Least worst option for connecting existing speakers wireless for rear surround

[Linwood]

I have a old, new-to-me home. I have a setup I like with 65" LG and a Yama RX-V673, with Klipsch speakers. It's not fancy, but I like it. It does have pre-amp out.

Except in this house I just have no good way to get wires to the back. Please let's not go there, I've run ethernet and cable to various rooms, had 3 different wiring guys working on the hard parts, and there's no way I am willing to deal with to get the wires there. I do have power on that wall.

Is there a least worst wireless alternative?

I've seen all sorts, Dynasty, Rocketfish, Nero, odd-named Amazon versions... All seem to have at least some reviews about latency or popping/noises.

I am not very near neighbors, and so while I have strong wifi signals I can control their frequencies if that helps. And the Amp can adjust for delay -- at least too some degree, I didn't see a how-much in the specs.

Right now the 'rear' are off on the right and left front just further away. Hardly ideal. So there's a low bar to being "better", though significant unadjusted latency could sound worse I guess.

So... least-worst?

And if the choice is everything up front, or use X, is X better? Or just get used to basic 2.1 stereo?

Linwood

 

[lovinthehd]

Not up on my Yamaha gear, but believe there is a wireless solution via their musiccast options. Not sure what you mean by rear....this a 5ch or 7ch base setup? Rear is a 7ch thing. Sometimes just eliminating the surrounds might be an option rather than dealing with the extra gear/wiring that might be needed (even wireless requires a wired connection to your speakers as well as power for the amp/amps).

 

[Linwood]

Maybe I used the wrong term. 5.1 (I think is the term) speakers (R/L front, Middle (front), R/L rear, subwoofer).

I think it can do 7 but only have the 5 (plus sub).

I have a good place to hide wires in front, and at rear, and power in between, just no path between.

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe I used the wrong term. 5.1 (I think is the term) speakers (R/L front, Middle (front), R/L rear, subwoofer).

I think it can do 7 but only have the 5 (plus sub).

I have a good place to hide wires in front, and at rear, and power in between, just no path between.

In 5.1 the first additional set of surrounds are simply called surrounds. If you go to 7ch base layer then rear/back surrounds come into play. Middle is generally called center as that is a specific channel in a 5.1 format. As I said, only so much "wireless" is available. Maybe if you had battery powered speaker for surrounds and with wifi capabilities could have a "wireless" surround. Otherwise, still needs wires from amp, and amp needs electrical power wire.....not very wireless. Speaker wire can be hidden artfully...look into raceways for wiring if going about it externally, if internally use conduit and code approved wire.

 

[Linwood]

I do a LOT Of smart home stuff, I have wires all over the house, including about 50 wired devices I've added over the last 16 months. Please, can we just start with the assumption I'm not going to run wires to the back of that room.

But I have room for amp, RF receiver, transmitters, power and wires to all of those things.

Are you saying that none of these are worth using? For example this is where I'm leaning at the moment:

https://dynastyproaudio.com/products/copy-of-wsa-5rp-plus-wireless-surround-sound-rear-speakers-kit-with-2-x-100w-amplifier-built-in

But honestly I've not read anything to really prefer it over some others, though it operates in the 5ghz range, and my house has 70+ 2.45ghz wifi devices (IOT stuff mostly) so the 5ghz band is less busy.

 

[Linwood]

I know people are going to focus on running wires, so let me elaborate a bit. The house is old, and has a roof such that the attic has about 2.5' clearance in the center, and is filled with a 4 zone new HVAC the guy who flipped it added. It's VERY difficult to pull wire thru most of it, though I've had LV folks in for I think 5 visits to do some. Every one said they can't get near this area. I have another area near the back door we also can't get wire too, and when I wanted to run power for an induction (vs gas) stove the better electrician said he would either have to run conduit around the outside or trench under the drive way and come up from the ground and thru the brick wall.

I'm on a slab, and have LVP flooring, so going the floor route is not likely. I thought about a large area rug to hide the wires, but the size was going to START about $3500, and frankly I don't like the appearance anyway.

