Wireless loudspeaker project

Hey all,

Would realy appreciate any ideas and opinions on my 3rd yr Bsc product design major project. pasted below a sections from my brief outline what i'm trying to achieve,

This project will focus on making loudspeakers more suitable for use in minimal living places, where an uncluttered appearance with clean lines is desired.

Accompanying this; improving the potential for being moved regularly so they can be used in different locations within and away from the user’s living space. This will be done by utilising the storage of data within the units themselves.

Integration into the computerised home will be a key element taking advantage of wireless technology and home networking. Creating a more sleek appearance to the currently required layout.

Finally creating a solution that does not require separate devices, i.e. everything is integrated into the loudspeakers themselves.

Just interested to know what the general feeling is towards wireless loudspeakers and whether quality of sound and performance should be put before appearance.

Thanks

[pre65]

Hi-an interesting project.

of course most of us would say that sound quality is most important,but the WAF (wife acceptance factor) also has to be taken into account.

Active speakers (speakers with amps in the box)are nothing new,and with something like a t-amp need not be expensive.

If you had one of the one box midi system units and a wireless link to the speakers you have a fairly minimalist system,but you would still need 3 mains leads.

can you buy a wireless transmitter and 2 recievers to adapt a pair of active speakers ?



Philip

[NickG]

Just interested to know what the general feeling is towards wireless loudspeakers and whether quality of sound and performance should be put before appearance.

Thats a very individual choice, a lot of my kit is only needed to sound good, looks are secondary, however I wouldn't use that approach if you wanted more than one in ten million to be interested. I don't think the two have to be exclusive. Ok, we prefer valve amps, and I guess they would be out, but other than that, there is nothing to stop combining a active speaker suce as meridian dsp8000's with a wifi sound server like the squeezebox. That basically gives you what you are talking about, so the potential is there.

[James D]

Just interested to know what the general feeling is towards wireless loudspeakers and whether quality of sound and performance should be put before appearance.

Oh dear, oh dear.... and to think I helped develop a future where questions like this are considered important.

James

[Scottmoose]

One of these days I'm going to come up with a nice thick speaker cable which can be painted so that it actually does resemble an anaconda. Won't make a blind difference to the sound of course, but perfect for those who like a fusion of nature and technology.

Wireless has potential for lo-fi at present. Hifi? Not yet. Eventually it will of course, but I'm not going to hold my breath for a while.

[James D]

Actually technically I don't think this is difficult - given that this market i.e. the lifestyle market isn't after anything other than good sound...

The brief includes datastorage in the speaker so we can stick the equivalent of an iPoD and a T-amp in the speaker say a JX92 in a Metal honycomb chassis. Include a wireless/USB client to mount the internal HDD as a source/destination folder on the wireless network so you can transfer songs on and off the device from any networked PC. Many of the IpoD competiotors have IR remotes now so song selection is via the remote. The two speakers are wireless linked on their own private and locked channel, the datastream from the HDD is trasnmitted to the other speaker as well as internal DAC. Recieved in the second speaker (and subwoofer if required) and fed to the DAC and T-amp in the second remote speaker. Probably the master datastream would need to be fed through a delay before hitting its dac to maintain synchronisim...

It won't be cheap but its all stuff that is off-the-shelf today and using a metal honeycomb enclosure would allow it to have any form required and any finish. You could run it off batteries or a wallwart. Batteries would be heavy/big and expensive...

I wouldn't buy it or listen to it but most people would... sad isn't it?

James

[Scottmoose]

I fear so. Reckon I'll stick to my horns and MLTLs.

[BOONDI]

Haven't Phillips or somesuch multinational already done this?....

Simpler to plug a squezebox and 300gb hdisk into a wireless router, with wireless or inductive power for the reciever modules. T amps into each speaker is a good way to go.....

Best sound will not be achieved by puting a player inside the speaker tho, to much EM and sound killing vibrations.....

Sorry, its starting to sound like a ghetto blaster now.....

Acoustic Energy hav just released pratically what i'm aiming at, a bluetooth loudspeakers, stream tracks off your phone, so great for the whole lifestyle integration bit, and they've got a wi-fi radio to. Thats the only ones i'm aware of at the moment, but still searching!

Might go down the Wharfedale Loudpanel route.

Any suggestions for suppliers of drivers, used Eminence drivers from Maplin in the past but they seem to be lacking in spec sheets.

[NickG]

The Emanance home page should have the spec's for the drivers.