No! You don't need a computer to send wireless stereo audio - just power for the W3 Sender and Receiver dongles and RCA or mini-jack inputs and outputs on your music gear.
Tech Specs
S6 Wireless Subwoofer
Cut the cord and go wireless with our S6 Wireless Subwoofer. Totaling 210 watts of portable power, the S6 is the ultimate bass support for your laptop, desktop, home theater or gaming setup that allows you more feng shui options around the house . The S6 delivers deep, smooth, and punchy bass from a front-firing woofer in a sealed box that might just take you by surprise.
Technical Specifications
General Specifications
Type
Powered Subwoofer, sealed enclosure
Amplifier Type
Class D
Power Output
210 W peak power total (140 W RMS), AES
Drivers
6" long throw front-firing woofer
Inputs
3.5 mm stereo mini-jack, RCA L/R
Outputs
N/A
Input Voltages
100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz auto-switching
SNR
>100 dB (typical A-weighted)
THD+N
<0.2% at all power settings
Crosstalk
N/A
Frequency Response
33Hz - 132Hz ±1.5dB
Frequency Response w/ Bass Reduction Switch selected
N/A
Analog Input Impedence
N/A
Nominal Impedence
N/A
Input Impedence
10K ohms unbalanced
Crossover Frequency
40Hz - 130Hz
Protection
Output current limiting, thermal over-temperature, power on/off transient protection
Power Consumption
N/A
Standby Consumption
<1W
Phase
0 / 180 degrees
Recommended Amplifier Power
N/A
Battery Life
N/A
Battery Charge Time
N/A
Bluetooth Specifications
Internal D/A Converter
N/A
Internal BT Receiver
N/A
Input Bit Depth
N/A
Bluetooth Receiver Type
N/A
Supported Codecs
N/A
Supported Bluetooth Profiles
N/A
Wireless Operation Range
N/A
Input Data Rate
N/A
Wireless Latency
N/A
Usb Specifications
Connector Type
N/A
USB Device Class
N/A
Input Bit Depth
N/A
Input Sample Rate
N/A
Headphone Amp Specifications
Headphone Amp Type
N/A
Full-scale Headphone Output Level
N/A
Output Impedence
N/A
Recommended Headphone Impedence Level
N/A
Optical Specifications
Internal D/A converter
N/A
Input Bit Depth
N/A
Sample Rate
N/A
Weights And Measures
Dimensions (HWD)
10" (25.2 cm) x 8.7" (22.2 cm) x 10" (25.3 cm)
Weight
15.4 lb (6.98 kg)
Total Shipping Weight
18.2 lb (8.26 kg)
Shipping Box Dimensions (LWH)
13" (33 cm) x 13" (33 cm) x 14" (35.6 cm)
Environmental Requirements
Operating temperature: 32 degrees F to 95 degrees F
Non-operating temperature: -4 degrees F to 113 degrees F
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing
Materials And Construction
15mm thick MDF cabinet, 6" custom front-firing woofer
Custom Components
Audioengine designs and manufactures our own tweeters, woofers, and other critical components. In other words, these are not “box built” speakers with off-the-shelf parts but custom-designed to our specifications. What we do not fabricate directly in our factory we have made to our designs (parts such as transformers, magnets, and wiring harnesses, for example). The cabinets, drivers, bass port designs, amplifiers, and crossovers are all painstakingly tuned together for each Audioengine model. This, in turn, makes for a much more efficient system that requires much less power than passive speakers and a separate integrated amplifier or similar A/V components.
Quick Start Guide
Troubleshooting
S6 Troubleshooting TipsS6 Troubleshooting Tips
The following troubleshooting tips can help diagnose and correct most concerns with the S6. We have attempted to make this list as comprehensive as possible, so some of these may not apply to your issue, but please go through each tip.
For trouble getting the S6 to "wake up" from standby mode, try turning the volume up on your source or speakers until you hear the S6 kick in. There is a minimum volume threshold to meet before the S6 will play.
If the power indicator on the S6 rear panel is not illuminated, try these tips:
- Verify that the AC power cord is connected to the S6 rear panel and to a working AC power outlet.
