The debate on whether to purchase wired or wireless speakers for a surround sound system has been raging for years. Homeowners wondering how to increase the resale value of their home, especially luxury home resale value, are looking to include a good-quality home sound system as part of their overall home automation system.
A Quality Audio System Can Improve Your Home’s Resale Value
If you are wondering why home automation increases property value, the biggest advantage is in making a home stand apart from the competition in presenting a great first impression. Few improvements create the impression of a quality sound system throughout the home. If you’ve decided on adding surround sound as part of your smart home technology, this guide will help you understand the merits of wired versus wireless systems.
Sound Quality
Wires can carry a great deal of information at once to the speakers, enabling a greater sound fidelity than wireless systems can. Think of this in terms of bandwidth. A highspeed connection has a lot of bandwidth, enabling you to stream movies in high definition. Lower bandwidth means settling for lower quality streaming. The same is true with speaker wires; the ability to carry more information means higher quality audio.
Wireless systems have made major improvements in the last few years, however. While wireless speakers offer lower-quality audio, the gap has narrowed so significantly that unless you are an audiophile, you may miss the difference. The ability for wireless speaker systems to broadcast over Wi-Fi has allowed them to channel a great deal of information to the speakers. Additionally, recent improvements in Bluetooth technology also give them the ability to broadcast a lot of information. Infrared systems can beam the information directly to speakers as well. If a slight loss of audio quality is not important to you, the sound quality may not be a significant factor now.
The Appeal of Lacking Wires
Wired systems’ primary selling point is the audio fidelity possible through those wires. The wires also represent their most significant drawback. The trail of wires throughout your living space and running in walls and attics may be enough of an eyesore, even with wire-hiding techniques, to make you reconsider a wired sound system.
Wireless systems have the amazing appeal of being set up without those wires running throughout the house. The wireless feature not only makes set-up and installation much easier, it can also improve the beauty and overall aesthetic of the home. It should be kept in mind, however that even wireless systems are not entirely wireless. Some satellite speakers may still require wires for audio. Additionally, most wireless speakers will require a wire for power. So, while the wireless requires significantly less wires, it is not entirely wireless.
Control Over the Audio Experience
Every sound system involves a digital-to-audio converter that translates the 1s and 0s of information on a CD or streaming audio source into sounds that can be heard. The system also requires an amplifier to complete the system. For a wireless system, that technology is built into the speaker itself, as the data reaching it is still being received in digital form. Most wireless speaker systems you will consider purchasing do this well, but they also provide a rather standard sound profile.
Wired systems require purchasing those components separately. If that sounds like an extra hassle to you, then wireless may have the advantage here. For audiophiles, however, this extra step allows them to have more control over the sound. A tube-amp can enrich the bass for music featuring deep tones, or they may choose to go with a solid-state amp to produce a cleaner, sharper sound. Either method has advantages, but the wired option gives greater control over the overall sound.
Cost May Be a Factor
Depending on the system you choose, wireless speaker systems do tend to be somewhat more expensive than wired systems initially. Having the capability to receive digital signals through the air and decode and amplify them at each speaker tends to drive the cost of speakers up over wired components.
Wired speakers, however, require quality wiring to deliver the purest sound possible. The wire itself can be expensive, depending on the options you choose. Additionally, it is usually worthwhile to have a professional perform the installation of any quality sound system. The time to install wires can add up, and the installation may well take longer than when setting up a wireless system.
Our System Design Specialists help you create a one of a kind experience on any budget. Call us today to see what options are available to you:
(480) 998-9699
There Is No Wrong Choice
Whether you choose to go with a wired sound system or a wireless choice, there is no clear right or wrong choice. Quality is better for wired sound systems, but the gap is narrow enough that you would not be disappointed with a wireless system. Wireless systems are easier to set up, but wired systems allow greater control over the components that make up the system. Wireless systems may cost slightly more, but additional costs in wired systems make this a somewhat negligible factor as well. Overall, getting professional advice on what system will work best to meet your tastes and your home’s unique properties will deliver a quality experience in the end.
