Hi-Fi Speakers Guide
Speakers are the devices that are the key to provide audio experience from your sound systems. The speakers provide the sound output to the DVD Players, CD Players and the AV receivers. The sound quality of your music system depends on the speakers and the even the best of the DVD players, CD players, Hi-fi etc can give a muddy output if they are equipped with below average speakers.
The speakers are available in a multitude of budget, sound and size options. A set of speakers can cost as low as £35 and as high as £35,000. The size of the speaker can be as small as a ping-pong ball and as large as a refrigerator, however the size of the speaker has no direct bearing on its sound quality. When buying a speaker never fall prey to the misconception that bigger is better and louder. Even a tiny speaker can outdo the sound quality of a large speaker. Similarly a three way or a three-driver speaker is not necessarily better than a two-way speaker.
The frequency range of the speaker determines the variety of sound selection it can reproduce. The best speakers are the ones that have the capability to reproduce the lowest bass and the highest highs, however if you are on a budget you can comfortably select the speakers that offer good midrange performance.
You can have the bass and treble extensions for the speakers (sub-woofers and tweeters) but never compromise the frequency balance. Overemphasized bass and treble can make the sound muddy and harsh, respectively. Test the speaker on human voice and consider whether it sounds like a whole person or its sound has a tizzy or chesty touch.
The speakers should have a balanced acoustics with an accurate sound staging that represents adequate width, depth and height. A good speaker is the one that has a perfect volume balance and sounds equally good on low as well as high volumes.
Buy the speaker depending on your listening preferences and the listening space. The speaker cabinets for good quality sound output should be made up of wood or medium quality fiberboard.
Tip: Buy a speaker depending on the frequency range, acoustics balance and the size of your listening place and not on the basis of size or the wattage.
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