Getting A2DP stereo BlueTooth should be easier in Windows
Updated 11/22/2009
Anyone who has ever tried to get wireless BlueTooth A2DP working in the last three versions of Windows will come to the following conclusion. Getting A2DP stereo BlueTooth needs to be WAY easier in Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. Getting basic BlueTooth connectivity working for wireless mice or keyboards is fairly painless and easy because everything just works out of the box after you plug in a BlueTooth adapter into your computer, and you’re tricked into believing that everything is already working and installed. Trying to get low quality monophonic headset audio working is hard enough and trying to get A2DP high quality stereo working is a royal pain. This is something that’s amazingly simple on any modern cellular phone but it almost seems like rocket science in Windows.
The first thing you’ll notice in any recent version of Windows when attempting to connect a BlueTooth headset is that it will ask you for a bunch of drivers. Scanning the Internet or local hard drive won’t yield any results, and you’re left scratching your head wondering what happened and why the headset doesn’t come with any drivers. But as it turns out, you need additional drivers for your BlueTooth adapter to make any of this stuff work.
On my Lenovo X200, I downloaded the latest BlueTooth drivers compatible with Vista or Windows 7 here only to find out that only low quality 8-bit monophonic audio is supported. I had to search the Internet to figure out that I needed the WIDCOMM BlueTooth drivers from Broadcom, and Broadcom BlueTooth chipsets are very common though there are others on the market and you’ll need to get drivers from the chipset manufacturer. The driver install was fairly automated, but it took a LONG time to install and it required a reboot. I also had to connect and disconnect the A2DP headset and reconnect to get it working, but it worked beautifully when it did and sound quality was amazing.
Now my problem is that I need to find functional A2DP drivers for these super mini USB 2.0 BlueTooth dongles I got from DealExtreme.com for $2.36. Bluesoleil for Windows version 6 worked fine with this cheap adapter, but Bluesoleil costs $30! There’s just no way I’m paying $30 for a set of drivers to run a $2 dongle. You’re much better with a jWIN JB-TH101 which comes with A2DP drivers and it’s smaller. It’s only $10 if you can pick it up at a Fry’s store and avoid shipping charges. Getting it online might double the price due to shipping. I have a nice little IOGear GBU421 which comes with drivers but I used the Broadcom WIDCOMM drivers but it might cost you $20 with shipping.
And here’s a parting tip. I bought this amazing BlueTooth to 3.5 mm stereo jack adapter (includes a microphone as well) for $13. The cheap plastic earphones are lousy but you don’t have to use them and it’s worth it even without any earphones. More importantly, having the ability to connect your own high quality earphones is even more important.
Life is cruel.
Hello George
I use a Toshiba Laptop with BT, It uses the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack.
I Like the toshiba BT Stack over Widcomm’s since It installs everyting out-of-the-box. I have a Motorola S9 Bluetooth Headphones (A2DP+AVRCP+HSP) and when Traveling I connect my laptop to my Car Audio System on a Sony MEX-BT2500 (A2DP+AVRCP+HSP)… All Fairly Easy… Except for just 1 Thing. You need to tell windows that the A2DP Device is the Default Audio Device, otherwise, audio won’t go out Through the BT system.
I used to work in Motorola giving Customer Tech support for their BT Adapter here in Costa Rica, they use the Widcomm BT Stack and it’s more complicated than Toshiba’s One… One I don’t like at all, the Bluesoleil!
My Recommendation for BT if you don’t have a BT Adapter: Get a Toshiba BT Adapter USB (US$30 aprox; yes a little bit overpriced) with a the Toshiba BT Stack and you won’t have to go trought that pain anymore + Updates of the BT Stack Drivers always for free!
Is that a 2.5mm or 3.5mm jack in the item on the last paragraph?
I ask because a “standard” headphone miniplug is 3.5mm, but some phones (especially older ones) do use a 2.5mm jack for a headset. I also couldn’t find anything about it in the item description, though some user questions seem to indicate that it is actually 3.5mm.
Thanks!
Sorry I meant to say standard 3.5 mm, the kind you normally use for stereo headphones. I did not mean to say 2.5 mm used for headset/microphones and I corrected it in the post.
AWESOME POST… I’ve been dealing with the Bluesoleil issue as well since my laptop doesn’t have built in and the cheap usb one i bought was that brand. I am glad you suggested a different usb adapter because I refused to spend 30 bucks on software for my 4 dollar bluetooth dongle! I thought I was alone and crazy but seems like its become a huge issue in Windows 7. Thanks!
Just an FYI, I know this thread is old, but was helpful in setting up my Cy·Fi stereo speaker to my PC.
I have a $2 generic Bluetooth Adapter. I did not want to pay for Bluesoleil.
I installed the program from the following link and everything works perfect:
http://www.aziocorp.com/support/download/files/wireless/btd603-132/drivers/btd_toshibabt_v7_2kxpvista7_all_090825.zip
cheers hunter
@Hunter[NIU]™
Thanks man Im tryin this solution out hope it works
Thanks – Hunter – You are the man – Happy to see others refuse to dole out $30 for a driver to make a $2 usb dongle work – please note that when using the Ubuntu OS the BlueTooth devices work “out of the box” – this is why I advocate ditching Microsoft and all their crap.