• If you haven't done so already, please add a location to your profile. This helps when people are trying to assist you, suggest resources, etc. Thanks

Roland FR3s and Bluetooth Speakers

Status
Not open for further replies.

brianr

Member
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
Location
East Yorkshire, UK
Please forgive me if this topic has been covered before, if so please point me in the right direction! I love the sound of this instrument using stereo headphones but this only entertains myself! I find the built in speakers acceptable but not as good should I wish to entertain(!) others. The question is whether a Bluetooth transmitter can be connected to the accordion and paired with a decent Bluetooth speaker? Such transmitters seem to vary in price from £5 to £50 and reading their reviews seems to suggest that latency or sound lag could be an issue. Any comments would be most welcome.
Brian
 
No direct experience but from what I have read, latency would be an issue, at least for you as the player. For the audience it might look strange too, like a film where the audio is out of sync with the video.
 
I'll let you know in about a month... I'm doing some experiments with Bluetooth and will gladly post the results here. It's not that it will take me that long to test and what not, just that it is going to take that long for parts to arrive.

I will share this, however... BT is not an ideal medium for moving sound wirelessly from one place to another, its traditionally very slow and causes latency. One is going to use advanced technologies for best chances, but not all transmitters support these technologies. Here is the biggie... most receivers today do not support low latency technologies because it is not important. It's not important if the time it takes to leave your cell to reach the speaker is 50ms or 1 full second or more, however, it *does* make a difference if the latency is anything over 25ms because YOU will hear and feel it when playing. Ideally you want it to be under 10ms latency.

Listening to music on a BT speaker is not time sensitive... performing on a musical instrument in a live situation *is*.

If you are going to do this and want a wireless technology for PROFESSIONAL purposes (ie: playing in public as a professional), Bluetooth is definitely the wrong way to go. Even a simple $40 mono or stereo transmitter is likely way more reliable and better. So if you are getting PAID to perform, invest in a quality transmitter/receiver. Losing the wireless signal part way through a song while on stage is the fastest way to never be asked to return to do a 2nd gig.
 
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with just plugging in. Less to go wrong and cheaper too. (It does limit your strolling around though.)
 
Nothing wrong with just plugging in. Less to go wrong and cheaper too. (It does limit your strolling around though.)
Agree that connecting with cables is best. It's the safest and if you keep a spare cable or two in case of emergency It's hard to go wrong. The next best is a proper wireless setup that will give you higher fidelity. Bluetooth on the other hand is a low powered signal to connect that will severely limit your range and according to other members can cause latency issues.

A lot of buzz words are used in technology and this often confuses people. I've worked in technical sales for many years and have encountered many clients who thought that some of these lower cost options would compare favourably to a proper rig. It's just not true, you don't have to overspend but nothing compares to purpose designed solutions.
 
It initially confused the heck out of me... lol The codecs, specifications, supporting hardware, its all very deep to learn the dozens of buzz words, technologies and what each does, which is best, which is acceptable, and which just won't work. I spent the last 2 hours researching codecs and then which ones are installed on my receiving and transmitting devices.... a potential disappointment even before I've received or tested anything!
 
Many thanks for the additional comments, I will not be "strolling" so will probably stick to cables, it seems much safer!
Brian
 
Not Bluetooth, but a wireless system for musical instruments would be better! More expensive though, you get what you pay for.
 
I don't know how latency would affect an accordionist, but latency between speech and audio feedback to one's ears will make you stammer, even render you incapable of speaking at all: try a Public Address System with latency! ?
 
Last edited:
Wireless is much better than Bluetooth and it should work well however some of us don't want to mess about with wireless connections every time so simply plugging in a cable has much to recommend it for simplicity. Sometimes all of the connections makes playing hard work.
 
I've not had any luck with bluetooth transmitters because of latency. It would be fantastic to find a set of wireless headphones without latency but I suppose that is for another thread.

I have an Fr3S and have used 1/4" wireless guitar transmitters to a pa or battery powered speaker and it works great. I cant remember if one will transmit both bass and treble of the FR3s or if you need two for the separate outputs but can definitely confirm using two of these will do everything you need.

I have something similair to this; https://www.amazon.ca/LEKATO-Wirele...=ammoon+wireless+guitar&qid=1632030635&sr=8-8
 
I have an Fr3S and have used 1/4" wireless guitar transmitters to a pa or battery powered speaker and it works great. I cant remember if one will transmit both bass and treble of the FR3s or if you need two for the separate outputs but can definitely confirm using two of these will do everything you need.

I have something similair to this; https://www.amazon.ca/LEKATO-Wirele...=ammoon+wireless+guitar&qid=1632030635&sr=8-8
Yours transmits in MONO, if you want a similar quality, the Getaria GWS-28 is stereo and is around $40. Works great for me!
 
All I use is line 6 g10/10s wireless. I have both and they both are quality. Remember even if you have a good low cost wireless instrument system, some may lose the quality of the sound. Why spend 1000’s on an accordion and have it sound low quality. You get what you pay for. The line 6 g10s has a cable simulator switch which is saying much about the companies caring in selling a quality product. Even low cost cables could lose some of the quality in the transfer of sound. So think quality…
 
Yours transmits in MONO, if you want a similar quality, the Getaria GWS-28 is stereo and is around $40. Works great for me!
Interesting, it was not very long ago I could not find a stereo transmitter - now I cannot find my original mono transmitter or the one you quoted actually for sale anywhere, but there are a lot of copies out there.
 
Yeah, they are (like many items out there) manufactured at one place somewhere in China and rebranded or stuck in a different case.

For me, mine works really well and in a recent distance test, with the receiver in the basement, could move anywhere within a 2 story home and not drop the signal once. I'd not use it for a full out paid gig, but for semi-pro or home use is an amazing price/performance point.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top