KEF x300a Wireless Speaker Review [Video]

Video of Kef x300a Wireless Speaker Review

A Brief history of Wireless Speakers

Wireless speakers, and in particular the best wireless home audio sytems that we review here are the best future-proof audiophile investment you can make right now. In fact, they have been around for almost two decades. It was in 1994 that Larry Schotz applied to receive a patent for the first digital wireless speaker system. The concept was based on a transmitter sending radio frequency to a receiver built into a receiving loudspeaker. The loudspeaker, which was powered by an onboard amplifier then output the converted sound.

At first, the concept met with a host of practical challenges. For instance, radio frequencies often have trouble with signal quality and interference. Wired signals didn't experience that problem at all as there was a way of insulating the signal within the cable. Unfortunately for wireless speakers, the Federal governing body, the FCC often limits the signal strength employed in consumer electronics.

Undaunted, the developers of wireless speakers circumvented the problem by employing digital transmissions over a short-distance. Along with digital modulation of the audio signal, this meant that the amplitude or size of the wireless signal required could be much smaller, and the digital audio would suffer far less during transmission.

Around the same time, Bluetooth wireless technology was developing. Bluetooth was the brainchild of the Ericsson Company. It was meant to be a wireless alternative to data cables. Bluetooth was designed to transport digital data by high-frequency radio signals at the unrestricted range of 2.45 GHz. This made it ideal for use with low-power transmitters over very short distances. Bluetooth broadcasts over a much smaller area than tv broadcasts or mobile phone transmitters.

KEF LS50 Wireless Speaker Comparison [Video]

Video of KEF LS50 vs Q100 vs X300A in-depth speaker COMPARISON

With subsequent proliferation of Bluetooth technology, many devices were developed to use it and one of them was wireless speakers. Combining wireless technology with audio speakers was simply ingenious.

Later, as Wi-fi technology developed for use in the home and workplace for persona comuters, it became the defacto method for pushing digital multimedia information around the home. So today, high-end audio sytems incorporate both Wi-fi and bluetooth as well as traditional wired connectivity.

Most of what we review at Rate Your Sound are high-end home wirless powered speakers, but we also look at a few of the very best portable sytems to carry your music outside on a camping trip or BBQ.

Wireless Audio is taken so seriously by the industry that most audiphile manufacturers have some kind of high-end speaker syetme in their range. There is no doubt that wireless home audio is the future as cables become less and less desirable or neccessary. Use our top rated wireless audio speaker comparison table above to help you understand the differences between each Brand and Model of speaker.

There is a perfect speaker system for you, and we are sure that it will be among those that we have selected for review.

What Devices Can You Connect To Wireless speakers?

Most wireless speakers can work with iOS, Android and literally any Bluetooth or Wi-fi enabled device. That includes most Windows or Mac laptop and desktop computers. Above, we list the streaming services that are either built-in to the speaker system or can be streamed from your mobile device or computer. All of our reviews focus on wireless systems that include much more that just Apple-only AirPlay technology, so you are not restricted to just Apple products.

Disadvantages of Wireless Speakers?

There isn't any downside with wireless, at Rate Your Sound we love this technology and know that it's a mature and tested technology that's the future of home audio.

KEF Egg Wireless Speaker Review [Video]

Video of KEF Egg wireless music system – first look

Big vs. Small Speakers: What’s Best?

Great Speakers are your first and most important component.

At Rate Your Sound we review high-end music systems that will bring audiophile music to your home with friendly devices, that are decor friendly, and typically with a smaller form factor. Although smaller, we promise nothing will be lost in sound quality. Some of these music systems we will review and recommend will be the very same hi-fi speakers the pros use to record and produce the very music you love!

So what size speakers are needed for your new system?

Expert Advice: The single most important idea you can take away - Speaker size has little to do with the sound quality you can achieve. Downsizing the physical size of your speaker system would be my first rule of thumb for the budding modern audiophile wanting a high-end stereo system. We know when you walk in a hi-fi store and a dedicated room filled with big speaker systems your ears will stop working and your logic will definitely go out the window. Let’s spend a moment to understand the concept of smaller versus a larger speaker system.

Let’s use as an example Bose, a popular consumer electronics company that built its reputation on sound quality and has been making speakers since the 1960s. They, more than anyone, drilled down on the “concept” of 2 tiny almost invisible satellite speakers and a small subwoofer was the way to deliver room filling sound.

This is important to say again, Bose realized they could create the stereo immersion and scale of a much larger systems quite easily with their low profile small speaker concept. Today, this is called a 2.1 stereo system. Bose built small form factor, low cost, but high-end sounding music systems for the mass market and music lovers came in droves and the music critics fell in love with a new way to listen to music. These systems were great for the desktop or the living room or anywhere.

In the end what Bose understood was that large rooms or small rooms it was filling the room with stereo sound that was realistic from the higher frequencies to the lowest bass was the name of the game with a small speakers.

What about my room dimensions and listening position?

Expert Advice: Understanding your room is very important for getting the most out of your system. Most modern speaker systems are designed work best from a small room: anything 1500 square feet and under or medium size rooms: up to 3000 square feet. In most cases the bookshelf speakers we recommend will sound better than their larger counterparts in these size rooms and are easier to position for proper stereo imaging and balance the sound of bass.

Typically you’ll want to position yourself equidistant from both speakers. Stay away from having one or both speakers jammed in corners and away from walls particularly if the low bass frequencies sound distorted. Typically the further out from the corners you come the better it will be to create a balanced stereo soundstage and balance the bass. Also, get your bookshelf speakers at ear level as they are designed to be listened to. Finally, center your listening area and keep in mind if you sit too close your stereo imaging will disappear and if you are are sitting too far away the stereo effects will be much less accurate.

In conclusion, these simple guidelines have helped you understand the easy ways you can improve your current music system or help you understand how to properly set up a new system.

Devialet Wireless Speaker Review [Video]