How To Buy The Right Speakers For Your Home Theater
Jul 09 '01
The Bottom Line Read my 'Conclusion'
The world of buying speakers in very vast and quite confusing. You can find a treasure, or you can leave with regret. A long time ago, I used to be stupid within this field. I used to think that Sony was god, and that every other brand was simply inferior. So my first home theater that I bought was based on Sony, but I have sold it. Now, to all of you who don't understand this field, don't make the same mistake I did. I hope that this review will help you make the right choice in buying the ideal speakers you want for home theater.
-Wow! So Many Different brands!-
*In the field of acoustics, there are so many different brands. Some are bad, and some are superb. With some, you only pay for the name, while with some you pay for excellent quality. In this aspect, you can go by reputation with some brands... But with some you can't. I'll make it easy for you. I'll give you some great brands that you really can't go wrong with. Here they are:
*Boston Acoustics - Boston Acoustics makes simply remarkable speakers, at some of the best prices that you can imagine. Boston Acoustics is one of my all-time favorite brands. For example, you can concentrate an entire home theater around Boston Acoustics. They make great speakers ranging from towers all the way to subwoofers. I currently use Boston Acoustics CR-9s in my hook-up. For example, you can make an unbelievable front stage consisting of Boston Acoustics speakers. Take the Lynnfield series for example. Now, forget the VR965s with the side-firing bass drivers, and think about the more basic VR950s. They cost $700 a pair, they are 2-way speakers. I've heard them in a 4 channel DSP, and they sound simply incredible. You can also get a matching center, such as the VR910 which has a $600 price tag, but it sounds more like a $1,500 center. If that's too much for you, you can go cheaper on the center. Boston Acoustics clearly demonstrates, "large sound, small space". they have my most favorite bookshelf speakers. Boston Acoustics shows truly how great some budget speakers can be. Or... I'll just leave it at, "Professional speakers at an unprofessional price." You can't go wrong with Boston Acoustics.
*Paradigm - Paradigm is one of my most favorite speaker brands... of all time. They make some speakers that don't cost too much, but they sound like much much much more expensive speakers. For example, I'm using a pair of Paradigm Monitor 11s as my main speakers. They costed me $900 for a pair. However, they sound more like $2,500 speakers! The same goes to the Paradigm Monitor 9s, which I tried out, and I was simply amazed... This applies to just about all Paradigm speakers, including the Performance series. I also have a Paradigm CC-370 center channel, which I love greatly, but I would've prefered a Boston Acoustics VR910. But, I did want a seamless front stage. Paradigm also makes really good subwoofers. Paradigm is another brand that you can't go wrong with.
*B&W - B&W is a more expensive alternative. However, with B&W, you pay for the superior quality, not the name. They make some of the greatest speakers in the world. including the B&W Nautilus 801, which costs $10,000 a pair. Well, I guess B&W is for the people who are very serious about music and home theater. You can also buy some other Nautilus speakers, such as the cool looking and sounding Nautilus 804s, which I have seen for $1,500 a pair respectively. You can make an amazing front stage with B&W speakers. For example, you can buy the B&W Nautilus HTM1 center for $2,000. It's one amazing piece of equipment. Overall, there is no way that you can go wrong with B&W. By the way, never confuse B&W with B&O (Bang and Olufsen)!
*Magnepan - Magnepan is a step below B&W. Magnepan speakers are referred to as 'Maggies'. They are excellent speakers, and are by far superior to Bang and Olufsen speakers that are usually in the same price range. I have listened to some different Maggies, they don't sound as high or low as the B&W speakers, but they still sound quite excellent. Magnepan makes speakers that are both very musical, and yet still excellent for home theater.
*Canton - Canton makes superb quality speakers. I think they are owned by Sony or something because Canton speakers are sold at the Sony store. Overall, they have a great and magical sound to them. They are also quite expensive too. However, they are haunted by lower nominal handing. They can't handle too much power. For example, some of their midrange models have low power handling, which means that using a high current receiver from Onkyo or Denon that reaches 150Watts+ per channel may blow out the speakers. Even the super high end models lack high handling power. However, Canton speakers can make some 100Watt per channel receivers sound very nice.
