Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with audio and wireless

What's the best wireless audio bridge / networked digital audio receiver that works on the Mac?

nitsuj — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:27:10 -0800

What's the best wireless audio bridge / networked digital audio receiver that works on the Mac? I'm looking for a simple hardware solution that will allow me to bridge my Macbook Pro's audio-out source to my home theater amplifier. Many products like the WMB54G and Sirocco either have no Mac support at all, or have very poor reviews and cost way too much.

The Airport Express seems decent if I only wanted to stream iTunes, but I'd also like to stream from other sources, like Spotify, which it won't support.

Is there a simple, under-$100 (or close to it) solution out there?

Wirelessly synched media storage in the car?

poppo — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:02:04 -0800

I just put a new stereo head unit in my car and it has a USB port for connections to most media players. I'm looking for suggestions for one. What I'd like is a USB device that is minimum 80GB, has wireless 802.11 b or g, and is powered by only the USB. Bonus: It will automatically synch up by wireless to the music collection in my house without ever being removed from the car.

An 80GB iPod seemed an obvious choice, but these don't do wireless, while the newer iTouch has the wireless but not the capacity.

I figured a portable USB hard drive might be a possibility, but I can't seem to find one that is both powered by USB only and has wireless capabilities.

I've run across the Archos 605 wifi but it's on the pricey side, presumably because of the LCD, which I don't need.

Is there something out there which better fits my requirements?

An MP3 player with Bluetooth on top?

Shepherd — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:02:15 -0800

Recommend an MP3 player that's compatible with stereo Bluetooth headsets? I bought a stereo Bluetooth headset a few years ago to listen to MP3s on my cell phone as I walk to work. Now I'm married, and my wife is using the cell phone much more than I am. I can't afford (and don't really want) another cell phone in the family. I love the Bluetooth headset (and hate cables) and don't want it to gather dust; my wife doesn't like the fit so it's all mine to use. Any relatively cheap Bluetooth-enabled MP3 players you'd recommend? The iPod and Zune don't support Bluetooth, and beyond those relatively well-branded names I'm awash in a sea of jargon; it's proving hard to find a list of MP3 players that handle Bluetooth.

I don't need anything fancy, really -- I just want to listen to audio as I walk to work and back. I never found the 2GB card on my cell phone to be a huge problem for me, so storage space on the unit isn't much of a concern. Something I could use while running would be even better (I was always afraid of dropping the phone).

I'm aware that there are Bluetooth transmitters you can buy, but that's an entire other category of something I know nothing about: they all seem a bit fiddly and at around $50, more than 25% of what I'd like to pay for the MP3 player in the first place.

For bonus points, something that's available from the Canadian versions of TigerDirect, NewEgg, or a different PayPal-enabled retailer would be a huge asset. Thanks so much!

Baby Monitoring Troubles

orsonet — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:59:43 -0800

How can I monitor my babies without a baby monitor? I have two babies who sleep in the same room in our house. I also have an office in our garage which is about 30 feet from the house. I need a way to monitor them when they are sleeping and I am working, but all the baby monitors I've tried have failed (including the ones that have extended range). The best I've gotten is being able to kind of hear them but having to tolerate loud white noise the entire time the monitor is on. I know the white noise is common in monitors, but in my office it really has to be loud for me to hear the kids (I don't have this problem in the house).

Is there some wireless way I can hear them that will 1) work and 2) be quiet (silent?) when monitoring? I have tried searching online and have come across the idea of using a Walkie Talkie, but the ones that specifically say they can be used to monitor are not for sale in the US and I can't tell if the ones sold in the US will work. I don't know if this is a good solution.

I keep thinking there must be some way to mic their room and have it "play" on my computer (I use a PC) but I'm way out of my league in understanding what possible solutions there might be or how to even frame the issue for searching. Any help/ideas would be appreciated.

Can I wirelessly have audio from my laptop play on another computer?

Ookseer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:59:09 -0800

Can I wirelessly have audio from my laptop play on another computer? I have an XP laptop and media center PC also with XP. They are both connected to the same local network and both have Bluetooth. Is there a reasonably simple way (without new hardware) to have the audio from my laptop play on the much nicer speakers of my media center without several dozen feet of cable?

