Bluetooth Speakers

From the perspective of manufacturers of "real good" speakers, I doubt that they'd want to give the impression that current Bluetooth audio fidelity represents the limit of what their products are capable of. If there is reason enough to generally avoid integrating amplifiers in hi-fi speakers in the first place, and many would argue that there is, then Bluetooth integration is definitely out (until market forces dictate otherwise, which seems unlikely in this market for the foreseeable future). The market for existing Bluetooth speakers is very different from the hi-fi market, of course.

As for Bluetooth integration in receivers for the surround and back channels, I think that this (or a similar solution) will eventually happen when the audio quality is high enough, and competition and market forces compel the manufacturers. Until then, I think they'd rather make some money on separate wireless solutions, either current Bluetooth for those who don't mind compromising some quality for neatness, convenience, and lower cost, or higher quality proprietary solutions that they can charge a lot more for.

By the way, one major barrier is that speakers still need amplification, which means having to buy and install additional equipment anyway, so one additional component for wireless transmission is not going to discourage those who are determined to avoid running 2-4 speaker cables along or inside a wall. If hi-fi speakers had built-in amplifiers as a rule, then things would be different, but short of that people would need two receivers, both with Bluetooth integrated, and that seems even less integrated than a single receiver plus a few cables run around the viewing area.

Im one of those that do not want to run additional cables for my B outputs. I have a Marantz 5006 AVR which can run a discreet B channel. All Im looking for is sound out of that B channel; the quality of sound matters less. And hard wiring to my somewhat remote spots from the AVR is not an option.

So I'd like a bluetooth speaker that will transmit from my AVR to the speakers wherever they may be. Range isnt an issue.

What speakers are out there to handle this job? It seems I need a speaker that will feed into the AVR have a transmitter on the AVR's end and then a receiver where the speakers are. Do those sorts of speakers exist? They all seem to be made for Iphones, not AVRs.

Obviously Im a newbie, so thanks for any help.

Ice
There could be no BT speakers because BT does not support time synchronized transmission to multiple destinations. You may have one BT receiver connected to two speakers for stereo. But this is the best you can get.

Ok, understood thanks. So the only way is RF? Any recommended RFs out there? Again, functionaliy is more important than quality for these particular speakers....

What you need to do is connect a wireless stereo audio transmitter (not a "speaker") of some sort to the B output of your AVR, and then connect a compatible wireless receiver to an amplifier (or spare stereo receiver) that will power the actual speakers. If there is only a speaker-level output for the B channel and there are no transmitters that can take a speaker-level output--and all of the ones I know of take RCA or TRS line-level inputs, or even just USB in some cases--then you'll also need a "line out converter" or LOC, which is a device more commonly used in car audio than home audio. Here are some examples:

http://davidnavone.com/zencart/index...&products_id=6
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...r=265-026&FTR=
http://www.lesscoelectronics.com/category_s/181.htm
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/viewc...rder=price_asc

I don't have any personal experience with these, but for one thing you'll want to make sure that it can handle the load, which is based on your AVR's output power rating in watts (I suppose you could use a lower wattage if you don't play music very loudly). Connect an LOC (all you need is two channels for stereo, obviously) between the B speaker output of your main AVR and the input of the wireless transmitter, and you should be all set.

As for the wireless transmitter and receiver, a couple of high quality examples are:

Audioengine W1/W3 - W3 is apparently replacing W1, operates in the 2.4 GHz band, requires a separate amplifier (of your choice)

Amphony Model 1500 - operates in the 5.8 GHz band.

Amphony Model 1600 - comes with a receiver (with built-in amplifier) for each speaker, operates in the 5.8 GHz band

Or you could choose any Bluetooth transmitter and receiver you like (I have no personal experience with these, either), although this will likely compromise quality and reliability somewhat.