Advice on Wireless Rear Surround Speakers

[berniegold]

I can't run speaker wire behind walls in my townhouse and there is no crawlspace, so I want a good pair of wireless rear surround speakers. I have JBL S312 mains, and I just bought the S Center. Please give me some advice on which wireless speakers will work best for the rears. I prefer JBL but I'll go with any good brand someone recommends here. Again, I need a clean look. Wires are not happening.

Please advise.

[baldrick]

Wireless speakers are seldom a good solution, but if you absolutely have to Control 2.4g could be an solution:

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/03/JBL-24GA.jpg

But remember, wireless doesn't mean no wire at all, you will still need power and also often a wire between the two speakers.

There are also more other solutions like putting a seperate poweramp in the back and run wireless from the processor to the back, and run wires from the poweramp to the speakers.

[berniegold]

Why are wireless not a good alternative? I just don't want wires running from my entertainment unit across the floor all the way to my back wall. A friend of mine has a Sony speaker system, it's not high end obviously, but the surround rear speakers work nicely, and he doesn't have wires running across his living room. I was just hoping to be able to enjoy the same freedom. The JBL's look pretty rinky dink. They almost look like outdoor speakers. Any other brand that might work better?

[pierce]

wireless speakers are prone to interference from other radio sources in the neighborhood (they are generally on 900 or 2400 or 5600mhz, all three of these bands are full of other uses), and are typically significantly lower fidelity than a simple piece of lamp cord. they also often add a time delay to the rear channel, this can be challenging to tune out (most surround systems let you tweak the delay some, usually a 0-60mS range)

[JBL 4645]

I can't run speaker wire behind walls in my townhouse and there is no crawlspace, so I want a good pair of wireless rear surround speakers. I have JBL S312 mains, and I just bought the S Center. Please give me some advice on which wireless speakers will work best for the rears. I prefer JBL but I'll go with any good brand someone recommends here. Again, I need a clean look. Wires are not happening.

Please advise.

Rubbish! Use cable trunking I did and read on or spend the hundreds on pair or x10.

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11665417/Cable_Canals_Trunking.jpg


I have to say I was kinder interested in the idea of buying just a pair but prices where high at the time. Thinking about it now…you still need a power lead to run them so what is the deal unless it was running off batteries LOL

It’s cheaper for me to run x10 JBL control 1, around the room three sidewalls surrounds each side and four for centre back surround. Each channel wired in series and a simple piece of cable trunking placed around the picture rail to conceal the cables and at about the same cost for pair G-4g only I’m running x10 control 1 for surrounds, now then.

Each sidewall is spaced out and the two sidewalls provide defused surround and localization of directional effects at the same time, just like the cinema expect in small room, now then.

The radio interference I can believe that thou CB isn’t wildly used as it was 20 years ago. The (TVI) television interference it cursed was huge.

Mobile phones is another issue as the beacons or other tend to interfere with most Hi-Fi AVR audio equipment or police/fire/ambulance radio frequencies if within a few hundred yards as I have experienced in the past.

[hjames]

wireless speakers are prone to interference from other radio sources in the neighborhood (they are generally on 900 or 2400 or 5600mhz, all three of these bands are full of other uses), and are typically significantly lower fidelity than a simple piece of lamp cord. they also often add a time delay to the rear channel, this can be challenging to tune out (most surround systems let you tweak the delay some, usually a 0-60mS range)



The radio interference I can believe that tho CB isn’t wildly used as it was 20 years ago. The (TVI) television interference it cursed was huge.

Mobile phones is another issue as the beacons or other tend to interfere with most Hi-Fi AVR audio equipment or police/fire/ambulance radio frequencies if within a few hundred yards as I have experienced in the past.

CB was (roughly) 28 mHz band - not a concern. The freqs Pierce quoted are commonly used for wireless phones, home computer (wireless) networks and similar uses.

Most folks will find a way to run a wire easily enough
I'm guessing JBL doesn't offer much because its not for the high fidelity market ... its more of a convenience market ...

[JBL 4645]

CB was (roughly) 28 mHz band - not a concern. The freqs Pierce quoted are commonly used for wireless phones, home computer (wireless) networks and similar uses.

Most folks will find a way to run a wire easily enough
I'm guessing JBL doesn't offer much because its not for the high fidelity market ... its more of a convenience market ...

