Surround Sound Systems

You have decided that you want wireless surround sound for your home theater system. Now all you have to do is to make the right choice. You will certainly get the best product for your needs, provided that you ask a number of simple questions. Use the questions and their answers to choose the best option for you.

1) Will the system have any wires?

Yes, it will. In technical terms wireless does not literally mean “without wires”. It means just fewer wires. The reality is that each surround system speaker has to be connected to an electricity socket via cable. This is necessary since the speakers are really powerful and cannot be powered with batteries. Since there is need for continuous system power, you can expect to have all speakers connected to electric grid in your home, since they do not get their power from the A/V receiver.

2) What is the most popular wireless surround sound option?

Currently, the most popular option is to have wireless rear speakers. With this wireless surround sound option, the center channel speaker, the left speaker and the right one are connected to the receiver via cables. The two rear speakers are not connected to the main receiver, which is usually placed near the TV set. However, in order for these rear satellites to be able to receive signal, the receiver needs a special wireless card. In addition, the rear speakers have to be connected to a small rear receiver box. These receiver boxes come with built in decoders.

You can get a wireless subwoofer as well. Most standard systems have a passive subwoofer powered with signal via the receiver. You can even get a system with rear passive subwoofer. These low frequency passive drivers do a good job. However, you can opt for powered subwoofer driver units. These have built-in amplifiers which allow them to work without being connected to receivers. The subwoofer powered surround sound is excellent.

3) Are there any other wireless surround sound alternatives?

Yes, there are. You can readily opt for virtual surround processing. Virtual systems use a smaller number of speakers to produce surround sound. As the number of satellites is smaller so is the number of wires necessary to connect them to the electric grid in your home. You can opt for a system with three, two or even one speaker called a sound bar. The latter option is certainly extremely beneficial for those who do not want to deal with any wires.

4) Are there any drawbacks of using wireless surround sound?

It is worth pointing out that wireless surround sound systems with wireless rear speakers have sound quality equal to or sometimes even better than the sound quality of standard wired systems. With this being said, the only drawback may be interference with other wireless devices such as Wi-Fi systems. Still, most manufacturers have reduced the risk of such interference to a minimum by setting up a several selectable channels for the wireless speakers.

On the other hand, the sound bar cannot give you full wall ceiling surround sound, even though it will produce sound of great quality. Still, you will enjoy a great “wrapping” sound coming from the front, left and right.

5) Which wireless surround sound option is best for me?

This is a matter of personal choice. In general, a system with rear wireless speakers can perform as well as a standard one for home theatre. A sound bar has more limited capabilities, but it saves a lot of space and uses a minimal number of wires.

6) What to look for in a wireless surround sound system?

Go for a system with Dolby Pro logic technology. A speaker Dolby Digital system is a good choice, but you may want to have one that has Dolby TrueHD decoding as well for watching Blu Ray discs.

When it comes to power, there is no point in getting a 1000w audio receiver with high Total Harmonic Distortion (DHT). You can readily opt for a standard 50-watt to 100-watt model with DHT of 1% or less. Extra features, such as ribbed elliptical surround, are great as well.

7) Are brands imports for wireless surround sound systems?

Yes, it is best to get a system from a reputable brand, such a Sony, Panasonic, Samsun, Yamaha or Polk. When it comes to choosing between Samsung sound bar and a Surroundbar by Polk, you simply need to look at the technical parameters.

Now you know how to get the best wireless surround sound system.