Kinivo BTC450 Bluetooth Car Kit (Hands-Free, AUX Bluetooth Adapter for Cars with Ground Loop Noise Isolator, 3.5mm Aux Input, Apt-X)

I love my car but it's just old enough that it doesn't have built-in Bluetooth. I had been using a Bluetooth earpiece for several years but I find it annoying. I keep forgetting to take it with me and I even lost it once and had to buy another one. My wife's car has integrated Bluetooth and I had been looking at solutions that are compatible with my car. I'd seen a lot of speakers that hang off your sun visor but I don't think I like that design. I then found a small device from Belkin that plugs into your aux jack and mounts somewhere on your dashboard. It was $79.99 and had fairly decent reviews, but then I found this. The Kinivo BTC450 looks very similar to the Belkin but is literally half the price. I figured for $39.99 I could take a chance and see if it worked, and if it didn't, it would be a lot easier to swallow than the $80 Belkin. I have to tell you this is a great device. I have had no issues with it and works great. Since there are really no settings for this, everything has to be done through your phone, which in my case is an iPhone 4S. To use it, you need to plug the power adapter into the 12-volt socket and the aux cord into the aux input. In my case, they are in my center console under the armrest. Then you mount the device somewhere you have a nice flat surface, which in my case is on the panel near the gearshift. Now, turn on your car's power and pair it with your phone. It's easier to pair than any other device I've used. To use it, you need to select the auxiliary input on your stereo. This device can be used for two things. First and foremost, it allows you to make handsfree calls. I've yet to actually make a call while driving, but I've received several calls and all you need to do is push the big button to answer and again to hang up. If you're listening to the radio or a CD, you'll first need to change the stereo's input to Auxilary so you can use it (if you don't the other person will be able to hear you as the microphone is built into the device, but you won't be able to hear them). The second use is that it allows you to stream music wirelessly to this device. For years I've been plugging my phone (and before that, my MP3 player) into the aux jack using a 2 or 3-foot cord. Now I don't need to do that anymore. Less wear and tear on your headphone jack and you no longer need to use the phone's controls to change tracks. Instead, there are two buttons on the top of this device that allows you to skip to the next or previous track. Need to pause the song? Push the big button. If no music is playing and you push the button, it will start playing. The sound quality is indistinguishable from a wired connection. I recall in the past people had to use a wireless FM transmitter to play music from a portal CD player to a car stereo. I had trepidation at first regarding this device because of that past experience as those never worked well and this is light years beyond that technology. What's really nice is that if you are listing to music and someone calls you, it will pause the music player, allow you to talk, and when you are done, it unpauses the music where it left off. Another great thing is that this unpairs from your phone when you turn off the car and re-pairs when you start it back up. You don't need to manually do this which is nice and you shouldn't have an issue when you leave your car and the Bluetooth is still activated. Just a few caveats...first time I received a call with this unit, the ringer, which plays though your car speakers, blew me away. It was way too loud. I had to turn down the ringer volume on my phone. If you use your stereo's volume knob, then you'll have a hard time hearing to the person you're talking to, therefore you will need to find a happy medium. Also, I had to turn up the volume on the music player (which I believe has no effect on your battery unlike a wired connection) because when you skip tracks you hear a loud beep confirming the button press. If you don't adjust the volume on your phone, the beeps will be extremely loud and annoying. Luckily, I was able to find the correct volume levels. Also, if you turn up the volume on your phone, you won't need to turn the volume up so high on your car's stereo. When I first started using this device I heard a buzzing sound coming from my speakers. I saw that Amazon was selling a ground loop isolator that would supposedly fix this, but it turned out my car's stereo was turned up too high so adjusting the volume on the car and the phone took care of this problem. I should also note that the 12-volt adapter has a USB input so you can charge your phone using a separate charging cable. This is a nice feature. It also comes with an extension cable for the aux wire if needed. The wires coming out of this unit are very thin and I assume delicate. Since my unit is mounted near the gearshift in the center console and the cord runs along the top of the center console, I ran a risk of catching it on something and I am sure a good yank would damage it. So what I did was got a wire wrap from Home Depot, wrapped it around the cable, and then pushed it in the gap between the bottom of the center console and the floor. This way, very little of the wire is exposed and therefore it should be very safe from damage. While not as nice or convenient than having Bluetooth built into your car, this is the best option I've seen and kills two birds with one stone -- I can use it for calls as well as listing to music and I don't need to worry about plugging anything in each time I enter the car. Definitely recommended!

