Information regarding aptX-LL headphones, the Equinox, and pairing issues cropping up recently...

[sgoss66]

Ohio Coinhunter -- you are quite welcome! I'm glad that at least ONE of these pairing issues has been resolved! LOL!

OK, everyone, here's the more detailed update.

Along with getting Ohio Coinhunter's headphones to pair properly, I also tested both sets of "BT80" headphones today, that were sent to me by a friend who said they would NOT pair, with his Equinox 600, running version 2.0 firmware. BOTH SETS paired with my Equinox 800 running version 2.0 firmware -- with zero issues, and both sounded great.

Clearly, the SIMPLEST answer here, is that the "issues" with headphones not pairing, may boil down to some slight mistake in the pairing process. I am not sure this explains the issue entirely, but -- I'm going to post the method that I used to pair the headphones to my machine (and the method we used for Ohio Coinhunter's machine), and I'd encourage anyone who is having issues to try ONE MORE TIME, using this process specifically...

1. Turn on the Equinox. Once it has booted up...
2. Press the "wireless" button on the right-hand side of the control box, and HOLD IT IN, until you hear two beeps, then release...
3. Turn on the headphones to be paired BY HOLDING DOWN ON THE POWER BUTTON UNTIL they enter pairing mode (lights flashing alternately blue/red)…
4. Then, WAIT. The Equinox initially, when in "pairing mode," searches for the WM-08 module FIRST. It's not until at least 15 seconds later, when the Equinox does not FIND a WM-08, that it then begins looking for a Bluetooth device to pair to.
5. After 15 to 30 seconds (but perhaps a bit longer), the machine should "see" the headphones, and pairing should occur.

ONCE they have paired, the process will not take as long in subsequent pairing attempts, as the machine "stores" the information about what device it was last "paired to," and it preferentially looks for that device as soon as you turn the machine one. After that initial pairing, all you need to do is turn on the machine, wait for it to boot, and then turn on the headphones. Do NOT press the wireless button on the Equinox, and do NOT hold down the power button on the headphones. Just turn on the Equinox, wait for it to power up, and then turn on the headphones. Pairing should occur in a very short time (a few seconds).

The ONLY time you should have to go through the pairing process again (press and hold the wireless button on the machine, and then press and hold the power button on the headphones) is when a). pairing a NEW device to the machine (different from the prior device you paired), or b). after doing a factory reset.

OTHERWISE, the "pairing" process (after the initial pairing procedure) should happen automatically...

Anyone who has had pairing issues, please try these steps. I just spoke with Ohio Coinhunter on the phone, and following these steps, he was able to get his Trond headphones to pair properly with the Equinox.

If anyone STILL has issues with pairing, PLEASE report back here, so I can continue to follow up on this issue.

Thanks!

Steve

 

[trojdor]

Thanks Steve
...that is exactly what I expected to hear.

mike

EDIT:
For those who have trouble pairing BT devices....with detectors, phones, computers, or whatever....it help to think of the BT pairing process as opening a combination lock.
You can't just stab at the buttons in random order, and hope you eventually stumble on the right 'combination'.

Just like a combination lock, thing have to happen in a very specific order.

And, for those following Steve's (excellent) initial pairing instructions, be sure to read (and follow) them all....thoroughly....but especially Step 4.

 

[sgoss66]

Mike,



Steve

 

[marcomo]

Excellent research, Steve. Thanks for sharing!

FWIW, subsequent pairing attempts with the miccus 71s after initial pairing routinely took longer than 30 seconds with my 600.

That, plus a slightly noticeable delay, pushed me to buying a WM-08 module. $60 for phones, $80 for a module...should have just gotten an 800!

 

[sgoss66]

marcomo,

Thanks!

Couple things -- when you say that subsequent pairing took longer than 30 seconds, is it possible that you were placing either the Equinox, or the Miccus phones, into "pairing" mode (i.e. press and hold on the wireless button, on the EQX, or a press and hold on the power button, on the phones)? Reason I ask is, when I pair my "aftermarket BT80" headphones, all I do is turn on the machine and the headphones, and then do nothing else; I just let them both "do their thing," and within 5 to 10 seconds, they are paired. EVERY time. I've never had an issue. That doesn't mean that the Miccus phones might not be different, but I wonder if maybe you were putting one or the other of the units into "pairing" mode?

As far as the delay goes, I have heard that 40ms should be less than what a human ear can perceive -- but since each of us is "wired" differently, it's hard to say. I'm going to share an interesting video, that does a great job of illustrating "lag" between SBC (standard Bluetooth), aptX, and aptX Low Latency, with each one of these tested simultaneously against a "wired" connection. In this way, you can listen to the "lag" between the two sources; for me, I cannot perceive any delay on the aptX-LL, though I CAN hear it with aptX, and ESPECIALLY with SBC. I thought this was really interesting...(I THINK I am allowed to post this video, as I don't think it has anything in it that breaks Findmall rules...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_bypcPW5O4&feature=youtu.be

Steve

 

[Tom Slick]

These work great with my 800. Avantree 40 hr APTX LOW LATENCY Wireless Headphones. $69.00 online. No noticeable lag and very comfortable over the ear design. Sound every bit as good as the Minelab headphones.