Pasoa2k

Hi Everyone,

As my first post I thought I'd take a minute and share some quick thoughts on the new blackberry music gateway which works great!

Can be purchased here for $50
http://store.shopblackberry.com/Prod.../ACC-41596-001

Shipping took about a week and is was out of stock for a few days when I ordered.

- Bottom line is the device works great. In the box is included a USB to Micro USB charging cord and 2 audio cables, one "headphone jack to headphone jack" cable and one "headphone jack to white/red audio plugs". So basically everything you need.

- Audio Quality is great.

- Paired very easily with my iPhone 4S

When in the car, upon starting the car my phone automatically connect with the HF Link and the Gateway, no need to "repair" or do anything. I can immediately start to play music. And you can use the HF link in combination with this.

Let me know if anyone has any particular questions?

Thanks!

Renescent

So it has the auto-connect like the old one and includes various connectivity and power cabling... I suspect this will be the best $50 you'll ever spend.

I'm not an audiophile but wonder what, if any, quality differences between BT gateway versus the hardwire to the jack.

pohljm

Night and day difference Between hardwired and bluetooth streaming assuming your using quality source files

Pasoa2k

Yeah it's definitely worth $50.

To my ears, it sounds great! Is it better when you plug it in? Probably. Could I be bothered for my commute in the morning to have to bother with opening the center console, dealing with wires etc? Definitely not.

I also stream Pandora a lot and it's not like that's the highest quality audio source to start with.

I think it sounds really good though Not DVD-A good, but good none the less.

Pasoa2k

Yeah it auto connects and everything.

emilio320

thanks for posting this ! i ALMOST bought the gen1 BB Gateway but didn't want to have to use two different kinds of USB cables between my phone and this (Micro and Mini), i hate having to plug my phone into the AUX jack. I have a question though, whenever i am charging my phone while connected to the 3.5mm AUX jack I can hear an annoying humming/hissing i suspect from the current of the power cable , cus as soon as i unplug my phone from the charger you can't hear it anymore. Do you guys think this will still occur while using the BB Gateway?

Renescent

Will multiple devices pair with it and, assuming it does, if both sources are present, which device wins?

Pasoa2k

Havent' tried that yet, if I get a chance I'll let you know!

CBP_TypeS

Thanks for the recommendation Pasoa2k. Just ordered one for my 07 TL-S.

Was trying to figure out how I was going to make my old Griffin idock work that I pulled out of my dearly departed civic -- and just plain gave up. Would have had to put the dock and my phone inside the center console -- which makes choosing tracks kinda hard when you can't see the screen -- or take apart the entire console to run an aux cable out of sight.

Just happened upon this thread tonight and now I'm out $50 but hopefully in a few days i'll be listening to my music wireless-ly!

CBP_TypeS

Received mine on thursday so a week for shipping. Plugged it into a usb car charger and the aux jack and it was up and running with my iphone in 30 seconds. Sounds great and so easy - reconnects each time i start the car no problem.

95oRANGEcRUSH

I, too, got my BB Music Gateway Got yesterday after waiting a week for shipping. Paired with no issues to my HTC Thunderbolt. Great product and easily worth $50. Pandora sounds on par with, or better, than XM. Comes with a USB to mini-USB power cable, auxiliary in cable, 3.5mm cables and an adapter to plug into your outlets in your home.

My phone charger is plugged in to the lower power outlet in the center console. It has a little slot that slides open so it will accept a USB style plug. I plug the BB supplied USB power cord into the slot, the mini USB end gets routed into the upper part of the console door where I have the Gateway. Majority of the wiring is in the lower part of the console so everything is very clean. The actuall BB Music Gateway is no bigger than a small box of matches.

Love how everything pairs as soon as you start the car. No need to turn it on or off. Haven't received any calls yet so can't comment on that, but, I'm sure it works how others described.

Glad I came across this product. Don't forget, if you have a home stero with aux in you can stream music to it using this device.

Edited to add link to charger I use. Note the slot on top so you can power both your phone and a second device. Cuts down on the clutter.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

Why not just connect the headphone out of your device directly to the aux input in the car? Just to have wireless?

95oRANGEcRUSH

Doesn't work in my car. I tried it.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

The AUX input doesn't work? Or the output of your phone doesn't work? Either way, BT streaming audio = meh for sound quality. Unless you have just balls for recordings, in which case, whatever.

95oRANGEcRUSH

Output from phone does not work.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

That's bullshit.

DCP

R u able to control the songs from the steering wheel controls?
(u know playback & forward)

95oRANGEcRUSH

No. For this level of integration, I think you would need an isimple or one of the other more expensive interfaces.

stevemk07

That is an issue with your phone most likely. You should have that noise regardless what you use to interface. It is shielding/distance from electromagnetic interference to you audio chip.

boosted2000si

iTrader: (1)

Sweet! This is a great idea, I HATE having to plug the darn headphone jack in every time I want to listen to music on my phone.

DCP

I really would like to use these features with our cars. So aside from isimple, what other products can someone recommend that allows these features.

exlex

Bullshit. I can't tell the difference between the two on my $10k (retail) system at a dead stop (let alone with road noise). Show me a double blind test with any group of people who can. Unless your bluetooth receiver just blows ass (the BB gateway does not), there's no way you can tell the difference.

And we're not talking about iGriffin FM transmitters. Those are truly terrible.

Bluetooth is legit.