I could cut a notch in the ceiling sheetrock and run it and close back up, but opposite the AV system on the inner wall is a big bay window. So I have to go off 15' or so to the side and then come back in behind a big sofa in front of the window. Not impossible, but a huge mess.

It's a low ceiling, so running flat tape wire across it will show unless I cut a notch and cover with mud. It's probably 50-70' to go up, run around the crown molding and back as it's one of these big open concept rooms, and that's both a long run and a lot of crown molding to replace, and I still have to drop down around the bay window and back under it.

I hate exposed wires. I have run wiring everywhere, but it's all hidden. So I'm not going to put it across the floor with some kind of ugly cover, or in channel across the ceiling.

To me it's either an RF link across, or do with 2.1 only. All of the above are worse than 2.1 in my opinion.

 

[lovinthehd]

I do a LOT Of smart home stuff, I have wires all over the house, including about 50 wired devices I've added over the last 16 months. Please, can we just start with the assumption I'm not going to run wires to the back of that room.

But I have room for amp, RF receiver, transmitters, power and wires to all of those things.

Are you saying that none of these are worth using? For example this is where I'm leaning at the moment:

https://dynastyproaudio.com/products/copy-of-wsa-5rp-plus-wireless-surround-sound-rear-speakers-kit-with-2-x-100w-amplifier-built-in

But honestly I've not read anything to really prefer it over some others, though it operates in the 5ghz range, and my house has 70+ 2.45ghz wifi devices (IOT stuff mostly) so the 5ghz band is less busy.

I wouldn't bother personally. Depends on all your multich gear and capability for adjustment of delay somewhat as well.

 

[Linwood]

Yeah, and I searched the manual and it doesn't say anywhere how much latency it can adjust. I suspect small as it seems oriented entirely around distance.

 

[lovinthehd]

Yeah, and I searched the manual and it doesn't say anywhere how much latency it can adjust. I suspect small as it seems oriented entirely around distance.

How do you think latency/delay and distance differ?

 

[Linwood]

How do you think latency/delay and distance differ?

I think if it's only designed to do distance, we are talking about planning for a big room that might be 50', which is something like 15ms. If they were planning for device delay, bluetooth, wifi, etc. I suspect they would build in more hundreds of milliseconds, or at least 50 or so.

Speculation. I really have no way to know other than to try it, can't find specs.

 

[lovinthehd]

So you think distance and delay are different things?

 

[Linwood]

So you think distance and delay are different things?

Maybe I didn't explain it well. No, not at all. But I think people designing a system solely for delay that is a result of distance would probably not build in an adjustment range adequate for today's networks. But speculation. The actual answer is I have no idea how much delay it can accommodate, nor how much delay each of these devices can introduce. I was hoping people here had experiment with them and say "This one has almost no delay and is your least worst choice I would try it". Or "None of them are worth the trouble to try, even if returnable".

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe I didn't explain it well. No, not at all. But I think people designing a system solely for delay that is a result of distance would probably not build in an adjustment range adequate for today's networks. But speculation. The actual answer is I have no idea how much delay it can accommodate, nor how much delay each of these devices can introduce. I was hoping people here had experiment with them and say "This one has almost no delay and is your least worst choice I would try it". Or "None of them are worth the trouble to try, even if returnable".

No, don't think you've quite got it. Distance is merely a way of expressing delay due to distance from the speaker in a familiar form, feet/cm etc

ps there are limits of course with various gear, much 2ch gear providing nothing helpful particularly.

 

[Linwood]

Whatever, I think we are off the subject (at least the subject of whether one of these is the best of the lot).

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

How about some pics?

 

[Linwood]

Sure.

The first is an overview shot, the second shows the bottom of the bay window. For purposes unknown they built a pretty large storage area under the floor. I can get power into it fairly easily. I think. The last shot shows where the receiver and TV area now. There's a slab under the floor. The area directly above the TV (or maybe on the other side of that wall) is reachable in the attic, the area around the left 2/3rs of the image is not accessible (or so 3 wire pullers have told me).

Oh, blown in insulation (I think rock wool), so usual technique of a hole ever X feet and feeding wire across is unattractive.

Not impossible, not at all. Spend enough money and time and it could be done. But as I said, all the wiring paths are less attractive than sticking with 2.1.