With a huge thanks to TUNAI, today I will be reviewing a product that is not just yet out on the market, having received one of the first working models of WAND, quoted as the world’s smallest bluetooth transmitter.
I work weird hours, so there are nights I stay up to stupid o’clock but I have to find things to do that doesn’t wake up the 9-5 working other half. Watching late night football is my go to thing, but watching it with the TV muted is just no fun; I want to hear the crowds chanting and groaning, and the commentating of what’s going on. Many moons ago I purchased some wireless headphones for the TV and boy was it big, ugly and sometimes painful to use. For starters, these headphones normally used RF frequencies so not only do you get a massive transmitter with some of those awful extendable aerials, you also have to tune your headphones to the right frequency otherwise you get earfuls of loud static.
As I review a lot of headphones, and has somehow ended up with a half dozen or so bluetooth headphones, I thought I would explore the possibility of connecting these to my TV. Currently out on the market, bluetooth transmitters that lets you hope up to the TV haven’t really become mainstream, mostly made by smaller brands. On the plus side these are cheap to buy, but on the other hand they all have one fault or another. These bluetooth speakers tends to be on slightly big, have limited input sources or has some major lag in the audio they transmit.
So, TUNAI has sent me one of the latest ideas, the WAND, and on paper this does look to fit my needs perfectly, so let’s put it through it’s paces and try it out.
TUNAI is a small Taiwanese electronics company that punches above its weight by delivering innovative products to the consumers. We have previously reviewed their FIREFLY, CLIP and DRUM, all of which really impressed us, and with the bar so high, we are hoping that the WAND is just as good.
Works like a magic wand!
Emerging as a significant wireless audio hub for home entertainment, WAND gives way to complete streaming of your desired audio and free from lip sync delay. This extraordinarily vital component is a perfect solution for your Bluetooth wireless audio system needs.
Designed for sports fans, movie, TV lovers, and console gamers!
Whether it is a football game that comes on at 3 in the morning, a late-night gaming session or a movie marathon with your friends, you no longer need to worry about keeping the volume down for the fear of disturbing someone’s sleep. It’s ideal for stay at home dads and parents who want to enjoy favorite sporting events or watch a movie without worrying about waking the kids. We know the ordeal of putting them back to bed and we have got that covered for you. WAND works wonders, specifically for students living in dorms, as it allows multiple source input, providing hassle free audio streaming
Streaming any of the audio inputs to headphones
WAND, the Bluetooth transmitter appears as a cubic stick that stands just 2.95in tall. It offers an astounding audio experience for complete home entertainment. It provides reliable sound from your television set, PC, laptop or gaming console to your wireless headphones. It also works as a fantastic long-range device empowering you with freedom to float freely, without compromising on sound quality.
OK, first off I did not take any photos of the WAND because being an earlier working model, it came unpackaged, with designs and materials possibly subject to change when it is finally released. If the cabling that I was sent was anything to go by when you do get a WAND, you will get a micro USB to USB-A cable and a 3.5mm jack to 2 RCA male cable.
It’s small……it’s actually the size of a lipstick, and weighing just 22g it is also very light. Inside the WAND there are 2 neodymium magnets which lets you mount it on most metal surfaces, but for added stability I would recommend using a little strip of 3M tape. The main body of the WAND is made with brushed aluminium in black, making it discreet when mounted on your home entertainment systems. At the top of the WAND are LEDs encased in black PET……I did wonder at first why the light from the LED was so muted, but later realised that having the LEDs flash brightly would mean your eyes would get distracted from the TV.
Depending on what input source you use to connect the WAND to your home entertainment system (more on that later), the LEDs will light up in a different colour as illustrated above. At this stage I was a little stumped on how the WAND would pair to bluetooth headphones….I just couldn’t locate any buttons. I finally discovered that the LED covering at the top of the WAND can actually be pushed down with a spring to give it haptic feedback, acting as a button; one press for on/off, long press for pairing (with a flashing white LED).
In such a small package, TUNAI has managed to squeeze in 3 audio input sources; micro USB, AUX and optical, rarely would you see this in other much bigger bluetooth transmitters, so the WAND offers much more flexibility on how you hook up your entertainment hub. There is one downside to having the WAND so small, and that is it does not have an internal battery and relies on power through the micro USB port, so unless you use the micro USB port as the audio input, you will have to have 2 cables connected to it.
Let’s look more closely at how the WAND performs on the next page.
