V90-BLU5 HD - Streaming Music System

The V90-BLU5 HD is a High Definition Bluetooth Receiver and flexible Input Extender.

V90-BLU5 HD in Brief

• High-Tech Bluetooth Streamer with special DAC and SRC Design for complete
• High-End Bluetooth Playback
• Bluetooth 5.0: more available bandwidth and transmission range
• AptX HD for wireless High-Resolution Bluetooth transmission
• Separate High-End DAC and SRC Circuit Design with Re-Clocking and Up Sampling
• Input Extender with Flexible Input and Output Options
• Easy to integrate in any existing HiFi Setup

The V90-BLU5 HD is a sophisticated Bluetooth receiver ideal for streaming Hi-Res music formats from smartphones, tablets, MACs and PCs right to your favourite HiFi system. It comes with an improved Bluetooth 5.0 standard for increased range and transmission bandwidth and aptX HD support. Compared to the majority of Bluetooth receivers that use the integrated DAC on the Bluetooth chip itself, the V90-BLU5 HD goes the true high-end way. It is using a separate DAC with re-clocking and up-sampling, based on the first-class Burr-Brown chip PCM1781D. Bluetooth has never sounded this good, and you will finally have the proper integration for high-end systems, where Bluetooth is used for serious listening. Retain all the warmth, detail, transparency and dynamics in your music, which is unfortunately so often missing in other Bluetooth implementations.

Burr-Brown PCM 1781D 24/192 Internal DAC

The big majority of Bluetooth receivers are using digital-to-analogue converters which are directly built-in on the Bluetooth chip. These are mostly of mediocre quality, because what they were designed for - a hands-free car phone system or small handheld mobile speakers - there is no need for parameters which will suit the requirements of high-end audio. Their low quality negatively influences the sound. V90 BLU5 HD is using a separate DAC, based on the first-class Burr-Brown chip PCM1781D. The digital signal from the Bluetooth receiver is re-clocked and up-sampled. And after that is processed by the D/A converter.

Samplerate Converter SRC4392

A high-end sample rate converter from Burr Brown, its task is to re-clock all signals and convert them into 24 bits and 192 kHz. Up-sampling done in this sophisticated and clean implementation allows us to reach the lowest distortion levels and maintain and elevate the integrity of your wireless Bluetooth audio.

Qualcomm CSR8670 Bluetooth Chip

The majority of Bluetooth receivers use standard “hands-free” chips. The V90 BLU5 HD has a HiFi audio-oriented chip from leading manufacturer Qualcomm. CSR8670 is a premium-tier product, designed to deliver high quality wireless audio performance and support the development of highly differentiated, premium wireless audio products. CSR8670 even has a relatively high-quality onboard DAC - also with 24/192 capability. After extensive listening tests however, we saw that we could do better and designed and built our own digital section consisting of a separate SRC and DAC in typical Musical Fidelity fashion. The result was worth it, because we have probably made the finest Bluetooth receiver on the market!

V90 BLU 5 HD is using the latest Bluetooth standard 5.0

Bluetooth 5.0 is the latest version of the Bluetooth wireless communication standard. It includes various improvements, but only when used with compatible peripherals. We were able to push the range of the Bluetooth connection all the way to 240 metres (compared to 30 metres in Bluetooth 2.0). Even with obstacles and walls in the way, we can access more bandwidth allowing us to ensure constant high bit-rates for your aptX HD transmission. Of course, this requires a mobile device that also supports these standards. Should you have an older phone without BT 5.0, the standard will still be fully backwards compatible and just fall back to previous BT versions, albeit with taking hits in range and bandwidth.

AptX HD

V90 BLU5 HD is equipped with aptX HD. It was designed to answer the growing demand for high resolution audio. This enhanced codec supports 24-bit, high-resolution formats over Bluetooth. For aptX HD to work, your mobile device needs to supports it too. With careful engineering and expert circuit board design we could improve the signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in lower background noise. Lower THD and no audible artefacts ensure you can enjoy your music with hardly any interference. This means, we can now enable you hear even the smallest details in your music with punchy dynamics and transient detail on a real high-end level.

Flexible Input Extender

The V90 BLU5 HD can be integrated into any audio system, even if there are no free inputs left. It will bypass the analogue RCA-in to its analogue out and digital-ins to its digital outs. Then, whenever you play a Bluetooth source, the V90 will automatically detect and play that signal instead. If a free input is available, then the V90 can be connected in the more traditional way and expand your range of inputs via its own analogue or digital inputs. We have also built in digital outputs, should you ever wish to feed your Bluetooth source to a different DAC.

REVIEW & AWARDS

Musical Fidelity V90 Bluetooth DAC Review - Read More

"As I keep hammering on like a stuck record (something of course unlikely to ever affect a solid state device replaying over a stable Bluetooth connection), the way the new arrivals into hi-fi are constructing and using audio systems is changing. The V90 Blu is going to be largely incomprehensible to an older user with a sizeable collection of CDs who might be looking at ways to use them in a system without a CD player but for anyone who has been using a Bluetooth enabled device as a portable source, the Blu is like the much more expensive Chord Hugo (albeit in more limited performance terms) in that it serves to act as a gateway between portable devices and physical systems. More importantly, it does it very well.

Is it better than the rBlink? The little Arcam is arguably a little more fun and probably a cooler piece of industrial design. The Blu hits back with greater flexibility, a better control interface and easier integration into most systems. If this is worth an extra £50 (and for many it will be), the Blu may well win out. On a wider level though, both products show beyond doubt that Bluetooth is fast moving beyond a convenience feature and into the realms of truly engrossing hi-fi." - Ed Selley

SPECIFICATIONS