*JMLab - JMLab makes some incredible speakers. However, they too are haunted like Canton by lower nominal handling. SOme of their greatest models which are in the $1,000 price range can handle up to 120Watts maximum for instance. While, some $200/pair speakers such as the Sony SS-MF515s can handle up to 200Watts each. I don't know why JMLab had limited their speakers so much. So, if you;re using JMLab with a high current receiver or amp, you should be careful. Overall however, they are excellent speakers. Still pricy though.
*Velodyne - Velodyne makes the best subwoofers on the market. Even their subs in the low price range such as the CT series prove themselves very worthy. If you're looking for a subwoofer that will truly handle incredibly well, then you shouldn't hesitate in buying a Velodyne subwoofer. However, I have seen them making speakers that are not subwoofers, and I don't really think that I'd like to try them. Velodyne is good at making subs... PERIOD.
Well, there are some great speaker brands that you should consider. Other great brands include Wharfdale, Mission, JBL, M&K, Atlantic Technologies and Mirage. However, you'd probably go best with either Boston Acoustics or Paradigm. I know this from experience. Now, just because one brand may make one type of good speaker such as a subwoofer, that doesn't mean that their speakers will be good. You can't really rely on reputation. You have to pick a few specific models from different brands, and try them out. It's often best to buy and then return them. There's no listening place like your own room. Well, I told you about all the good brands, now here come the bad and the ugly.
-It's All In Their Reputation-
*Most brands rely on quality and a good reputation to sell their products. That applies to brands like M&K, JBL, and Paradigm. Plus many more. However, there are some brands that rely on heavy marketing to make their speakers look like they are the best in the world. Plus, some make speakers look really futuristic and 'cool', so they can sell it to the younger crowd. Here' I will mention a few brands, that aren't all so good.
*Bose - If you go up to someone on the street who knows nothing much about speakers and ask him/her what the best speakers are... They will say, "The best speakers in the world are made by Bose!" Bose claims that you get better sound through research. How about, you get better money and manipulation through research. Bose does nothing but vigorously advertise their products. Their speakers are based upon old technology. For instance, take the 901s. Sure they sound good... If it were still the 1960s and 1970s!!! Times have changed, and Bose has grown smarter. They know how to manipulate people. Such as with the Bose Lifestyle systems. Most speakers run on poor quality 2.5" paper drivers. Bose is anything but good. Compare them to pair of very decent Sony SS-MF515s which retail for $200/pair. Ok, compare the Sonys to the Bose 901s. The Bose 901s will get blown away. I was once at a Russian restaraunt, and they used Bose 901s. Four of them lined on a wall going at maximum power. They gave me a migrane, and made my eyes feel like they just began to pop and explode. The Sonys at full blast just gave me a headache, but that's about it. Bose uses very skillful advertising to sell sub-par products at outrageously high prices. Don't take my word for it, go take a listen, and you'll understand. For example, as anyone about the Bose VCS10 center channel, they will all say, "That's a joke for a center channel!" Plus, that thing costs $200. The only thing that you're paying for is the name 'BOSE', no more.
*Bang and Olufsen - Impressive looking speakers, and impressively high prices. A lot higher than B&W Nautilus speakers or Maggies. Ok, so from the price and looks, I guess that you can say that they sound as good as they look. HAHA! No! B&O makes some of the worst speakers and mini-systems on earth! First of all, they make their speakers and systems look really neat, and they build in all these cool mechanisms such as motion activated doors. Wow, impressive. However, they make their speakers sound terrible. For example, you can get the Bang and Olufsen Pentas for like $5,000 a pair or something. You can get a very nice pair of B&W Nautilus 804s for I think $3,000 a pair. Is there any comparison!? No! Bang and Olufsen speakers don't even compare to some cheap KLH speakers. It seems that B&O has built themselves a very good reputation... Now, that reputation allows them to sell poor quality speakers. If I were a total millionaire, I would probably buy myself a pair of Pentas for just decorations. But, once I'm out of med school, I'll probably save up for a pair of B&W Nautilus 801s, or some high-end McIntosh speakers.
