A Look at 3 Wireless Transmitters

When it comes to listening to your audio with the most convenience, Bluetooth is usually the automatic solution, especially since so many of our devices no longer have headphone jacks and USB C headphones can be hard to come by. There are Bluetooth earphones, earbuds, and headphones to suit almost every taste and sound preference. But maybe you have a good pair of wired in-ear monitors or headphones that you still value and enjoy but they've just been collecting dust. You can use them with a wireless transmitter to increase convenience over a standard wired connection while getting a better and more consistent audio experience than most Bluetooth products. Let's take a look at three wireless transmitter systems I've tested and used with a variety of audio gear in my collection.

The contenders:

ADV Accessport Pro https://www.adv-sound.com/collections/pro-audio-wireless/products/accessport-pro

Avantree Audiplex https://amzn.to/4jOvlTQ

AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ https://amzn.to/4bdJ1oG

(Please note that I have no connection or affiliation with the manufacturers of these devices. I purchased each product with my own money. However, do know that purchases made using the Amazon affiliate links help financially support this site at no extra cost to you- thanks in advance!)

TL;DR? Check out the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/hySdAqUDTow

Portability/Build Quality
The ADV Accessport Pro is about the same size as a Rode wireless microphone like the Rode Wireless Go series. The receiver and transmitter come with clips on them for attaching to clothes.

There are two LEDs on each, one LED for the battery status and the other for the connection status between the receiver and the transmitter.

Each has a USB C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack for attaching the aux cable.

The bottom of the transmitter has buttons to change the broadcast channel and a middle button for turning it on and off. The receiver has the same buttons, but the outer buttons control volume. There is a switch on each to change between stereo and mono.

The receiver and transmitter are made of plastic and are lightweight. They feel less substantial than my Rode Wireless ME, one of the cheaper microphones in the Wireless GO series. They almost feel as if they're empty on the inside, but they weigh 0.9 ounces. The light weight makes them feel a little cheap, but the devices are built well with no gaps or ill-fitting pieces. The lightweight feel should mean they weigh down clothes a bit less than a heavier microphone would. The clips are also reasonably well made and grip tightly. My biggest complaint is that the front faceplates are shiny and attract all manner of fingerprints and grime. I wish the finish was matte.

The Avantree Audiplex devices are larger than the Accessport Pro and weigh 1.3 ounces. The Audiplex boxes are about 2.5" long and just about 2" wide. The Accessport boxes are about 1.75" inches long and wide. The Audiplex feels a bit heavier, but it's also made of plastic and is lightweight as well.

The biggest difference in build quality and/or build approach is that there are visible screws on the backplate of the Audiplex. The transmitter and receiver boxes for both brands are identical except for color (my transmitter is white) and the words "Transmitter" or "Receiver" emblazoned on them. There are no shiny faceplates here. The Audiplex devices have an additional port for using them with an optical cable and they have an additional button for manually pairing the devices together if necessary (useful if you're buying additional receivers later). The Audiplex comes with clips in the box that can be attached with adhesive tape that is provided. The provided clip has a hole at the top that you can use to attach a lanyard if desired. You can also loop a lanyard through the clip itself for either device. The kit also comes with all the cables you need to connect the devices to your entertainment system as Avantreee's focus for these devices is watching TV with friends and family.

The AIAIAI TMA-2 system is an entirely different beast from the Audiplex or Accessport Pro. You do get a transmitter box that is longer and wider than the Audiplex at nearly 2" wide and nearly 3" tall, but instead of getting a receiver, you have a pair of headphones that have the receiver built into them.

This means you can be completely wireless from a wear perspective as the only wire needed is for the transmitter that's connected to your audio source. The X03 transmitter has branding on the front, the typical wireless certification information on the back, and a power button, LED, USB C port and aux jack on the bottom. The X03 can be connected to an audio source via the 3.5mm aux jack or the USB C port. This is especially handy for connecting to today's modern devices that have no aux port. You won't need a dongle to connect this device to your source.

Audio Quality
I started my journey with the Audiplex, so I will start there. You get solid audio from the set with minimal background hiss. You have the ability to turn up the volume on the receiver, but it's generally best to turn up the volume at the source and keep the volume lowered on the receiver to reduce any possibility of hiss. That's generally true for setups of this kind regardless of brand, though. More signal, less noise. I used this setup in my home office for work for a few years with no real complaints. I got clean audio for my work video calls with no discernible lag. It was quite a step up from the Bluetooth setup I had been using where even with Bluetooth aptX Low Latency I could detect some delay. Switching to this set eliminated all of that drama and everything just sounded and worked the way it should with no pairing fuss. Avantree says the Audiplex has 30ms of latency.

When I was doing my A/B/C listening tests, the Accessport Pro seemed to have better sound quality than the Audiplex, but much of that was because it was louder at its default settings than the Audiplex. There might be a bit better foundational sound quality, but not enough that at the same volume level you'd notice it. It's good clean audio with no noticeable latency, just like the Audiplex. ADV says the Accessport Pro sports 6ms of latency.

