How to get audio across the room

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Aug 19, 2018
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I need to get audio from a computer (via 3.5mm audio jack) across the room at 55 feet away into a sound board. Running an audio cable would be easiest, but am not able to do that. Any ideas? Wifi, BT, or something else?
 
You could route it via wifi direct connect between two rpi's or a computer and an rpi. Pulseaudio supports network audio if you use Linux, or there are probably some alternatives.
 
Use waveguide speakers to beam the sound across the room to a board that reflects+directs it to your seating position.
Its 'possible' but is gonna take a long time to get it something like ok. Even the material the sound bounces off must be well selected and may need to be a large elipse.
Far easier to use wireless lol.

If it were me I would run wires.
You can get practically invisible wire but dont go too thin.
Fat wire is better for audio over a single wire pair (especially long distance) otherwise bass gets strangled.
Run wire round the edge of the carpet, choose the colour to match.

edit
Oxygen Free Copper wire will help prevent high frequency loss over long distance, its readily available at good price, labelled as OFC.
There are other ways to combat this but then it stops being simple.
 
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If delay isn't an issue get a phone with a good dac (V series LG etc) and run it via WIFI then you have your 3.5mm at the other end.
I tried an app called 'soundwire' on my v30 and it worked and sounded great. Only issue is processing delay.

Other than that there are other programs that can go wifi-wifi.. or just put a nas/remote PC there over WIFI. If you don't want wifi there are laser based systems but you are getting pricey.

Also if you are not aware there is low profile (flat) audio cable as well, as Nenu says at minimum you want OFC, you can also look at making braided CAT5E or 6 etc (whatever grade they start forcing OFC) for this too. I run a 15-20m Audioquest 3.5mm which is about the length you need (55ft) to keep things simple on my setup. It's not hard to hide a cord if you can pull carpet or have curtains to run it along. Or don't have a barebones empty echo-chamber ;D

Good luck
 
B00nie, the WLS approach sounds like it might work. My application is in a church. The stage has a VGA connection that goes from the stage to our soundboard, but there is no audio in VGA. When we have guest speakers, they usually bring their laptops to use on the stage. We have an HDMI to VGA converter that works well, but we also need audio for when they have PowerPoint with embedded videos (with sound). So, the audio would need to connect to the laptop's 3.5mm connector, then connect at the other end into our soundboard 50 feet away.
 
B00nie, the WLS approach sounds like it might work. My application is in a church. The stage has a VGA connection that goes from the stage to our soundboard, but there is no audio in VGA. When we have guest speakers, they usually bring their laptops to use on the stage. We have an HDMI to VGA converter that works well, but we also need audio for when they have PowerPoint with embedded videos (with sound). So, the audio would need to connect to the laptop's 3.5mm connector, then connect at the other end into our soundboard 50 feet away.
I haven't personally tried the Dayton audio solution but since it's essentially a wifi stream, it should be low latency and high bandwith. And it doesn't cost much to try.

By the way, if you want a proper sound solution to your church, look for Danley labs horn speakers... They can eliminate the reverb issues your church most likely has.
 
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B00nie, the WLS approach sounds like it might work. My application is in a church. The stage has a VGA connection that goes from the stage to our soundboard, but there is no audio in VGA. When we have guest speakers, they usually bring their laptops to use on the stage. We have an HDMI to VGA converter that works well, but we also need audio for when they have PowerPoint with embedded videos (with sound). So, the audio would need to connect to the laptop's 3.5mm connector, then connect at the other end into our soundboard 50 feet away.
How's the VGA wired? Maybe you can do terrible things and free up a path for audio. For example, it's common to do vga -> 5 bnc for long runs; a terrible person might combine the sync signals on stage, and split them at the soundboard/projector; then you'd have a wire freed up for audio.
 
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How's the VGA wired? Maybe you can do terrible things and free up a path for audio. For example, it's common to do vga -> 5 bnc for long runs; a terrible person might combine the sync signals on stage, and split them at the soundboard/projector; then you'd have a wire freed up for audio.
The OP said cables are not an option...
 
Put a laptop near the soundboard and put the audio on that and just remote into it to control it.
 
No, the OP said running a cable wasn't an option. Doing terrible things to use the existing cabling differently is always an option.
What makes you think there is a VGA cable or it goes anywhere near the audio system?
 
What makes you think there is a VGA cable or it goes anywhere near the audio system?
I think you missed the part I quoted; where the OP said "The stage has a VGA connection that goes from the stage to our soundboard, but there is no audio in VGA".
 
Wireless HDMI extender, and get rid of the HDMI-VGA adapter. Once you have audio at the TV, you can do optical out to the soundbar, or whatever the soundbar supports.
This one specifically markets for Church use:
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Ext...=wireless+hdmi+extender&qid=1614661020&sr=8-3
There are competing options at all kinds of price ranges, I just thought it was really funny that this one says "church" in the title, lol.
 
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You can also get hacky, chop off the VGA connectors and try to run CAT5 over HDMI extender (cheaper and more reliable than wireless HDMI) over the VGA wire. VGA has more than 8 wires, so in theory that might work. Of course, you'll be missing the twisted pair part of the Cat5 cable, but maybe the crosstalk wouldn't be that bad over 50ft. Maybe buy VGA sockets so that you could plug in this hacky solution before you chop up the VGA cable. You can make VGA over CAT5, so why not try CAT5 over VGA? Just thinking outside the box here, don't hate.
 
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I think you missed the part I quoted; where the OP said "The stage has a VGA connection that goes from the stage to our soundboard, but there is no audio in VGA".
Ah right, I did.
 
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