_{Just to clarify: Not looking to share my audio library, I want to redirect the live audio out from my laptop.

Changing operating systems is not an option.}

Whether Wireless Audio?

SansPoint — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:08:42 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with Bluetooth Stereo Transmitters? I'm looking for a wireless speaker solution for my laptop. I've been looking at trying to find a wireless speaker solution for my MacBook. There are all-in-one Bluetooth speaker sets, but their sound quality is unknown. I'd rather use my JBL Creature IIs in some wireless fashion. I've seen a few Bluetooth wireless stereo transmitters, such as this one by Sony.

Has anyone had any experience using something like this to make normally wired speakers go wireless? How about on a Mac? (I know Leopard supports A2DP) Am I barking up the wrong tree? Should I just keep my laptop tethered to the speakers at home?

I know the AirPort Express does wireless audio, but I have a Time Capsule, and I really don't need/want another wireless router.

Hot Hands

Artifice_Eternity — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:45:39 -0800

Have any MeFites used Source Audio's cool-looking Hot Hands wireless adapter, especially with other manufacturers' gear? The wireless adapter is designed to work with Source Audio's own wah and phaser/flanger units. But the company's web site says that the adapter has also been used in place of an expression pedal with the Line 6 POD XT and all of the MoogerFooger units.

The possibilities for electronic musicians like myself would seem to be extensive, as this video demonstrates. For now, I just want to use the Hot Hands ring with my Zoom G2 multi-FX unit, which has a 1/4" expression pedal input jack on the back. But I don't really understand how expression pedal control signals work. From the research I've done, it appears that there are at least 2 different "standards," because sometimes an adapter is needed to make a given pedal work with another company's FX unit or keyboard.

Can anyone shed any light on whether the Hot Hands is likely to work with my Zoom G2... or just enlighten me further about expression pedal compatibility issues?

How do I play music throughout my home on 2 stereo systems attached to a Powerbook G4 and WinXP Desktop, repsectively?

fearless_yakov — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 09:54:59 -0800

Help me fill my home with music: I want to play my iTunes library over two separate home stereo systems at the same time. What's the easiest, cheapest way to do this? (My apologies if this has been asked before; I searched every post tagged with "music" and "wireless" and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for -- perhaps it's out there and I'm just too dumb to know it when I see it.)

I live in a loft -- it's a big, open room (i.e., there's no way I can conceal long runs of wiring). I have 2 sets of speakers connected to amps / receivers on opposite sides of the loft. I want to play music on all of them, together.

Ok, here's my setup:

1. Powerbook / B&W / T-amp
Powerbook G4 (houses the master iTunes library), connected to...
Sonic Impact T-amp (via stereo mini-plug), connected to...
B&W bookshelf speakers.

2. Desktop / Onkyo / B&W
Windows XP desktop (running iTunes), connected to...
Onkyo 6.1 receiver, connected to...
B&W floorstanding speakers / surrounds.

Both the Powerbook and Desktop are connected to my network, which runs through a cable modem attached to a Linksys WRT54g router.

SO: How do I play music from the "master" iTunes library (on the Powerbook) through all the speakers at the same time?

Other posts mention Soundbridge and Roku and Airport Xpress a lot. Do I really need to buy new equipment to accomplish this? -- or is what I have enough already? (Mega bonus points if your answer says "You don't need to buy anything." Minor bonus points if your answer says "You need to buy something, but it costs < $100. absolutely no points at all if your answer requires me to spend> $300.)

I realize I can share my iTunes libraries, but this doesn't allow me to play the same thing simultaneously on both systems, does it?

Finally, I've considered moving the "master" iTunes library to a large external HD. Would this help or hurt what I'm trying to accomplish?

Finally: When it comes to networking, I'm a dumbass. Sorry. If your answer says something like "Just tunnel through the whatever with VNC client and open a port and..." you can assume you have immediately lost me.

Thanks in advance!

Why Are My Headphones Picking Up Digital TV?

