jack (red ring) into one
of the connection adapter’s sockets to listen to
the left or right channels individually.

The BlueAir adaptor allows a Bluetooth head­set to be used as both wireless microphone and
wireless monitor earpiece simultaneously but if
the two connection points on the sound system
are not close enough, an alternative headphone
socket connection can be used as follows: use
the same stereo connection adapter as above
but attach to it the desired length of standard
stereo RCA (phono) cable (not included). Next,
plug the jacks at the other end of the cable
into the twin sockets of the connection adaptor
shown to the right. The BlueAir adaptor’s input
jack (red ring) can then be plugged-in to the
single socket of this connection adaptor. Using
this combination of adaptors, the sound system
input socket and the headphones socket used as
the source of monitoring can be as far apart as
the the RCA (phono) cable will allow.

15

Computer sound card

Use the connection adaptors shown to the right.
Connect a BlueAir adaptor jack to the socket end
and plug the other end into the relevant audio
socket of the computer. The BlueAir adaptor’s
output jack (black ring) must be connected to
the computer’s audio input (for external micro­phones) socket and the input jack (red ring) to
the computer’s audio output (for external speak­ers) socket.
CAUTION: Both connectors (or neither) must
be connected at all times, even if a Bluetooth
headset is being used only for listening. This is
because disconnecting the computer’s external
microphone input while the BlueAir adaptor is
connected to the external speaker socket will
cause a loud buzzing noise in the Bluetooth ear­piece.

Hi-Fi systems

To use a HiFi separates system to amplify sound
from a Bluetooth headset, first plug the BlueAir
adaptor’s output jack (black ring) into the
socket of the connection adaptor shown to the
right. Then connect the two jacks to an available
stereo pair of inputs of the audio amplifier.

CAUTION: Delicate and/or ‘high end’ HiFi sys­tems should not be used in this way unless the
input circuits are known to be robust enough to
accept non-HiFi audio input.

To use a Bluetooth headset to listen to music
(in mono) from a HiFi system, plug the BlueAir
adaptor’s input jack (red ring) into the socket
of one of the connection adaptors shown to the
right. Next, plug this adaptor’s jack into the
headphones socket of any of the HiFi compo­nents.

16

NOTE:

The maximum range (between headset and adpator) of the BlueAir

adaptor is 10m.

The BlueAir adaptor is for mono audio transmission only and will not pair
with Bluetooth enabled stereo headphones. The connection adaptors pro­vided can however be used to combine stereo channels for transmission by
the BlueAir adaptor as mono audio signals.

The BlueAir adaptor’s connectors are coded as follows:

BLACK ring - Sound from BlueAir to audio equipment

RED ring - Sound from audio equipment to BlueAir

17

Using your BlueAir adaptor

The primary purpose of the BlueAir adapter is to allow standard Bluetooth
headsets to be used as wireless microphones but it can also be used for
wireless audio monitoring. As it can do both simultaneously, it is excellent
for using Bluetooth headsets with computers for VOIP (Voice Over IP) te­lephony. The BlueAir adaptor’s latency-free operation makes it superiior to
headsets connected directly to Bluetooth enabled computers.

Basic operation

To switch on the BlueAir adaptor, press and hold the function button until
the green light starts to flash and then let go. The BlueAir adaptor will then
remain switched on continously in stand-by mode, confirmed by the green
light flashing once every 3 seconds approx.

To switch off the BlueAir adaptor, press and hold the function button until
the green light stops flashing and then let go.

To connect a paired headset, switch on the BlueAir adaptor, switch on
the headset and then press and release the headset’s call button. In 1-2
seconds the connection will be live (confimed by the Blue Air Adaptor’s
green light glowing constantly). The connection will remain live until the
headset closes the call or moves out of range (10m).

To disconnect a paired headset when the connection is live, press
and release the headset’s call button. The connection will be closed and the
BlueAir adaptor will return to stand-by, confirmed by the green light re­turning to flashing once every 3 seconds approx.

NOTE: if the connection to the headset does not go live when the headset’s
call button is pressed, it is not paired with the BlueAir adaptor. The headset
may not have been paired previously, the pairing may have been broken
(for example, a different headset may have been paired since the last time
it was used) or the headset may be out of range.

To re-pair with the headset, follow the pairing procedure described in
section 2 on page 9.