*Infinity - I can't believe I'm sort of bashing Infinity. Ok, Infinity is good. But actually, their old stuff was. Like their Overture speakers, and anything they made before the IL series speakers. The IL speakers look very neat and do sound quite good, but they are nothing compared to their old stuff, and they are quite expensive. For example, I heard a pair of IL40s (I think it was those) which retail for $499 each! They were being powered by a Harmon/Kardon AVR510. This was the first time I ever heard the new line of Infinity speakers, and I thought I'd be impressed. Well, I was very dissapointed. They sounded good, but not $1,000 good. My grandparent's home theater even sounded better than them! The person who I heard these from got them from Circuit City because he works there. He even told me that they weren't as good as everyone thought they'd be. When I looked at the Circuit City website, they sounded pretty enthusiastic about the speakers. They said that the Infinity speakers sounded as good as they looked... I actually got very excited to hear them, because I heard a lot of the older speakers. Now, I have no interest in listening to the IL36 speakers or any other ones. Infinity is good, but not as great as they claim to be anymore.
*Aiwa - Slick advertising. The products that they make are quite poor quality. They do have some home theater in a box packages, and some other speaker packages. The speakers are usually small, and don't sound good either. Their slogan is, "Aiwa sound; you gotta hear this." Yeah, I'd like to pass... Aiwa is poor quality overall. If you're looking at home theater speakers, don't even consider Aiwa.
Here are some bad brands of speakers. Infinity however is good, but they stopped production of all the good speakers, and they tried to make their new line of IL series speakers look a lot better than they actually are. Well, if you're serious about buying home theater, I suggest that you skip these brands... Money is money. Most people work hard for their money, and they usually don't like to see their money dissapear towards trash. This refers mainly to Bose. Overall, stay away!
-How Big or How Small Should They Be?-
*Many people feel very differently about speakers and their size. There are many people like me, who love huge 'tower' speakers. Some people though hate large speakers, and prefer to have an 'invisible theater'. That's why they buy Bose speakers. But, is Bose the only one? I'll just make a quick point. If you hate large speakers, then buy something like the Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speakers, or try the Paradigm Performance Atoms or Titans. But, size usually does matter, here's why:
*I've got the perfect test. I want you to find a certified Paradigm dealer. Now, I want you to listen to two different sets of Paradigm Monitor series speakers on the same receiver in the same room. I want you to conduct a series of tests with the Paradigm Mini-Monitor, and then the same ones again with the Paradigm Monitor 9 or 11. When you first hear the Mini-Monitor speakers, you'll say wow! They are pretty small, yet the sound is quite amazing. But, when you play the Monitor 9 or 11 speakers, you'll say, "WHOA! THEY SOUND SO MUCH BETTER!" So, the larger speakers do sound better. Why? Because they are both 3-way speakers. 3-way speakers contain a tweeter to handle high-ranges, a midrange driver to handle the midrange (80%), and one or more midbass woofers which handle high bass frequencies and the lower frequencies of the speaker. However, the Mini-Monitor isn't a 3-way speaker, which means that it doesn't handle all the ranges that the larger 3-way speakers do. The Mini-Monitor still has large sound, but not comparably full like that of the larger 3-way Monitors.
*As you can see, size does matter. For example, Boston Acoustics speakers such as the CR-9 bookshelf speakers have superb handling for speakers of such size, but you still can't compare them to the 2-way VR950s which have a fuller sound. If you really want to get what you pay for, you should buy large floor standing speakers, preferably 3-way towers. Yes, many bookshelf speakers today can give you major sound, but they still don't compare to larger floor standing speakers from the same brand. For example, Bose was the first brand to make such small speakers with such large sound. However, the sound from the Bose 2.5" paper drivers is already outclassed by the Paradigm Performance Atoms and Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speakers. The Bose jewel cubes also have trouble handing when the music gets loud. You wouldn't get this kind of trouble with much larger speakers, even from a Bose!
*People are also more impressed by large speakers. When I see huge Paradigms or Boston Acoustics speakers, I say wow. When I see Bose jewel cubes, I'm like, "Right..." People are much more impressed by larger speakers. For example, one look at the Boston Acoustics Lynnfield speakers, and you're instantly in love. They have a very slim and sexy design, oh do I wish that I had them. Imaging like no others... Wow... As you can see, larger speakers are more impressive.