- Check that the power switch on the S6 rear panel is in the ON position and the volume control is not turned all the way down.
- Confirm that the rear panel voltage selector matches the operating voltage in your country or region.
- If the power indicator on the rear panel still does not illuminate, check the fuse in the rear panel. If the fuse is blown and needs to be replaced it is important to replace it with the same fuse type and value.
If the S6 is powered on but you are experiencing an audio-related issue, try these tips:
- Check that the cables from your music source to the S6 are properly connected by unplugging the cables and then reconnecting. Try using the mini-jack (Input B) as well as the RCA connectors (Input A) to see how the sub reacts.
- Check that the volume knob on the rear panel is not set to minimum volume.
- Verify that the volume levels of your audio source components, computer, etc are not set to minimum volume or powered off.
- If you are using any wireless adapters or other products with your sub, please remove the wireless device (temporarily) and connect the source directly to the sub.
FAQ's
The S6 is dimensions are 10"H x 8.7"W x 10"D
We take great pride in our products, and go through great lengths to ensure consistency and quality. For that reason, this item was randomly selected for an additional step of Quality Assurance.
You can do this using powered speakers like our A2+s, HD3s, HD4s, A5+s, and HD6s. For this, you'll connect the W3 sender to the RCA output on the left speaker, using a 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable. Then connect the W3 Receiver to the input on your S8. You can either use a 3.5mm stereo-mini to stereo-mini cable for this, or another 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable; either will work fine. Both W3 units will need to be powered from a USB port. You can use USB AC power adapters, or if the powered speaker you're using is our A5+ Classic model, you can use the USB port on it's rear panel for the W3 sender. The same would apply to the S8 subwoofer if you have our current 'Gen II' model that has a USB port on the rear panel.
No, there are no firmware updates or special drivers needed unless you own our A1-MR multi-room speakers or our B-Fi multi-room wireless streaming device.
If a firmware update is released for the A1-MR or the B-Fi, you will be notified of the update the next time you open the Audioengine Control App. If an update is needed, simply click "update" on the DEVICES page next to the product that needs to have the firmware update applied. The app will handle the rest of the process from there!
Standard plug-n-play drivers that are provided by your computer's OS are utilized when using the USB input on our A2+, HD3, and HD4 speaker models.
And all of our Bluetooth speakers/products are compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth, and the A2DP profile for streaming stereo audio. This includes most smartphones, tablets, and computers. For computers that don't include Bluetooth support out of the box, you can simply add a USB Bluetooth adapter.
Yes! You'd just need a wireless adapter like our W3 Wireless Adapter.
Most Audioengine powered speakers have variable RCA outputs for use with a subwoofer like the S6 (the exceptions being the B2 and the 512). This means that the output of the speakers and the RCA output will go up and down together. So once you dial in the volume of your S6, you should be able to adjust the volume from the speakers, or your source device. Either way the subwoofer and speakers should stay in balance as the volume is raised and lowered.
The S6's crossover is a variable low-pass filter, and will not adjust the audio for the RCA output connection. This is a full range line level output.
The S6’s crossover is a variable low-pass filter. This means it variably adjusts how high the S6 will play. Unless the subwoofer is pretty far away, you can usually leave the phase switch set to 0°. When setting up a new S6, I like to start with the crossover all the way counter clockwise and, with some music I'm familiar with playing, first get the volume "about" right. After that try making very small adjustments clockwise on the crossover, evaluating each small change from where you'll be listening from most often. Once it starts sounding like you can localize where the sub is coming from, back it off until you can't again. You may also need to lower the volume a touch after the crossover is dialed in, or perhaps even while you're dialing it in, depending on the acoustics of the room you're in, and your own preference on how present you'd like the sub to sound.
Audioengine powered speakers have fixed passive crossovers designed specifically for them; this simply means that they are designed to play the frequency range they produce, so it's not necessary to alter this when adding a subwoofer. Adding a subwoofer, such as the S6, will pick up where the speakers leave off, extending the low end response.
Yes! You would just need an amp, like our N22, to supply power to the P4 speakers and connect to the S6.
