Tech Lighting Railtones Wireless Sound System Review

Tech Lighting Railtones Wireless Sound System: I love this product.  Now for a little more clarification.  Ok.  I REALLY love this product.

To start with, I was never a big fan of amped up sound systems.   I don’t get it even though my husband claims it would make our HDtv system sound better.  I own a small business and I’ve been in small business shops in my historic downtown.   Their idea of a sound system is a couple of boxy stereo speakers hanging precariously somewhere while belting out the tunes of Sad FM-music for the Over Thirties such as …well…any Easy Listening from the 1970s which, hopefully, is the most pathetic part of this review.

Railtones from Tech Lighting  is a wireless speaker system that connects on to your existing track or rail lighting setup or can be installed separately with the included freejack.  Simply put, it is tasteful, elegant, non-conspicuous and delivers a quality sound.

The Railtones wireless sound system comes complete with two speakers, freejack for non-rail-track assembly, remote control, USB dongle, in/out line and plug.    Depending on your existing track or rail lighting appliance, you are able to connect one or both speakers in place of the actual light assembly.  The speaker does not offer illumination but does impart a superior sound for those areas of your home, office, or even small shop (like mine).  It is an ideal and compact way of bringing in sound without the bulky set up of traditional speakers.

Railtones works wirelessly.   By using the USB dongle, you can play music, talk radio, subscription radio from your computer.  The in/out line allows you to play music from any Mp3 player and the remote control allows you to control the power and sound to the speaker.

I really like the idea of the speaker on the track/rail lighting set.  I have a smaller version of a track lighting kit to highlight the antique popcorn machine in my shop’s front window. (I have my own kettle corn business).   This rail kit is far too small to support the Railtones speaker.  I would have to upgrade to a larger, sturdier kit.   But the Railtones set comes with a freejack for separate installation and until I upgrade to a larger track lighting kit (which is imminent), one of the Railtones speakers hangs comfortably in the corner of my shop where it imparts plenty of quality sound throughout my shop.

The assembly is also pretty simple; no more difficult than installing a ceiling fan.   Yes, there are different and less noticeable sound systems you can install in your small shop or your home.  That’s fine.  I like the Railtones design.  I like the look, I love the sound.  I very much like the flexibility that the wireless system provides me.

I play pretty much only Big Band music in my shop.  My shop is specifically 1930s-1940s themed.  When purchasing music to play over the speakers in the store, honestly, I’m kind of limited to the music that is available out there.  There are only so many times I can listen to “In the Mood”.  I subscribe to Live 365, an internet radio service that offers me all kinds of Big Band stations, Swing, even a couple of stations that offer music from the Twenties as well as vintage radio shows.  It’s great and my customers love it.   To be able to do this would be difficult without a wireless sound system and Railtones solves this problem.  The sound is beautiful and clear.

If I had one complaint about this product, it would be the remote.  You have to be, basically, standing directly in front of it in order for the speaker to receive the signal from the remote control and that’s a pain in the neck at times.

Railtones is not going to be found in your local Lowe’s, WalMart or Target.  TechLighting.com does provide a list of internet retailers and showrooms throughout the United States but expect to shop in specialty lighting stores.  Expect to pay anywhere from $450.00 to $599.00 for a two-speaker kit.

Keep in mind that this product is designed for home use but I have chosen to use it in my shop where it performs beautifully.