The AIAIAI TMA-2 has comparable sound but unfortunately has a much higher noise floor so that there is always background hiss. The headphones have good neutral sound that's designed for music production, but if hiss bothers you, this option isn't for you. I upgraded my transmitter recently because one of the advantages of AIAIAI is that they believe in sustainability and repairability and therefore offer upgrade kits for their headphones when they roll out improved hardware. My upgrade kit included the new X03 transmitter and earcups with the upgraded receiver hardware. The headphones themselves still have the old system in them that was embedded in the headband, but now instead of turning on the headphones with the headband, you turn them on with a button on the new right earcup. I appreciate being able to stay up with technical hardware improvements without having to buy a whole new set of everything. But I was disappointed that the hiss didn't go away with the upgrade. That was really the only reason I upgraded as the old system was serving me well.

Battery Performance
The Audiplex is the middle performer when it comes to battery performance. Even when the system was brand new, I could not get more than 7 hours of use from the transmitter, so it would not last me an entire workday. I had to charge it over lunch or use it while plugged in near the end of my day. Fortunately, you can use it while it's plugged in. Having had the system for a few years now, the battery life on the transmitter has degraded enough that I use it plugged in all the time. The battery on the receivers would last about 8 hours so I could use them on a normal workday, but if I was working longer hours, I'd have to switch up between them so that one charged while I used the other. The receivers still get many hours of continuous use after a few years of use because I do swap between them regularly.

The Accessport Pro is rated for 5 hours of continuous use for both the transmitter and receiver. That claim has been accurate in my experience. I can use them for several hours, but they will not make it through the standard workday without a recharge. However, the Accessport Pro is really aimed at musicians and performers. The shorter battery life may not be an issue in scenarios for these types of users unless they're performing in a concert that goes well beyond 4 hours. But as with the Avantree, you can buy more receivers and switch them out if necessary and the transmitter can be powered as well.

The AIAIAI TMA-2 system is rated for 20 hours of use in what they call Wireless+ mode and 40 hours of use for the headphones over Bluetooth. I bought the system to use with the transmitter, so I have not stress-tested the Bluetooth connection. The Wireless+ connection can get me through multiple days of use before I get the battery low chime in my ear. It is the only system here that could be used for a full workday without needing a recharge somewhere along the way, but it's also the only system where you are limited to one set of headphones. That limitation gets you the most wireless freedom, though. The AIAIAI system is aimed at DJs and musicians in scenarios where longer battery life and complete freedom from wires is paramount.

Expandability/Flexibility
Both the Audiplex and Accessport Pro systems can be expanded with additional receivers. The Avantree system has been upgraded since I bought it, but the original receivers can still be ordered on Amazon. You can pair up to 100 receivers with one Audiplex transmitter. On ADV's website, you can order a kit with 1, 2 or 4 receivers and you can also purchase additional receivers individually. You cannot do any expansion with the AIAIAI system.

Price Competitiveness
Audiplex receivers are $50 on Amazon and ADV's receivers are $60 on their website. The full Audiplex kit for the system I have is $180 on Amazon (1 transmitter and 2 receivers) and the ADV kit for 1 transmitter and 2 receivers costs $149. The AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless system costs $300, but that price includes a pair of comfortable lightweight headphones with good neutral sound.

What To Buy
If you are looking for true wireless freedom and/or excellent battery life, the AIAIAI system offers better specs than the other two options. I can attest that AIAIAI's claim of supporting older hardware rings true and I'm happy to continue supporting a company that does render what I've bought completely obsolete when they release something new. But if you want the freedom to use whatever headphones or earphones you desire, then the ADV Accessport Pro or Avantree Audiplex are better options. Choosing between them probably comes down to battery life or price since their performance is similar. If you think there might be a good chance that you will want to return the product because it doesn't live up to your wireless dreams, it may be safer to start with the Audiplex since Amazon's return policy is a known entity. However, I've bought multiple products from ADV over the years and they've all performed well, so I don't think ordering from them is a major concern. If I were starting over today, I would probably start with the ADV because it's a brand that I know and Avantree was not a brand I knew before buying the Audiplex system, but this is my bias. If the battery life isn't an issue for you and buying direct doesn't bother you, you may want to start there. I bought my AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio from Amazon, so that's an option if you don't want to buy from AIAIAI direct. Just be sure to get the newest system with the X03 transmitter if you intend to use the transmitter most of the time and want the best latency. The older system with the X01 transmitter does offer higher resolution audio (16-bit/44.1kHz @ 1500kbps uncompressed with 16ms latency vs. 24-bit/48kHz @ 320kbps with 10ms latency on the X03) via the transmitter and has better battery life (80hrs) over Bluetooth. As of the publishing of this post, you can still buy that older set from Amazon (https://amzn.to/46AavlT).