Simple Tips To Consider Before Buying Your Home Speakers

If properly cared for, the right pair of speakers will last far longer than your car. Before pulling the trigger on musical joy, arm yourself with knowledge, conduct some research, and spend some time test driving.

If you’ve already started reading audio or home theater magazines, you may have come across some unfamiliar lingo. If you’re behind on the times, check out Addicted to Audio for a quick rundown of what’s going on in the world of speakers these days. Here are some guidelines before buying your speakers.

What will you use them for? Take a time to consider your listening preferences.

​​A soundbar or soundbar and wireless subwoofer combination may be a good choice if you merely want to improve the sound of your TV for general TV and movie watching and possibly occasional music listening. In our reviews section, you’ll find a number of high-quality solutions on the market.

Assume you’re a movie buff who demands surround sound. At this point, you should consider where all of the speakers in a surround system should be located. To that aim, let’s look at the various aspects of your space.

Consider the space they will be functioning in as part of the process of refining your speaker search.

• Hard surfaces are the worst enemies of good sound. If there are a lot of huge, flat surfaces for the sound to reflect off of, it will impact what you hear, no matter how good the sound is coming out of the speaker. If you’re worried that your room is too “alive,” stand in the middle and clap loudly. If you notice a lot of echoes or a ringing sound, move your system to a different area or take action to reduce the echo. Anything that helps break up long, hard, flat surfaces, such as furniture, draperies, carpet, and plants, can assist whichever speaker you purchase sound its best.

• Placement of full-range, floor-standing speakers on either side of a TV that squares off a corner presents certain complications. This setup cancels out the bass, which is a large part of what you could be paying for with a full-range, floor-standing speaker. In these circumstances, bookshelf speakers and a separate source of bass, such as a subwoofer, are likely to provide you more bang for your buck.

• Hard surfaces, such as walls and floors, are the worst enemies of good sound. If there are a lot of huge, flat surfaces for the sound to reflect off of, it will impact what you hear, no matter how good the sound is coming out of the speaker. If you’re worried that your room is too “alive,” stand in the middle and clap loudly. If you notice a lot of echoes or a ringing sound, move your system to a different area or take action to reduce the echo. Anything that helps break up long, hard, flat surfaces, such as furniture, draperies, carpet, and plants, can assist whichever speaker you purchase sound its best.