I’m about to set up a surround sound system for my wide screen TV. The room is not pre-wired, and a wired system will require very careful and laborious work to fish them through walls, etc, so they do not look like spaghetti running around the room. The alternative wireless systems look so easy compared to that. How does the sound quality and functionality betweet the two compare? While money is not a prime object, it will be taken into account as well. Does anyone have any personal or hard knowledge comparing the two, particularly regarding quality. Would I be making a big mistake going the easy route and going wireless?
As fas as sound quality goes, hardwired systems blow away wireless every time. Wireless systems are affected by electrical and RF noise more easily, and the addition of the necessary transmitting and receiving amplifiers only adds more distortion to the mix.
Wireless doesn’t hold a candle to hardwired. In theory, it should be possible to send a 44khz stereo signal 12 feet with minimal loss (with very good DACs and bluetooth perhaps…), however, the actual products on the market are unimpressive. Most wireless surround systems have a limited frequency response (200-8000 hz) and relatively low quality amplification circuits. Combine that with the challenge of having the amplifier inside the speaker enclosure, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Basically, they sound like cheap computer speakers with more static.
If you don’t want to go through the walls, there are some really nifty systems for running cables under the carpet. (flat, wide cables (like ide cables in your PC) carry an audio signal remarkably well, and they don’t leave bumps under the carpet. Watch out for those carpet tacks though.
Check a few home theater websites for tips and tricks.
Also, I don’t know if you have purchased your speakers yet, but for the love of god, stay away from bose and all the knockoffs. There are some fantastic full range speakers for a lot less money that will get you much closer to true theater sound than those harsh little bastards.
No, I haven’t bought them yet. I am saddened to hear that what I intuitively thought, and what my limited research had discovered is correct. That wireless is more or less a waste of money. Now to research the wired system itself and find the one that is the best bargain for the money. And I will keep the advice about Bose and its knockoffs firmly in mind.