Speakers driven by wireless give hi-fi quality

Electronics graduate Glenn Boardman has won the 2008 Victorian Institution of Engineering and Technology Student Prize for designing wireless speakers that can reproduce hi-fi sound good enough for home theatre systems.

In the era of cordless, mobile and infrared, Glenn asked himself: why persist with metres of cords from the amplifier to the speakers of his surround sound system?

His answer won the university's annual Hooper Awards — which showcase the Department of Electronic Engineering's most outstanding developments — and then so impressed his professional colleagues state wide that he won the Victorian prize.

"Glenn found a hole in the home theatre market," says his supervisor, Darrell Elton, lecturer in electronic engineering. "The only similar products available are wireless computer speakers and they don't have hi-fi quality."

Glenn says his concept was more complex than just incorporating wireless sensors. "The sensors had to be resistant to interference from other wireless signals, so I needed to source high-quality chips," he says.

"I did some research and found a company in England that made high-quality wireless chips for streaming audio, and then built a circuit around the chip to make it work."

He also had to work out how to make it easy to use by developing intuitive controls, compatible with other hardware in the entertainment unit — and how to ensure it wouldn't 'overcook' itself.

"It also had to look good, so there were many elements I needed to work out as I went along."

Having ticked all those boxes, he had to find a reasonably priced, high-quality amplifier that could accept audio inputs from a range of audiovisual devices used in the home.

With the prototype now working beautifully in his lounge room, he intends to develop his project for the consumer market.

"There really aren't any Australian audio companies. My challenge is launching a high-end home theatre product to an audience other than the 'in-the-know' audio market on the internet," he says.