See above. People saying BT streaming isn't any good either haven't actually tried it, are regurgitating myths, or have a faulty bluetooth module in their receiver / system.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

Ok. You're right. Streaming bluetooth sounds exactly like AIFF or .wav files played directly through a USB.

If you can't hear the difference you should have spent some of the money from your $10,000 system on an evaluation by an audiologist.

There is a difference, and it is not marginal. And yes, I have heard many bluetooth audio systems.

I didn't say it was awful btw, I said it was "meh". Which it is. Is it passable? For some, sure. (especially in a car) But to say that in a double blind test no one could tell the difference is just delusional.

exlex

Delusional? Do the double blind in any car you want. I'll bet you $50 at 5 to 1 odds ($250 if you win) that you don't correctly identify the source better than 75% on 20 or more comparisons.

On a $100,000 system, you might be able to tell the difference. In real life and in a car? No way. Not even in your garage with the car off.

PS - do you think you can also hear the difference between a 16bit and 24bit file? How about uncompressed vs. 320kbps mp3?

PPS - sorry for the troll. You can't tell the difference, and any audio engineer in the world who knows anything agrees.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

Yes. I can hear the difference between a 320kbps mp3 or AAC and a .wav or AIFF. If you can't I don't know what to tell you. Try better source material maybe? If it is a crappy current pop recording, maybe not, but on anything recorded worth a damn there is absolutely a difference between the original and a compressed format. Bluetooth compresses it on top of that.

Most A2DP bt units use AT BEST 320 kbps. It is only capable of 512 kbps as a format (A2DP).

If it works for you, great. But don't just assume no one can hear the difference.

exlex

I didn't intend for my post to sound as combative as it did, but truthfully I would love to be proven wrong. I have yet to see anyone who can tell the difference between 320kbps (let alone 512 for old-school Blueooth) and uncompressed.

And with Bluetooth 4.0 (get an HTC StereoClip and a modern phone!) it's unquestionable.

geekybiker

From what I've read BT tends to murder the upper end of the spectrum. Many people can't reliably hear much above 15k where the worst issues are. So does it matter in the context of critical listening? absolutely. For a car with road noise, etc? Not so much. YMMV. I'm just surprised someone who spends 10k on car audio isn't a little more critical. Also I call BS on being able to reliably tell a 320k mp3 from a CD with anything approaching reliability. If its true you have magic golden ears.

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

It has a ton to do with original recording quality as well.

I'm not saying 320 mp3 or AAC isn't "good enough" especially in a car. I'm saying there is a difference.

narcotics

I have one of these BB Gateways hooked up to my stereo in my garage. Is it possible to hook it up to my 06 Canadian base TL Non-Navi?

geekybiker

You need to add an aux input with an isimple or something. I suppose you could jerry rig it with a cassette adapter as well.

garrett

if you buy the iSimple off amazon it can be had for less the the blackberry gateway.

i and many others on this site picked theirs up for under 45 bucks.

parasitius

TIP: for those with the interference issues, I suggest you invest in some audio cables that have ferrite cores on both ends. It may not solve it completely, but it helps in my experience. Shouldn't be more than a few bucks on monoprice or the like.

The best part about BB gateway over plugging the phone in is:
(1) Can start the music WHILE I'm walking towards the car. Throw the phone back in my pocket and once it connects it will be coming out of the stereo instead of iPhone speaker. This saves gas and fooling around.

However it would be more awesome if, like my old Clarion head unit, as soon as it connected it would automatically send a play button signal to the phone -- and so play any music you had playing last time you got out of the car without ever taking your phone out of your pocket.

Those who talk about the crap quality need to try one of these exact units personally. My clarion bluetooth + iPhone 4S was horrible, totally ruined my enjoyment of the music. But this BB unit... god... really is quite perfect. I usually pick up on a defect in the sound eventually but not immediately.. but after like 5 months I still haven't been able to find anything wrong.

Blooze

Well, went ahead and ordered one. Figured for the price, can't go wrong. Definitely sold on the fact that it will work in parallel with our HFL. Hoping that it can pair with different phones though (as opposed to only one like the 3rd Gen TL's HFL). Also like the idea that I can use this on the stereo in my garage and other places.

Thanks to the OP for bringing this up ... I would have not know about the new gen and didn't want to spend $80 on the old one (which is the best price I could find where it was in stock).

black89

Had one in my car for a while now, works great! Love how I just press the play button on the side of my BB9860 once I get in my car and music from pandora iradio resumes playing.

Nexilus

Interference issue can be solved very simply by buying this. Works great in my car and is crystal clear. I tried the ferrite cores but they did not help that much since the whine can be heard in the background and is noticeable when volume is cranked up. This adapter eliminated all of the alternator whine. I used this with the stock cables.

I found it on ebay for 5$ shipped

4-Port Usb car charger.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Port-USB-C...item3f21983397

Mycal33

I am having trouble connecting my BBMG to my HFL in my 05 TL/wo NAV. Can somebody tell me what I am doing wrong?

SkeWest

Does anyone know the difference between the blackberry ACC-41596-001 vs -002 vs -003? The prices are different on Amazon but I can't find any explanation on any differences. Thanks.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Sounds bad as I know very little but those are likely just revision numbers. It's possible nothing has changed other than a manufacturing process so they incrementally increase the model number.

robant85

You don't, the BBMG has to be plugged into an AUX port, of which the 05 doesn't have.