Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit
Manufacturer: Rocketfish Part number: RFWHTIB
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit can convert most brands of surround speakers to cordless operation for less than $100.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/07/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit price range: $129.99
- Reviewed by: Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: John P. Falcone
- Reviewed on: 02/26/2008
The good: Low-cost, two-channel wireless speaker kit; easy to set up; tiny wireless transmitter; integrated wireless receiver with dual 25-watt digital power amplifiers; works with most brands of surround speakers; good sound quality.
The bad: No remote control options--power must be left on or manually toggled with each use; the system's nondefeatable delay can sound too echoey on some program material; still has wires.
The bottom line: The Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit can convert most brands of surround speakers to cordless operation for less than $100.
The speaker cable requirements of today's multichannel home theater systems have created a sizable market for wireless speakers. It seems as if everybody wants these things, but the engineering challenges of wireless speakers are steep, and a lot of wireless speakers sound pretty awful. There are a lot of truly dreadful products out there, and so our expectations for the Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit were fairly low. (Rocketfish, if you're unfamiliar, is one of the in-house brands of megaretailer Best Buy.) So imagine our surprise when it turned out to be a refreshingly clever product. The "Kit" part of the name was the first hint: the Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit doesn't include any speakers. The two-piece system instead features a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver/power amplifier that can be used with any brand of surround speakers, so long as they use standard speaker wire (not hardwired proprietary connectors). So the "wireless" speakers can be as high quality as your front speakers. There's more good news: Rocketfish's Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit is priced low enough--$100--that we can recommend it for use with budget-priced systems, including many home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs).
The transmitter and receiver are plainly styled, black plastic boxes. The transmitter isn't much larger than a standard iPod. You connect it to the surround left/right speaker connectors of your AV receiver or HTIB amplifier (24-inch cables are included, but any old speaker wire should suffice). The receiver is a good deal larger than the transmitter: 1.5inches by 8.75 inches by 6.4 inches. Thanks to the system's 2.4GHz wireless technology, the transmitter sits in the front of the room (near the audio source) and beams the two surround audio channels to the receiver in the rear of the room, which is in turn attached to the two surround speakers (again, with standard speaker wire--which you'll need to supply yourself). The receiver's two 25-watt digital amplifiers power the surround speakers.
You read that right: the receiver needs to be wired to the rear speakers. Likewise, both the transmitter and receiver need their own AC power. If that sounds like a lot of wires for a "wireless" system, you're absolutely correct--but that's the same complaint we've had with nearly all other such systems to date. The "wireless" in the name refers to the cableless signal transmission between the transmitter and the receiver unit. In other words, you're losing the two longest wires in a surround system--the ones that would otherwise need to be snaked from the front (amplifier) to the back of the room (surround speakers). The receiver can lie flat on a shelf, stand vertically in the supplied cradle, or be wall mounted from its keyhole slots on the bottom panel.
Thankfully, accepting that semantic concession of the "wireless" moniker is the toughest part of the setup process--it's pretty much a plug-and-play routine. Seconds after powering up the transmitter and receiver, they automatically locate each other, and the receiver's red indicator will stop flashing and stay on. The system was fairly quiet--only when we stood right next to the speakers could we detect a small amount of audible hiss--and we weren't aware of the noise when we were listening to 5.1 channel sound from movies. (The receiver's rear panel has a volume control, so you can lock into a comfortable baseline level, then further adjust the volume through your main system's remote.) Switching over to stereo, the Rocketfish electronics produced moderately loud hum and buzzing sounds over the surround speakers (in other words, as long as the Rocketfish system is turned on, you'll want to listen in surround).
We didn't encounter any noticeable interference when using the Rocketfish. But your mileage may vary: cordless phones, Wi-Fi access points, and even microwave ovens may cause problems (the same caveat applies to any and all products that use the unregulated 2.4GHz wireless spectrum). We also noted that when we powered off our Onkyo TX-SR805 AV receiver, the surround speakers made a "pop" sound for a fraction of a second. More annoying was the fact that we had to manually power on the transmitter and receiver units each time, even though we had plugged the transmitter into the Onkyo's switched AC outlet. Rocketfish should redesign the transmitter and receiver units to automatically turn themselves on whenever they receive power or signals. Furthermore, the Rocketfish electronics add an audible amount of signal delay, which made the surround sound more echoey than we would have liked. We were mostly aware of the delay on announcer voices when listening to the radio--it wasn't all that noticeable on movies.
