Wireless vs. Wired Surround Sound Speakers

Wireless vs. wired surround sound speakers – which option is better? Well, that depends. We know you might find our answer annoying, but that’s the truth! However, you won’t have to do everything on your own. We will help you by providing you with a complete list of pros and cons for both options. In the next few minutes, we will help you determine what you need from your surround sound speakers and choose accordingly. So, here is everything you have to know about the wireless vs. wired surround sound speakers battle!

Wired Surround Sound Speakers

Wired surround sound speakers have been in our lives for decades. You have them, your parents might own them, even your grandparents probably have a pair somewhere in their home. They did an excellent job at providing a great audio experience for a long time. But, are they outdated? Is it time to replace them with a newer, wireless option? Let’s find out!

Reasons Why You Should Opt for Wired Surround Sound Speakers

Stable Connection

Almost every household has Wi-Fi at home. How many times have you experienced a sudden interruption of the connection? Well, the same goes for wireless speakers. A lot of users reported experiencing frequent abruptions in their speakers’ connection. On the other hand, wired speakers provide a more stable connection since they are connected to the receiver with a speaker wire. Thus, if you want to make sure that your music stops only in case there is something wrong with the receiver or if there’s a power outage, wired speakers are the way to go.

Higher Quality of Sound

Well, this one depends on the type and the model of your speakers. However, most experts believe that wired speakers can provide a much better sound. One of the reasons for that is the fact that the data flows more easily due to the lack of compressions. Compression is sometimes very noticeable with wireless speakers. So, think about the sound quality before you make your purchase.

The Pricing

While this point also depends on the model, in most cases, wired surround sound speakers are a bit cheaper than wireless ones. Experts think of them as an older version of speakers, which puts them at a lower price point.

Why You Shouldn’t Choose Wired Surround Sound Speakers

You Like to Keep Things Clean

If you have OCD or you just don’t like having lots of cables scattered around your house, wired speakers might not be for you. Still, cords are not a deal-breaker since you can find a lot of great cord hiders that will conceal your cables and can also serve as a decoration. In addition, buying these cable concealers will also increase the durability of your cables and lower the risk of damage. What’s more, in case you have pets, these tools will prove to be very useful at protecting your devices.

You Want More Placing Options

As you can probably assume, wired surround speakers do not give users many options when it comes to their placement. That’s because you have to worry about the length of the speaker wire since they will only work when physically connected to a source. Furthermore, hiding your cords will be a task that will also limit your placement options. Thus, placement is another thing you should take into account when making your choice.

Wireless Surround Sound Speakers

Wireless surround sound speakers send audio signals with the help of a transmitter. They use advanced technology and are believed to be an option that’s much easier to deal with than the wired one. But, is that really true? You can decide for yourself after reading this section of our article!

Reasons to Opt for Wireless Surround Sound Speakers

Fewer Cables

Even though most surround sound speakers of this kind are not completely wireless, they still come with fewer cables. You will be able to connect them to a receiver or your TV without any additional wiring, which eliminates the need for extra cords.  

More Placement Options

You can place your wireless speakers almost anywhere you want! As opposed to the wired ones, you don’t have to think about ways of connecting them to a source or the cables that will be left visible. Still, you should keep in mind that there is a maximum distance from the source. If you place them further away from the source than recommended, you will probably experience some connection issues. But most users claim that limit does not bother them.

Reduced Chances of External Damage

Nobody likes tripping over a cord. Unfortunately, that happens a lot when you have cables and speaker wire lying around. Have you ever found your dog chewing your precious cables? Well, you certainly won’t have these kinds of problems with wireless surround sound speakers!

Note: Only a few wireless surround sound speakers are fully wireless (battery-operated). Most of them require an external power source (they have to be plugged into the wall outlet).

Only a few systems have fully wireless surround sound speaker – JBL Bar 5.1 is one of them

Why Wireless Speakers Might Not be the Best Choice

Wireless Speakers Rely on the Quality of the Wireless Connection

Wireless data transfer is often unpredictable. That’s why you might encounter problems with the connection. As a result, the audio quality may not be the best sometimes. Moreover, if the connection breaks, you won’t have any sound at all, and you may have to reset the whole surround system. 

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• Is Home-Theater-In-A-Box Really Worth It?
• 5.1 & 7.1 Surround Sound Amplifiers
• Are Home Theatre Power Managers Worth It?

 
But you should know that there are ways to overcome the connection issues. For instance, turning off devices using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi will allow a smoother data flow. Also, putting your Wi-Fi router further away from the surround sound system won’t hurt. 

You May Have to Spend More

We previously mentioned that wireless surround sound speakers are usually a more expensive option. So, be prepared to spend a little extra money on a wireless speaker than you would for the wired one with the same specs.

Wireless vs. Wired Surround Sound Speakers – The Bottom Line

We already explained that we couldn’t make the decision for you. But, hopefully, you found every vital piece of information you needed in our article, and you now know which surround sound speakers you need: wireless or wired.