Go 920 bluetooth connection to headset amplifier question

[vanorak]

Hi...hope someone can help. I have a old GO920 that works flawlessly. I use it on a motorcycle to listen to voice prompts and MP3 audio. I have a Nolan NCOM bluetooth headset which pairs properly. My phone will also work handsfree but I don't use this function

I would like to pair the GO with a FiiO BTR1 headphone amplifier, so I have the option to use either the helmet speakers, or earbuds if one unit runs out of charge.

On paper, the FiiO BTR1 is compatible (correct BT protocol and supports A2DP). When I try to pair in 'connect to Bluetooth device', the Go finds and recognizes the FiiO as a headset (blue icon top left of the screen) and goes to the password prompt screen for an instant, but then says the 'features are not supported' or words to this effect.

I had the same issue when I first paired the Nolan NCOM headset but this paired eventually, so I'm wondering whether the FiiO is actually not supported or it's a case of having one or the other paired, not both at the same time.

iId really appreciate any help on this, as I'm happy with the GO in all other respects, but the sound quality from the Nolan is quite poor, hence the desire to use a dedicated BT headphone amplifier

 

[canderson]

See how it goes with only one device paired instead of two.

 

[vanorak]

See how it goes with only one device paired instead of two.

Thanks for getting back canderson. I unpaired the Nolan NCOM, and my phone, then did a soft reset on the Tomtom. Tried to pair the FiiO again. This time it went a stage further (found, recognized, asked for password) then came up with a slightly different message about lacking the features...

The NCOM headset is recognized as a HI Fi device, whereas the FiiO showed up (very briefly) as a 'headset'. The Tomtom is figured to use a bluetooth device for both voice commands and for an external speaker, as per instructions. The FiiO pairs immediately with any other device I have tried, so I'm guessing it's an issue with TT bluetooth software

 

[canderson]

The FiiO pairs immediately with any other device I have tried

Yes, but using what profile?

Strange. "Hi Fi" would seem to imply a correct (for TomTom purposes) identification as an "A2DP" (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) device.
"Headset" is something else altogether (known as the "HSP" profile), and the TomTom won't know what to do with that.

I will assume that what you have is a set of the FiiO FB1 earbuds. What's odd is that no site specifies which BT profiles this product supports, though they do specify the codecs (aptX, SBC, and AAC) which would imply that it's at least A2DP, but it's clearly more than that it if is popping up as a "Headset" as well. Would be nice if ANY site would supply that information, but not even FiiO's own site does.

 

[vanorak]

Hi...the FiiO is a BTR1. It's a mini BT headphone amplifier. When I was looking for something to do the job, I got in touch with the supplier and they assured me it was compatible for A2DP, based on the same reasoning as you've suggested. I guess as the technology changes so quickly, trying to integrate old and new devices is always going to be hit and miss, but it's a shame Tomtom make it so difficult to install 3rd party software for upgrading purposes, especially when you consider there are millions of customers using GPS and headsets and if and when stuff breaks, you don't want to be replacing everything for want of a bit of code...

On thing's for sure, even though the development industry seems to be able to get it's act together to standardize protocols etc. the same can't be said for the retailers...full specs and a compatibility listing wouldn't be hard to implement and update as new products become available....seems to be left up to the customers to do the leg work on forums such as this.

Thanks once again for getting back.

 

[canderson]

There has been a whole lot of Bluetooth water under the bridge since your 920 was first produced back in 2007 (new profiles and quite a number of changes to improve Bluetooth stacks in general). So I guess I'm not surprised that we occasionally see a disconnect now with 11 year old devices vs. ones produced today. The world has moved from BT 2.0/2.1 in the 920 era to BT 5 today.

Unlike their earbuds, they do show full support spec for the amps on their web site for each of those devices.
Your BTR1 is expected to support HFP, HSP, A2DP and AVRCP. Now why it attempted to pair as an HSP device, I can't say, but again, a TomTom device isn't going to work with that. Somewhere in the 'capabilities' phase of the negotiation between the devices, one or the other of the two devices is getting a bit lost. They are expected to share profile information between them and agree on a matching profile if one is available.