WiSa technology and its future developments.

[Vacceo]

Hi all!

I´m opening this thread to ask questions as many of you are industry insiders or very informed and technically competent individuals. Recently in the thread about the Kef LS60 it was stated that even if the functionality is not enabled, the device has the capacity to work on WiSa. That statement led me to read a bit on devices that employ WiSa technology, from Buchard to Realtek making the chips. To put the cherry on top, Dynaudio has announced their Focus line of speakers to be compatible with WiSa (and Dirac!)

So here are my questions about what may be in store:

-Currently WiSa manages up until 8 devices and has the capacity to play 3d codecs like Atmos. Are there plans to expand it further to configurations of 7.2.4 or even 9.4.6? Any idea if DTS and Auro are on board to work over wisa?

-24 bit and 96Khz is a fine and respectable audio format but, how hard is to push it further to 19200? Is it even worth it?

-Could an expansion like this mean the end of AVR´s? I mean, if you can control all the decoding on the device sending the signal, AVR´s would become preamps, and it is not hard to even get rid of them with a solution like the LS50/60 Wireless connection hub.

- Under this standard and with future developments, seems like passive speakers will slowly fade away, as active designs seem to be less limited (well, except for the need to plug them to an electrical socket). Will "traditional" systems become a relic?

I´m sure I have made wrong assumptions, so feel free to point out at the mistakes and clarify as you see fit!

thank you in advance!

 

[voodooless]

Recently in the thread about the Kef LS60 it was stated that even if the functionality is not enabled, the device has the capacity to work on WiSa.

Actually, it will probably uses WiSa when you wirelessly connect the stereo pair.

-Currently WiSa manages up until 8 devices and has the capacity to play 3d codecs like Atmos. Are there plans to expand it further to configurations of 7.2.4 or even 9.4.6? Any idea if DTS and Auro are on board to work over wisa?

One would expect that if it can do 8x24/96, that it should be capable of 16x24/48 as well.. who knows..

-24 bit and 96Khz is a fine and respectable audio format but, how hard is to push it further to 19200? Is it even worth it?

No, just about all Atmos stuff is 48 kHz anyway, and your ears won’t do better either.

-Could an expansion like this mean the end of AVR´s? I mean, if you can control all the decoding on the device sending the signal, AVR´s would become preamps, and it is not hard to even get rid of them with a solution like the LS50/60 Wireless connection hub.

You don’t need an AVR anymore. Just a tiny box that takes care of everything…

Fun fact is that WiSa Tech seems to have all building blocks ready made: https://www.wisatechnologies.com/home-theater-technology#by-the-numbers . It shows a receiver, receiver + DAC, even one with amps, as well as A USB capable sender. Hook it up to a PC, and you can wirelessly connect your stuff. Sadly, there isn’t an easy way to consumers to buy this stuff for DIY … yet…

 

[sarumbear]

Hi all!

I´m opening this thread to ask questions as many of you are industry insiders or very informed and technically competent individuals. Recently in the thread about the Kef LS60 it was stated that even if the functionality is not enabled, the device has the capacity to work on WiSa. That statement led me to read a bit on devices that employ WiSa technology, from Buchard to Realtek making the chips. To put the cherry on top, Dynaudio has announced their Focus line of speakers to be compatible with WiSa (and Dirac!)

So here are my questions about what may be in store:

-Currently WiSa manages up until 8 devices and has the capacity to play 3d codecs like Atmos. Are there plans to expand it further to configurations of 7.2.4 or even 9.4.6? Any idea if DTS and Auro are on board to work over wisa?

-24 bit and 96Khz is a fine and respectable audio format but, how hard is to push it further to 19200? Is it even worth it?

-Could an expansion like this mean the end of AVR´s? I mean, if you can control all the decoding on the device sending the signal, AVR´s would become preamps, and it is not hard to even get rid of them with a solution like the LS50/60 Wireless connection hub.

- Under this standard and with future developments, seems like passive speakers will slowly fade away, as active designs seem to be less limited (well, except for the need to plug them to an electrical socket). Will "traditional" systems become a relic?

I´m sure I have made wrong assumptions, so feel free to point out at the mistakes and clarify as you see fit!

thank you in advance!

They have been trying since 2010. I bought their shares a decade ago but sold it before having burned. Wish them well but there must be a reason why their stock is junk…

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance

Find the latest WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[Katji]

WiSA: everything you need to know about the wireless ...​

https://www.whathifi.com › advice › wisa-everything-y...
19 Jun 2019 — WiSA is a new wireless audio standard which promises to simplify how we build stereo and surround sound speaker systems.
-----

That's good, no cables. Like my Edifier speakers /"speakers". ...A further step towards audiophiles having to stop the silver/copper bullshit.

 

[muslhead]

If their implementation in the Buchardt a500 hub is any reflection, the technology is not yet ready for prime time nor would i expect their stock to improve if that is their main source of revenue.
Lots of promises that are great on paper but incremental, slow improvements are incrementally released.
There is a reason why Buchardt is now oftering another option (primare)

 

[sarumbear]

WiSA: everything you need to know about the wireless ...​

https://www.whathifi.com › advice › wisa-everything-y...
19 Jun 2019 — WiSA is a new wireless audio standard which promises to simplify how we build stereo and surround sound speaker systems.
-----

That's good, no cables. Like my Edifier speakers /"speakers". ...A further step towards audiophiles having to stop the silver/copper bullshit.