I bought this to use in my 2006 Prius, with my Galaxy Note 3 phone (Android). I have 64 gig of mp3's that I stream directly from my phone. It works beautifully, set-up was a snap. I climb into my car and the connection happens automatically, and it starts playing right from where it left off when I got out of the car. Incoming calls pause the music, one touch of the button and I'm on speaker phone, which is very clear from both ends. Touch the button to hang up and the music fades back in, flawless. The only drawback is that (like all the others) there is no way to extend the length of the button cord. The assumption (apparently from every manufacturer) is that the button goes on you dash, the power plug is somewhere below your car stereo, and the stereo has an auxiliary input on it's face. However, in the Prius the power jack and aux input are hidden away in the center arm rest (which is nice), so the button can't be easily placed on the dash as the cord gets in the way. I'll either have to find a place on the arm rest, or try to run the button wire under the carpet. No points off, because it seems all the other manufacturers make the same assumption. By the way, there is a slight hum from ground loops in the Prius, but a cheap isolator fixed that. AND NOW FOR THE FUN PART. I have a workshop at home. I have an old stereo tuner/amp wired to ceiling speakers in my shop. But I have several problems. 1) Reception is terrible even with an external antenna. 2) When my phone rings I seldom hear it over the machines and stereo. 3) I don't want the phone in my pocket, if I run into the corner of a workbench it might shatter the display. 4) If I do hear the phone ring, I have to turn off the stereo, the tool, then wipe the oil off my hands before trying to answer it. So here is the solution: Even though the power adapter is designed to plug into a 12 volt outlet, it can also be run by plugging a USB cord into it, then into a USB wall-wart (transformer) adapter. So I found an extra USB wall-wart, plugged it into the switched outlet on the back of the stereo (or you could just plug it into the wall outlet), and connected it to the car kit USB port. I plugged the audio jack into a stereo mini headphone to RCA adapter cable, and plugged that into the RCA jacks on the back of the stereo. To keep the exposed prongs on the 12 volt adapter from shorting out, I just plugged it into a 1/2" pvc (slip on) end cap. It fits snugly and is dirt cheap. So now when I walk into my shop I just turn on my stereo, and lay my phone on top of it (with the cover closed). It connects automatically and starts playing. I can skip forward or back using the car-kit buttons. If the phone rings, the music fades out, I hear the phone ringing, I push the car-kit button with my oily finger and I have an instant speaker phone, without ever touching my cell phone. And for my s@#$y FM reception, I subscribed to the Sirius internet radio, and now I can also stream hundreds of ad-free radio stations through my phone into my stereo using my free wifi. Heaven!

Everything about it is great with how it hooks up, it has a loop insulator to cut out all the humming, it turned my radio into Bluetooth so I can now play my music on my phone, easy to use, easy to install, functions great, great cord length was good for what I need it for! The only thing I noticed was it compromises my sound quality tremendously on my two 10 inch subs and amp. The subs still hit good but not as good as when I’m listening to the radio. However, my music is being played via Bluetooth on auxiliary. The radios output is being played through RCA cables directly connected to my subs. This could very well be the reason for my subs underperforming compared to when I have the radio on, which is why I gave it 4 stars. Overall, I definitely recommend this product! At the end of the day, it did what I wanted which is making my radio Bluetooth capable and that’s why I bought it!

