5.1 surround sound system recommendations for use with iPhone

By daz, 6 March, 2022

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

hello all,

i don't even know if something like this exists but i'm looking for a 5.1 surround sound system that is totally wireless. no wires especially for the rear speakers. does such a thing even exist and has anybody got/seen one? i want to be able to connect my iPhone 13 pro max to it. i miss having a surround sound system but i don't really want a wired one because we have a 6 month old pup and she's somewhat of a chewer so really the less wires the better for obvious reasons.

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Comments

By Bruce Harrell on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

Hi.
Any surround sound system will play surround sound from your phone if it is air play capable. I have a 7.1.4 home theatre on which I play atmos surround music and movies from my iPhone via air play.

Smile. It's great. The home theatre I have uses android talk (or talk back, I don't remember which is the correct name) for accessibility. It's not great, but it doesn't need to be because it is set to automatically play whatever is sent to it from my phone or iMac Pro via airplay. No loss in fidelity or anything else because airplay transmits the original, complete file from phone to sound system.

Hope this helps.

Bruce

By Pildain on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

Have you checked Sonos products? I haven't tested pairing various speakers and Soundbars (I just have a sonoS one) but they say that you can create a surround system with their products. The connectivity with iPhone is great, you can use airplay and the SonoS app for sending music. And the sound quality is excellent.

By daz on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

i don't own any sonos products. is there a link to their website or contact information so i can ask them questions?
also any other brands that might be worth recommending? like i say i want to be able to use these on my phone and or pc where necessary.

By sockhopsinger on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

I have a 5.1 Sonos surround. It has the sound bar under my TV with a Sonos sub and two mounted rear speakers in my living room. I think it sounds great, but it is not cheap. You also need to decide what kind of budget you are working with before committing to any sort of surround system. Another plus with the Sonos system is that you can add speakers to other rooms. I have it throughout my condo which is truly an awesome thing. Now, I just need to find the money to update it to an Atmos surround system. [sigh]

Also, I nearly forgot. The Sonos website is ... surprisingly ... www.sonos.com

By Bruce Harrell on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

Hi again.

From what I've read, Sonos is reviewed as being high end bluetooth, but it isn't high end fidelity. For that, you would need either wire or wi-fi (if you can find it). They are both more expensive than wired speakers because of the bluetooth/wi-fi receivers built into them, and because they each have to have their own amplifiers to produce sound. This means you can't get away from wires; they each have to be plugged in to a power outlet..

Wire really isn't much of a problem, however. It is relatively easy to route wire along floor boards, around door frames, and behind furniture to its final destination. There are small metal staples you can buy to hold wire in place against wood or dry wall. Along floorboards, you can tuck it under the edge of the carpet or tuck it under the bottom edge of the molding. There are even long thin covers you can buy for wire, or you can buy wire that's the color of the walls or moldings.

The bottom line for me with wire is the biggest selling point so far as I'm concerned. I get a lot more for your money.

Good luck. I LOVE surround sound! smile

Bruce

By sockhopsinger on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

Actually, Sonos speakers can do lossless. The speakers themselves are indeed plugged into the wall. However, the ones I have run off of Wifi. Yes Sonos have some that are Bluetooth, but a majority are designed to be used around the house and are not really portable. Therefore, since they are connected into the Wifi, they can do lossless. I have tried them at their highest quality with Tidal, Qobuz, and Deezer, and Amazon, all of which run at least lossless, with no problems.

By Bruce Harrell on Thursday, March 24, 2022 - 03:19

I've been waiting for wi-fi speakers. Very glad to hear they're out. I don't know how they stack up to conventional hi-fi wired speakers in term of detail and response, but any wi-fi speakers are definitely a step in the right direction. smile
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