Wire recessed lighting for sound

A new wireless speaker system from Klipsch can deliver ambient party music from where you might least expect it: your recessed ceiling lights. The LightSpeaker showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show combines a 20-watt speaker with an LED bulb rated for 40,000 hours -- about 15 years of typical use. The device is as easy to install as a regular screw-in light bulb, and the energy-sipping LED substitutes for traditional bulbs that might consume three times as many watts, helping to pay for the gadget over time. That’s a necessary selling point because a starter package (transmitter, remote control and two LightSpeakers) is $599, and additional LightSpeakers are $249 each. The sound quality isn’t dazzling; the system is meant for background use only. But operation is easy: Connect an MP3 player, CD player or computer to the tabletop transmitter, and it can stream wirelessly 50 feet in any direction; the transmitter has two inputs, so you can have Bach in the bedroom and Kanye in the kitchen. Up to eight speakers can be used, each set for left or right channel separation, and the lights will work on dimmers. There’s even an optional bracket if you want your music to come out of a lamp instead of the ceiling. www.klipsch.com/na-en/

-- Jeff Spurrier