How To Make Regular Speakers Wireless

One of the challenges you will be facing when you have wired speakers is running cables throughout your home to get a signal. Crawling around the attic with one or two skimpy cables to get a signal for your speakers can be troubling. It is 100% true that running cables is not a fun time. It might even test your patience.

Most of the old home audio speakers are manufactured as a wired system. They are now outdated and also pretty expensive. Because of their value, you won’t be selling them for a price less than what you got them for. So, the speakers will probably just be collecting dust in your basement instead of being put to use or sold. 

Many people also believe that wired speakers are more reliable, which can be true. Indeed, wired speakers are more dependable and produce higher-quality sound than wireless speakers. They are rarely affected by interference. The WiFi outages cannot affect the wired speakers. Most importantly, they are more affordable than wireless speakers. 

Sometimes, it is unnecessary to spend money in order to upgrade things in your house. Instead, you can go for an alternative.

The solution for these problems is to convert your existing wired speakers to wireless. 

Pros Of Wireless Speakers 

Changing your wired speakers to wireless has some advantages, which include:

  • Wireless speakers run without wires linking to the central unit. The speakers will be operating through infrared or radio transmission. They are less intrusive. 
  • They are convenient and easy to use.
  • You can take them wherever you want without worrying about the wires, cords, and cables.
  • Using wireless speakers will reduce the possibility of you, your family, and your friends tripping over the wires.
  • It also prevents incidents like your dog or your baby eating/chewing the wire or touching the cord or outlet.
  • You don’t need to worry about the installation process.
  • Wireless speakers are also energy efficient and are the most significant power saver.
  • You can set up the speaker high up on the wall to avoid disturbance and create more space.
  • Some landlords will not even allow tenants to drill into the wall. Using wireless speakers will prevent the installation of wires in the wall.

Making Regular Speakers Wireless

Let us take a look at a legitimate and effective method for this conversion. You only need a wireless speaker kit. 

Wireless speaker kits will make the regular speakers wireless by transmitting the audio signal through a radio frequency signal. So you just need to add the wireless speaker kit to your speakers to get a high-definition wireless signal.

This kit comprises a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit will receive the input from the receiver or any other source and transmit this to the receiving unit. The receiving unit will process this input signal and route the signal to the source connected to its output.

You might need to include a separate amplifier to power the speaker because: 

  1. Power will not travel without a wire.
  2. Most of the wireless speaker kits do not contain their own built-in amplifier.
  3. Nearly all the rear speakers are passive. This means they don’t afford their own power.

Sometimes, the receiving unit contains a built-in amplifier which provides a small amount of power. It is not advisable to use it because a separate simplifier is more reliable.

Radio frequency is the same signal that the WiFi will utilize. A lot of speaker kits function through 2.4GHz. Therefore, you have to be careful when you place your speaker near your router or WiFi, as there might be interference.

Setting Up A Wireless Speaker Kit

The type of speaker you use will determine how complicated this method can be. However, this article will include the technique with maximum generalized form. 

Running cables for the front channel speakers is simpler than the rear speakers, as the receiver used for the front speakers is located near the speakers. Whereas, in the case of rear speakers, the receiver is located far from the speakers. 

So, using a cable or wireless kit depends on the rear speakers’ location. Here are the steps involved in this method.

  • Choosing A Wireless Speaker Kit

Wireless speaker kits have two types:

  • One with no built-in amplifier. It can only transmit audio signals and needs an amplifier to provide power for the speakers.
  • One that comprises a built-in amplifier.

As mentioned before, go with the kit that comes without the built-in amplifier. Be aware that the input is in the transmitting unit and the output is on the audio/video receiver. 

If your receiving unit has pre-outs (which means the RCA inputs for each different speaker channel before the power is provided), all you need to do is simply link the RCAs from the receiving unit to the transmitting unit.  

If your receiving unit does not have any pre-outs, ensure that the transmitter allows regular speaker signal as the input. Or else you can just use a line-level adapter to modify the speaker signal to RCAs.

  • Connecting The Transmitting Unit

You will need a transmitter or an amplifier for the receiver. There are different options to input the audio signal based on the kit you chose. 

In the case of speaker wire inputs, link the regular speaker wire from the two speaker output units on the receiver to the inputs on the transmitter. In case of RCA input, connect the RCA cables from the receiver’s pre-outs to the RCA inputs of the transmitter.

  • Connecting The Receiving Unit

If you are using a separate amplifier, connect the RCAs from the receiver to the amplifier. Next, link the speaker wire from the amplifier to the speakers. If the speakers are passive, you need an AC adapter connecting from the power outlet to the receiver.

In case you are using a receiver with a built-in amplifier, just connect the speaker wire from the receiver to the speaker and then connect the power for the receiver. 

  • Final Testing

For the last time, make sure the receiver is good at receiving a strong signal from the transmitting unit. If the sound produced by the speakers is still unclear, you need to adjust the transmitter and/or receiver’s location. 

Double-check all the connections and make sure whether all the cables are properly secured. There are some transmitters and receivers that have multiple channels. Try to change the channel to check whether it increases the quality of sound.

After getting the accurate signal from your speakers, try to adjust the speaker level. The wired and wireless speakers must have the same sound level. It can lead to giving additional sound levels to the front/wired speakers, dampening the sound coming from the rear/wireless speakers. You can adjust the sound level on the receiver, amplifier, or both.

Once these are done, you are good to go.

Conclusion 

There are some methods to convert your wired speakers to wireless speakers. But this method is a simple and reliable one. 

Hopefully this article has provided enough information for you to make your regular speakers wireless. You can also purchase a wireless speaker and avoid this method. Wireless speakers are the future of audio systems. However, due to its high-end price, these speakers are not welcomed by all the customers.

So, try your best to convert your existing wired speakers to wireless and save yourself some money.