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#16231 - 09/23/06 11:07 AM Wireless Speakers
podular Offline
Deputy Gunslinger

Registered: 03/09/06
Posts: 9
Loc: Eastsound, WA
Anyone have suggestions for a wireless speaker system used with an indoor home theater system?

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#16232 - 09/24/06 01:07 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
gonk Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 14054
Loc: Memphis, TN USA
I use an Altec Lansing speaker for zone 2, but it's hardly anything with any fidelity. Are you thinking of this as a surround speaker in the home theater, or just something for a second space?
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#16233 - 09/24/06 08:12 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
podular Offline
Deputy Gunslinger

Registered: 03/09/06
Posts: 9
Loc: Eastsound, WA
I'm considering it as a potential solution for the back speakers in my 5.1 HT system.

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#16234 - 09/24/06 10:46 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
gonk Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 14054
Loc: Memphis, TN USA
Then the speaker we have would be completely inappropriate (aside from being mono, the sound quality's barely good enough for yard work or background noise at a party). Speakers like this exist, but I'd really want to hear them before putting any money into them - the speaker that I've got is pretty underwhelming. Maybe somebody else around here has some experience with more substantial wireless speakers than what I've got, though...
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#16235 - 09/24/06 11:25 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
podular Offline
Deputy Gunslinger

Registered: 03/09/06
Posts: 9
Loc: Eastsound, WA
Thanks gonk. Amazon reviewer/owners mostly pan the AW820 indoor wireless system you cited.

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#16236 - 09/25/06 02:41 PM Re: Wireless Speakers
garcianc2003 Offline
Gunslinger

Registered: 07/23/06
Posts: 274
Loc: Washington, DC
I am not very experienced in wireless speakers but I always discourage my friends from them. After all, wireless is kind of a misnomer unless you get battery-powered speakers.
I tell my friends that, if they have the option, to run speaker wire through their walls.
I have floor standing front speakers in my home theatre with speaker wire "outlets" in the front of the room. For the sides and back surrounds, I have a set of 4 in-wall Polk Audio RC85i speakers. It is a very clean look.

Like I said, if you have the option, go for running speaker wiring. There are also many aesthetically-pleasing ways of running wires post-construction that you might want to consider.

-- what follows are the ramblings of a bored geek --

By the way, if you already have nearby Ethernet drops, Polk Audio makes an IP-based speaker that you can connect to your home network. It won't be cheap, though. The speaker only supports wired ethernet but that's nothing a couple of cheap wireless routers and some geek ingenuity couldn't fix. I wouldn't be surprised if this digital approach became the future of home speakers, since it would put Polk, Martin Logan, etc. in position to take business away from amplifier manufacturers and just about any vendor involved in products that deliver a signal to the speakers. And, because the speakers are network addressable, all it would take is some clever software to reconfigure your system on-the-fly.

I have quite a bit of money invested in a 7 channel pre-pro, associated interconnects, etc. If the world suddenly decided to go 9 channels or more, I am just about back at square 1 - no software upgrade is going to add two more outputs to my Outlaw 970. The $5K I would save from buying the latest pre-pro with the format du-jour, I would gladly spend on speakers and software. That way, if the world goes to 20 speaker SDDS, or whatever, all I would need is more speakers.
I was playing around this weekend with a USB external sound card and my Linux laptop when it occurred to me that I could turn any speaker into a "wireless" speaker using a block amplifier like the Outlaw 2200 and some cheap computer hardware. Hey Outlaw folks, how about it? You could make a device like the D-Link Wireless Media Player but that is basically mono and can be used with a block amplifier. Or even cheaper, incorporate WiFi into something like this. Heck, you could build it right into the amplifier. Then you could make a transmitter to be used with the 970 or 990 - I see another firmware upgrade coming.

How is that for some Outlaw thinking?

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#16237 - 09/26/06 01:36 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
sluggo Offline
Desperado

Registered: 04/19/05
Posts: 361
Loc: Plano, TX
Wireless speakers are fine, as long as sound quality isn't one of your requirements. Just about all of them are based on frequencies that invite interference. What's more, most of the places they'd be useful aren't near outlets, either, so they're pretty useless for HT.

If you own your home and can logistically do so, running speaker wire in wall is pretty cheap, and installing proper wall plates makes a nice impression on homebuyers when you sell. If you can't run in wall, there's a company called WireTracks making removable decorative molding doubling as wire raceways.
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#16238 - 09/26/06 07:49 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
gonk Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/21/01
Posts: 14054
Loc: Memphis, TN USA
Thanks for the WireTracks link, sluggo - that's some pretty cool looking stuff.
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Reviews: Index | 990 | speakers | BDP-93

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#16239 - 09/26/06 11:23 AM Re: Wireless Speakers
podular Offline
Deputy Gunslinger

Registered: 03/09/06
Posts: 9
Loc: Eastsound, WA
Thanks for a lot of great Outlaw advice and helpful suggestions. It seems that current wireless speaker systems are not ready for audiophiles.

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