With over 500 models of home theater speakers available through a generous number of high and low-end brands, many consumers rely on salesperson to lead them in the right direction. Consumers with only a limited budget will undoubtedly flock to the cheapest option available to suit there needs. This however, nearly always results in a less than ideal sound system that fails to meet the expectations or needs of the owner. It is therefore a good idea to educate one's self on the best brands, speaker styles and specifications that will fit a home's needs before making a choice.
A home theater speaker system is typically made up of a front speaker, left and right speaker, a center-channel speaker, a pair of surrounds, and a subwoofer. A home owner may mix-and-match components but help from a professional is advised to make sure the speakers are all compatible. These speaker types come in varying sizes, sound output and design. The following are the types of styles in which these speakers may be found:
Floor-Standing speakers are the largest home theater speakers available. They can be shifted around the theater area or be moved to another home.
Bookshelf or Cabinet speakers stand independently, just like floor standing speakers, but are smaller and can be placed on or in entertainment centers or shelving to save space.
In-Wall speakers require no floor space, and can disappear if matching the walls. Their quality is usually very good, but they need professional installation and wiring.
On-Wall speakers are recommended for use with a flat-panel television. They provide exceptional sound as well as a pleasing aesthetic component.
Home theater owners or designers must determine the listening requirements and preferences for a specific room in order to create a quality home theater space. Room size and layout are important factors as this will dictate the speaker configuration. Logistics like electrical outlet placement, room size, and useable room space strongly affect the type of equipment that can and should be put in the room.
Home theater speakers are available in many sizes. However not all sizes are meant for all rooms. Large speakers are not advantageous for small rooms because they will need to be played at a much lower volume. This may cause distortion to the audio. Lower quality small speakers used in large spaces may produce a tinny or thin sound if they are unable to produce enough sound at a decent output level. Speakers of similar size may differ greatly in their sound output or reproduce different levels of sound unequally so it is very important to listen to various speaker brands and sizes and compare them before buying.
Speakers are available in a variety of encasement types - natural or laminated wood, metal, and occasionally plastic, but often preferences may be limited by brand or model. Speakers are as varied as tennis shoes so make sure you try on several and know how they fit into your home theater before making a purchase.
~ Ben Anton, 2008
With today's busy and hectic schedules, many consumers do not either know how to OR take the time to accurately place their speakers for the fullest enjoyment and quality - mind you, the speakers they have just paid a small fortune for. But truth be known, there are no "perfect or accurate" places to put them! There are many variables involved, such as our own personal preferences.
But additionally, there is the room layout, furniture, aesthetics, children, pets, and the opinions of all involved in the home. One of the best things about a home theater is that we can create a very organized, well-planned system that provides sound to our home or room with the highest of qualities. We may be able to create such a high quality sound with our home theater speakers, so that we may feel like we are in a huge movie theater.
We are not just talking about sound that is loud, but sound that is all around us, making us feel as if we are in the movie itself. With the proper placement of speakers in the room, we are going to experience the highest level of surround sound.
The problem that most people have is where to place their speakers accurately, due to a lack of knowledge in regard to sound and acoustics. The speakers are placed wherever they "fit" or "look good," not due to the best sound they can put out. A room is affected by the sound of the speakers and their reflections; these frequencies have two characters of sound - reinforced and suppressed. What we actually hear in our ears result from direct and reflected mixtures of sound.
The direct sound will travel straight to our ears from the speaker diaphragms. The reflected sounds are several, bouncing off many of the hard surfaces in the room, reaching our ears AFTER the direct sound does. These elements will come into play no matter what type of speaker system we get for our home theater. Luckily, though, there are many different areas of assistance - like contacting the consulting division of the manufactures of the home theater system that we have purchased.
One of the best places for our speakers is a minimum of one or two feet away from the side and back walls, with the differences between the speakers influencing their listening abilities. The most important placement is to have equal listening positions between ALL speakers. If needed, physically measure the distances to guarantee accuracy as a 1/4 " difference will influence the audio quality.
Another note is that every listener's ear should be on a direct line with a point that is midway between the tweeter and woofer (2-way) or tweeter and midrange (3-way). Another very important point is to purchase wireless speakers, providing us with the most benefits because they can be moved from place to place as we want or need them to be. No wires spreading throughout the room, having to place speakers within a limited area due to the wires or cables - these are all benefits of the wireless speakers.
Both Ben Anton & Mike Singh are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ben Anton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Software, Home and Writing. Ben Anton lives and writes in Portland, OR.Ben invites you to find out more about