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J.D. has been a tech enthusiast since his dad let him play with computers in the early 80s. Now jdhodges.com is where he shares tips and news on a variety of topics. Thanks for visiting!

Today I paired my old Saitek wireless speakers with my relatively new iPod touch.  I’d paired the Saitek to a PC before, and the iPod to a different wireless speaker, but this was my first time with iPod + Saitek.

Here are two links that were helpful to me, one on iPhone/iPod Touch bluetooth and one on the Saitek (and how to pair).

NOTE: these instructions are for the iPhone’s and iPod touch models that have built in bluetooth.

Hands on with stereo Bluetooth and the iPhone 3.0 update [Macworld]

Hands on with stereo Bluetooth and the iPhone 3.0 update [Macworld] http://www.macworld.com/article/141249/iphonea2dp.htmlYou pair an A2DP accessory with your iPhone or iPod touch the same way you do a Bluetooth phone headset. One the iPhone or iPod, you launch the Settings app and go to General…

Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd article, altered to be specific to the Saitek A250:

On the iPhone or iPod,  launch the Settings app and go to General -> Bluetooth. Make sure Bluetooth is On, and you’ll see the “searching” indicator next to Devices. Then you put your Bluetooth accessory into pairing mode; for most accessories, this involves holding down a connection button (the Saitek forward/reverse icons) until an LED flashes blue and red (or in this case, one of the LCD’s icons flashes faster). Tap on the accessory’s name  (the Saitek A-250 is called “DM03 sink”) when it appears in the Devices list on your iPhone or iPod, and in a few seconds it should connect automatically. (The Saitek A-250 requires a passcode “8888″ when you connect; a keypad will appear on the iPhone or iPod’s screen.)

Stream Audio with the Saitek A-250 Wireless 2.1 Speaker System [Geek.com]

Stream Audio with the Saitek A-250 Wireless 2.1 Speaker System [Geek.com] http://www.geek.com/articles/labs/stream-audio-with-the-saitek-a-250-wireless-21-speaker-system-20060727/The Saitek A-250 Wireless 2.1 Speaker System is a lightweight streaming audio speaker system with a high quality sound and a styling design…

Here is excerpt from the article, edited to be appicable to the iPhone/iPod:

Saitek A-250 passcode/PIN Number

“The passcode is 8888, but that won’t help unless you put the A-250 in pairing mode.

If you want to use your onboard Bluetooth[...] try the following”
1-Turn on the A-250
2-Initiate a Bluetooth device search from your iPhone/iPod. You should pick up a Headset “DM03-SINK” . That’s the A-250.
3- Now put the A-250 in device pairing mode, by pressing the Back (||) [forward/reverse] buttons at the same time for about 3-4 seconds. Pairing mode will be indicated by the flashing radio signal icon doubling in frequency.
4 – While the A-250 is in pairing mode, initiate a connection process from your iPod/iPhone for the DM03-SINK headset.
5 – when the PIN window opens enter “8888″ and you should get a connection.
6 – once you pair it with your iPhone/iPod, all the audio will play through the speakers
NOTE 1: you have to control volume ON the speakers, the iPhone/iPod won’t be able to adjust the volume
NOTE 2: the pause/play button on the speaker works wirelessly with the iPhone/iPod to pause/play, the forward/backward buttons do not work.

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31 Responses to Pairing Saitek A-250 bluetooth speakers with iPhone/iPod touch

  1. Leonard says:

    Hey i’ve a question when i serch for devices on my ipod i cant find the saitek a250 speakers. I pressed the forward and reverse buttons and the symbol was blinking faster but i culdnt find it on my ipod
    please help me and wirte me a e-mail

  2. erol says:

    Hello,

    the same problem!!!!

  3. Russ says:

    Thanks a lot. Now I can use my sweet A250 at the pool with my iPhone. Loving it!

  4. W Gerritsen says:

    Thank you verry much. for this tip. My bluetooth dongle from Saitek A 250 is broken and then another bluetooth dongle purchased. But I cannot get it to the speakers to get the code because I didn’t know. Through your tip everything works fine again. Thank you verry much. Wim

  5. J.D. says:

    You’re very welcome Wim! Glad to hear the tip worked and that you’re enjoying your A-250 again. :-)

  6. Henrik Vahlgren says:

    Thank you!!
    This is what i have been searching for!
    Now i can dust off my old A250 and bring it with me into the future! =)

    Thank you!

  7. Rob Hitchings says:

    Hi, when trying to pair the speakers show up on my MacBook Pro but not on my iPad/iPhone. I am running iOs 5.1

    Any advice?

    Thanks

    • J.D. says:

      Hi Rob!
      Thank you for your question. I haven’t upgraded to iOS 5.1 yet so alas I am not much help yet :-( Once I get my devices upgraded I will definitely respond if I get it to work! :-)

      In the meantime, perhaps another reader will have a solution?

      Best regards,
      -JD

  8. Matt stone says:

    Many thanks for this. Working on iPad, iPhone, and macbook pro. IOS 5 & OSX Lion.

  9. ch says:

    Sorry to post about a different OS – I came across this article whilst searching for an answer to connect the a-250′s to my Android Tab and managed to use the same method to pair it with my ATPrime. Thanks a lot, you’ve managed to ensure that the a-250′s have an extended life now.

    • J.D. H. says:

      Awesome ch! It is good to hear that the instructions were helpful for Android :-)

      I have been evaluating some new speakers and it is surprising how well the A-250′s stack up compared to current offerings.

      Enjoy your speakers and thanks for commenting!