RokkitNite — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:48:32 -0800

I hear voices in the static... and they're laughing. I've got a pair of Sony wireless headphones connected to my PC. They've got an active range of about ten metres from the transmitter, and if there's nothing coming out of the PC soundcard then after a couple of minutes the transmitter switches off and they revert to white noise. So...
I was doing some writing with the headphones on and the sound on low. I wasn't listening to music so the headphones were just giving out a low, sibilant hiss. I started to hear voices under the static - faint at first, but gradually getting louder. I tried to turn up the volume on the headphones themselves, but then the hiss drowned out the speakers altogether. As I strained to listen, I struggled to discern specific words, but there was something strangely... familiar about the rhythms. Then I caught the words 'Nils' and 'radio show' and realised I was listening to an episode of Frasier.
I know I wasn't listening to a clip on a radio station because it immediately cut to an ad break, and since they turn the sound up at the transmitter I was able to figure out I was listening to the Paramount Comedy channel.
How am I receiving the audio for Paramount on my headphones? We don't get Paramount, and neither do our immediate neighbours. I've heard of amplifiers sometimes picking up police radio and suchlike, but how am I managing to receive the audio from a subscribers-only digital broadcast? Is there a stupidly simple explanation?

Need wireless microphone advice!

beammeup4 — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 23:04:39 -0800

Recommendations for wireless inexpensive microphone combos for small church. I'm looking for some recommendations for the best wireless microphone combos (handheld and lavaliere), or the best wireless system in which I can purchase an additional handheld or lavaliere and use it with the receiver with not a lot of fiddling around.

We're a small church and want to keep our expenses low, so I'm looking into other options besides Shure's SM58 combo $800 system.

Extra props if you can tell me the best place to buy it online or over the phone!

How to extend wireless signal strentgh?

MrMoonPie — Mon, 08 May 2006 10:25:57 -0800

Based on this AskMe thread, I just bought a Saitek A-250 wireless speaker system. However, the signal strength of the usb-connected transmitter isn't quite strong enough to penetrate the walls between my computer and my back yard. I'd like to get a usb extension cable to move the transmitter closer to the yard, but I'm not sure what to get. From what I can tell, I'll need an active cable. Is this the best way to go? Is there a way to boost the signal strength without using an extension cable?

sound advice

grumblebee — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:47:51 -0800

My PC is in the living room. I want to be able to listen to iTunes in the kitchen and the bedroom. I have a linksys router, if that helps. What sort of setup works best for this? Wireless speakers? Which ones. I mostly listen to talk radio and audio books, so I don't need amazing sound. I would love a relatively cheap (under $200) solution.

Any way to send 1 coax TV signal to a TV in another room wirelessly?

ilikebike — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 17:05:34 -0800

Any way to send 1 coax TV signal to a TV in another room wirelessly? We've moved into an apartment with 1 coaxial cable output in the living. We have basic cable (no box) and we have other goodies like tivo, dvd player, xbox media center, and a full wireless streaming server floating around. Needless to say, we're wired up for alot of things.

I need to be able to so a (seemingly) simple feat: Take the coax signal from my cable in the living room and shoot it wirelessly to the TV in the bedroom. The only catches are that the TV only has a coax input, no a/v or rca jacks, and since there is no cable box it uses the tuner in the TV to change the channel.

I picked up a video sender the other day, but it will only send 1 signal from an a/v or rca source, and it will not allow me to change channels on the TV. Some further investigating tells me I can get around this with a VCR tuner, but that would not let me change channels from the other room without either walking back to the living room or getting an remote sender of sorts. Our 2.4ghz frequency is crowded as it is!

So, is ther another way to get this done? Can I send the raw coax signal first to the TV or a VCR in the bedroom, or am I SOL when is comes to what I'd like to do?

good wireless headphones to buy

Yelling At Nothing — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 17:10:31 -0800

What set of wireless headphones should I buy? Bonus points if it's feasible to carry the transmitter in my pocket for use with my iPod. I'm not looking to break the bank buying headphones here, but am willing to spend for quality. A small and portable transmitter would also be cool, but not a necessity.

Are there external wifi-receiver devices I can plug into an iPod?

timyang — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 22:53:31 -0800

Are there external wifi-receiver devices I can plug into an iPod? If so, can you please direct me to some choices?