Wireless home theater system – Why go wireless?
Ask anyone about the most frustrating part of home theater set-up, and you will likely get the same answer – the wires. Wires are found everywhere in home theater. You have wires from the tv to the receiver, wires from the dvd or bluray player, power cords to the receiver, tv, and dvd or bluray player, and wires to all of your speakers. Wires, wires and more wires. For some people it is all too much, and for those people I would recommend a wireless home theater system.
You may be a little reluctant to choose a wireless systems, and if the technology was still the way it used to be 10 years ago, I wouldn’t blame you. Early wireless home theater systems were plagued with problems such as popping and clicking, interference and poor sound quality. This stigma is now slowly being reversed as people start to realise that the current wireless models are leaps and bounds ahead of their predecessors, and most of the major problems with wireless sound have been dealt with.
So why go wireless? Ultimately, it all comes down to one word - simplicity. Running wires under floorboards or carpets takes time and effort. With a wireless home theater system you have no worries – the rear speakers are powered by their own power cord so you don’t need to run speaker wire all over your home theater.
A wireless system is especially attractive for people renting an apartment. Generally hiding your rear speaker wires takes a bit of construction, something that your landlord might not be too happy with. Using a wireless system means simply finding a power plug near the back of your theater, and plugging in. When you do eventually move, packing up is much simpler as well.
Another benefit of a wireless home theater system is mobility. Having wireless speakers means it is easier to move your speakers around to find that “sweet spot”. Having a party? Then why not take your rear speakers into a second room and set that up as a different zone?
So why go wireless? With all of the positives you can get from a wireless system, and the very few negatives, the real question is why not?
Vizio 5.1 VHT510 Wireless Soundbar System
The Vizio 5.1 VHT510 surround sound home theater is another sound bar + wireless rear surround speakers combo, which looks to be a new trend in pre-packaged home theaters These systems provide the compactness of a sound bar with the full surround sound experience given by 5 real speakers in surround sound positioning.
This system includes everything you need for a home theater – built-in amplifier, front soundbar with left, center and right speakers, wireless subwoofer and rear speakers.
The wireless rear speaker option is interesting. Rather than having a standalone wireless rear amplifier, the speakers connect to the subwoofer. This has some advantages and disadvantages. A big plus is the fact that you have less wiring to do. The downside is that your options for subwoofer placement are limited. If you want to place your rear speakers for surround sound then your subwoofer must be at the rear as well. Of course, you could always use longer wire and put your speakers and subwoofer wherever you want, but that slightly defeats the purpose of a wireless system.
Another interesting choice made by Vizio is the single optical input. They recommend routing all audio through your TV. While this isn’t a big deal, it would be nice to have the option to directly connect your home theater sound inputs to the sound bar without having to pass through the TV.
These are superficial issues. Most important in any home theater system is sound quality. And here, Vizio delivers. By all reports the sound quality is excellent, providing great value for money in the sound department.
The one main issue I have found is the LEDs on the soundbar seem to frequently stop working after a few days of use. This doesn’t affect the sound quality of the system, but it is a disappointing build quality issue. On the other hand, Vizio seem happy to replace any units that stop working, so it’s not a deal-breaker.
All in all, the Vizio VHT510 is an interesting offering. It makes some bold choices – using the wireless subwoofer as the receiver for the rear speakers and only having one audio input means that it won’t be to everyone’s taste. But for those looking for a sleek, minimalist design with great sound quality at a reasonable price, it is worth a look.
JVC TH-BA3 Wireless Soundbar System Review
Looking for a slim addition to the home theater, with true 5.1 channel surround sound that doesn’t ruin the decor of your home theater? The JVC TH-BA3 might be right up your alley.Looking for a slim addition to the home theater, with true 5.1 channel surround sound that doesn’t ruin the decor of your home theater? The JVC TH-BA3 might be right up your alley.
Best Wireless Home Theater Systems under $400
Researching about wireless home theater systems can be time-consuming and confusing. To make things easier for you, here are three of the best value wireless surround sound systems currently available for under $400.00.
Panasonic SC-PT760 Wireless Home Theater System
The Panasonic SC-PT760 has 5.1 channel surround sound, with a 5-disc DVD changer. It upscales your DVDs to 1080p ensuring the best possible video experience. The system includes a wireless transmission unit for the rear speakers, which are wired to the rear amplifier.
Panasonic uses a rigid bamboo material in their front speakers, which helps to achieve a clean sound. It is also cool to be able to tell your friends that your speakers are made of bamboo! It has a rather neat flip-down iPod dock, and displays a full iPod menu on the TV screen for easy navigation. The Kelton subwoofer system ensures plenty of bass, and it has VIERA link for those of you with Panasonic VIERA HDTVs.
If you are interested in expanding your audio experience beyond your home theater room, you can have playback in up to three additional rooms with optional purchase of the Panasonic SH-FX85 Wireless multi room audio kit.
The only downside with this system is that it has no video inputs and only 2 audio inputs. For those of you with more complicated setups, this may not be the ideal choice.