  10. Raphael says:

    Hi !
    Neither my iPad nor iPhone (5.1) find my saitek a-250 :( ( but my iMac does !!!???
    …..am I missing something ?

    Thanks for your response !

    Raphael
    Bordeaux

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Raphael,
      Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear that your iPad and iPhone are not working with the A-250 :-(

      I am wondering if it is an issue with iOS 5.x because my iPod touch (and I believe my wife’s iPad) running an older version iOS 4.x works very well.

      If I find any way to resolve this issue I will let you know!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  11. Wim Pollet says:

    MacBook Pro 5,5 OSX 10.7.3: pairs and works perfect with built-in bluetooth and Saitek dongle
    Ipad3, IOS 5.1 9B176: can’t find DM03-SINK
    Ipad1, IOS 5.1 9B176: can’t find DM03-SINK
    Iphone4s, IOS 5.1 9B179: can’t find DM03-SINK
    Samsung Wave (GT-S8500), BADA 2.0: finds DM02-SINK, connects OK but no sound. BADA 2.0 is very buggy, it worked with the previous version, BADA 1.x
    Mixed results… I like the Saitek speakers but bluetooth support is rather poor, it’s made to work with the dongle only…

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Wim,
      Thank you for your detailed comment. That information will be helpful in troubleshooting the problems. I am sorry to hear that so many of your devices seem to not work with the Saitek speakers :-(

      Surprisingly, I have had good luck with a variety of Windows laptops and Android phones/tablets. I hope to do some testing with various iOS versions to see if that is the root of some of your problems (as I had no problem with an iPod touch and I believe my wife’s iPad with iOS 4.x connected with no problem either) yet your iOS 5.x devices are not connecting.

      Thank you again for your comment and I hope that a new version of iOS (for Apple) and BADA (for Samsung) will resolve the issue for you!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  12. Raphael says:

    Hi
    Tested this morning again :
    - iPhone 3G iOs 4.2.1 : can’t find DM03-SINK
    - iPad 2 iOs 5.12 : can’t find DM03-SINK

    If it does work for some users on those devices, maybe we’re talking about a “wrong steps” issue on the pairing method. A detailed modus operandi should maybe help us out !?! How long does it take for the device to detect Saitek around ?

    Thanks again
    Raphael (from Bordeaux)

  13. Johan says:

    Hi.
    Have the same issue.
    Have tried with Iphone4 ios 5.1
    Have tried with Ipod gen4 ios 5.0

    None of them work with the A-250
    Any help is appreciated

    Regards,
    Johan

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Johan,
      Thank you for your comment and for the additional diagnostic info.

      I am currently away from home (and my A-250 speakers) but when I get home I will try to test my iPod 3rd gen, and my dad’s iPod 4th gen with iOS 4 and iOS 5 to see if a change in iOS 5 is causing the problem.

      In the meantime, if any readers/commenters have tips or suggestions please go ahead and post them. Thanks!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  14. Mike Moser says:

    Fantastic. Thanks so much!!!!

  15. Brian Williams says:

    My Saitek A.250 has been used in conjunction with my son’s i-pod (wired output to input- ie no blue tooth).
    The A.250 no longer switches on (battery and mains)
    Any advice please?

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Brian,
      Thank you for your question, I am sorry to hear about the power problem! Good job trying both battery power and being plugged in, that definitely eliminates that as the problem.

      One thing that comes to mind is to check all the buttons on the Saitek. The buttons are always a little finicky and I’ve had mine get stuck before, even at one time I think it may have prevented me from powering on the unit. I had a similar (very frustrating) issue with a CyberPower UPS recently that required me to take the faceplate off to get the button unstuck. So, please check for stuck or malfunctioning buttons.

      If all the buttons are working properly then I am not sure what would be causing the issue other than it may have just died. I have never taken apart my A-250 to inspect it but that is always an option if all else fails for you.

      Sorry to not be of more help :-( but good luck in your efforts to get your nice speakers working again! :-)

      Best regards,
      -JD

  16. Matt says:

    Steps worked a treat with my Samsung galaxy s2 and i can fuly control playback from the A-250
    Thanks

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Matt, thanks for sharing your success with the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Saitek A-250!

      You have a nice phone and speakers so I hope you enjoy some great music on them :-)

      Best regards,
      -JD

  17. Adrian says:

    Whoah. I’ve had my trusty Saitek A-250 for about five years, and I never realised it could use Bluetooth. I’d always just assumed it had its own proprietary protocol. Thanks to you I’ve just connected it to my Samsung Galaxy SII for the first time – goodbye line in cable! (Though I guess the cable’s still easier on the battery life.)

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Adrian, that is awesome! Very cool that you are getting good use out of your old Saitek A-250 with a pretty cutting edge device like the SGII. :-)

      Saitek really was very forward looking when they introduced the A-250 as back then portable wireless (bluetooth) speakers were rather rare, unlike today where we have lots of options!

      Enjoy your cool-combo of devices and have a great weekend Adrian!

      Best regards,
      -JD

  18. Jessy - from the Netherlands says:

    Thanks a lot for this tutorial.
    Now I can use my sweet A250 at the pool with my Android-phones and Tablets.
    Wow . . . loving it!

    • J.D. H. says:

      Hi Jessy,
      Thank you for your comment, that is awesome that you are using your A250 with some sweet Android devices! It is pretty crazy that Android wasn’t even released when the A250 came out. :-)

      Thanks again for sharing your Android success story and have a great week Jessy!

      Best regards,
      -JD

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