Buying guide: Home theater speakers and subwoofers

Prioritizing your needs

As can be seen, your home theater system is rather incomplete without a decent set of speakers and a very nice subwoofer. And this is where some of the more pressing issues need to be looked into. For example, regardless of how advanced the set of speakers might be, if they are not placed properly, you are never going to get a thorough cinema like surround sound experience. Also, the size of the room where the home theater system is to be placed plays an important role when it comes to effective performance of the home theater system.

Also, a set of speakers and a subwoofer may perform brilliantly in the store or in a studio, how good are they when placed in your house or room? This is what matters in the end. Every house has its own spatial characteristics that are unique and one of a kind. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict (by means of a thought experiment) how a given set of speakers or a subwoofer for a home theater system will sound in your house. As such, it is very essential that you try to obtain a live demo of the speakers in your home and get familiar with the audio experience they provide. And if you really are planning to shell out a rather large amount of money on the set of speakers or a subwoofer, even if a live demo cost some amount of money, it may be worthwhile to consider it. And if you really are an audiophile, and want nothing less than the best that money can buy, you can also re do your furniture or your house to get a more pure experience.

Another important thing to remember when buying a set of home theater speakers and a home theater subwoofer is the capability of and the output provided by your AV receiver/DVD player. For example, if you have an AV receiver or DVD player that provides an output of only 5.1 channels, it makes no sense to go in and buy a 7.1 channel speaker system for you would literally be wasting the capability of your speakers. Further, no matter how advanced are you speakers, a good quality AV receiver is a definite must, for without it, sound quality and fidelity may suffer owing to less accurate sound reproduction. Furthermore, a cheap AV receiver or a cheap DVD player will definitely leave you wanting for more from your set up. Also, given the high degree of penetration achieved by home theater systems, more advanced AV receivers have emerged that can decode Dolby Prologic, Dolby Prologic II, Dolby Prologic IIx, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo 6, and THX Surround EX, thus pushing the boundaries at which home theater systems can mimic actual cinema sound. As such, if you want to get the most out of your home theater set up, it is important that you buy an AV receiver with all the bells and whistles attached.

Types of home theater speakers

Now, we discuss some of the various types of speakers (in terms of their placement in a surround sound set up) that are available in the market. First up are bookshelf speakers; these are small speakers that are designed to be placed on a shelf or on a stand. Though bookshelf speakers provide relatively good sound, they do suffer from limitations inherent in their small form factor. For example, a bookshelf speaker will struggle to match the power output of a larger speaker. Further, though larger bookshelf speakers are available that overcome this problem, they occupy a lot of space and are voluminous (as compared to floor-standing speakers that we will see later). Thus, bookshelf speakers are ideal as rear speakers and can be even used as main speakers if you are looking for a rather basic custom set up. Second, we have floor-standing speakers, which are the ones you ought to buy if you want true cinema like surround sound experience. These offers unparalleled clarity and high power output, and thus are apt for a high-end home theater set up. Third, we have the enter channel speakers, which are usually placed horizontally rather than vertically. Though, in terms of acoustics, these are much like bookshelf speakers, center channel speakers are responsible for reproducing the dialog, and hence it is important that you go in for a center channel speaker that is in sync with the other components of your home theater set up. Last, we have rear channel speakers (also known as surround sound speakers). These speakers provide the ambiance and the other noises that happen off the screen to provide true cinema like surround sound experience. Though, these have the same form as normal bookshelf speakers, these are different in terms of their acoustic characteristics.

Purchasing Criteria

Now, we look at some of the more important criteria that you ought to consider before purchasing any home theater component speaker:

1. 1.    Brand: Unlike some products, when buying home theater speakers, it is very necessary that you opt for a brand name that does have a history of making good products and carries weight in the market. This is because modern day home theater speakers (like all acoustic products) require lots of R&D, and it is usually only big-name manufacturers (such as Bose, Sony, Klipsch, etc.), with deep pockets and research expertise, that can better develop such products and technology. This, however, does not in any way imply that a product from a big-name manufacturer is the best out there or is necessarily a good choice.

1. 2.    Power output: This is obviously one of the more important aspects of any speaker. Note that often people have this belief that more the wattage, the louder the speaker. Things, however, are not that simple. Human ears assess sound-volume on a non-linear scale, and are also less sensitive to louder sounds. Simple put, to a human ear, 100 watts is double in volume of 10 watts and not 50 watts. As such, power output (in watts) isn’t only criterion when choosing a speaker. Another important thing to note is the difference between watts root mean square (RMS) and watts peak music peak output (PMPO). The watts PMPO rating stands for the loudest sound that a speaker can produce in peaks; on the other hand, the watts RMS rating, denotes the output level at which the speaker can operate for extended lengths of time. Thus, RMS output is a more reliable statistic. The power output also depends to a certain extent on the resistance that the current flowing through the speaker has to encounter. The higher the resistance, the lesser the power output. Typically, resistance ratings for a speaker or subwoofer are measured in 4, 6, and 8 ohms. As such, to get the correct picture, it is advisable that when comparing power outputs, you compare the power output at a resistance of 8 ohm for this is the “benchmark” for the measurement of power output.

1. 3.    Total harmonic distortion (THD): Total harmonic distortion (THD) is a measure of the sound distortion that a speaker produces when playing at a given volume. Distortion is particularly noticeable when playing the speaker at a high volume. Ideally, the THD of a speaker should be in the range of 0.1-0.01.

1. 4.    Signal-to-noise ratio (S/N): The signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is the ratio of desirable sound to background noise. A high S/N ratio implies the speaker is very capable when it comes to separating desirable sound from background static, thus ensuring higher clarity.

1. 5.    Frequency response: It is also important to check the frequency response of the speakers and the subwoofer. However, frequency response should be looked t in conjunction with THD and SNR, and also power output.

1. 6.    Wireless connectivity: Today, there are also available wireless speakers that provide you much more space for maneuver, and more placement options. These are worth looking if your choices are being marred by spatial constraints.

1. 7.    Build quality: As far as possible, it is advisable to go in for speakers and subwoofers that boast of wood construction. Any speaker or subwoofer that is made from cheap plastic and is characterized by sub-standard manufacturing practices is probably a bad bet for it will be unable to provide sound with a high level of fidelity.

Summary:

1. Home theater speakers and subwoofers, needless to say, form one of the core components of a home theater system. As such, it is very much essential that one takes care while selecting a set of speakers or a subwoofer for his/her home theater set-up.
2. There is a lot more to home theater systems than just a good set of speakers and subwoofers. More than perhaps anything else that matters, your speakers need to be placed appropriately. Further, in a small room, an expensive high-power set of speakers will probably be over-kill, while in a large room, a high-clarity, medium-power unit may leave much to desire.
3. It is very important to keep in mind the capability of and the output of your home theater receiver. For example, without a good AV receiver, no matter how advanced your set up is, it will suffer from the problem of inaccurate sound reproduction, thus compromising on quality. Further, buying a 7.1 channel speaker system makes little sense if your AV receiver is a 5.1 channel one. That’s not all; a cheap home theater receiver will definitely leave you wanting for more.
4. The following the various types of speakers (in terms of their placement in a surround sound set up) that are available in the market: bookshelf speakers, floor-standing speakers, centre channel speakers, and rear channel speakers (also known as surround sound speakers).

Final word

Buying a good set of home theater speakers and subwoofers is a rather complicated affair, and at times, the best in the market may not be the best for your home. As such, it is recommended that you take a demo of your set of home theater speakers and subwoofers in your home and not merely in some sound-optimized studio.