Wireless Adapter for Surrounds

[itschris]

I just moved from our house to our new townhome. Setting up the system, I realized I have no easy way to run wires for the rear surrounds. Right now, the thought of pulling down all the crown molding just isn't something I want to do. Maybe down the road, but not now.

Is there any decent wireless adapters out there that I could hookup my rear channels to? I still have my DefTecs and my Sunfire Amp.

 

[j_garcia]

http://outlawaudio.com/products/OAW4.html

Looks like Aperion doesn't offer theirs anymore, but it was the same as the OWA3 by Outlaw. Above is the new model.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Keep in mind that wireless only gets you a signal to the back of the room. You’ll still need an amplifier back there with wires run to your speakers.

The Outlaw system uses the 2.4 GHz frequency range that is shared by Bluetooth, wireless networks, cordless phones and other consumer gadgets, so it’s possible that any of those devices in use in your home could disrupt the Outlaw’s signal. If you end up with that problem you’ll probably have to move up to a professional product like the Alto Stealth, which will cost considerably more than the Outlaw.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[itschris]

Hmmm... good point. I didn't even think about that for some reason. Good Lord... it'll just be easier and cleaner to pull down the crown at this point.

Thanks guys.

 

[slipperybidness]

Hmmm... good point. I didn't even think about that for some reason. Good Lord... it'll just be easier and cleaner to pull down the crown at this point.

Thanks guys.

Some of the wireless kits have built in amps, but of course these will always be fairly low powered, but probably OK for the surrounds.
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=10601

I have the Rocketfish with the built in amps on my surrounds. It's OK, but that's about it. I do get an occasional "buzz" for a brief instant, maybe once every few hours, due to some interference.

 

[itschris]

That Rocketfish setup was one of the things I was looking at. It's certainly an option. It just sort of irritates me to have all higher end stuff and then have to rely on these built-in amps. When I'm not doing "critical" type listening, I do switch on one of the surround modes. I like to listen to it that way sometimes... not most of the time, but sometimes. It's sort of like steak sauce... sometimes you just want something add a little something to a hunk of meat.

I'm just not sure how the surrounds would fair in that setup. For a couple hundred bucks or so, I could have the crown pulled, run the wires, and have it put back up. Most of the money would be spent on the adapter anyway, so I mind as well spend a little more and do it the way it should be done.

 

[j_garcia]

Outlaw also has an amplified one, but you still have to run wires. I'd pull the crown

 

[Good4it]

I use Rocketfish for my surrounds and have been very happy for 2+ years.

 

[slipperybidness]

That Rocketfish setup was one of the things I was looking at. It's certainly an option. It just sort of irritates me to have all higher end stuff and then have to rely on these built-in amps. When I'm not doing "critical" type listening, I do switch on one of the surround modes. I like to listen to it that way sometimes... not most of the time, but sometimes. It's sort of like steak sauce... sometimes you just want something add a little something to a hunk of meat.

I'm just not sure how the surrounds would fair in that setup. For a couple hundred bucks or so, I could have the crown pulled, run the wires, and have it put back up. Most of the money would be spent on the adapter anyway, so I mind as well spend a little more and do it the way it should be done.

Yeah, the Rocketfish is 4 ohm stable, so that is a good thing.

They don't get terribly loud, but I don't really have efficient speakers on them either.

They give a little background/ambience, but that's mostly all you need out of the surrounds.

All in all, I would absolutely prefer to have them hard-wired, but I could just about guarantee that my house would be a bigger PITA to hard wire than yours

Anyway, they get the job done and they made my situation easier to deal with, but they aren't top performers and they definitely get a random quick zap/buzz interference every once in a while.

 

[itschris]

I'm having a guy come out next week. He's thinking he can run up the wall and drop down into the crown without taking it off. He says he's done it many times. He says he's just gonna drill 2 maybe three holes in crown and fish the wires through to the back wall. He says he'll just plug the holes sand and repaint that part and I won't ever notice.

it'll be about $400 total. Probably worth it.