OT: Something for Christmas at Harrods

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You must spend a fortune on batteries. ;-)

[RJH]

Well, sort of obviously, you have the option to have the audio signal delivered wirelessly. But I'd bet the instructions recommend wired ethernet . . .

[Cursitor Doom]

McDonalds was it?

[Max Demian]

It's mono.

[jkn]

Maybe, but Linn do/did at least engineer what went around such chips properly.

Likewise, the hifi gear from Nain used discrete circuit topology dating back to the Lin (no connection) work in the 50's ... but they did engineer it well.

And, there have been some top-end CD players that took some of the early 'primitive' DACs, and achieved extremely good sound by proper attention to layout, signal integrity, earthing, power supply regulation etc.

All the good stuff that tends to go out the window when you are manufacturing mass-production stuff, in fact. The cost of the actual silicon is relatively small in comparison.

J^n

[Andrew]

Oh no he won't, he'll be selling his cat5 cables that are 'optimised' for digital audio.

[Clive Page]

My speakers don't need batteries - just a bit of twin flex connecting them to the output of the amplifier. I can't see the point of a "wireless" device if it needs a mains lead, which is much more of a nuisance.

Or perhaps someone could explain it to me?

[Andrew]

It's so that people can 'broadcast' their music around the house without having to wire the house up with cat5/6, and have the same musack playing in every room. Sort of a personal SFN I guess.

in my house I just turn up the volume on the main hifi system :-)

[Brian Reay]

Rechargeable batteries?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Then they ain't wireless.

You're more likely to have a convenient mains socket?

You have to realise that despite this being uk.d-i-y, many can't grasp the concept of concealing wires to anything. Not even a door bell. Hence being so keen on wireless.

[Max Demian]

I have that with an FM transmitter (of the kind usually used in cars to transmit from an MP3 player to the car radio) connected to a line output of my main amplifier. Then an FM radio wherever I want the sound.

[Jane Black]

And that?s why the neighbours keep molotoving your place.

[tim...]

but that was a genuine innovation

replacing a data cable with a power one seems pointless to me

tim

[tim...]

in my house I just sit where the music is

tim

[Steve Walker]

But most people have power sockets dotted around their house and do not have audio sockets all over. It is far easier to plug wireless speakers into the existing mains, than it is to run audio cables to where they are needed without disturbing the decor.

That said, my stereo and speakers *are* plugged into Speakon connectors on the walls - but that is only so that I can easily remove the whole system when I am decorating or temporarily want the extra space and not have any lengths of cable stuck out of the walls or floors.

SteveW

[whisky-dave]

When my dad first build his shed in the 1960s, he ran power to it, but he didnlt think to run anyhbting else. He had a wireless in there. So effectivley the power was there but NOT the media or not way to get media there other than carry it and a record player. Even in todays world it is easier to find a 30ft mains extention lead than it is to find a 30ft USB cable or speaker cable or any other sort of cable if yuo ant a disco in the garden, people can then also stream their music from their own personal device to a 'central speaker system'

Which is why I said it is the same as the old radios being called wireless, because it meant you could hear the radio anywhere there was mains power.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Many years ago, long before Wi-Fi, I installed a twenty pair telephone cable to every room. Giving 5 balanced pair stereo circuits. Cable no bigger than Cat5. And being analogue, no latency between speakers in different areas, if on the same signal.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I use XLRs. Because the amps are part of the speakers. ;-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Why bother with USB or speaker cables - neither of which is designed for any distance.

Balanced audio is. Originally to carry telephone calls across the country. On nice cheap and small cable.

[Andrew]

Only have one neighbour and she's out all day