I have used the hl1606 you mention and don't like it much. You can't just tell the chip, "go to this color" like you can the lpd6803 or the ws2801 chips. They are really made to run patterns using a simple controller. Since you have a smart controller, thanks Arduino, I suggest you look for LEDs with the chips lpd6803 (32 steps of PWM built in for 323232=32K colors) or the ws2801 chip (256 steps for 16M colors). This library works pretty good with both chips http://code.google.com/p/fastspi/. If you have already purchased the strips then you can work with them to create some cool effects.
If you plan to create a wearable suit, you need to also consider the time you need it lit and the current needed to run the lights. If you want a portable unit run on batteries, then you will want to test the patterns you are using and also understand the current draw of the lights and specs you are reading on power supplies.
Do you need wireless because only your computer provides the music responsiveness you need, or are you looking to control multiple suits at one time and have them in sync? This can be an important decision point in using wireless transmission or an on board music board.
HI neophis
I'm curious about your "suit" you are trying to do. ( i would like to do one too)
So , reading your post i noticed you'll be using Freestyler sw. If i don't go wrong , this is a free software for DMX lighting, so you can do a DMX shield for Arduino and control by iphone/ipod/ipad ( adding a wifi shield) , using TouchOsc or equivalents software ( luminair is another one).
I'm trying to do something similar, but before making a real suit, i have to learn lot more about interfacing, dmx , components, and of course programming Arduino in the correct way.
On PLAYGROUND section of this site, you can find how to do a DMX shield ( never tested , but seems to be working), and find the library needed.
another solution is using the strips you mentioned but you have to program inside arduino all the "light games" you need to have to.
I'm new to Arduino and the HL1606 and am about to experiment with it. I've compiled some code using the LEDStrip google project so I expect to get that working. and the HL1606 strip I use: WS2815 Addressable RGB LED Strip
I have a piece of the hl1606 strip, and while the pixels are individually addressable, you cannot individually control the brightness of the chips. I played with some hacks to use the fade line to adjust it, but there really is no good way to do anything better than 7 color mode (or a 15 color mode with a bit of trickery with the strobe line). I was planning to build a simple DMX-hl1606 protocol converter, but it wasn't worth it to me running in 7 color mode.