Soundcast

Hometheaters Guide

Purchased and evaluated the Soundcast SubCast and have to give it 5 stars +++. Here’s why:

I was looking for a solid, accurate wireless connection for subwoofers not located within cable distance/convenience of the AVR.

Frequency response: Measured electrically flat in the sub range of around 250Hz to below 20Hz. Actually, short of a bit of ringing in the very high frequencies (+15kHz) this device works well as a full range, 2 channel wireless audio transmitter. It is just being packaged and sold for subs in this application. Anyway, frequency response was down .3 dB at 15Hz, down 1 dB at 10Hz, and down 3.4 dB at 5Hz.

Connectivity: Comes with multiple audio cables for each end of the wireless connection so it is highly unlikely you would need to buy any additional cables. Also includes wall warts (power) for each end which is provided via USB connectors (USB cables supplied) between the wall wart and the transmitter/receiver.

Latency: All wireless solutions that transmit digitally introduce latency (delay) into the audio stream between the transmitter and receiver. Soundcast claims 15ms and I measured 15ms. Other solutions on the market are much higher than this or use analog transmission that allow static and noise injection into the audio. The latency must be accounted for in the AVR and 15 ms (around 15 feet – one foot per ms) is easily handled by most AVRs.

Interference with other 2.4GHz devices: The transmitter and receiver operate on the standard 2.4GHz band used by cordless phones, wireless networks, etc. Testing revealed no interference one way or the other between devices or external sources of interference like microwave ovens, etc. The transmitter and receiver operate on a narrow band/band hopping process that claims to virtually eliminate interference. My testing confirmed no issues.

Size/Appearance: The size of the transmitter and receiver are quite diminutive hence easy to hide. If you want to look at them, they are very attractive and have two lights in their bases – a green one indicating power, and a blue one indicating signal connectivity between transmitter and receiver. Bottom line – if you are looking for a reliable, all-inclusive subwoofer wireless connectivity solution that won’t affect the sound quality or performance of your sub, give this a look.