Wireless surround sound system... OR should I get a 2.1 setup?

[ViviTheMage]

I live in a condo where I would ONLY want wireless sound setup, as I cannot run cables on the floor, it would look silly! (wood), and I have no access to drilling holes into the floor to route via a basement...SO is there any good 'surround' sound speakers that work via wireless?

Playing Rockband at my house (shitty LCD TV Speakers), VS my friends (huge 5 foot speakers all around) is a HUGE difference....and it would make for better movie watching .

Where can I start, what is the price range? I was thinking 4 speakers + mid + bass??

cost, would like to keep it cheap...couple hundred, but I guess let's see what is out there first...

Thanks for any info you guys know, or can muster up.


EDIT : alfa147x had a good idea of just getting a 2.1 setup...What are some good setups now a days?

 

[PurdueRy]

Wireless speakers have power cables.

Why not just get a 2.1 setup? That would more than suit Rock Band.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
Wireless speakers have power cables.

Why not just get a 2.1 setup? That would more than suit Rock Band.

get a pair of Polk R50's and a Onkyo TX-SR505

Text

and a sub

i dont know which sub but

Speakers: 150
Reciever: 200
Subwoofer: ~150
------------------------
$500


not to bad and if you ever want you could expand up to 5.1

Centerolk CS1 = $100
Surrounds: Polk Monitor 40 = $200
-----------------------------------------------
$300


Complete HT = 800$

also what is the size of the room?

 

[erwos]

The Logitech Z-5450 is in your price range. Only the surround speakers are wireless, but I'm sure you can handle wiring the front sound stage. There are also some interference issues, but those are going to be present with any wireless speakers.

As others have said, though, this isn't going to compare favorably to a serious surround setup. You get what you pay for.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: erwos
The Logitech Z-5450 is in your price range. Only the surround speakers are wireless, but I'm sure you can handle wiring the front sound stage. There are also some interference issues, but those are going to be present with any wireless speakers.

As others have said, though, this isn't going to compare favorably to a serious surround setup. You get what you pay for.

That is pretty cool, but is there any sort of delay in the sound? I have no problem making the front set wired. I was read a few reviews, saying if you have b/g on 2.4GHZ, it would interfere...damn!

And alfa147x, aren't those wired speakers?

Not a bad looking receiver though....

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
That is pretty cool, but is there any sort of delay in the sound? I have no problem making the front set wired.

Probably nothing you could hear. And, remember, the surrounds aren't going to be doing all that much work anyways compared to the front set.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
That is pretty cool, but is there any sort of delay in the sound? I have no problem making the front set wired.

Probably nothing you could hear. And, remember, the surrounds aren't going to be doing all that much work anyways compared to the front set.

And they are very tiny compared to those Polk's that alfa147x listed...maybe I am better off with a 2.1 setup?

 

[sdifox]

You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

 

[ViviTheMage]

How good are those polk Polk R50.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

Huh? That speaker cable has power running through it - potentially quite a bit.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

Well, my rug is about 10x10, then it has 5 feet~~ to where the receiver will most likely be...so you will trip, walk over it....unless speaker wire has gotten REALLY thin...

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
How good are those polk Polk R50.

I have them, and I think they're probably the best new speakers for the price. I started by spending $415 shipped on a Panasonic XR55s receiver and two R50. Then I added a Polk PSW350 sub, then a CSi25 center, then R15 surrounds to complete the 5.1 setup. I must say it sounds really, really good for a sub-$700 setup. Even though my entire setup is Polk, you don't have to match the sub and surrounds to your front and center speakers. You do, however, want to buy a center that's not only the same brand as your mains but also in the same product line. i.e. Matching a CSi3 to the R50 wouldn't sound right because the tweeter in the CSi3 is much brighter than the R50. The CSi25 (discontinued) and CSR are the best centers for the R50, while the CS1 is a close third. The CSM and CSi20 will also match the R50, but they are inferior speakers to the afore-mentioned three.

For the speaker wire can you add some trim or something around the edge of the room and the place the surrounds close to the wall? That would hide the speaker wire from sight and dog.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

Huh? That speaker cable has power running through it - potentially quite a bit.

surrounds rarely go really loud and the times they go loud is very short time period too. Power line is constant 110v 15A. You do the math.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

Well, my rug is about 10x10, then it has 5 feet~~ to where the receiver will most likely be...so you will trip, walk over it....unless speaker wire has gotten REALLY thin...

either way you are going to have a cable to each surround speaker.