Dieses Teil ist einfach genial! Die Sprachqualität ist perfekt, kein Mensch merkt, dass man über eine Freisprecheinrichtung telefoniert: die Lautstärke ist uneingeschränkt so, als hielte man das Handy direkt am Ohr. Das Streaming von Musik oder Hörbuch er funktioniert problemlos und ohne Aufwand! Das Pairing funktioniert problemlos und ohne lange Installation; auch mit mehreren unterschiedlichen Handys (bei mir: iphone 4s, samsung galaxy s4 und BlackBerry Z10). Auf eine Nachfrage beim Herstellers erhielt ich umgehend eine freundliche Antwort, die das Problem sofort löste. Unfassbar praktisch ist auch der zusätzliche USB Ausgang an der Buchse für den Zigarettenanzünder, der gleichzeitiges aufladen bzw. Eine Stromversorgung des Handys sicherstellt! Kombiniert mit einer Kabelführung (s.u.) schafft man sich so gut weniger als 50 Euro eine funktionale Multimedia Anlage im auto, dir qualitativ mit einbausystemen lecker mithalten kann!! Uneingeschränkte Kaufempfehlung für jeden, der eine günstige, hochwertige und unauffällige Freisprecheinrichtung sucht!! Was ich dazu sagen muss, ist, dass ich die Anlage in einem skoda roomster betreibe, bei dem Zigarettenanzünder und AUX Eingang unmittelbar nebeneinander an der Mittelkonsole hinter der Handbremse angebracht sind, was für die Inbetriebnahme natürlich optimale Bedingungen schafft. Noch einige Tipps: Ich betreibe das Gerät mit einer Magnethalterung, die an der Lüftung angebracht ist. Das kann ich schwer empfehlen, weil es super praktisch und kostengünstig ist (man findet bereits Lösungen für ca. 10 Euro bei Amazon, die ihren Zweck wunderbar erfüllen. Wenn man sich dazu entscheidet ist allerdings anzumerken, dass man die Lüftung beim telefonieren runter drehen oder abschalten sollte, da es sonst unangenehme Nebengeräusche produziert... Ein weiterer Tipp: um den Kabelsalat zu vermeiden habe ich mich für klebbare Kabelführungshilfen entschieden, die es ebenfalls für wenig Geld bei amazon gibt. Hier würde ich allerdings nicht sparen: ich hatte zunächst eine sehr günstige Lösung gewählt, die dann jedoch immer wieder ab fielen und wahnsinnig unpraktisch waren. Ich habe sie nun zusätzlich mit Power strips befestigt, was auch geht, aber wenn ich es nochmal zu tun hätte würde ich dafür einfach etwas mehr Geld in die Hand nehmen; das lohnt sich auf alle fälle, da die herumliegenden Kabel ansonsten das einzige sind, was an dieser Einrichtung stört! Volle Punktzahl!!

I had been looking at a bluetooth hands-free option for my car and looked at many popular brands (Belkin). I was also concerned with the fact that bluetooth being a wireless technology, I will be loosing quality of the sound when streaming music over bluetooth. I zeroed in on this one after reading some excellent review on Amazon.com (US). Kinivo may not be a very popular brand but this product is well worth every penny. This product is an excellent fit for any car. I have been using this well over a month now and can say I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. Pros: 1. If you own an AptX supported device like the Xperia Z3 look no further, this bluetooth device is AptX compatible, and gives an extremely superb audio quality when streamed over bluetooth 2. Auto connects when the car is started 3. Good in-call voice quality 4. Supports voice commands with Google Now (Use the BTNow app to switch from voice dialler to Google Now) to speak commands to get directions, play music etc Cons: (Nothing major. Works perfect!!) 1. Wires are a quite thin & delicate, but if you install the kit with care, they shouldn't bother you much. You are not really going to wire on and off this thing every time. Its a car kit. It just stays there once you install.

