CES 2007

When Stereophile webmaster Jon Iverson speaks, I listen, so when, in a conversation the night before the Show opened, he mentioned that he felt wireless speakers would be big in 2007, I looked out for examples.

The advantage of going wireless, of course, is that for rear channels in particular, there can be no more of those significant-other–annoying wires draped across the floor. The KEF Wireless System features a transmitter that connects to the owner's A/V receiver and two matching wireless receivers, one of which is seen here powering the English company's R203/2 bookshelf speaker.

The little module features a 25W (50W peak) switching amplifier and the 2.4GHz WiFi link uses channel-hopping technology to achieve the necessary signal robustness. A second version is available as plug-in module for the KEF KHT 5000 Series lifestyle speakers and both Wireless Systems, each including one transmitter and two receivers, will be available in the first quarter of the year for $499.99.