By Scott Humton
A Few Tips To Help Decide On A Cordless Surround Sound Kit
A growing number of wireless surround sound transmitter products claim the ultimate freedom in streaming audio all over the home. We will take a look at various products and technologies to find out in how far these devices are practical for whole-house audio applications and what to look out for when purchasing a wireless system. If your residence is not wired for audio then you face quite a problem when you want to get your music from your living room to your bed room. Often the audio source cannot be moved. Running speaker wires between rooms will be expensive and consequently a lot of people are looking for other options. Products which resolve this difficulty are usually based on the following technologies: infrared wireless, RF wireless, wireless LAN or powerline.
Infrared is limited to line of sight since the audio signal is broadcast as lightwaves and therefore devices utilizing this technology, such as infrared wireless surround sound products, are restricted to a single room.
A growing number of wireless surround sound transmitter products claim the ultimate freedom in streaming audio all over the home. We will take a look at various products and technologies to find out in how far these devices are practical for whole-house audio applications and what to look out for when purchasing a wireless system. If your residence is not wired for audio then you face quite a problem when you want to get your music from your living room to your bed room. Often the audio source cannot be moved. Running speaker wires between rooms will be expensive and consequently a lot of people are looking for other options. Products which resolve this difficulty are usually based on the following technologies: infrared wireless, RF wireless, wireless LAN or powerline.
Infrared is limited to line of sight since the audio signal is broadcast as lightwaves and therefore devices utilizing this technology, such as infrared wireless surround sound products, are restricted to a single room.
RF wireless products will broadcast the signal as RF waves. These waves can easily go through walls. RF wireless audio devices either use FM transmission or digital audio transmission. FM transmitters are the least expensive option. They provide decent range but the music signal is prone to audio distortion and static and is extremely susceptible to interference from other wireless transmitters.
Digital wireless audio transmitter devices, such as products from Amphony, utilize a digital protocol. The audio is first converted to digital data before being broadcast. This method guarantees that the audio quality is entirely maintained. Some transmitters use some sort of audio compression, such as Bluetooth transmitters, which will degrade the audio to some degree. Transmitters which send the audio data uncompressed will achieve the highest fidelity.
Powerline products send the audio via the power mains and provide large range. They run into problems in homes where there are separate mains circuits in terms of being able to cross over into another circuit. Also, these products build in a delay of several seconds to safeguard against transmission errors during power surges and spikes which prevents their use in applications where the audio from wireless speakers has to be in sync with other non-wireless speakers or video.
Powerline devices use the power mains as a medium to send the music. These products typically provide excellent range. However, they face trouble if there are several separate mains circuits in the house. In this case the signal will have trouble crossing between these circuits. Also, these products build in a delay of a number of seconds to safeguard against transmission errors during power surges and spikes which prevents their use in applications where the audio from wireless loudspeakers has to be in sync with other non-wireless speakers or video.
Select a transmitter that has all the audio inputs you need, such as speaker inputs, line-level RCA inputs etc. Pick a system where you can add receivers later on which offer all of the necessary outputs, e.g. amplified speaker outputs, RCA outputs etc. Choose a transmitter that can regulate the audio volume of the input stage. This will give you the versatility to connect the transmitter to any type of equipment with different signal levels. Otherwise the audio may get clipped inside the transmitter converter stage or the dynamic range is not fully utilized.
Make sure that the system offers amplified receivers with a digit
Digital wireless audio transmitter devices, such as products from Amphony, utilize a digital protocol. The audio is first converted to digital data before being broadcast. This method guarantees that the audio quality is entirely maintained. Some transmitters use some sort of audio compression, such as Bluetooth transmitters, which will degrade the audio to some degree. Transmitters which send the audio data uncompressed will achieve the highest fidelity.
Powerline products send the audio via the power mains and provide large range. They run into problems in homes where there are separate mains circuits in terms of being able to cross over into another circuit. Also, these products build in a delay of several seconds to safeguard against transmission errors during power surges and spikes which prevents their use in applications where the audio from wireless speakers has to be in sync with other non-wireless speakers or video.
Powerline devices use the power mains as a medium to send the music. These products typically provide excellent range. However, they face trouble if there are several separate mains circuits in the house. In this case the signal will have trouble crossing between these circuits. Also, these products build in a delay of a number of seconds to safeguard against transmission errors during power surges and spikes which prevents their use in applications where the audio from wireless loudspeakers has to be in sync with other non-wireless speakers or video.
Select a transmitter that has all the audio inputs you need, such as speaker inputs, line-level RCA inputs etc. Pick a system where you can add receivers later on which offer all of the necessary outputs, e.g. amplified speaker outputs, RCA outputs etc. Choose a transmitter that can regulate the audio volume of the input stage. This will give you the versatility to connect the transmitter to any type of equipment with different signal levels. Otherwise the audio may get clipped inside the transmitter converter stage or the dynamic range is not fully utilized.
Make sure that the system offers amplified receivers with a digit
Powerline devices use the power mains as a medium to send the music. These products typically provide excellent range. However, they face trouble if there are several separate mains circuits in the house. In this case the signal will have trouble crossing between these circuits. Also, these products build in a delay of a number of seconds to safeguard against transmission errors during power surges and spikes which prevents their use in applications where the audio from wireless loudspeakers has to be in sync with other non-wireless speakers or video.
Select a transmitter that has all the audio inputs you need, such as speaker inputs, line-level RCA inputs etc. Pick a system where you can add receivers later on which offer all of the necessary outputs, e.g. amplified speaker outputs, RCA outputs etc. Choose a transmitter that can regulate the audio volume of the input stage. This will give you the versatility to connect the transmitter to any type of equipment with different signal levels. Otherwise the audio may get clipped inside the transmitter converter stage or the dynamic range is not fully utilized.
Make sure that the system offers amplified receivers with a digital amplifier to ensure high power efficiency. This will help keep the receiver cool during operation. In addition, make sure the amplifier provides low audio distortion. This is crucial for good sound quality. Check that the amplified receiver is able to drive speakers with the preferred Ohm rating and that it is small and easily mountable for simple set up. 5.8 GHz wireless devices usually have less trouble with interference from other wireless transmitters than products working at 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz.
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