Fancy 30dB of Better Bluetooth Dynamics? MiniBlink Gives it thee!

The DAC or digital to analogue converter is the modern ‘˜How High Is Your Fi?’ question of note. The quality of conversion from digits to tunes is horribly important and in in-car we get emotionally erect if we talk about Burr-Brown DACs and here is one in a tiny box. A scary GOOD one. It has been a big issue in home audio for some time and suddenly, there is a huge upgrade you can buy and easily add to most cars to massively hike the quality of Bluetooth streamed music, so versatile is the design. The release is detailed and follows but basically, this spudly little pebble is HERE and I am going to have a go on it! Here’s the FULL SP:
miniBlink by Arcam – £89 UK inc. VAT
‘High-Definition Bluetooth’ micro-format Streaming DAC
– music streaming for Android, Apple, PC, Mac, iPad, Tablet, Phone, Laptop and more
– unique Arcam technology for THE best possible sound quality from Bluetooth
– based on the £160 / $300 rBlink, extensively re-engineered in a compact format
– no Wi-fi network needed, stream anywhere to anything
Arcam
The ‘˜miniBlink by Arcam’ brings unprecedented High-Definition Bluetooth sound quality, to a very wide audience and represents the easiest and most flexible way to access music from any mobile phone, tablet or computer.
Charlie Brennan, MD of Arcam commented ‘Simply put, the miniBlink sounds better than ANY other Bluetooth streamer made, apart from our own £160 rBlink. The quality is so good, that in demos, most listeners are convinced they are hearing a CD player.”
– High-Definition Bluetooth Streaming
– Bluetooth upgrade for anything audio
– Bluetooth upgrade for Sonos Speakers
– Bluetooth upgrade for Arcam rCube owners
– Advanced audio streaming for Android, Apple, PC, Mac, iPad, Tablet, Phone and more
Building on the acclaimed rBlink, the miniBlink is the first in the new Arcam mini range of digital micro-components at affordable prices for mass & online distribution.
– tiny, just 40g, ultra portable and stylish
– Arcam/CSR Blue Core 7 low-noise Bluetooth front-end
– apt-X Low Latency (but the performance comes from Arcam tech as much as apt-X)
– signal de-jittered, cleaned and using an ultra-quality internal DAC
– high-performance internal antennae
– Bluetooth in, Analogue Stereo out
The mini uses the advanced Bluetooth front-end and DAC technology from Arcam’s High-Definition Bluetooth £160 / $300 rBlink, but has been carefully re-engineered to lower the price by 50%.
DETAILED INFORMATION
Arcam were the first manufacturer to use the new-generation high-performance Bluetooth chipset from Cambridge UK neighbours CSR and have used the technology and their own years of experience, to make a Streaming DAC that at last delivers seriously good Hi-Fi sound over Bluetooth.
The miniBlink totally restates the performance possible from Bluetooth and opens up Hi-Fi quality music streaming to millions of Android phone owners, iPhone/Pad/Pod users and even people with old Nokia and Motorola phones, not to mention most modern computers and nearly all tablets.
Overview
– a precision built micro-component designed to disappear in use
– stream music from any Bluetooth enabled phone, laptop or tablet
– unique new Bluetooth tech from CSR & Arcam
– apt-X Low Latency (performance comes Arcam tech as much as apt-X)
– high-end DAC and audio technology
– no wi-fi network needed use miniBlink anywhere
– the first of Arcam’s new mini series of Digital Upgrades
This superb sounding Micro-DAC, employs the latest Bluetooth technology from CSR & Arcam called Blue Core 7. Blue Core 7 offers lower noise and lower distortion levels than previous versions. Arcam have further improved performance by adding state-of-the-art jitter reduction, a serious audiophile digital to analogue converter and high-end analogue stages based on their 40 years of experience.
