Wireless speakers are widely available from many manufacturers. And although they all claim to be wireless, the truth is, they still require a power cord to operate. ONEaudio has changed all this with the introduction of 5.1 wireless speaker system, the ONEmicro surround, that employs DECT technology to completely eliminate the need for any cords.
DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication), originally used in cordless telephones, is a delegated channel specifically assigned for voice communication. DECT operates in a 1.9GHz band, which precludes interference from other nearby wireless product and systems, like those operating on Wi-Fi.
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A console box (also wireless) comes with the system. Operating like a music server, it streams music from iPhones and Android devices via Wi-Fi to the speakers. The console also has a 600 CD storage capacity and accepts Hi-Res audio files.
Due to ONEaudio’s bass-filling technique and twin driver subwoofer, a speaker can generate 3D sound covering up to a 250 square-foot room. The ONEaudio speakers can also be used outdoors.
For its ONEsurround system ONEaudio received a CES Innovation Award and DCET Innovation Award. The system will be available for about $680 this summer.
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The article seems to imply that these speakers require NO power source due to DECT. If so, that would be the real story here. According to the ONEaudio website, the speakers are battery powered, and can hold about 100 hours worth of charge. At that point you need to connect them to a charging source with a wire or a cord to recharge them.
This is pretty cool as a portable surround sound system, and in my opinion that’s how it should have been presented in the article. Instead, it was presented as a completely wireless surround sound system that “…completely eliminate[s] the need for any cords.” It is not a viable wired surround sound system replacement, unless you can sell your clients on the concept of pulling all their speakers down to charge them every 100 hours or so, and then putting them back up… or running around and charging them one at a time while in place. I can see it now… “Hey, the big game’s coming on! Darn, my surround sound speakers’ batteries are dead… Can you start collecting them all so I can recharge them? Now where did I put that charging cable?” Yikes!
I have 30 years experience in the field of AV Integration so I appreciate the work invested with an article like this. Whenever I read about “wireless” speakers there’s always a catch, some fine print, or some slight of hand whereby a power cord is ultimately involved. It is true here as well, so I feel my time and attention has been unjustly wasted. In this article the power requirement for the speakers is glossed over and there are many inaccuracies!
1) This speaker system is NOT cord-free as the title suggests “… Requires No Power Cord” and it does NOT “completely cut the cord” as the subtitle claims. These “micro” speakers are battery powered and will have to be connected to a power source at some point!
I can’t imagine selling these to a client and then training them to collect the 5 speakers once a week or month to “recharge” them! Seriously! What happens when the speaker runs out of juice in the middle of that new movie you’ve been waiting for months to see? Now there’s a late night trouble call just waiting to happen, along with the righteous and justified client’s claim of “why did you sell me this crap!”
2) The article incorrectly states: “Wireless speakers are widely available from many manufacturers. And although they all claim to be wireless, the truth is, they still require a power cord to operate. ONEaudio has changed all this with the introduction of 5.1 wireless speaker system, the ONEmicro surround, that employs DECT technology to completely eliminate the need for any cords.”
By stating this, the article suggests that these speakers can in fact operate wirelessly as they function in their intended environment. A more accurate claim should be that these wireless speakers are battery powered and can operate wirelessly for a duration of time. The fact that they use “DECT” technology, the signal technology they use to transfer sound from the hub to the units has nothing to do with their ability to be POWERED wirelessly. Again, when the internal battery runs low, they will need to be connected by the very cords that are claimed to be “completely” eliminated! The claim that they can operate “completely wirelessly” is marketing exaggeration that confuses people and clutters the marketplace.
I think this article would be spot on if ONEaudio had come up with an in-place wireless charging system whereby the speakers would be “powered” and/or “charged” wirelessly. But this is not the case.
Another concern is, if you go to their unperfected website like I did (http://www.oneaudio.cc/home), you’ll see a glaring example of language errors: misspellings and incomprehensible grammar. Clicking on their “Contact” tab you’ll see they are located in Hong Kong and have apparently NOT hired a english speaking person to proof and correct their web-based communication. In my experience, carelessness or unwillingness to spend the money to communicate properly in business will indeed reflect in the product they produce just as misspellings and incomprehensible grammar reflect on the applicant in a resume.
There is a lot of talk about “fake news” rambling about the web and airwaves, and this article seems to be about “fake product”. I’m not angry at the author, or the manufacturer, it’s just that both Lisa and ONEaudio should have produced better work if they’re going to ask installers, integrators, AV pro’s and clients to invest their time to read and research product solutions only to find empty claims.
How is it powered?
batteries