28MHz is bit too high that’s the radio amateur band. Its roughly 26MHz to 27MHz or 25Mhz with double low bands triple low will still take down within the 25MHz range. double high will just barely take you within the start of 28Mhz which is where the CW lies or carrier wave or Morse code and Samuel Morse birthday was last month I think.

As for the sodden mobile phones you can have one real close to the AVR and no interference? It happens when you lest expect it and (its got a unique signature tone or pulse) that last a few seconds then goes clear its as if its coming from the repeater masts around the area?

I came across a video on youtube two years ago and it might still be up on youtube. It was guy showing his home cinema with video projector and during the video I heard the mobile tone interference break over the PA loudspeakers that he was using in the room, now then.;)

I see the JBL G-4g aimed at rooms for common simple stereo not surround and to get true wrap around surround you really need more than 2 or even 4 where most think 5.1 means three fronts which is true and two surrounds, rubbish.

If I was sticking these around the room the cost will be getting on to grand.

Offices might find them of beneficial use somewhere where its not possible thou it is but when your pressed for time and need to set them up fast. In the home there is no rush plan it with lesser budget the more the merrier.

[hjames]

28MHz is bit too high that’s the radio amateur band. Its roughly 26MHz to 27MHz or --------------------- blah, blah, blah
.

I said APPROXIMATELY 28mHz - really, does anyone even give a foo about CB these days -
geez - the wireless speakers are 900mhz and up and that was the point of the conversation.
Get on topic!

[JBL 4645]

I said APPROXIMATELY 28mHz - really, who even gives a foo about CB these days - geez - the wireless speakers are 900mhz and up and that was the point of the conversation

LOL :D ok fine what ever 28MHz been on that band done it. 900MHz is long way from 27KHz I can count even thou I’m pants at adding up. LOL

I’d say give the JBL G-4g a workout with different CB radios and wireless walkie-talkies that operate on different frequency band and few mobile phones to see if they are really prone to picking up a receiving transmission? All we have is the word from JBL on this.

[hjames]

LOL :D ok fine what ever 28MHz been on that band done it. 900MHz is long way from 27KHz I can count even thou I’m pants at adding up. LOL

I’d say give the JBL G-4g a workout with different CB radios and wireless walkie-talkies that operate on different frequency band and few mobile phones to see if they are really prone to picking up a receiving transmission? All we have is the word from JBL on this.



And again, the point you are NOT GETTING, is that is not 2-way RADIO intereference, its OTHER equipment that transmits on those frequencies.

Try Cellphones if you will, try a laptop with 802.11b/g/N Wireless Internet, heck, I think my old household wireless phone was 900 mhz but the new one is in the gigHz, don't recall off the top of my head ...

Anyone who has worked with such gear (like wireless networks) already knows it can be problematical on certain frequencies.
And if you are in multi-family dwellings, like apartments or condos/townhouses, its easy enough to find such interference from your neighbors. Why add to it with wireless speakers?

Bottom line is - Wired surrounds are cleaner, cheaper and trouble free for high fidelity, the rest is just asking for "issues"

[BMWCCA]

I think my old household wireless phone was 900 mhz but the new one is in the gigHz, don't recall off the top of my head ...
Yep, the one in my office still is! I think many baby monitors, too. I remember our neighbors telling us they could hear our conversations over the baby monitor through their cell phone 100-yards away. I hope they enjoyed it!

Convenience is the only reason for wireless and that's debatable. You may want to try a pair and see how they work for you. Just get them from a place with a no-questions-asked return policy.

[pierce]

another option is flat wire. google for 'superflat speaker wire', there's a wealth of it, some of it is even 14 gauge equivalent. I see some new stuff thats off-white, and only 0.5mm thick, and has an adhesive back. you put this on the wall and ceiling, thin layer of spackle, and paint over it, and you'll never know it was there. Without knowing your room geometery, I'd probably try to run both rear channels up the wall near a front corner, and across the ceiling near an edge or beam, and down in back, then across to the other rear side, I think.

I ran it some older flat 16/2 wire to all 4 corners under the tiles when we had the family room floor tiled... tacked it down with masking tape, it was less than half the height of the mortar bed (the base floor is a concrete slab), and the tilers had no problems working around it. they even notched the back of the coping tiles they used as edging so it came out really clean in the 4 corners.