ot0tot

I have been looking for a way to add bluetooth audio to my 08 E61. I considered buying one of the bluetooth audio gateways suggested here, but all seemed to have drawbacks, either high cost, requiring USB chargers/cables, having to manually pair each time you started the car, etc. Instead, I think I have found a much better solution.

My car came with the iPod integration kit/cable (ie the short cable consisting of a USB connector, 3.5mm plug, and iPod 30-pin connector in the center console), and I thought I would try to use that. I came across this product at Amazon, the "SoundBot SB330":
It is $9.99, and allows you to connect a bluetooth audio source to an iPod dock. I figured for the price it was worth a shot, and I couldn't be more impressed.

First of all, this thing is tiny. About 1" square. I have it connected to the iPod cable in the bottom of the center console, and it lies flat on the bottom taking up almost no space. My phone immediately recognized it, and paired with no problem (no passcode required). The phone automatically added the SB330 as the bluetooth audio streaming device, and kept my car paired for bluetooth phone.

Everything works seamlessly together, the phone pauses the audio when a call comes in and resumes when it ends, and the phone automatically pairs with the device when the car is started .Audio quality to my ears is just as good as through a 3.5mm Aux cable. It claims to use Bluetooth 3.0+, which I believe supports higher audio bitrates than Bluetooth 2.0/2.1.

As for downsides, there is no manual (some terse instructions are printed on the box), and you can't connect more than one device at a time. I haven't tried connecting another device while the first was out of range, however.

I still need to figure out whether I can control the player through the car (I have a feeling this is app dependent), and whether I can get song information displayed on the CIC over bluetooth (doubtful).

Overall, I am extremely impressed. I feel this is as close to a factory solution as I could hope for, as it is tiny and unobtrusive, doesn't require pairing upon startup, and works seamlessly with the phone. I will try to post some pictures of the setup tonight. If you have the iPod integration kit and no bluetooth audio, I think this is certainly worth a look for <$10.

xiaodown

Oh, man, thanks for posting this. This may be exactly what I'm looking for.

I have a cheap bluetooth that charges via USB and plays to mini-jack, but I have to open the center console and re-pair it every time I start the car. It's annoying (first world problems). If this allows me to skip that step, I'm a happy camper.

I was actually looking at doing a CIC swap into my 08, partly because this generation of icontrol is freaking dumb, but also because I was hoping to get bluetooth audio (my car only has phone, natively).

Abenlog

I bought the HTC Car A200 and it works fabulously.

It connects to the AUX port and charges via a USB cable that's always plugged in. My phone automatically connects when I get in the car and the sound quality is absolutely wonderful.

The sound quality is especially good on this device because it supports CSR's aptX codec. This is a lossless codec that is a significant improvement over the usual bluetooth streaming.

Of course, you need a phone that supports it, my Galaxy S4 does so perfectly. I wish I could control the tracks via the steering wheel controls but I can cope.

bmwmonkey

Thanks for the tip Abenlog! I ordered one on Amazon and it sounds awesome!