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JBL WEM-1 Unwires Any Pair of Speakers

Plenty of manufacturers offer wireless speakers, but what happens when you want to save the sweet-sounding setup you already have in your living room, and take it wireless? JBL launched a simple solution for unwiring ordinary speakers on Thursday with its On Air WEM-1 wireless expansion module, which allows users to snip the cord on any pair of speakers.

The On Air comes in two pieces: a transmitter to connect at source material, and a combined receiver/amplifier to hook up at the speakers. It provides 50 watts per channel, as well as a subwoofer output.  According to JBL, maximum range should be about 70 feet, and the receiver can also adopt five different equalization curves for different JBL speakers, or a completely unequalized one.

The WEM-1 will go on sale later this month, with a suggested retail price of $359.

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