Buying Guide:
Home Theater Speaker and Sub
One of the most significant design elements to consider is the quality of your home theater speaker and sub. Odds are that you have invested a great deal of time and money into building the ultimate home theater experience for you and your family and the quality of your sound system can quickly make or break your project. Your sound system represents another large expenditure in your home theater budget -- and equipped the right knowledge, you can avoid some potentially costly mistakes with your purchase decision.
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We've put together a buying guide that you can use to help you select the right home theater speaker and sub for your listening pleasure. We'll give you the tips you need to follow to match the components you buy with your home theater design concept and objectives. We'll also break down the various technical specifications you'll come across as you do your shopping so you know which are important and which are not so important. Armed with this information, finding your ideal home theater speaker and sub should be a cinch!
However, we do want to raise a word of caution. While the specifications described below will certainly aid you in your purchase decision, they are not by any means the most critical determinant. In most cases, the specifications speaker manufacturers publish aren't subjected to any level of standardization for testing. Hence, always experience the sound quality of a home theater speaker and sub for yourself, preferably in a practical environment. For example, an electronics store is not always the best place to assess the sound quality of a speaker due to the layout of the store as well as other influencing factors such as customers. Sound is definitely not an objective topic and is variable from person to person and place to place -- ultimately choose what sounds best to you and is a good fit with your budget.
Size
Bigger doesn't always mean better. But typically the larger the speaker is, the more bass it produces. Choose a blend of larger speakers when your aiming for high performance, as well as when you're working with a large home theater room.Speaker Construction
A higher level of bass can typically be acheived using speakers with a vented housing versus a sealed housing.Two-way versus Three-way
Three-way speakers will typically play louder sound than two-way models. With all other things equal, choose a three-way speaker.Types
There are a variety of different speakers out on the market (bookshelf, floor standing, in-wall, subwoofer/satellite, etc.).Wattage
Wattage is essentially a measurement that indicates the power of the speaker. Additionally, it also tells you how much power the speaker can handle without experiencing a significant level of distortion or even worse, "blowing" the speaker. Higher wattage doesn't necessarily translate to a better quality speaker, but it's definitely a plus.When shopping for speakers, you may notice that the manufacturer provides the wattage level in two forms, an overall and RMS rating (which stands for Root Mean Square). The overall rating is an indicator of what the speaker can handle under ideal conditions and the RMS rating is an indicator how much power the speaker can handle over an extended period of time without risk of distortion or blowing the speaker. Since RMS is a more practical measurement, pay more attention to it.
Impedance
As you might infer from the name, impedance is an indicator of how a speaker limits or controls the amount of power from the receiver/tuner/amplifier to the speaker. Sometimes referred to as nominal impedance, it tells you how easy the power flows from one component to the other. Hence, the higher the impedance, the more difficult it is to channel power to the from the amplifier to the speaker.You'll always find the impedance value of a home theater speaker and sub stated in terms of ohms. Typically, most speakers you'll find on the market have an 8 ohm rating. If you choose a speaker with anything other than an 8 ohm rating (e.g., 4 or 6 ohm), it's a good idea to check to make sure your receiver/amplifier is compatible with it.
Sensitivity (Efficiency)
The efficiency of a speaker is measured in decibels (dB). Look for a home theater speaker and sub with higher decibel ratings. A higher rating results in less power needed from your receiver/amplifier to deliver the same level of sound. As the quality of your receiver/amplifier decreases, the importance of sensitivity on performance increases. High quality speakers will have sensitivity ratings of 90 dB and above. Avoid those with a rating of 85 or less.Frequency Range and Response
Typically stated as a range, this indicates how low and high the sound can go that the speaker produces. Bass tones are produced at the lowest levels and treble tones are produced at the highest level. With all other things equal, choose the speaker with the widest band of frequencies.The response is typically stated as +/-X dB. If X=3, this is typically pretty good. The lower X is, the better.
However, don't place too much weight on either of these when comparing speaker models, as there is a lot of "noise" (pun intended) in the numbers published by the manufacturers.
Other Considerations
Outside of the technical specifications of the home theater speaker and sub you're looking to buy, we've identified some other things you'll want to consider before you make your decision.- The size of your theater is an important determinant in the quantity and quality of home theater speakers and sub you'll need. You should be able to get an idea from the manufacturer of whether or not the speaker will adequately perform in your theater. Make sure your budget accounts for this.
- Match the quality of your speakers with the quality of your receiver/amplifier. It doesn't make much sense to spend more money on speakers when you're using a receiver/amplifier whose output is less than what the speakers can handle.
- Most speakers are magnetically shielded, which helps to ensure the picture clarity of your television by preventing interruptions in the transmitted signals. This interruption occurs with speakers placed in close proximity to your television and not magnetically shielded. Double-check the home theater speaker and sub you're considering for this feature.
- In-wall speakers, while less obtrusive in your theater environment, can have a degrading effect on sound compared to wall mounted or bookshelf speakers. If aesthetics are important to you, then using in-wall speakers may be the right choice for you. Otherwise, avoid using them.
Don't forget! Ultimately, choose the home theater speaker and sub that sounds best to you and is best suited for your listening tastes.
Home Theater Speaker and Sub → Buying Guide.
