KEF wireless system
Wireless speakers will be hot this year, with many manufacturers rolling out their wares to a public that has had enough of messy wiring. Building false ceilings to hide cables and other major alterations to apartments to accommodate rear speakers will be a thing of the past.
A common problem wireless speakers pose is audio dropout. So I was intrigued when KEF,
a renowned British speaker manufacturer, claimed to have developed a wireless surround speaker system that transmits full bandwidth CD- quality PCM audio without any interference.
The KEF wireless speakers are an eye opener. The system consists of one transmitter and two 50-watt receiver/amplifiers. There are two versions available. One is intended for use with any speaker pair, and another for use with KEF's KHT 5000 series speakers.
If you have the latter, no worries: the receivers fit snugly in between the stand and speaker. What's more, it's easy to set up and they don't look out of place in the hi-fi system.
After testing the KHT 5000 series with CDs and DVDs, it was clear that jitters or audio dropout weren't a problem. In fact, this was audiophile-grade sound coming from a wireless speaker. There was sufficient depth and imagery. The loud bangs and booms from the movie Casino Royale were realistic and not distorted. The sound was clean and crisp.
So how does the speaker system work? By using 2.4GHz wireless transmission technology, it
provides the most advanced error protection and sophisticated adaptive frequency hopping
to ensure an interference-free signal.
The proprietary technology is pre-emptive and will change channels automatically to a pre-negotiated frequency (within the best available band) before errors occur.
'CD-quality audio won't be affected by microwave ovens, cordless phones or Lan routers,' says Grace Lo, general manager of GP Acoustics.
Another plus is that the system works within a range of 25 metres, enough for even the biggest living room in Hong Kong.
The wireless system is available in black or silver and has a list price ranging from HK$4,200 to HK$4,800 a set.
