Wireless speakers are a great addition to any home theater installation. It can deliver great sound without the price of having a snake pit of wires behind the TV or DVD rack.
Generally, though, when you’re talking about wireless speakers, you’re talking about speakers that work over Bluetooth. Which is pretty cool and all, since most entertainment and media devices that we have today – smartphones, tablets, iPods, gaming consoles, etc. – come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity anyway.
But you know what’s cooler? Wireless speakers that connect to our players and devices via Wi-Fi. Or via Apple AirPlay. That’s because Wi-Fi and AirPlay can carry much more information than Bluetooth – thus producing better, high-quality sound for your home audio system.
Recently, we here at Hooked Up Installs are seeing more and more Wi-Fi and AirPlay-enabled speakers installed in home theater systems. Let’s check out some of our favorites:
Bowers & Wilkins A7 AirPlay Wireless Music System
The A7 Wireless Music System by Bowers & Wilkins is one of the highest-quality wireless audio systems out there right now. Able to wirelessly stream high-quality, loss-less audio from any Apple device (iPad, iPhone, iPod), it delivers a full-range sound and impressively deep bass via Wi-Fi or AirPlay. The system includes a 6-inch Kevlar-reinforced subwoofer, four high-quality stereo drivers, and five dedicated audiophile Class D amplifiers. The A7 AirPlay Wireless Music System also features advanced digital signal processing, audiophile-quality DAC (digital-to-analogue converter), and a simple, classic form factor that fits elegantly into any living room or home theater.
Libratone Zipp
Want to take your music everywhere you go? Check out the new Libratone Zipp, a wireless Wi-Fi speaker for both Apple AirPlay and Android devices. Available in all colors of the rainbow, the Zipp also happens to be extremely portable, making it perfect for younger, on-the-go audiophiles who don’t want to sacrifice sound quality wherever they are. But if you’re just staying in, these speakers work great, too: the proprietary Libratone PlayDirect technology delivers wireless sound to all the rooms in your house and works in conjunction with both AirPlay and DLNA.
Sonos Play:3
The Sonos Play:3 consistently rates as one of today’s top wireless Wi-Fi speakers. A 3-driver HiFi speaker system, the Play:3 features three state-of the-art digital amplifiers individually coupled with three speakers, a tweeter for high-frequency response, all-digital sound architecture, and seamless integration with the Sonos app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Home audio installation can be designed in any orientation, either vertical or horizontal, but because the Sonos Play:3 is smaller than (yet as powerful as) most of its counterparts, adding it to your home theater system is virtually fuss-free.
Pioneer A4 XW-SMA4 Wi-Fi Speakers
With five speakers (including a pair of 3-inch speakers), a dedicated subwoofer, and a dual 3/4-inch soft dome tweeters, the XW-SMA4 is the flagship model for Pioneer’s impressive lineup of Wi-Fi speakers. It’s AirPlay-enabled, is DLNA-certified, integrates well with HTC Connect, and works conveniently with smartphones and mobile devices to deliver rich, high-fidelity audio with powerful bass. The sound coming from the Pioneer A4 XW-SMA4 is also tuned professionally by Andrew Jones, Pioneer’s world-renowned Chief Speaker Engineer.
JBL SoundFly Air AirPlay-enabled Wi-Fi Speakers
The JBL SoundFly Air is a revolutionary, AirPlay-enabled Wi-Fi speaker designed to deliver 20 watts of high-quality sound anywhere in your house: be it your living room, home theater, bedroom, kitchen, or outdoor activity area. It features a simplified, easy-to-use, anywhere-you-want-it plug-in design (meaning, you can plug it into any wall socket), and works exclusively with Apply AirPlay-enabled players and devices.
