Wireless speakers......

Ralph-y

We have had a half decent HiFi system for a while now that had wired speakers on the amp speaker out second channel going to the kitchen.

The speakers are a little passed their best now :-( (the rest of the system is OK)

We are planning new wood flooring and would like to explore the options before re laying new cables .........

So some of the options I see would be :

1 get a wifi audio sender from the amp speakers out and a receiver where the new speakers will be

2 get a bluetooth sender from the amp speakers out to a bluetooth speaker /s A send and receive could be a good option, if they exist.

3 use digital sender (like a mains type ) if such a thing exists , I have only seen ones that connect to a computer system.

4 New amp that has bluetooth/ wifi built in (probably to expensive)

5 lay new cables as a very last resort, as there are other cables to consider .... cat5 eathernet , surround sound , phone line , tv aerial, all which may have to go through the same run! It would / could end up like a phone exchange ;-)

of course I have probably missed some thing obvious ;-) .........

so any suggestions to send me on the best track would be really appreciated

Ralph:cool:

InsideInsurance

All of the options are viable but of cause remember that a sender is going to need a receiver which will have to have an amplifier (built in or separate) and so the quality of the sound in the other room is going to be dependent on this amplifier and totally independent of the quality of the amp in the other room.

What sources for the music are you generally using?

Ralph-y

it is a standard HiFi , cd, tuner , record deck , mini disk, cd recorder.
Have not felt the need to cross over home cinema , and digital computer / media players.

I just want to be able to play music in the a joining room while we are preparing / eating meals

:-)

Ralph:cool:

InsideInsurance

Ok, you made reference to the HiFi being half decent so wanted to ensure you realise that if you get a £10 amp/speaker combo then the quality you get is driven by that £10 system and the fact the source is a better piece of kit becomes irrelevant.

Ralph-y

we spent about £400 on a amp / speakers 2/3 years ago ..... I would like to have spent more ...... but .... that's life.

I really don't want to change the amp for a bluetooth one as it is still ok.

I have found a few bluetooth transmitters that may do the job, but I need more details as to if they will run of a mains supply (through a charger) and if they will need manual pairing every time they are switched on .....

Ralph:cool:

almillar

Cables are the highest quality audio option. You can get flat ones, and you don't need to go crazy with big fast ones for good quality, especially if it's just for a second set of speakers. BT audio, like MP3, DAB etc, is compressed, so it's not HiFi quality sound. Fine for the car from your phone and stuff, but not HiFi.
How are the speakers past their best?

InsideInsurance

My bluetooth items, namely my phone and the car's ICE system, do not need to be manually repaired each time they come in range of each other/ are turned on. Obviously there is a slight delay as any handshake/ connection is made.

In theory any other kit could be the same but in practice it would come down to each item and how its been made/ programmed. This would be a question to the retailer and a point of return if their answer turns out to be wrong.

teddysmum

I use Bluetooth speakers with my laptop and have to instruct the laptop to 'find' the speakers each time the laptop is powered up, as the latter has other devices on its list of contacts.

Ralph-y

"How are the speakers past their best?"

they are 10 year old Technics monitors .... they where quite good when first bought , but .... you know how it some times is ..... one day you really listen to them ... and say when did they become worn???????

In my defence the kitchen ones are used at a low level while eating :-)

teddysmum & InsideInsurance this is the sort of problem that might happen or not.

so at the min , select disc switch on amp & cd player choose speakers .........

or (nightmare scenario) pick disc switch on amp , cd player , bluetooth sender , switch on bluetooth speakers, then pair them .....

oh yes the wife would be really amused ;-)

So unless I can find something that works well then I am going to have to route the cables :-(

Ralph:cool:

InsideInsurance

Personally.... all music stored digitally.

Turn on amp in room you want to listen in - in some cases this is a all in one unit and in others is a separates system.

Use smart phone to select music you want to play and in which room.

Job done.

Change song? Use phone to change the music without leaving the room. In most rooms the phone can also fully control the volume though in some its volume changes are limited.

Most our items have AirPlay capability built in but where they dont we have a plugged in wireless toy that takes the stream and feeds it to the hifi.

Its also how we play most movies on the TV/ AVR too.