How To Convert a Wired Speaker To Wireless – Complete Guide

Is the wire of your surround speaker making too much of a mess? Are you finding it difficult to maintain an aesthetically pleasing outlook in your entertainment room? Well, getting a wireless speaker setup is the best solution as it helps to spread the units properly without needing you to arrange the wires.

However, it is not feasible for everyone to shell out a considerable amount of money on top-notch wireless speakers. But you will be flabbergasted to know that you can easily convert wired speakers to wireless with a specialized adapter. Today, we will discuss some simple steps to convert your wired unit to wireless.

Changing a Wired Speaker To Wireless

Wireless speaker adapters serve as the primary tool to convert wired speakers to wireless. Basically, they help in sending and receiving the audio in the form of RF signals within the source and receiver.

The adapter kit consists of a receiver and transmitter where it transmits the signal from the source to the receiver unit, and the receiving unit then processes it to the speaker. However, you need to supply power separately as power doesn’t relay wirelessly. An external amplifier serves as the best option, even if the receiving unit comes with an inbuilt amplifier.

The process of making a speaker wireless is not entirely straightforward, and the difficulty depends entirely on the speaker and wireless kit you are using. So here we will show four steps that will help you to convert your wired one to wireless.

Selecting The Wireless Adapter

The first thing you need to do is to select the appropriate wireless adapter. You will get two types in the market where one type comes with an inbuilt amplifier while the other type doesn’t have any.

However, it will be ideal to choose a wireless adapter without an amplifier because a separate amplifier will give a lot more power and convenience. While selecting the adapter, you also need to assess the availability of inputs on the receiver and transmitter.

If the receiver has RCA output, then you can easily connect both the receiver and transmitter unit. But if the receiver doesn’t have RCA output, then you need to get a transmitter that is compatible with a normal speaker wire. You can also use a line-level adapter to convert the standard output to RCA.

Setting Up The Transmitter Unit

After choosing the wireless speaker adapter, it is time to set up the transmitter and connect it to the receiver. To begin with, you need to join the transmitter to the amplifier or receiver. However, the option to relay to the audio signal will depend upon the adapter you choose as the transmitter gives you the option of 3.5mm, speaker wire, and RCA. Whatever be the output option, you need to connect to the input port of the receiver.

A multi-compatible transmitter input will support all the standard output options. When setting up the transmitter for RCA input, the cable should be connected to the receiver’s pre-out. The same connectivity option goes with 3.5mm input, but only a handful of transmitters comes with 3.5mm support.

However, if your transmitter only supports 3.5mm connectivity, then you will have to go for an RCA to 3.5mm adapter to secure the connection. Connecting the cables to the transmitter’s inputs doesn’t get the job done as you will also need to supply electricity through the AC power adapter.

Establishing Connection To The Receiver

Once securing the transmitter, you will now have to hook the receiver. However, the connection of the receiver depends upon the speaker and the adapter you have chosen.

If you have created the setup with a separate amplifier, then the process is pretty simple as you just have to hook the RCA cable to the amplifier. Then from the amplifier, you need to connect the speaker with the designated cable. A setup with an external amplifier creates a linear flow where an RCF signal is sent to the amplifier, which then gets amplified and sent to the speakers. This process is most suitable for passive speakers that require an external AC power source or don’t have an internal amp.

For a speaker with an internal amp, the connection to the receiver gets slightly different. Since the speaker doesn’t need any external power source, the speaker only needs to receive the audio signal. You just need to hook the RCA or any required cable from the receiver to the speaker, and your speaker streams music wirelessly. In the end, just attach the AC power adapter to the nearest power outlet to complete the setup.

The process gets pretty simple when you use a receiving unit with an inbuilt amplifier. Since the receiver comes with a power source, you just need to hook the speaker wire to the speaker. But this kind of facility is found in a few high-end receiving units, and it is pretty uncommon. Moreover, power delivery in the receiving unit is relatively low, so the output volume is not that great. So it would be best to avoid this kind of receiving unit as you might need to install an external amp to get a terrific sound output.

Final Testing

In this stage, your whole setup is complete, and now you will have to test whether it is running or not. At first, you need to check the sound produced, and if it is static, delayed, or unclear, then you need to fiddle with the position of the transmitter and receiver or any one of them.

If the quality doesn’t improve, then assess all the cables and make sure they are correctly inserted. You can also try different channels in the receiver and transmitter and find the right sound quality. When everything is working correctly, then you are ready to groove with your new wireless speaker setup.