Installs Bluetooth input for gymnasium sound system

Last year I was Noize Boy for an unofficial thespian showcase - things that weren't part of the adjudicated program - and almost every track was on an iPhone, some of the students had the needed 3.5mm adapter, and only 2 of them turned off notifications and set everything to "do not disturb".

I tried. I really did. Eventually it came down to "if the owner/actor/singer/dancer doesn't care, I don't either because it was beyond my control, like the weather.
 
I've always wondered with this setup - are you putting the BT receiver somewhere user accessible so they can push the Pair button?
Personally, I prefer an oldschool Airport Express or AppleTV and allow the user to "cast" to it. Then the device can be hidden away from prying hands but still accessible over a private wifi network.

I also want to be sure - these are casual events right? Like background music for the science fair or lunchtime.
We should use a cable during any sort of show. BT and Wifi latency are a thing and unpredictable if you're trying to fire a song at just the right moment.
 
This would be for non-critical playback in a multipurpose space - house music for banquets, background music during event set ups, maybe sound from a PowerPoint, etc. We have a wall mounted audio rack, so the pair button would be accessible for folks who need it. The room isn't too large, and the rack has line of sight for most of it, so range shouldn't be an issue

We can always plug in an additional cable and adapter to bypass the receiver if needed for a particular use, but for most of our use cases, I'm willing to trade off some reliability for convenience and to not have to worry about keeping track of an iDongle.

There are some cheaper options (in the $100 range), but it seems like the audio and build quality on this model should be noticeably better. I'm mostly wondering if anyone has used this particular box or something else that they would recommend, and if there are any recommendations or pitfalls (other than the obvious) to avoid.
 
I have a Switchcraft 318BT. When it is powered from phantom power, it produces some low level noise when it isn't being fed audio. It sounds clean when working, and there is no noise when it is powered from through the USB port. It works fine for non-critical things or those last minute requests without time to prepare media for a better playback device. While not perfect, it's a good value for $120.
 
Radial gets lots of love but the Bluetooth box reportedly does not earn the same accolades as its brand-mates. For less money I'd start with the Switchcraft.
 
The McIntosh MB20 has stereo balanced (XLR) inputs and outputs, stereo unbalanced (RCA) inputs and outputs, SPDIF optical digital input and output, SPDIF coax (RCA) digital input and output. It uses the BT 5.0 standard. It has a detachable whip antenna so you can remote mount the antenna outside the equipment rack. As a transceiver, the MB20 can function as either a Bluetooth Receiver or Transmitter (but not both at the same time). https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/media-streamers/MB20
 

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