Why not more wireless connections?


Greetings

As far as I can tell, wireless is all around us but not so much in home audio systems. Why is that? Why not wireless connections between sources and amp and between amps and speakers? Why use wires at all? 

Thanks

bzawa

My system is essentially wireless (but only partially).  My streamer (Linn ADSM/3 with Katalyst) requires an ethernet connection.  This is not convenient  in my house setup.  I tested it with an ethernet cable stretched across the room, across a hallway, and across another room.  It sounded fantastic.  I then move one of my mesh satellites next to my streamer and ran a short ethernet from the satellite to the ADSM.  Basically I fooled my streamer into thinking it was hardwired to the internet, while in reality it was running wireless.  I COULD HEAR NO DIFFERENCE IN QUALITY!!!

A lot of answers touching on the reasons, especially the carrying of required power and potential (voltage).

The ultimate disadvantage of wireless is headroom, even at multi-GHz connections.  What this means is you're listening to a dynamic range of frequencies between 20Hz and 20,000Hz.  Those frequencies have to be fit onto a channel with only so much bandwidth at 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, or other carrier frequency.

Someone also mentioned interference so imagine sharing your music with one of the many other components on that wireless band and its sidebands and harmonics.  You start to compete for priority and, as a result, sound quality suffers.

If it's JUST data, you're usually okay because those are 1s and 0s.  But Bluetooth is a good example where you're basically broadcasting and receiving a radio signal at 2.4GHz.  Its a crap load better than 104.3MHz, but still not better than lamp cord 🙂

Wifi and Bluetooth only transmit data...

Bluetooth sound quality depends on the codec. LDAC supports high-res up to 24/96 and it really sounds quite good.

 

My mistake, Devin -- I thought Bluetooth acted like a broadcast.  I didn't know there was a conversion going on.  Thanks!  TIL 🙂