Is it possible to remove the need for cables between a conventional integrated amplifier and speakers?
I realise this does raise the question 'why', but for the moment I'm wondering whether it's possible for reasonable cost (<£1000) and quality.
(posted to uk.rec.audio)
My Sonos speakers are wireless, but would recommend Bose.
Surely the main purpose of an amplifier is to drive the speakers? i.e boost the power to the point it can drive a speaker coil. WiFi speakers just combine an amplifier with each speaker.
Yes, Why?
And possibly replacing one problem with another as each speaker will require a source of (mains) power.
Thanks, yes, but for 2 things:
How does the existing amplifier communicate with the BT speakers?
She wants to keep the existing amplfier and speakers.
Indeed.
I'd rather not go there too far. Just to say she's neurodivergent and I've found it's best just to answer the questions asked. I think she wants to stick with the interface and aesthetics of her existing system, but has become confounded by the tangle of loudspeaker wires.
Once I've exhausted the possibility of wireless connectivity, I'll start to introduce flat and concealed speaker cables.
Yes, but it'll probably save a lot of going round the houses to know what the existing setup is?
BOSE stands for "Beats Only Saddest Electronics"
Assuming the existing amp is more than an amp, it's a mixer between different sound sources and that's the interface she wants to keep, I'd have thought it would be technically possible to do that.
Take the speaker outputs from the existing amp, run them into something that impedance matches the speaker output to that of a headphone jack (audio transformer? eg 8 ohm to 32 ohm), and then feed that into a wireless transmitter. I don't know what kind of transmitter but I'm guessing there are point to point raw 868 or 2.4GHz things with lower latency than say Bluetooth.
At the other end, recover the audio signal and feed into a new amp by the speaker(s) that's externally powered. Set the audio volume on this new amp to be fixed, so twiddling the volume on the original amp controls the main volume.
If the speakers are far apart and you can't put a wire between them, maybe you need a stereo to 2x mono splitter, two mono wireless links and to avoid them interfering. Plus two amps.
I think the stumbling block is going to be if there aren't power sockets near the speaker locations, as then you'd have to trail power cables which is worse than trailing speaker cables.
But it's a lot of kit. I might be tempted to get a sample of flat speaker cable, slip it under the carpet and see if she notices it's there. If not you can do the big reveal and say 'tada, doing it this way will cost £20 not £200'.
Theo
Basically no. There needs to be a significant transfer of power. And wires are the simple way to do it. The other alternative would be mains power loudspeakers, and transmit the signal some other way, but then , you have mains wires instead...,
Bullshit, overpriced, styled Electronics
+1
She is not going to get (exactly) what she wants then :-)
If you want a wireless connection to a speaker, then the speaker will need to be "active" - i.e. have its own amplifier. Now you could add an additional amp to the speakers, and then use a wireless transmitter to communicated it, *and* make sure that the transmitter also allows a high level input, such that you can drive it from the speaker terminals of the main amp[1]. That would create the impression of a wireless speaker connection that still uses the same amp.
[1] If the amp has a tape monitor output, then you could use that to feed a more conventional sender that expects line level inputs.
Some of their sound reinforcement/PA speakers are good. But their Hi-Fi speakers are at best Mid-Fi and mainly they're S**te-Fi.
Or just use the line out/tape loop from the amp.
The OP doesn't give details of the existing equipment or how many speakers but with the above marmitek I would be a bit worried about connecting it to the output speaker terminals of say a typical mid/high order AV amp*. The input to the transmitter is specified at
Audio Input Level (Max) 11 V (RMS ) @ 120 ohm
A power amp with a FET output stage may produce a lot more than 11V rms.
I'm assuming that this may be the case if the budget is around £1K for the modification.
Surely there's something for at least ten grand that Russ Andrews could sell her. ;-)
mc=05_PS_WS_BO_00_GO_&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInvPF3MOaiwMVKKJQBh1zrAO
My Sonos speakers connect via the WiFi hub
Impressive - rather vague on spec: '2 x 25W RMS'. Even so, from something weighing 100g, not bad.
It's an old base model Arcam amp - maybe 20 years old. Entirely analogue and one pair of speakers.
Yes - the transmitter does seem to be doing a lot of work too, somehow dealing with loudspeaker outputs.
Decent enough reviews:
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