These astonishing core specs will not be found on competing devices
– Frequency Response – 10Hz-20kHz, +0 -0.2dB
– Total Harmonic Distortion – 0.002%
– Signal-to-noise ratio A – 106dB (24-bit)
– 30db extra headroom over normal Bluetooth – a staggering improvement
– massively lower distortion that normal Bluetooth
– apt-X Low Latency enabled for even higher audio quality with appropriate sources
– audiophile-grade digital and analogue technologies throughout
– the signal is re-clocked and de-jittered, then fed into a high-end DAC
– the unit is engineered as high-end Hi-Fi, not standard audio that is normally the case
The design uses a high-density moulded enclosure shaped like a pebble, with an internal aerial and a 3.5 mm output jack. It is powered by a micro-sized USB power supply from the mains or from a USB socket on a computer or indeed from the USB socket on the back of the rCube portable sound dock.

Incredibly simple to use
1. plug in power lead from supplied adapter or USB
2. plug stereo audio to hi-fi,, dock, sound-bar or any audio system (Hmm like a CAR ONE! Ed)
3. pair Bluetooth with phone/tablet/computer
4. play music
Stream music from any device with Bluetooth
The miniBlink Bluetooth DAC is intended for use with ANY music carrying Bluetooth device. Pair it with a smartphone, tablet or laptop and it will receive digital audio signals wirelessly and then output line-level analogue audio through its stereo phono sockets.
USAGE
– home, hotel, office, friends; portable design goes anywhere
– most of the world’s quality ‘Music Docks’ are for iPhone or Apple Airplay
– millions of Android/Nokia/Win8 phone owners can’t stream a note at any level of quality
– now the whole world of Hi-Fi streaming is opened up to anyone with a Bluetooth Device
– no wi-fi network is needed
– on any device, battery life is longer using Bluetooth than when using Wi-fi / External dongles etc.
The CODEC quality hierarchy
– GOOD Standard Bluetooth SBC codec at 128 to 256 kbps from any device with Bluetooth audio
– BETTER Native AAC Streaming at 256 kbps from iDevices running iOS6+ – iPad/Pod/Phone
– BEST Bluetooth apt-X at 380 kbps from Samsung, HTC phones, MacBooks and more
Codec Auto-Matching
All devices we’ve tested automatically transmit with the best possible CODEC as the source. They have an initial “chat’ with the miniBlink and decide what is the best both can send/receive, so if the source can do aptX, it will. Ditto for AAC on iPhones etc.
Simple Plug N Play
Using audiophile grade components and more than 40 years of analogue and 25 years of digital audio experience, Arcam have engineered the miniBlink to be a simple, “plug and play” device. Simply connect an analogue cable from the miniBlink to your Docking System, Hi-Fi or AV system, then switch on, pair your phone and enjoy!
SPECS
– audiophile-grade electronic components throughout
– compact & tough ABS case
– Bluetooth streaming input
– stereo phono output to Hi-fi or AV system
– high-performance internal antennae
– DAC – 24 bit Burr-Brown/TI PCM5102
– Frequency Response – 10Hz-20kHz, +0 -0.2dB –
– Total Harmonic Distortion – 0.002%
– Signal-to-noise ratio A – 106dB (24-bit)
– Maximum output level – 2.15V RMS
– Supported CODECS – SBC, AAC, aptX„¢
– Power requirements – 0.7W max
– Dimensions – W 60mm x H 30mm x D 75mm
– Weight – 40g
IN THE BOX
All analogue cables required, a compact global power supply
MUSICAL above all
We at Arcam don’t build equipment to ream your ears out and impress on one quick listen. Arcam kit is made to be musical and enjoyable over years and years of listening. Many Hi-Fi and AV products are sharp and clear, very ‘Hi-Fi’ but they don’t play music in an enjoyable fashion. Arcam kit gets more involving and more musical the longer you listen.
ABOUT: Arcam of Cambridge
Pioneers of the modern Hi-Fi industry, Arcam are one of the world’s most prestigious audio engineering companies, with over forty years of experience building both affordable and high-end HiFi and Home Cinema equipment. Arcam research and design their world-class products in Cambridge UK and are noted as a global authority on Digital Audio.