Published on June 10th, 2014 | by Guest

What to consider when buying speakers

If you’re about to splash out on a pair of high-end speakers, you’ll want to know you’re making the right choice. What you end up with will largely depend on your personal preferences and budget, but here are some tips to help make the process of deciding that bit easier.

Size matters

When it comes to speakers, size really does matter. Think carefully about the proportions of the room in which yours will be located. As a general rule, the smaller the space, the smaller the speakers should be.

If you purchase large, floor standing versions for a city studio apartment, you might end up with a system that sounds overripe in the lower frequencies. Conversely, if you get bookshelf or mini-monitor speakers for large rooms, you’re likely to suffer bad base performance and you might find yourself constantly trying to turn up the volume.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that when used in larger rooms, in wall, in ceiling or on wall speakers generally need subwoofers to supplement their sound.

Enclosure design

Another issue to consider is enclosure design. The cabinets that hold speakers in place have a massive impact on the overall quality of the sound they create. This is because the amount of space and air behind speakers helps to determine the movement of the woofers.

Generally speaking, there are two types of enclosure. One is called acoustic suspension and it uses a sealed box to provide tight, accurate bass response. The other version is a bass reflex. This type of speaker includes a ‘tuned’ port or passive radiator that helps to increase and prolong bass response. These are more power-efficient than their acoustic suspension counterparts, meaning they will play louder when driven with the same amplifier power. However, they may sacrifice some bass accuracy as a result.

Try before you buy

Ideally, you should try speakers before you buy them. If you’re not testing them in your home environment, be aware that the sound will be different there, but you can still get a good idea of the general quality of the products.

The fact is, we all have our own individual preferences when it comes to sound and you can’t always rely on the descriptions and judgements of others.

The right cables

As well as purchasing the speakers themselves, it’s important to think about the cables you’ll use. A set of speakers is only as good as the wires that connect it. Cheap versions can allow the signal to degrade, especially over longer runs. This results in a loss of detail and dynamics.

It’s now straightforward to pick up excellent speaker cables online from firms such as The Cable Company, so there’s no reason to compromise on the quality of these items.

Positioning

It’s important to think about where exactly you’ll put your speakers too. Music is usually released in stereo, meaning the sound is split between the left and right speakers. Ideally, you should position your speakers at a 60-degree angle as this will give you the best sound.

If you have enough space to play with, you should also aim to pull the speakers away from the wall.

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This is a sponsored post by The Cable Company.

Tags: buying, cables, design, size, speakers