Check Out These Tips Before Buying a Speaker
Speakers are an amazing addition to your room. A booming sound system brings music to life and makes music take on another life. It can be a big investment, so we’ve put this guide together to help you decide which speakers are for you.
The first step is to think about your budget. Think of it the same way as you might when buying a car or a house – do you need something practical? Flashy? When thinking about this, think about the space you’re trying to fill. If it’s your main living room, high end bookshelf speakers will most likely be more than enough. If it’s for a large office space, something more expensive might be needed, especially if you’re using the space for presentations. If it’s for work, where a professional speaker is needed to handle a microphone and loud music, then you’ll be looking at a top line speaker.
The next thing to consider is the rest of your system. There’s no point in spending thousands on a new sound system if you skimp on the rest. If you’re spending a good chunk of money, have a look at the whole system including the types of mounts, the quality of your mixer, and even the quality of the music you’re playing. By buying with the whole system in mind, you’ll be more likely not to need to upgrade in the future. A good set of speakers won’t blow out as soon as you turn up the volume. By ensuring the rest of your system matches the quality of the speakers, then you know you’re making the most out of your investment. For a good example, see the presonus eris series.
Stand mounts vs floor standers
The two main choices you need to consider are floor standers and stand mounts. These are the types of speakers you have to decide between. Stand mounters are often referred to as bookshelf speakers, but this is a historical name and modern stand mounters are rarely such a large size.
Generally, the bigger the speaker, the better the sounds’ quality at higher volumes. This also generally means the dynamics and range will be better. This is something else to think about when choosing your speakers. You need to consider if the size of your speakers are going to be enough for what you need them for! If it’s for general movie watching, something smaller might be perfect. These can be easily installed in your room with a minimal space being taken up. But then, if you’re planning on big parties, then a bigger speaker might be needed.
Single-wired vs Bi-wired
Single-wired speakers send all of the musical frequencies to all speakers at the same time, while a bi-wired speaker sends the upper-level frequency to one, and then the lower frequency to another. This gives an overall better sound quality.
Passive vs active power
Most speakers use passive power, meaning that all of the power is derived from the amplifier. Some speakers are active though, meaning that the signal is amplified in the speaker itself. This means the signal is divided first, and then amplified, giving a better sound quality at higher volumes.