Ottimo il mio feedback sul servizio e tempi di spedizione di questo articolo. Il prodotto corrisponde appieno alla descrizione, di seguito una breve descrizione dei pro e dei contro cominciando proprio da questi ultimi: Contro: 1. Il cavetto che congiunge il corpo del vivavoce è saldato e non è scollegabile dalla presa accendi sigari (il cavetto uscente dal vivavoce conduce il segnale audio + alimentazione 5V e 10cm verso la fine si sdoppia. Sarebbe stato bello avere un jak anche sulla presa accendisigari; sia per prolungare il filo di alimentazione senza dover ricorrere ad taglio + giunta a mano, sia per semplificare il passaggio dei fili all' interno dei pannelli dell' auto durante l' installazione. Tuttavia, sono riuscito ad installarlo in 10 minuti sulla mia BMW 320 E93 senza dover far alcun taglio o prolunga, alzando soltanto la cuffia del freno a mano e svitando 3 viti sotto lo sterzo. 2: La presa accendisigari ha il cavetto che esce lateralmente verso il vivavoce lasciando in alto una presa libera USB da 1A. La presa USB è utilizzabile solo per uscita alimentazione e non gestisce memorie USB con files audio. 3. L' audio delle chiamate telefoniche sulle casse della macchina ha un volume leggermente piu' basso rispetto a quello della radio. Non è regolabile e finisco sempre per dover alzare il volume durante le telefonate per poi riabbassarlo quando commuto nuovamente sull' ingresso musicale. 4. Se chiudo la chiamata dal telefonino spesso si scollega il bluetooth. Consiglio di terminare tutte le chiamate premendo il tasto rotondo del corpo del vivavole, lo stesso che si preme per aprire la telefonata. PRO: 1. Dimensioni ultra compatte, tutto il dispositivo e l' elettronica sono racchiusi nel corpo rotondo del microfono, bottone, tasti avanti/indietro. 2. Audio di ottima qualità. Riproduce benissimo i files musicali dal telefonino quando esso è collegato in bluetooth. I tasti di avanzamento ed arretramento funzionano ed agiscono sull' avanzamento della playlist sul telefonino. Durante le telefonate, il microfono capta bene la voce anche se posizionato non vicinissimo rispetto all' autista. Io l' ho messo piuttosto in basso per semplicità di installazione. 3. Questa la mia sequenza di utilizzo su BMW E93. Entrando in auto con il bluetooth acceso il telefono si aggancia automaticamente, non c'e' bisogno di toglierlo dalla tasca. a) Ascoltando lo stereo --> Sento lo squillo di una chiamata entrante soltanto sul telefono che ho in tasca. Commuto l' ingresso dello stereo su aux-in e posso farlo direttamente dal bottone sullo sterzo della macchina. Premo il tasto rotondo del corpo vivavoce ed inizio la conversazione. b) Se ho già la radio impostata sull' ingresso aux --> Sento lo squillo sulle casse auto. Premo il tasto rotondo del corpo vivavoce ed inizio la conversazione.

Can't fault this product. It was really easy to set up and the sound quality from my iphone to my car speakers is as good as connecting it via a cable. It plays music from my iPhone library or straight from the spotify app. I can also make and receive phone calls which are clear for both the caller and receiver. When the call is finished it starts playing the music again. Not all bluetooth products allow you to both make calls and play music but this one does. My Tom Tom sat nav app on the iPhone also plays over bluetooth to the car speakers. It also works whilst charging and the iPhone pairs automatically as soon as you turn on the ignition so you can almost forget it is there. I have a separate charger for my phone for long journeys but it will work if your phone is on charge or not. I spent a long time looking at suitable products and this is perfect and great value for money. It just proves you don't have to spend a fortune.

Lo dicho, casi perfecto si se sabe lo que se pide y para que se pide. Ha cumplido con creces mis necesidades, la verdad que es un aparato asombroso, no por lo que es ni por lo hace, sino por como lo hace. Instalacion rapidisima incluso habiendolo semi-intstalado, ocultando los cablecillos. Ademas el emparejamiento con el movil bien rapido y sencillo, como tienen que ser estas cosas para que no se conviertan en un problema para nadie. Calidad de audio estupenda, aunque debo reconocer que no soy ningun sibarita de la musica, y en cuanto al manos libres funciona bien y se oye y me oyen de forma correcta. Una unica pega, es que tube que comprar un antiparasitario porque me hacia un ruido de acople algo desagradable, pero fue colocarlo y se acabo los problemas de ruidos. Resumiendo, recomendadisimo.