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If you have Bluetooth speakers, you might think that their use would end with wireless pairing to a source device. The truth is, as long as you’re willing to get creative, you can get extra utility from your speakers around your home and in your home entertainment system.
Also: I traded my Sonos Era 300 for Denon’s new home speakers — and see no reason to go back
Whether you connect a Bluetooth speaker directly to your TV to create a makeshift center audio channel, or you buy a small audio receiver to turn your analog speaker into a smart speaker, you have options. Even the cheapest smart speakers cost at least $200, and these tips are either free or cost no more than $90.
1. Connect your Bluetooth speaker directly to your TV
The easiest way to extend the usefulness of your Bluetooth speaker is to connect it directly to your TV. Before I added an extra Sonos Era 100 to my kitchen counter, I used to use this trick often.
If your TV has native Bluetooth, you can put your speaker into pairing mode and pair it. If your TV doesn’t have Bluetooth, but you have an Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, or Google Chromecast plugged in, you can pair your speakers with your streaming stick. If you don’t have any of these, you’ll need a Bluetooth dongle to connect to your TV.
Also: I finally tried connecting headphones to my TV streaming stick, and I’m not going back
It’s about convenience, not optimal audio. Recently, I connected my TV to a Bluetooth speaker I had lying around so I wouldn’t miss watching Sunday afternoon football while preparing Sunday dinner. In college, I used this trick to listen to The Real Housewives of Atlanta while getting ready in the bathroom.
The only caveat is that you may experience noticeable lag between your picture and audio. However, this issue did not matter much to me, as I was more focused on listening than watching. Additionally, you need to keep your speakers and TV within Bluetooth range (about 30 feet) to avoid connection dropouts.
2. Wire your Bluetooth speaker to your TV
If you don’t need a portable solution to enhance your TV’s audio, you can create a makeshift center audio channel with a Bluetooth speaker. Provided your TV has a line-out port, and your Bluetooth speaker has a line-in port, you can wire your speakers to your TV to play audio.
This trick works well if you’re watching TV in a small bedroom and don’t want to spend money on a soundbar. Although you won’t get as refined an audio experience, you will get louder audio with an emphasis on dialogue.
Also: Your TV Can Sound Much Better: 7 Easy But Unexpected Ways to Improve Audio Quality
If you have bookshelf speakers lying around, you can also connect them to your TV via RCA to get the same result. However, you will have to use active speakers for a direct connection; For passive speakers, you will need an amplifier.
3. Consider a Smart Audio Streamer
If you have older powered speakers without smart features, you can invest in a smart streamer wiim mini. Such devices connect to your speakers via line-in or optical, and you can set the WiiM app to enable features like AirPlay and the digital voice assistant.
With multiple WiiM Mini Streamers around your home, you can create a whole-home audio system with your existing speakers, rather than spending hundreds on a new speaker with native smart features.
4. Try a Bluetooth dongle with your receiver
If you have an analog setup that includes an AV receiver, you can plug a Bluetooth receiver into its line-out port to enable wireless streaming. Your AV receiver probably has a line-out, an output, or a headphone port; You can plug in any of them.
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Once your Bluetooth receiver is plugged in, put it into pairing mode and connect your phone to start playing music through your speakers. I recommend this trick mostly to people who have a built-out analog system who don’t plan on upgrading to digital speakers any time soon.
5. Reuse an old Amazon speaker
If you have an older Amazon Dot, Spot, Plus, or Show, it should have a line-out port. You can use a 3.5mm cable to connect one of these speakers to your powered analog speaker, which will funnel the Amazon speaker’s audio to a higher-fidelity speaker.
Along with better audio quality, connecting your Amazon speaker to your analog speaker lets you use smart features like the Alexa voice assistant to set alarms and issue voice commands.
This trick will only work if you have a fourth-generation or older speaker, as Amazon’s new smart speakers don’t have a headphone jack and instead rely on wireless streaming.