4

18

Suggested uses

The BlueAir adaptor has a wide range of possible uses but some of the
more common ones are:

Live Performance

The BlueAir adaptor is ideal for informal and/or impromptu performances
where professional sound quality is not essential. Although the sound qual­ity can be surprisingly good when used with standard acoustic instrument
amplifiers and PA systems, it cannot rival professional wireless micro­phones or monitoring earpieces.

For good results when using the BlueAir adaptor to amplify acoustic in

­struments such as guitars, cellos and double basses, the best method for
mounting the Bluetooth headset is to attach it to the ExplorAudio H-clamp
as shown on page 10. Equally good sound can be achieved by attaching
the headset to a conventional stand but your freedom of movement is then
restricted considerably.

For use with violins, the headset can be worn conventionally on the the ear
nearest the instrument.

In all these applications, a little audio equalisation should improve the
sound enough for the results to be comparable with many mass market
pickups.

Public address

To use a Bluetooth headset as a wireless microphone for public address, it
is worn as normal on the ear. Connecting the BlueAir adaptor to any pub­lic address system should produce good results, the sound quality being
equally well suited to both informal professional presentations and amateur
public address at garden fetes or in school / village halls.

Leisure

A Bluetooth headset worn normally on the ear can be used as a wireless
microphone headset for karaoke by connecting the BlueAir adaptor’s out­put (black ring) jack to the karaoke system’s microphone socket. To also
hear the karaoke system’s output through the headset’s earspeaker, con­nect the jack with the red ring to the karaoke system’s headphone socket.

19

Computer audio

The BlueAir adaptor can be connected to the standard audio ports of com­puters to allow both oudio in and out to be sent to/from a Bluetooth head­set. This is particularly useful for internet telephony using services such as
Skype. When using the BlueAir adaptor in this way, ensure both its input
and output jacks are connected to the computer, even if you only intend
to use it as an earpiece to hear sound from the computer. This is because
connecting only one will cause a loud audio hum signal to be generated.

When used as a wireless headset for internet telephony, the BlueAir adap

­tor eliminates the additional audible delay (latency - when the person you
are talking to speaks, there is a delay before the sound reaches you) that
occurs when Bluetooth headsets are paired directly with Bluetooth enabled
computers. By eliminating any delay from the Bluetooth connection, the
BlueAir adaptor prevents unneccessary audible delays from spoiling in­ternet telephony. It cannot eliminate all delay as some is caused by audio
transmission over the internet itself but it does make using a Bluetooth
headset as easy and unhindered by delay as with a wired headset or hand­set.

20

Troubleshooting

PROBLEM SOLUTION

The link to a Blue­tooth headset is active
(the BlueAir adap­tor’s green LED is on
continuously) but no
sound can be heard
from the audio sys­tem.

Press the headset’s call button (to deactivate the
link) and then press it again to re-activate it. If
this doesn’t work, re-pair with the headset and:

1. Ensure the BlueAir adaptor’s output jack
(black ring) is connected to one of the audio
system’s input sockets and the correct input is
selected

2. Turn the audio system’s volume up until the
sound source can be heard. If the sound is too
quiet, even with the volume turned to maximum,
the BlueAir adaptor’s output level is too low for
the audio system. The audio adaptor’s output
cannot be adjusted but it may be possible to
increase the volume by a) moving the bluetooth
headset nearer the sound source or b) boosting
the BlueAir adoaptor’s output using a pre-ampli­fier

A very quiet but
continuous, irregular
crackling, clicking or
tinkling sound is heard
form the audio system
when the link with a
headset is active.

This low level background noise is normal but
may become louder when the separation be­tween the headset and the BlueAir adaptor is
approaching the 10m maximum or ther are solid
obstructions between them.

An obtrusive crackling
noise is heard from the
audio system corre­sponding with peaks
in the sound source’s
volume.

This distortion is caused by the sound source be­ing too loud for the headset’s microphone. It can
be cured by moving the headset further away
from the sound source.

The audio system
makes a loud howling
noise when the link to
a Bluetooth headset is
activated.

The noise is called feedback. It is caused when
the headset’s microphone picks up too much
sound from the audio system’s speakers. To
prevent it, move the headset as far away as pos­sible from the sound system’s speakers.

21

Any other problem Check our web site (www.exploraudio.com) for

any additional advice or contact us directly:

E-mail [e-mail]
Tel [phone]
Letter Technical Support
ExplorAudio
PO Box 4473
Bristol BS28 4WE

22

www.exploraudio.com

BAUM-001-12