Those gripes notwithstanding, surround-sound quality on movies was nearly indistinguishable from normal (wired) sound. We say "nearly" because the bass from our Dynaudio Contour 1.1 speakers sounded somewhat thin, and the treble had a harsh edge. But these shortfalls were slight, and we were listening attentively for differences. Less critical listeners--the same vast majority who can't tell the difference between MP3 and CD sound quality--will be quite satisfied with the Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit's performance.
Two final notes for HTIB owners considering this product. First, double-check that your system uses traditional bare wire ends for connecting surround speakers--newer HTIBs that utilize proprietary plugs (usually color-coded) won't fit the Rocketfish. Second, it's worth double-checking whether your system manufacturer makes its own wireless system. If it was purchased after 2006 or so, it's a fair bet that it does. Not only will the companion wireless kit offer guaranteed compatibility (even with those proprietary connectors), it may well cost less than the Rocketfish. For example, the Samsung HT-X70 would work fine with the Rocketfish--but you can get the similar Samsung SWA-3000 for a few bucks less.
The $100 Rocketfish can't compete with the best-in-class KEF Universal Wireless Kit--and given that the KEF costs six times as much, we wouldn't expect it to. Rather, the Rocket Fish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit is worth consideration for casual listeners who want to cut those long speaker cords--so long as they don't mind a few relatively minor compromises.
User reviews
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additional info
by Jpell70 on October 29, 2007
Pros: the devices uses 2.4 GHz
Cons: unknown - I have not tried the product
Summary: I am considering buying this product so my rating is bogus, I'm just adding info. I called Rocketfish and was told that this device uses the 2.4 GHz ...
Summary: I am considering buying this product so my rating is bogus, I'm just adding info. I called Rocketfish and was told that this device uses the 2.4 GHz frequecy to send the signal.
Updated
"...chips operate in the 2.4GHz band, the same one used by most household appliances. However, the chips use a proprietary wireless transmission standard. The standard has a small spectrum footprint and can use up to 40 different channels in the spectrum. This lets the chips dynamically elect channels not being used by other devices and cut down interference."20 out of 31 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not bad...could be better
by magicat777 on April 9, 2008
Pros: Decent range, easy to setup, price
Cons: echo, distortion, range, remote
Summary: I bought this a few months ago from Best Buy and have had the chance to move this all over my apartment. It has a decent range and will work ...
Summary: I bought this a few months ago from Best Buy and have had the chance to move this all over my apartment. It has a decent range and will work through walls...though not well. I had to experiment with placement to get a good strong signal.
I have it currently placed about 70' away (through two brick walls) from the transmitter in another room and I get pretty clear sound. Occasionally it will fade or breakup if there are a lot of people in either room. On a whole, it was pretty easy to set up for putting a spare speakers into another room.
If you are looking for sound quality, I'd look elsewhere. Otherwise, it was a great product.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Got rid of the long, rear speaker wires
by joem94547 on February 26, 2008
Pros: No more unsightly wires and no wire routing
Cons: Not much power
Summary: I wish the rear amp had more power since my receiver puts out 100W to the rear, but otherwise I've never had any pops from my rear speakers. I ...
Summary: I wish the rear amp had more power since my receiver puts out 100W to the rear, but otherwise I've never had any pops from my rear speakers. I have a HTIB Onkyo setup. The rear speakers will hum a little bit if you have the stereo off and leave the receiver/rear amp on, but I always turn mine off when I'm not using it. Great sound for movies, but not for audiophiles.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ehh It's Ok
by theonlybuster on February 26, 2008
Pros: Limits Wires, easy to set up
Cons: Random pops, not made for anyone with OCD, the sound never gets "perfect"
Summary: This is a decent in-home system if you can set this up relatively close to your speakers. The biggest problem was the random pops and a speaker randomly not working. ...
Summary: This is a decent in-home system if you can set this up relatively close to your speakers. The biggest problem was the random pops and a speaker randomly not working. This is really just a pass type of item.
In other words, this item isn't worth it unless you can set it up close to your sound system, or you have a small empty room.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works great for my 7.1 system
by islands0n on July 20, 2009
Pros: Easy set up, Easy to use. Sound is good for a wireless set up. Great solution for surround rear speakers!
Cons: The unit will make a pop sound when turned off while speakers are connected. Just leave it ON. don't even bother turning it off. The unit goes to sleep mode and turns on automatically when you turn your amplifier on.
Summary: Good stuff. I bought two units that work well together for surround back and rear left and right.
Summary: Good stuff. I bought two units that work well together for surround back and rear left and right.
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Works as advertised
by techfortat on January 2, 2009
Pros: Extremely easy to set up, does what it is supposed to do, relatively inexpensive solution to running cables to your rear speakers
Cons: May not live up to the expectations of audio snobs
Summary: Not much to say here. It just works. I brought it home and had it set up in less than 10 minutes.
The sound is very good in my opinion. ...Summary: Not much to say here. It just works. I brought it home and had it set up in less than 10 minutes.
The sound is very good in my opinion. It is loud enough for me and true to the movie, but the volume is limited so it may not be strong enough for some. Also, there is the occasional snap, crackle or pop from the speakers connected to the rocketfish, but it is rare and does not really take away from the movie watching experience. -
Excellent product; works as advertised
by slemenda on February 28, 2008
Pros: No detectable delay; excellent sound quality
Cons: The transmitter can't use a line-out signal. The original signal MUST be amplified.
Summary: I purchased the unit from BestBuy online back in December, 2007, when the unit was on sale for $79.00. I needed to drive a second zone output from my ...
Summary: I purchased the unit from BestBuy online back in December, 2007, when the unit was on sale for $79.00. I needed to drive a second zone output from my Denon 4306 in the living room to a massive pair of 30+ year old Magnavox speakers I have in the master bedroom. I had gotten an excellent deal on a demo Parasound Zamp V.3 to drive the speakers, but I didn't have the time to wait or desire to immediately spend the money for a professional to run the speaker cables. That'll come later, and the Rocketfish seemed like a cost effective temporary solution that can be used later for other speakers. The transmitter is driven by the Zamp amplifier and is left on all the time. It picks up as soon as the Zamp is triggered by the line out from the Denon 4306. I only have to turn the receiver in the bedroom off and on, and that's only because it has a flashing red light when no signal is being received. The light bothers my wife at night. The Rocketfish receiver also has its own volume control. I was very pleasantly surprised at the sound quality, and standing between the door to the bedroom and the door to living room, I hear absolutely no delay between the main system and the bedroom speakers-not even a trace of echo.
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Works great to get rid of the 50+' wires
by SLKado on February 26, 2008
Pros: Gets rid of the longest wires in the system without changing the quality of the sound.
Cons: Setup takes a bit of time and getting the sound level just right is a bit of a trick. Random soft "pop" every now and then.
Summary: Just remember, the big box goes in the back with the surrounds, the small box goes up front with the receiver.
This system worked as well as advertised. I get ...Summary: Just remember, the big box goes in the back with the surrounds, the small box goes up front with the receiver.
This system worked as well as advertised. I get a soft "pop" from my rears randomly, but other than that, the system works flawlessly. I never turn it off, it just sits by idle until it gets a signal. I don't get any unwanted sounds from the speakers when there is a lack of signal at all.
Overall, great product.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Rocketfish
- Part number: RFWHTIB
- Description: This wireless kit sends rich sound to your home entertainment system speakers while eliminating ugly and cumbersome wires. Just plug the sender into your home theater and your rear speakers into the receiver.
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 2 x Speaker cable
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Manufacturer info
- Rocketfish
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Rocketfish products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/
- Address:
7601 Penn Avenue South, Richfield, MN 55423-3645 - Phone: 1-800-620-2790