 

[kalrith]

I can't speak about the quality of it, but I googled flat speaker wire and found this.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
How good are those polk Polk R50.

I have them, and I think they're probably the best new speakers for the price. I started by spending $415 shipped on a Panasonic XR55s receiver and two R50. Then I added a Polk PSW350 sub, then a CSi25 center, then R15 surrounds to complete the 5.1 setup. I must say it sounds really, really good for a sub-$700 setup. Even though my entire setup is Polk, you don't have to match the sub and surrounds to your front and center speakers. You do, however, want to buy a center that's not only the same brand as your mains but also in the same product line. i.e. Matching a CSi3 to the R50 wouldn't sound right because the tweeter in the CSi3 is much brighter than the R50. The CSi25 (discontinued) and CSR are the best centers for the R50, while the CS1 is a close third. The CSM and CSi20 will also match the R50, but they are inferior speakers to the afore-mentioned three.

For the speaker wire can you add some trim or something around the edge of the room and the place the surrounds close to the wall? That would hide the speaker wire from sight and dog.

sorry i did mean the CSi20 i have the CSR but forgot what the other one was

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: sdifox
You can always put a rug before the couch, under the coffee table and run the cables under the rug.

There is one, but with wood floors...it may still look tacky, and my dog may decide to eat them....NOM NOM NOM!! She is still pretty young and likes to chew.

speaker cable is a lot safer to chew than power cable, which you will need for those wireless speakers anyway. The cables will be under the rug for the most part so it is not really all that tacky.

Huh? That speaker cable has power running through it - potentially quite a bit.

But its low voltage...compare that with the 110AC out of the wall...very different situations.

I don't particularly recommend trying this but you can turn on a receiver and touch both ends of the speaker wire while you play whatever sound track you want...nothing will happen.

If your worried about your dog chewing cables why would you want surrounds in the first place? You're going to have to run power cables to wireless speakers...

 

[ViviTheMage]

Is that flat speaker wire any good? I guess that is my next question...What should I get for speaker wire?

Also, what mid WOULD be good for R50's, as those seem to be 200$~~~ for the pair on ebay and the such.

I may wait on a sub, get the mid and SR-575....What cables do I need, since the SR-575 is refurb and does not come with anything?

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Is that flat speaker wire any good? I guess that is my next question...What should I get for speaker wire?

Also, what mid WOULD be good for R50's, as those seem to be 200$~~~ for the pair on ebay and the such.

I may wait on a sub, get the mid and SR-575....What cables do I need, since the SR-575 is refurb and does not come with anything?

probably ok, get the 14ga variant and you should be fine.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Is that flat speaker wire any good? I guess that is my next question...What should I get for speaker wire?

Go to Monoprice and buy some speaker wire in the 12-16 gauge range.

Also, what mid WOULD be good for R50's, as those seem to be 200$~~~ for the pair on ebay and the such.

The R50s have two woofers and a tweeter. That's plenty of mid-range.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Is that flat speaker wire any good? I guess that is my next question...What should I get for speaker wire?

Go to Monoprice and buy some speaker wire in the 12-16 gauge range.

Also, what mid WOULD be good for R50's, as those seem to be 200$~~~ for the pair on ebay and the such.

The R50s have two woofers and a tweeter. That's plenty of mid-range.

Really, so I don't even need a sub probably...I meant the center, not mid. What would compliment that setup (R50 + onkyo receiver?)?

I am overlooking another type of setup around this price range?

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Really, so I don't even need a sub probably...I meant the center, not mid. What would compliment that setup (R50 + onkyo receiver?)?

You definitely want a sub with the R50s if you're using them for home theater or gaming. They simply don't go down all that far. The matching center is the Polk CSR.

I am overlooking another type of setup around this price range?

Not really. Polk has excellent bang for the buck. You might consider trolling Craigslist for a bit to see if anyone is selling something used locally.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

First stay away from wireless speakers. Cost more, more wiring, worse sound quality.

Second with that budget I would personally rather go with a better 2.1 and when I had cash later get rears.

Third what about some of that plastic raceway type track to run the wire and hide it for the rears? Like this. They sell it at Home Depot and Lowes I know.

Fourth they have those plasticy things that go over the floor and are rounded that let cable go through them (offices use them, but you see them all the time at events like expos).

Fifth I don't know if this is up to code or not (most likely not, but you could look into), is take off the plastic wall plate for power and run it through that hole. Obviously not next to the power, but putting another hole in the plastic box there to run it through.