Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers

by Kenwood

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000278KJE
• Item model number: RFU-6100
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 2, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Eliminate the biggest hassle of home theater: wiring surround sound speakers. The Kenwood RFU-6100 is a wireless solution that features a transmitter and receiver that operate using RF (radio frequency), which eliminates the speaker AC plugs found on conventional wireless speaker systems. With the RFU-6100, you can use higher-quality surround speakers than are typically found in conventional surround speaker systems.

The separate RF receiver unit has a built-in high-power digital amplifier for the surround speakers (up to 50 watts x 2 channels), which dramatically improves sound quality over conventional wireless systems, and it can be used up to 100 feet away from the transmitter. Active circuitry reduces noise interference, and 4 selectable RF transmission channels eliminate interference from other RF devices.

What's in the Box
Kenwood RFU-6100 wireless transmitter and receiver, 2 AC power adapters, 2 speaker wires.

Product Description

The RFU-6100 is a wireless Module can make any receiver and speaker combination into a wireless system. The module features a transmitter and receiver which operate using RF. The transmitter connects to the speaker level outputs of an amplifier and the receiver connects to your speakers. The receiver can be placed in the rear of the room, outside in the patio, or in another room. The troubles of running wire around the baseboards of the living room, in the walls ,through the attic are eliminated with the RFU-6100 wireless module. The operating range is up to 100 feet, and with built in noise reduction circuitry and 0-bit mute, the system is quiet when no signal is present.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Yet, but not as good as wires, February 13, 2005

By 

R. Fink "Ex-Audiophile" (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers (Electronics)

I bought this unit through Amazon, who actually just forwarded the order to Crutchfield. Still, very fast service and shipping was free.
I have experimented with other wireless solutions such as X10 and Advent. The big thing about this unit was the 50W X 2 amplifier built into the receiver. Other systems require you to provide amplification after the receiver to power the speakers.
OK, a quick breakdown:
Looks - Good enough. Not an issue for me. My transmitter and receiver are both hidden from sight. Silver might not fit your scheme.
Ease of Use - Good. Need to connect preconnected speaker wire from the Xmitter to my amp, and power. Receiver needs power and user supplied speaker wire. Then, if needed, adjust the channel 1-4 on both units to avoid local RF interference.
Functionality - Good enough. I use it for rear channel speakers that generally don't need much amplification. Also, I stopped being an audiophile years ago as my hearing degraded, so the audio quality is fine by me. In 5.1 DVD movie use it performs very well and provides the surround experience I want, without the wires I don't want.
Gotchas - Antenna placement is very important. The box claims 100 ft range, but doesn't specify signal quality at that distance. My units are about 14 ft apart, and the antennae must be at the same height to provide the best sound. No putting the transmitter on top of your stereo rack, and the receiver under the couch. That orientation provided lots of pops and clicks as my wife walked between the two units. Also, I wish both pieces were squared off and had wall mount holes. This would provide additional mounting options.
Overall - Works as advertised/expected. I'm happy with it. However, if you aren't as lazy as I am, run the wires through your walls for better sound.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well but not a perfect solution, January 4, 2005

By 

JH - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers (Electronics)

Oh joy, oh rapture. Yet another RF toy to add to my growing collection of wireless paraphernalia. I ordered this unit to eliminate the circuitous wires leading from my 5.1 A/V Receiver (Yamaha) to a pair of secondary speakers. The unit comes with a small wireless transmitter and a matching wireless receiver that includes a small, digital amplifier whose volume and tonality vary with the parent receiver. For those with 6.1 and 7.1, two units should suffice, although I assume that would mean hooking up two transmitters as well. There is an issue with RF noise resulting from placing the unit too close to stereo equipment, which Kenwood mentions briefly in their literature. However, I was able to reduce the noise substantially by hooking up the transmitter's power source to the back of my receiver (as opposed to plugging it into my HT surge suppressor). Can't figure out why. After playing around with the signal selectors on both units and adding an additional surge suppressor to the RFU receiver, I am fairly happy with the results. This is sort of new but promising technology. I would have liked a little more noise suppression on both units and the ability to support 6.1 and 7.1 configurations without the purchase of additional transmitters, but not a bad product.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise, surprise -- this really works and it's good !!, April 10, 2006

By 

Karran "karran_s" (Marlborough, Ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kenwood RFU-6100 Wireless Module for Surround Speakers (Electronics)

I was very skeptical about this product and read a lot of the pros and cons before buying it and hoped that it would work, as I did not want the hassle of running wires in my basement from the front to the back of the room.

I have a NAK AV-8 with Klipsch surrounds and although this is not truly wireless [ you have to hook up the rear surrounds with the receiver ], the end result was surprisingly good and beyond my expectations.

I watched Gladiator [ battle scene ], Armageddon [ meteor scene ] and the Matrix ... the surround effects were really good and I could hardly believe my ears .. there was little or no distortion and I was very satisfied with my purchase.