No hope there. There are still power cables…

 

[KMO]

That's good, no cables. Like my Edifier speakers /"speakers". ...A further step towards audiophiles having to stop the silver/copper bullshit.

Uh-uh.

 

[sarumbear]

Uh-uh.

That makes me want to sell my KEF speakers. What a load of bulls**t!

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I've played with a couple of WiSA configs over the years but they were always plagued with problems. In part, that was due to the patchy implementations of it in devices from disparate manufacturers and, hopefully, they have ironed that out by now. I have always felt that it had enormous potential and I still do. The limitation to 24/96 is, imho, unimportant but the limitation to 8 channels is, today, significant. FWIW, B&O seems to have it worked out but perhaps that's because they control all the components in the system.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

That makes me want to sell my KEF speakers. What a load of bulls**t!

Where's your sense of humor? AFAIK, this was originally posted on April 1.

 

[Katji]

No hope there. There are still power cables…

Yes, that article even mentioned it. But I have 2 power cables* that plug into wall sockets with no...transformer/PS things. iow not 2-pin things that need adaptors.

*My self-amusing story: I looked at this and thought Right, speaker cables and RCA interconnects in the cupboard, now all I could do is upgrade the power cables. I was a bit concerned because I've seen some generic power cables with not enough copper wire in them, and a few dodgy cables that came with Dell computers. (Very few though - at work, big corporate, thousands of Dell computers, so maybe 1 in 100 that were dodgy.) And these cables that came with the Edifiers had SA plugs, so I wondered, where do they get these cables. Well, of course, from the same manufacturer they get all their cables. Not supplied by the importer/distributor, because the outer box and inner box were both sealed with Edifier-branded packaging tape, so that was a good sign. But to make cables would involve getting audiophile-style IEC plugs, and I decided that those lurid blue and purple plugs were not an upgrade. So I left it at that. End of.

 

[sarumbear]

Where's your sense of humor? AFAIK, this was originally posted on April 1.

Phew!

 

[Katji]

^^ Hydro? Blaster? ^^ uh-uh, That sounds wrong, risky.


PS: Kal, thanks for clearing that up.

 

[voodooless]

If their implementation in the Buchardt a500 hub is any reflection, the technology is not yet ready for prime time

so, what’s going on there? Also, the Primare option still uses WiSa, doesn’t it? That would mean that it’s purely an implementation issue, not a base technology problem… at least if the Primare works properly… looks like it doesn’t even have HDMI, nor Atmos

 

[Vacceo]

Almost 20 years ago I got my first Denon AVR to replace a set of Logitech speakers for the PC.

After connecting a set of Kef Cresta speakers, I discovered the joys of spdif connectors: with just one cable, i had the 5.1 system up and running.

With WiSa it seem like I'll be able to do, at some point, the same thing but even better: with the device on the PC motherboard, there should be no need for the AVR.

 

[Vacceo]

I've played with a couple of WiSA configs over the years but they were always plagued with problems. In part, that was due to the patchy implementations of it in devices from disparate manufacturers and, hopefully, they have ironed that out by now. I have always felt that it had enormous potential and I still do. The limitation to 24/96 is, imho, unimportant but the limitation to 8 channels is, today, significant. FWIW, B&O seems to have it worked out but perhaps that's because they control all the components in the system.

If I remember correctly, you have stated that yor listening preference is multichannel, right? On paper, WiSa should be able to bypass a lot of gear to archive a multichannel sound without loosing quality.

Thank you for your answer, from your words I get that the whole ecosystem still needs to evolve and get more stable on top of expanding further.

 

[sarumbear]

With WiSa it seem like I'll be able to do, at some point, the same thing but even better: with the device on the PC motherboard, there should be no need for the AVR.

What will be decoding Dolby Atmos?

 

[sarumbear]

If I remember correctly, you have stated that yor listening preference is multichannel, right? On paper, WiSa should be able to bypass a lot of gear to archive a multichannel sound without loosing quality.

Thank you for your answer, from your words I get that the whole ecosystem still needs to evolve and get more stable on top of expanding further.

Today multichannel means Atmos and 8 channels is the entry point.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

If I remember correctly, you have stated that yor listening preference is multichannel, right? On paper, WiSa should be able to bypass a lot of gear to archive a multichannel sound without loosing quality.

Thank you for your answer, from your words I get that the whole ecosystem still needs to evolve and get more stable on top of expanding further.

The original problem was that both the player/controller/preamp (electronics) end and the powered speakers (also electronics but more) came from different manufacturers and it was a chicken-and-egg issue. Will the speaker guys implement WiSA if the electronics guys don't do it first? Or vice-versa. Now that many speaker companies, like KEF, are making powered wireless or LAN-connected speakers, things may change. I'd love a PCIe WiSA card for my WinPC streamer/server.

 

[abdo123]

What will be decoding Dolby Atmos?

There are a couple of cute WiSA transmitters that can do this

SoundSend Wireless Audio Transmitter | WiSA

SoundSend decodes your smart TV’s audio signal and transmits up to 8 channels of uncompressed 24-bit 48/96 kHz sound to WiSA-certified speakers.

www.wisatechnologies.com

I really wanted to try this out, but the entry price is really expensive right now.