Gone 4K: Need wireless rear speakers (1 Viewer)

[Howardsternisbatman]

Greetings,

Recently I upgraded my TV to 4K. It sits in a room that is not going to allow for rear speaker wires to be run, it just isn't. I am starting from scratch, no receiver, no speakers. I plan to pick-up a Blu-ray 4K player.

Here is the question or ask for suggestions on where to start my research. Been googling around but it soon becomes confusing. Big Brains of Home Theater forum please help.

thanks.

 

[Sam Posten]

They aren't great. There aren't great options. Remember you are going to have to power these speakers even if you don't have to run the sound to em!

 

[Carlo_M]

What Sam said. There's a "universal wireless kit" that Best Buy sells which gets decent reviews on their site. I was in your boat too. I just filled out the rear surrounds for a 5.0 bedroom setup and I didn't want to run speaker wire to the rears. After researching this heavily, I just went ahead and bought some affordable 14 gauge pre-terminated (banana plugs) speaker wire from Amazon and just ran it against the baseboards and behind some furniture. I'll buy some cord covers for the two doorways that these wires cut across. It's not ideal, but I'm a real stickler for sound quality, and I didn't want to introduce any latency or delay into the sound (it annoys the heck out of me when there is even a 10ms audio sync issue).

I feel your pain, and I know what I suggested may not be possible for you. You say "it absolutely can't" have wires, and if so, I wish you good luck on your search. But if it's more "I really want to avoid it", I'd have to say unless you have better luck finding an appropriate product, just break down and buy some flexible speaker wire that you can use to anchor against baseboards and run the wire.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

The big problem with wireless is stability. Look through the user reviews at Amazon for wireless soundbars, Bluetooth transmitter/receiver packages and the like, and most can offer at best only a 65% approval rating (combined 4-5 sat reviews). Dig into the 1-star reviews and you’ll find that the #1 complaint relates to instability of the wireless delivery.

Unfortunately, if Sonos or the pro-audio field is any indication, an AVR with rock-solid wireless stability would carry at minimum a $150-200 premium to do the rear speakers wireless – per channel. That means at least an additional $300 for a 5.1 channel AVR or $600 for a 7.1. Anyone want to venture into the land of 9.1 or 11.1? How many people are willing to pay for this?

That’s why no AVR manufacturer provides wireless solutions for the rear-channel surround sound speakers. And no budget solution appears to be on the horizon. The pro audio field has been doing wireless mics etc. for over 30 years and have it down to a science, but have not been able to come up with rock-solid stability at a price consumers would be willing to spend.

The best option is an add-on system with a standalone transmitter/receiver system, coupled with a remote amplifier located at the back of the room. The entire system will rise and fall on the stability of the transmitter/receiver system. But frankly, by the time you buy all that extra gear, you could probably hire a professional to run the wiring for you.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Howardsternisbatman]

I feared the worst Thank you for your replies.

The problem is the TV is in a room with a vaulted ceiling (can't run wires up there). The couch is located against a wall in the center of an open plan area...can't go around the room with wires as ultimately need to get them over to that central wall. Hardwood floors so no going under. Perhaps a rug and run them under that.....

Anyhoo, again. Thank you.

 

[Sam Posten]

Here's what you want. Don't put under a rug:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SA4SZO6/ref=twister_B07CL8S2S6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Howardsternisbatman]

a-ha! Thank you for the link...will need to get this past the Missus, she may not like it

 

[Carlo_M]

So if you can't get past the WAF for running wires, and you can't go in-wall/under-floor, then you really are just left with the wireless transmitter option. There are a few out there--just google wireless transmitter speakers (or subwoofer, or audio in place of speakers) and you'll see a lot of hits.

The reviews will be all over the place, and most will center on this: they'll either run at 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz. Depending on the amount of traffic at those frequencies where you live (not just your own wi-fi equipment, but that of your neighbors) it can introduce interference and/or dropouts. So chances are you may be doing the "buy and return" dance until you find one that works consistently for you.

The other thing is you'll need to invest in is power at the other end of the transmitter, whether it's your wireless speakers that are powered (versus passive) or a second power amplifier to drive them. Also calibrating may be a bit more complicated, I don't know how well MCACC or Audyssey works with wireless connections, but just want to put that out there as a possibility.

if you have patience for trial and error (and who knows, you may get lucky and the first transmitter you try may be perfect) this is likely what you'll have to do.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Adding to what Carlo said about wireless transmitters and receivers, the most reliable solutions are from the pro audio field, but the stability doesn’t come cheap. The cheapest systems run between $250-400. Coupled with the additional price of an outboard amp for the back speakers, it’s probably cheaper just to hire a professional to run the wiring.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah the pro field is where it's at. They have to build things that withstand tons of interference. Because if you're anything like me, once you get a good movie (or music) going you don't want anything interrupting it. Dropouts. Random noises. All unacceptable to me, which is why I try to wire whenever I can. But if I did have to go wireless, I'd definitely look at a pro solution.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Best as I can tell, the cheapest wireless pro audio options are the DN-202WT transmitter and DN-202WR receiver combo from Denon Professional and the Alto Stealth system.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt