15 of the best luxury wireless audio systems

There comes a time in everyone's life when you need to free yourself from the things holding you back. By that, of course, we mean cables.

While electrical cables may have ruled the world of home audio for the last several decades, now, thanks to innovations in technology and the advent of streaming media services, we can perform feats of wireless witchcraft that would make Thomas Edison blush.

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The good news for music aficionados is that many luxury audio brands have been hard at work developing wireless streaming media solutions that offer all the benefits and audio qualities of their flagship products with none of the drawbacks previously associated with 'cutting the cord', such as signal dropout or hardware and software compatibility issues.

The high-resolution life

Today's technology may be vastly improved from the old His Master's Voice phonogram your father had when you were young, but Nigel Ng, Product and Operations Manager for British loudspeaker manufacturer, KEF, believes some old rules of audio still apply.

"If you start off with crap, you're going to end up with crap," said Mr Ng. "No matter what sort of system you have, the best thing to do first is chase the best source quality."

For purists embarking on a digital audio adventure, high-resolution audio is the gold standard source Mr Ng strives for. This can be high-resolution media from on-demand streaming services, such as Tidal or Deezer; or high-resolution rips of CD stored on a NAS (Network-attached Storage) hard drive on your home internet network.

Position, position, position

As any real estate agent will tell you, the right position can make all the difference to your level of enjoyment. However, with today's state-of-the-art sound systems, a little software can also go a long way.

"Every inch that you move a speaker makes a dramatic difference to the sound," said Mr Ng. "But trying to achieve the best position for equipment is not always possible, which is when we look at room correction technology. This software corrects the effects of putting speakers in a less-than-ideal position, allowing the speakers to perform the way they're supposed to."

The high-rise life

Of course, you don't have to live at Wayne Manor to create the perfect room for your sound system. Even if you live in an apartment, there are many wireless speakers that include everything you need.

"Active speakers that support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have the amplifiers built into them," said Mr Ng. "You don't have to find a place for a separate amp in a space-constrained environment. Everything comes through the one set of speakers, which makes it very easy for high-rise living."

If you're entertaining the idea of cutting your cables and enjoying a wireless life, browse through the gallery above for some innovative streaming media solutions.

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