Yes, connect the W3 Sender to the line-leve outputs or headphone jack of the TV and the Receiver. You'll need a second USB power adapter or iPod charger for this application. These power supplies are inexpensive and can be found at your local Radio Shack or electronics store.
The W3 is a great way to make your S8 subwoofer wireless!
The W3 kit comes with a sender unit and receiver unit. For use with an AV Receiver or Stereo Amplifier, you'll need to connect the sender unit to the SUB or LFE output of your AV receiver. This is usually done with a 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable. You can connect either RCA to the SUB / LEF out, and just leave the other side unplugged. Then, you'll connect the W3 receiver to your S8 Powered Subwoofer, using a 3.5mm stereo mini to RCA "Y" cable, normally. If you're using a different sub that only has a single RCA, connect the same color RCA that you used for your AV Receivers SUB / LFE out, and leave the other unplugged. Both W3s will need power. In this configuration you will need a USB AC adapter for each W3 unit.
You can also do this using powered speakers like our A5+s, A2+s, HD6s, or HD3s, instead of an AV Receiver. For this, you'll connect the W3 sender to the RCA output on the left speaker, using a 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable. Then connect the W3 Receiver to the input on your S8. You can either use a 3.5mm stereo-mini to stereo-mini cable for this, or another 3.5mm stereo-mini to RCA "Y" cable; either will work fine. Both W3 units will need to be powered from a USB port. You can use USB AC power adapters, or if the powered speaker you're using is an A5+, you can use the USB port on it's rear panel for the W3 sender.
The USB port can provide around 500mA, which is standard for high powered USB 2.0 devices; these are perfect for using a W3 or B1 for instance.
However, when trying to charge a iPad or iPhone for example, they require around 1000mA to charge with the screen on (the iPad's included USB charger actually provides around 2100mA to speed up charging with the screen on). If your device is at a higher battery level it should work fine to plug it in to the USB power port to maintain the battery while listening to music (with the screen on it will always show "not charging"). If the battery is low though, we'd recommend plugging it into the charger that came with it.
The USB connector on the Sender transmits USB audio from your computer OR you can plug any input into the audio connector on the other end (an iPod, stereo, etc.). The Receiver part is powered by a USB power supply or charger and sends out analog audio. Just keep in mind the W3 will work anywhere you want to replace an RCA cable or 1/8" mini-jack cable with wireless! If i purchase multiple W3 sets will they interfere with each other when used in the same setup? Up to 8 W3 sender receiver pairs will play well together as long as you keep a minimum of 6 inches between each unit.
Yes, you can control iTunes with your iPhone and then send music from your Mac or PC out to your stereo system with the W3. Think of the W3 as an inexpensive way to get really high-quality wireless audio anywhere around the house. And no need to buy new gear as you can connect the W3 to all of your existing audio components.
The W3 will easily handle low frequencies and is designed to transfer all music without any compression of loss. If I have the W3 can I send audio to my passive rear channel surround speakers? Sure, as long as you have a power amplifier to power your passive speakers, the W3 will work.
The W3 replaces any "line-level" RCA or mini-jack audio cable but is not designed to connect directly to powered speaker outputs.
Absolutely! Many of our customers use the W3 with their MP3 players, stereo receivers, CD players, powered speakers, satellite radios, etc. The W3 Sender and Receiver units connect to any gear that has an audio input and output (or headphone jack).
Yes, the output of the W3 works great with headphones and you can control the volume with the TV remote.
No, the W3 Sender will transmit USB audio directly to the Receiver so there's no need to connect to the headphone output on your computer.
Sure, as long as your amplifier, preamp, or receiver has RCA preamp outputs you can connect the W3 to send wireless music over to your A2 powered speakers. Very cool!
Yes, you can use multiple W3 sets (up to 8) to send stereo audio to different locations or up to 3 receivers with one sender unit.
Two W3s can be used on one computer if you have two free USB ports. You would need to change the selection in your computer's audio preferences to switch between each Sender. Also, make sure to leave at least 6 inches between the units so there is no interference.
