Home Theater Speakers

While the big fancy flat screen tvs are getting all of the attention these days, you can not truly experience the magic of home theater without a suitable home audio system.

Home audio speakers have always been an underated part of a home theater system.  The two things that people say they most enjoy about the movie theater experience is the larger then life screen and the sound that surrounds them from the theater.  Often people push their budgetary limits on the screen and forget about the speakers, while in truth speakers should be the area where the most money is spent.  It is recommended to spend about 35-40% of your home theater budget as opposed to about 30-35% on a video display.     

Home theaters today are able to produce sound that rivals and surpasses most local movie theaters.  There is nothing quite like watching your kids look around the room because they heard a dog barking behind them or when your wife peeks out the window because she thinks that it is raining after hearing the gentle pitter patter of rain coming out of the surround speakers.  From the deep, room shaking explosions to the spooky music that creates a sense of fear, home audio systems are able to envelop listeners in sound that can greatly enhance the viewing experience.

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Front or Main Speakers - The front speakers are the main left and right speakers.  There role is to play the majority of the music and sound effects of your home theater.  These were the lone speakers in the old "stereo" days.

As a general rule, you can plan to spend about 1/3 of your speaker budget on the front speakers - a bit more if you focus on music more then movies or gaming.  You will have to decide between full range, floor standing speakers or bookshelf speakers.  Bookshelf speakers are smaller and cost less then their floor standing counterparts.  One of the things to consider is due in large part to their size, bookshelf speakers will not be able to reach the lower frequencies that floorstanders can, so it is all the more important to pair a good subwoofer with bookshelf speakers.  If you are on a limited budget and have a relatively small room, bookshelf speakers may be the answer for you.  If you have a large home theater area and want a speaker with a wider frequency range, you will most likely want to go with a good pair of floorstanding speakers.

As for the cost, a respectable pair of bookshelves will starting at around $300 and go up from there.  Some decent bookshelf options in this price range are models from Axiom, AV123, Paradigm and PSB.  To go with something other then bookshelves you should plan on around $600 and then going up from there.  Some respected speakers to consider are from Axiom, B&W, Infinity, NHT and Paradigm.  You can easily spend many, many thousands of dollars on speakers, it just depends on your overall budget.  Take time to listen to many kinds of speakers until you find a pair that you like, but keep in mind that the speakers very well may sound a bit different when you get them into your own home.  Don't forget to consider online speaker companies like Axiom, Ascend and AV123.  Online speaker companies can offer a great bang for your buck and any respectable online speaker company will allow you to listen to speakers at home and return them if you don't like them. 

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Center Channel - The center channel focuses on the dialog and it anchors it to the screen, so it is a very important speaker in home theater audio systems.  It is strongly recommended to have your center channel speaker match your front main speakers so you have a consistent sound quality across the entire front sound stage of your theater.  Since the center channel's role is to anchor the dialog to the screen, it is important to keep the speaker close to the screen.  A center channel will be shielded so that it can be placed near or on top of your television screen. 

Typically the center channel and surround sound speakers together will be roughly 1/3 of your overall speaker budget for a 5.1 system.  Again, it is very important for your center channel to match the sound of your front speakers so it is highly recommended that you purchase this along with your fronts or if purchasing it later to find the center channel that matches the brand that you chose for your fronts.

Surround Speakers - The surrounds role are, as the term implies, surround you with sound.  Sound effects that are meant to be behind the viewer and other non-localized sounds are played in the surround speakers to make you feel like you are in the middle of the action.  In a Dolby 5.1 setup there are 2 mains, a center channel and 2 surrounds along with a low frequency effects (LFE) or subwoofer channel.  In a 6.1 setup a center rear surround speaker is added and in a 7.1 setup a left and right rear surround are added.

See home theater surround page for more information.

Again figure about 1/3 of your overall speaker budget for the center + surrounds.  It is recomended to have the surrounds match your front speakers for a consistent sound, although not as important as the center channel matching the fronts.  Although not nearly as much sound is passed through to the surround speakers as what is sent to the front speakers, the addition of surrounds can dramatically increase your movie watching and gaming experience.   

Subwoofer - The subwoofer is the .1 in a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 setup.  This channel is the low frequency effects channel that passes along things like explosions and other ultra low effects.  This is the speaker that is responsible for the room shaking bass.  A good subwoofer can make a drastic improvement in movies and instantly provide a theater like atmosphere.  A good subwoofer will not seem boomy, but rather will be able to produce sound so low that it is not just heard, but felt in your stomach.  It is important to take into consideration the size of your room and whether the room is enclosed or open to decide on how big of a subwoofer to get to make sure you have enough power to fill your room with enough bass to shake your insides.

A good subwoofer can be the most dramatic addition to a home theater audio system, especially if your system has been utilizing bookshelf speakers.  The added kick in explosions and special effects will truly make you feel like you are no longer just watching tv, but experiencing home theater.  A typical home theater will spend about 1/3 of the speaker budget on a subwoofer.  A good starting point for a subwoofer is around the $500 range.  Most speaker lines will carry their own subwoofer, but it is hard to find anyone displeased with a subwoofer from HSU or SVS at the $500-$1000 price point.  Of course as your home theater grows you can spend much more on a subwoofer or add a second subwoofer into your audio system.  Some people even try there hand at building there own.  

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Which speakers to buy - If you thought buying an HDTV provided an overwhelming amount of choices, buying a set of speakers can seem even more daunting with all of the options and brands to choose from.  When searching for a set of speakers you will be faced with many questions.  Before starting try to answer the following questions: 

• How much are you willing to spend?  What is your budget?
• How many speakers will you buy (5.1, 6.1, 7.1)?  Does your receiver support these? 
• What are your room's dimensions?  Is the room enclosed or open? 
• Will your system be for mainly music or for mainly movies and gaming? 
• Do you have a speaker brand preference? 
• How important is the appearance of the speaker?  

Once you answer these questions the best way to shop is to listen to as many speakers as possible to find out which ones you like best.  Buying speakers, more then any other audio/video component, is really a matter of preference.  Some terms that you might encounter while listening to speakers are the terms "bright" and "warm".  The term "bright" often times means the sound is very crisp and clean, emphasizing the high frequencies.  Those preferring a "bright speaker would argue that it is very detailed and clean, however some would argue that "bright" speakers have a harsh sound and are fatiguing to listen to.  The term "warm" is generally the opposite of bright, where there is a pleasant sound with no undo emphasis on the high frequencies.  However others would argue they are dull and not detailed.  Either term is probably an over generalization and again the best answer is to listen to as many speakers as you can and decide for yourself which sounds better.

Remember that when you are auditioning speakers, take along music or movies that you are familiar with in order to make a fair comparison.  Also remember that what you listen to in a store or in a dedicated viewing room will sound different then your home environment.  Don't rule out online speaker companies which will let you audition the speakers in your own home theater environment and if you don't like them you can send them back.

Take your time and enjoy the process.  A good set of speakers will last you many years.  If you are on a limited budget, rather then buy a substandard complete audio system (6 or more speakers at once), you may want to consider buying several higher quality speakers at a time and saving up for the remaining speakers in the future.