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(More customer reviews)Creative Labs ZiiSound D5 Wireless Multimedia Speaker System for iPod Touch 4G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Droid and other Bluetooth Enabled Devices
I got this product to use with my Creative ZiiSound D5 Bluetooth speakers. The speakers sound very good -- BT-D1 USB transmitter has excellent sound quality because it uses the apt-X codec over Bluetooth. The setup is so close to perfect: I don't need a cable between the computer and the speakers, which makes it easy to place the speakers wherever I want in the room, and the sound quality is indistinguishable from a wired connection (to my ears, anyway).
The one major drawback is that you cannot control the system volume with this thing. I have a Macbook Pro, and the volume control buttons no longer have any effect. Well, that's not completely true -- the volume buttons make the volume meter on the screen move up and down, and the computer still makes the little clicking sound each time you press a button, but they don't actually change the volume. You can't even mute the system by pressing the mute button, nor can you mute it by checking the mute check box in the Sound preference panel.
This isn't just my imagination -- the Creative website itself says (in an obscure way) that this is how it is works with the ZiiSound D5 speakers. To control the volume, you have to control it through each application, or through the touch panel on the speakers. Both of these are inconvenient in their own way. If you want to control it through the applications, then you have to set the volume on the speakers at the maximum level you would ever want, and reduce the volume on every application you use. This includes every web page that has some sort of sound through a Flash application. Many Flash applications (like games) don't let you control volume at all! And it is impossible to change the volume of the system alert sounds!
So then you have to reach over to the speakers and control the volume there -- but I have them placed out of arms reach, which means I have to stand up and walk over to them. After all, that's why I got wireless speakers in the first place, so I could put them anywhere without having to worry about where the cables would go. So think about that: it is impossible to control the volume of many things (including system alerts) or mute, without walking over to the speakers and using the finicky touch panel to control the volume.
Oddly enough, the BT-D1 seems to allow volume control with some other Creative speakers, namely the Inspire S2 Wireless, and the D200. The D100 and ZiiSound D5 don't allow you to control the volume for some strange reason. I have no idea why Creative lets you control the volume on their middle-range speakers, but not on the flagship (the D5) or lowest-end speakers.
Also, it is possible to control the volume of the D5 speakers using the iPod transmitter module (BT-D5) included with the speakers. So why not with the BT-D1 USB transmitter as well? It makes no sense. I'll probably send it all back and go back to my previous wired setup. Even though it's wired, it's more convenient, and I'll save several hundred dollars.
Oh, and here's the URL of the page on the Creative website which contains the information above. Like I said, it's obscure:
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Wireless USB Bluetooth® audio transmitter for music streaming
Stream high fidelity stereo music wirelessly with the Creative BT-D1 USB transmitter featuring Bluetooth and apt-X® technology. Designed for use with PC and laptops, the Creative BT-D1 brings your computer audio to a whole new level and free of wires. It is an excellent wireless audio transmitter for Creative Bluetooth speakers - the top-of-the-range ZiiSound D5, award-winning Inspire S2 Wireless or any other Bluetooth compliant product. Its easy and fuss-free installation requires no software. Just plug and play!
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