Just moved into a new house and Mrs STS is giving me grief about my stereo.

I can accept that its present position isn’t ideal, but I’m constrained by where the speaker cables can run – Our place has hardwood floors and I’m reluctant to nail cables to the skirting board or bother with trunking.

This got me thinking, has anyone invented a bluetooth device that does away with the cables?

I’ve searched online and all I can find are gadgets that allow me to connect my smartphone to the stereo. Ideally I want something to connect the amp to each of my speakers and a sub.

Any advice much appreciated 🙂

anything in the sonos range do what you want?

http://www.sonos.com/

Not sure I am understanding you – you want to make your speakers wireless? How would you drive them if that is the case, they need to be powered.

If it’s a decent system, and you like it, I’d guess that anything bluetooth is going to be more of a pain, less satisfactory and much more expensive than tidying up the cable runs.

There’s adaptors for connecting normal speakers to a Bluetooth source but I guess your Hi-Fi doesn’t put out a Bluetooth feed?

There’s adaptors for connecting normal speakers to a Bluetooth source

I assume you need to have the speaker plugged into a power source then?

I assume you need to have the speaker plugged into a power source then?

I suppose the adaptor is powered and then the speakers connect to the adaptor with standard jacks.
Never really looked at them, but seen them

anything in the sonos range do what you want?

http://www.sonos.com/

I don’t think it will. All I’m trying to do is find a solution which will allow me to have the speakers I already own elsewhere in the room, without cables running between the amp and the speakers.

Not sure I am understanding you – you want to make your speakers wireless? How would you drive them if that is the case, they need to be powered.

I hadn’t thought about this aspect but I had assumed that these adapters (if they existed) would need to be plugged into a power source, or battery powered.

I probably should have mentioned that part of the reason the stereo lives where it does at the moment is because it’s connected to our TV. Also, I wasn’t quite sure how to explain my imagined solution but hopefully the paragraph below clears up what I’d hoped for!

If it’s a decent system, and you like it, I’d guess that anything bluetooth is going to be more of a pain, less satisfactory and much more expensive than tidying up the cable runs.

The difficulty I have is that I need to run one of the cables in front of a fireplace…

There’s adapters for connecting normal speakers to a Bluetooth source but I guess your Hi-Fi doesn’t put out a Bluetooth feed?

The solution I had imagined involved a bluetooth transmitted which would plug into the speaker connections on the back of the amp (one for left and one for right) with corresponding units plugging into the speakers. It would’ve made my life a lot easier!

Sounds like the only option is to move the stereo somewhere else and replace with a soundbar?

Thanks for the suggestions by the way!

If you like/value music cables are inevitable. Proper stereo dumps over all of the “tidier” alternatives.

If you like/value music cables are inevitable. Proper stereo dumps over all of the “tidier” alternatives.

That had crossed my mind but one can live in hope!

Slight digression – There was a noticeable increase in the sound quality moving from a little flat with carpeted floor to a victorian house with hardwood floors and high ceilings. Even the missus noticed!

Kef do wireless units: http://www.kef.com/html/gb/showroom/wireless_solutions/universal_wireless_system/overview/

Have you thought about using decorative cable trunking on top of the skirting board? Theres quite a lot of choice and if you pick the right one you’ll barely notice it

Edit. Here’s one example
http://www.d-line.co.uk/decorative-trunking

The problem you’ll have is Bluetooth will only transmit low quality audio unless you find an aftermarket transmitter supporting aptx. Also you’ll most likely have sync issues with your tv.

Edit: also how are you expecting your speakers to be powered if not by the amp?

I can’t think of any way that you could get what you want. There are active speakers, but they still need wires to carry the music to them, they’ll just be in a different place. A speaker needs an electric current to make the cones move, and BT can never, ever, produce enough current, as it’s just a radio format; think of a tranny radio, it gets a wireless signal, but it still needs an amplifier and batteries connected to the speaker to make audible music. A BT dongle would need to have an amp and wires for each speaker, each of which would be mono.
Actually, this got me thinking; these tiny little amps, each with a wifi receiver, and a short wire to the speaker, and run from Ii-ion batteries, might work:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007VMA6OU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=479289247&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005ZTKL14&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1FDADXH452Z8D3P1FZJD
But it might be complicated to get set up.
I was thinking of my Crimson power-amps, each of which sits on the bottom of the speaker stand, with a wire up to the speaker, those, of course, need mains power and signal cables, but maybe something wireless could be created with two of those amps.
Needs someone creverer than me, though, to sort it out. 😀

Ditch the speakers and get some decent headphones, over the ear type. Now you have tunes and the added bonus of not gearing the missus. Great success!

I said “hearing”!

No….

Our place has hardwood floors and I’m reluctant to nail cables to the skirting board or bother with trunking.

Well better look at one of these options then 🙂

About your only option, as far as I can see, is to ditch your amp and speakers, put all your music onto your computer, and buy a pair of these:
http://www.kef.com/html/gb/showroom/digital_music_solutions/x_300a/x_300aw/index.html#.U8E27GK9KK0
Of course, your computer would need Airplay capability, or just use an iPod Touch or use a phone or iPad.
Whatever you do, you’ll have to spend money, and sacrifice your current set-up.
Another option, and it’s fairly drastic, is to decide exactly where the speakers would go on the walls, get decent wall mounts, then channel the wires into the wall via tubes. This would require some re-plastering, and re-decorating, but you would keep what you’ve got, and seem to be happy with.
Or get a B&W Zeppelin.