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Wireless 5.1 Systems<br />
OK, almost wireless. Nobody’s making fully wireless systems. The best<br />
you can get are rear speakers that don’t require a mess of cords stapled<br />
to your baseboards—which is still a big improvement. —CHARLIE WHITE<br />
Home Audio<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Kef KHT5005.2W.J<br />
$2,600 • kef.com<br />
These awesome speakers pop with uncanny spatial imaging and crystalline highs, and the flying-saucershaped<br />
subwoofer (not shown) sounds otherworldly, kicking tight bass without booming. Kef’s wireless<br />
surround receivers attach <strong>sm</strong>artly to the bottom of the rear speakers and are synced with the base<br />
simply by pushing a button. (Speakers can also be purchased without the wireless kit for $2,000.)<br />
WIRED Gorgeous, high-quality drivers deliver astonishing sound, even at low volume. Wireless<br />
surround quality on par with any wired speakers. No cord needed between the two rear surrounds.<br />
TIRED Slightly hollow-sounding midrange.<br />
Creative<br />
Gigaworks<br />
ProGamer<br />
G550W<br />
$400 • creative.com<br />
The most versatile speakers<br />
of the bunch, these THXcertified<br />
babies are equally<br />
proficient with a PC or in the<br />
living room. Connect them<br />
to the output jacks of your<br />
receiver’s preamp for a home<br />
theater experience, or plug<br />
them into a surround PC card<br />
for immersive shoot-’em-ups.<br />
The subwoofer has surprising<br />
power, and the wireless<br />
surround system connects<br />
quickly and accurately.<br />
WIRED Remote lets you<br />
control levels of front, center,<br />
and surround speakers independently.<br />
Lots of power.<br />
Easy wireless surround setup<br />
and high-quality wireless link.<br />
TIRED Though fine for<br />
gaming, metallic audio made<br />
music and movies sound<br />
artificial. Boring, boxy design.<br />
Three wires required to<br />
achieve “wireless” surround.<br />
No digital audio inputs.<br />
Panasonic<br />
SC-PT1050<br />
DVD Home<br />
Theater System<br />
$599 • panasonic.com<br />
Boasting the only wireless<br />
subwoofer in this category,<br />
Panasonic's five-disc system<br />
removes one more cable<br />
from the equation. Setting<br />
it all up took some deft<br />
button pushing, but the<br />
2.4-GHz RF tran<strong>sm</strong>itter<br />
connected immediately and<br />
without interference, sounding<br />
as snappy as the hardwired<br />
speakers up front.<br />
WIRED Midrange and<br />
highs are respectable at<br />
low and moderate volume.<br />
Swank setup: Microphone<br />
(included) measures sound<br />
levels and adjusts each<br />
speaker accordingly.<br />
TIRED Cheap-looking DVD<br />
player/control unit betrays<br />
flimsy overall construction.<br />
Flabby subwoofer performance.<br />
Upping the volume<br />
quickly exposes other flaws<br />
—were those drums or<br />
garbage-can lids?<br />
Samsung<br />
HT-TX75 5 Disc<br />
Home Theater<br />
Surround<br />
Sound System<br />
$480 • samsung.com<br />
This 1,200-watt 5.1 theaterin-a-box<br />
rocks the house<br />
for an entry-level price, but<br />
the anvil-like subwoofer<br />
produces clumsy bass sound.<br />
Plug in the tiny surroundsound<br />
tran<strong>sm</strong>itter module<br />
and the wireless receiver—<br />
complete with onboard 340watt<br />
amp—flawlessly picks<br />
up the signal and feeds it to<br />
the two surround speakers.<br />
WIRED Wireless components<br />
set up effortlessly.<br />
Speakers look great from<br />
a distance. Clean highs and<br />
punchy midrange provide<br />
plenty of realistic sound<br />
for relatively little moola.<br />
TIRED Floor-standing<br />
tallboy speakers are built<br />
with thin, chintzy plastic.<br />
So-called wireless surround<br />
receiver unit has three wires,<br />
one leading to each speaker,<br />
plus an AC connection.
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