Yes! As long as it can provide at least 250mA, any USB power supply or smartphone / tablet charger should work just fine to power the W3 Sender or Receiver.
If you car has an auxiliary input on your car's stereo system (either 1/8" or RCA), then simply connect the W3 Receiver to a USB car power adapter and the audio output from the W3 Receiver to the audio input on your stereo system.
We considered adding batteries but decided not to as this was primarily designed as a wireless connection from your stereo receiver to a subwoofer or from a laptop to your stereo or powered speakers. There are, however, 3rd-party battery packs available and a quick Google search will turn up some inexpensive options that work great!
We agonized whether or not to include 2 chargers in the box but figured that most people these days are very likely to have an extra USB charger or two from an old smartphone or tablet. These power supplies are inexpensive and can be found at your local Radio Shack or electronics store. We also have extra USB adapters available through our web store - http://audioengineusa.com/USB-Power-Adapter.
The W3 latency is under 20ms so it's perfect for using with video - home theater surround or basic 2-channel audio. Can I use the W3 for my podcasting studio? I want a wireless mic to my computer's audio input? Sure, this is a great application for the W3. You can use the W3 to replace any RCA or mini-jack cable, with or without a computer!
The features that we feel make our system better than most wireless products currently on the market are the overall ease of setup, fixed low latency, audio quality, lack of dropouts, and high interference tolerance - all the good stuff that's important for a wireless product to be of any real use.
The full frequency response is 15Hz to 22KHz, +/- 1.5db. The numbers shown in the W3 Setup Guide are measurement points and not related to the overall bandwidth of the system. There's not need to show a spec for frequency range as the system transmits uncompressed PCM stereo audio (CD-quality) over using a protocol specifically designed for audio.
The W3 can transmit to up to 3 receivers simultaneously.
To do this you would use multiple sets of the W3 to send wireless music throughout your house. We have customers that daisy-chain the W3 (and W2) together from the output of one audio system - your stereo or our powered speakers in the living room, for example - to another system in another part of the house such as a Bose Wave radio in the kitchen. This way you can either control audio from their computers or iPods, or even without a computer from any other audio gear depending on how you connect the W3 Senders and Receivers.
Yes; you would need to connect the W3 Sender to the line-level outputs or headphone jack of the TV and the W3 Receiver to the analog input of the speakers. You'll need a second USB power adapter or iPod charger for this application. These power supplies are inexpensive and can be found at your local electronics store.
Sure. Connect the W3 Sender to the subwoofer outputs on your A/V receiver and then connect the W3 Receiver to the audio inputs on your subwoofer. There are stereo 1/8" mini-jack inputs and outputs on the W3 that will allow you to make an RCA connection with the use of a Y-cable (which is included).
Yes, simply connect the W3 Sender to the rear channel preamp outputs on your surround receiver then connect the W3 Receiver to an input on Audioengine or any other powered speakers. The W3 has stereo (1/8") inputs and outputs that will also connect to RCA connector with the use of the included RCA Y-cable adapter.
Yes, each Sender/Receiver W3 pair transmits uncompressed stereo audio from a computer or any analog audio output.
The W3 is based on a proprietary wi-fi technology that uses the same frequency bands as 802.11.
The W3 essentially acts as your computer's sound card; so it is an either/or option, you either select your internal sound card to use or the W3. To use your computer speakers you simply select the sound card in your device settings or remove the W3 sender unit from your computer.
The W3 is a USB Plug-and-Play audio device. This means that the drivers it uses are developed and provided by the developer of your computer's operating system. In the case of a Windows PC for example, these drivers are provided by Microsoft, and are a part of Windows.
The W3 is a USB Plug-and-Play audio device. which means that the drivers it uses are developed and provided by the developer of your computer's operating system. Because of this, you shouldn't need to download or upgrade any drivers to use your W3.
Yes, both wireless adapters transmit any audio file format with no compression or loss.
Yes, each Sender/Receiver W3 pair transmits 16-bit stereo audio.
Easily switch between speakers and W3 in the Status Bar on a Mac without having to go into System Preferences/Sound to change inputs and outputs with the Audio Switcher program available here: spikesoft.net/downloads.php#as.