How much: $329.41 at amazon.com
Sony DAV-HDX576WF Wireless Home Theater System
The Sony DAV-HDX576WF has 5.1 channel surround sound, with a 5-disc DVD changer and 1080p upscaling. Sony uses its S-AIR technology for wireless transmission to the rear surround speakers, and also includes an S-AIR Airstation speaker. This can be used as a standalone unit in a separate room, allowing for simple multi-room audio functionality.
For those of you with Sony TVs, it has BRAVIA Theatre sync which allows the home theater system and the TV to communicate. It has an iPod cradle, and auto calibration with included microphone. This is a handy feature because it takes some of the guesswork out of calibrating your home theater system.
As with the Panasonic, the only downside with this system is the lack of video inputs. The Sony system has only 2 audio inputs as well, which leaves you high and dry when it comes to more complicated setups.
How much: $380.44 at amazon.com
Samsung HT-Z520T Wireless home theater system
The Samsung HT-Z520T has 5.1 channel surround sound with a 5-disc changer. Like the others, it does upscaling of DVDs to 1080p. In contrast to the other two systems, the HT-Z520T uses 5.8Ghz RF transmission, which means that it is less likely to interfere with wireless phones, and wireless internet.
In the “weird materials for speakers” category it comes up trumps over the Panasonic system, using “green” bio-kelp fibers, which are supposed to reduce distortion. It has an included auto calibration microphone which will help you to get the most out of your system. Like the others, it has an iPod dock, but Samsung also include a USB host with CD ripping which offers you a few more options for playback on your system.
The HT-Z520T has 1 HDMI video input. While 2 or 3 would have been better, at least this will let you easily add in a Blu-ray system if you buy one later on. It is still fairly crippled with audio inputs, with only 2 available.
Price: 379.99 at amazon.com
Conclusion:
There is a lot of value to be had in these sub-$400 systems. You won’t get the latest and greatest features, and there is not a lot of flexibility, but you will get a system that offers basic functionality with very decent sound quality. As you can see, there are more similarities than differences between these wireless surround sound systems. The ultimate choice depends on what you are looking for. All things considered, though, I think the Samsung HT-Z520T is the slightly better option.
Best Practices for Automating Surround Sound
Home automation expert discusses features of the best products used to integrate your home theater surround sound speakers with your security cameras and where it makes the most sense to place these products around your home.
Duration : 6 min 29 sec
How do i connect a surround sound dvd player to my receiver?
Ok so i have a http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=567483&CTID=5000400 receiver. Im trying to connect it to a DVD player that supports surround sound. So basically, i have surround sound in the room but i want to put it through a receiver. I also have a big ole sub that i want to connect to the receiver. The main thing is that i dont know if i should connect the surround sound to the receiver and how the hell i am supposed to get the sound go through the receiver. So i want the surround sound and the sub to all be connected to the receiver. The sub is not made for the dvd player or the receiver. I know this question is confusing but im really confused to. Any help is appreciated.
Only if your surround sound system has a seperate receiver.
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Duration : 5 min 8 sec
Can I hook up a different DVD player to my surround sound speakers?
My dvd player has broken, repair man says picture comes in but is doesn’t keep up with the sound. I have the 5 speakers I would love to use. Is it possible for me to use a different DVD player and just hook the speakers up to it? It is a Samsung, only about 4 years old.
Don’t know your exact setup but generally the DVD sound out goes to a seperate amplifier which drives the speakers. So the answer is yes a DVD player connected to an amp which is connected to the speakers should be just fine. Some speaker systems have the amp builtinto them, if that is the case then any DVD should work just fine.
Looking for a way to make standard home stereo speakers wireless?
Is there a device that will convert my existing home stereo speakers into wireless? I have a pretty good quality surround sound system, but I am tired of the speaker wires . I need to go wireless, but I want to use my existing speakers. Anyone have any ideas????
The previous responder obviously missed the January 2008 issue of "Home Theater" magazine, which discusses exactly the kind of gear you’re looking for.
The magazine reviewed and gave excellent marks to the KEF Universal Wireless Speaker Kit ($600). Similar (but unreviewed) products include the Rocketfish RF-WHTIB Wireless Rear Speaker Kit ($100), the Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Amplifier ($300), and the Amphony Model 1550 Digital Wireless Audio Transmitter/Amplifier ($200).
SONY VAIO VGX-TP20E/B Home Theater PC
Energize your living room with power and panache. Encased in an elegantly round black body, the Sony® VAIO® TP Living Room PC delicately incorporates personal computing into your living space through a single HDMI™ cable. Easy to use and set up, the VAIO TP PC is packed with the latest hardware technologies, including an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8100 processor, 2GB of DDR2-667 memory, Windows Vista® Home Premium operating system and a massive 500GB hard drive. Enjoy your favorite live and recorded TV and movies or surf the web from your sofa with the immersive Windows® Media Center experience that lets you navigate your content with a matching keyboard and remote control.
Duration : 7 min 14 sec