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Music is usually discovered, purchased and controlled with computers, tablets and, above all, our phones rather than having anything to do with retail stores or conventional radio.

In the hi-fi era, speakers had to be physically connected by wires to a central receiver, which served as an amplifier — a box capable of receiving over-the-air radio and input from a record or tape player — and also a control panel, on which the user could switch inputs, change the volume and pick the music.

Now most of this is done in an app. However, if you want booming, high-quality home audio, you still need amplified speakers. But you don't need a receiver. And you definitely don't need to transmit music over wires. You want Wi-Fi hi-fi. Great sound, no wires.

One of the greatest things about Wi-Fi hi-fi is its portability. You can just pick it up and take it to another room, the backyard — or another house.
by Leslie A Wood
Sony SA-NS510 Wireless Speakers - $299.00 [ Link ]
The Sony SA-NS510 is noteworthy for its traffic-cone-like form and the fact that it runs on rechargeable batteries for about five hours. It has a handle for easy portability. It has no front or back and blasts music 360 degrees around it — perfect for an outdoor party or picnic. Like the other systems in this ideabook, it streams music over Wi-Fi from your phone or tablet — in this case, either an iOS or Android device via a dedicated mobile app. It also supports Apple's AirPlay technology, streaming music from any Apple phone, tablet or computer directly to the speaker system over the air.
by store.sony.com
Bowers & Wilkins A7 Speaker System - $799.99 [ Link ]
The Bowers & Wilkins A7 has a 6-inch Kevlar-reinforced subwoofer, a Nautilus tube aluminum tweeter, a 3-inch midrange speaker and five dedicated audiophile class-D amplifiers. Reviewers praise the A7's sound, even at low volumes. In addition to streaming via Apple AirPlay, you can also choose to connect over regular Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable.
by Crutchfield
Philips Fidelio Wireless Hi-Fi Speakers [ Link ]
Reviewers have lauded the Philips Fidelio Wireless Hi-Fi as a great-looking and great sounding wireless sound system. Controlled from either Apple's iOS or the Android mobile app Philips AirStudio, the Fidelio approaches the convenience of just playing music through earbuds, but with great speaker sound.

There is no dedicated remote control unit. However, the speakers do have five buttons that function like car-radio presets. You choose an Internet radio station for each one, and that lets you turn on the speakers and play a station without using the app on a phone or tablet.
by Philips
These and many other sound solutions can bring your home's sound system from the age of wires into the more flexible, interactive and portable age of Wi-Fi hi-fi.
by Sony

Comments

Rough Linen Love Spotify...
4 months ago · ·
Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel The Sony is too cool! Sculptural, compact, with 360 degree sound. Yesss!
4 months ago · ·
jehagen Can't believe you didn't mention Sonos, which has the ability to link multiple speakers together throughout the house, and control them all via iPhone or android, playing the same thing on all speakers, different things on different speakers, etc. All wirelessly, and portably, with great sound.
4 months ago · ·
dwradcliffe Sonos is the best!
4 months ago · ·
alaskasail I got a JawBone "Big Jambox" for Christmas and I love it. They seem to be a hot item these days so I'm surprised not to see it here.
4 months ago · ·
Julie Kyriakaki Best Speakers in the market: Audyssey Wireless Speakers (US$ 299.99)
http://www.audyssey.com/products/wireless-speakers

"With the deliberate design decision Audyssey aims to make their hardware appeal on both an audio and physical level." - Cool Hunting

"Setup is minimal, and sound is really stellar." - GIZMODO

"They sure do sound as good as they look on a desk." - gadget

"I was pleasantly surprised that a pair of Bluetooth speakers could fill a room with such a satisfying sound. Audyssey has, at last, made a Bluetooth speaker worth listening to." - The Wall Street Journal

"Audyssey Wireless Speakers deliver a combination of excellent sound quality and stylish looks." - cnet
4 months ago · ·
Stevie Love my Sonos!
4 months ago · ·
johnde1946 But vinyl is coming back and the quality of streaming music is questionable. As per other comments you cannot leave out Sonos.
4 months ago · ·
ashmane For half the cost of the least expensive option above, you can choose a non-wi-fi alternative, like these speakers from Brookstone: http://bit.ly/Wu9qjY

I'll admit that they aren't the most attractive, but they actually have really good sound and are either AC driven or portable with batteries and are water resistant so you can use them by the pool. We have a couple and use ours to pump Pandora through our entire house.

Another alternative, if you're married to wi-fi and are an Apple iTunes user who already has a nice stereo, try their AirPort Express Wi-Fi routers. http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/ They have an audio output that allows you to send music to the AirPort via Wi-Fi and then out to your existing stereo. Again, less than half the cost of the two options shown here, and again, something that I've personally used to pump music through the house.

Or, if you really want to get crazy, get on the usual auction site and buy yourself a FM transmitter for less than $100. (search for "FM Transmitter 500mW") I've used one before to set up a radio station that can be heard down the block on any FM radio. Made for a heck of a block party, and as long as you stay around 500mW or less transmitting power, you shouldn't run afowl of the FCC...
4 months ago · ·
johnde1946 Just a note that "big" stereo systems do not play 33 1/2 inch records! LPs are 12 inch and run at 33 1/3 rpm. And radio is being replaced not by downloaded music but by streamed music, often of questionable quality. (CBC in Canada for one.)
4 months ago ·
cm2121 I love the new Bose blue tooth mobile 2. Sound is unbelievable and it folds into a small portable box.
4 months ago · ·
summilux Ashmane- good ideas. Another option if you have a computer and an audio system that you like and want to experiment with internet radio and music on hard drive is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with a USB input. They range in price from $300 to more than a sane person wants to spend. We have lousy FM reception. Being able to route internet radio and CD's copied to hard drive to our music system is just a kick!
4 months ago ·
sclawson I use the Auvio bluetooth portable speaker. It's about 3x3x6 and weighs 12 ounces. The sound quality is incredible, and I operate it from my smartphone. Since I use music in workshops I lead, this is an easy-peasy solution for me.
4 months ago · ·
ddenaul Sonos is the way to go for wireless audio. The iphone/android software constantly improves and gets better every day!
3 months ago ·
Tommy Lee First of all.

Let me say this I don't even have any of these's audio sound

systems at all, but I wouldn't mind have them. I happen to be a

Fashion Photographer, and things for me are hard, but I do like

differrent sound systems with a lot of bass, plus I am also a

Drummer, Signed Tommy Lee Fashion & Glamour Photographer. 4/ 7 / 2013
6 weeks ago ·
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