-Subwoofers... Let's All Be Smart-
*It's sometimes difficult to figure out what kind of subwoofer you want. I was actually using 8" subwoofers for a while. Okay, here's something I see often. Let's say people buy a new house that's small, but will move into a larger house in a year and so. So, the room for the home theater is quite small. So, the people let's say spend $200 on a temporary subwoofer. Well, $200 is quite a bit of money. For instance, you can buy yourself a Cerwin-Vega! LW12 for $299! That thing is 12" of hardcore power!
*The point I'm trying to make is not to waste money on a temporary subwoofer. Subwoofers are incredibly expensive speakers. Most of the 8" subwoofers that I've seen were pretty... Bad... But then, once you move up to 12", you've got yourself a rockin' subwoofer. For example, why pay $200 for an 8" of some unknown brand when you can buy a JBL PB12 12" floor-firing subwoofer for $265 from etronics.com? You see, there's something on a subwoofer called a volume knob. You just turn it down if it's too loud. Sure they take up space, but you can put one into the corner. We all have corners? Don't we? Then when you move into a larger room, you turn the volume up! It's that easy! Plus, I found the Cerwin-Vega! LW12 to not be that much larger than my grandparent's old Audio Source SW50 8" 50Watt side firing subwoofer. The Vega is a major improvement! So, don't waste your money on a temporary subwoofer...
*Now, I'll explain how to choose a good subwoofer. Different brands make different subwoofers, some are good and some are bad. Here are the good.
-Boston Acoustics - Clean bass from a small driver... Or major bass from a large driver. Excellent subwoofers!
-Velodyne Acoustics - Make some of the best subwoofers out there. Most can handle pretty nicely under 20hZ to give you clean bass that's like an earth quake!
-JBL - Awesome subwoofers! You can't go wrong with JBL, especially with the PB series!
-Cerwin-Vega! - They have a smaller line of subwoofers, but they are all awesome!
Well, there are some good brands for you. Here are some of the subwoofer sizes below.
*8" - Can give you nice bass in a small room. However, most have weak amplifiers. Aren't ideal for small rooms.
*10" - A better alternative to 8" subwoofers. However, I found 10" subwoofers to be harder to find, it's already better to consider a 12".
*12" - A 12" subwoofer will give you major bass, and it is more than enough for most rooms. They are usually built around pretty powerful amplifiers. However, the cabinets are usually very bulky and heavy. 12" in my opinion is the ideal size for subwoofers though.
*15" - Harder to find, and more expensive. I don't think that it's worth buying a 15" subwoofer. Chances are you'll be playing it at only 20% of volume! Only if you have a huge room, should you buy this.
*20" - I've never seen a 20" in my life, but I know that a few exist. These things are beasts! I don't think you'll really need one!
*Dual-Firing - Dual-Firing subwoofers usually contain two drivers. One driver usually fires down, while another fires to the side. It may give you smoother bass to have dual drivers, but it also a lot more costly! A single driver from a decent brand already costs a lot!
*In conclusion, I think that you should buy a 12" subwoofer. You can find them at excellent prices, and they are also very versatile subwoofers. Just remember, there's such a thing as a volume button!
-One Way Two Way Three Way!!! What Does That All Mean?!-
*Speakers are referred to as 1-way, 2-way, and 3-way speakers. A 3 is the best, while it goes down the line. For example, 1-way refers to a driver that can handle all the ranges. These are usually micro-speakers that are used in tube TVs and computer speakers. Usually you won't be using them for home theater. A 2-way speaker consists of a tweeter and midrange drivers. These speakers won't hit the very low frequencies, but they will give you more than 80% of the sound you need. The final is the 3-way speakers which consist of tweeters, midranges, and woofers. They handle the entire spectrum, except for the low frequencies that subwoofers are built to handle. There are also speakers that have built-in subwoofers. But Iwouldn't buy those. With those speakers, you're usually paying for the huge powered subwoofers, not the actual speaker itself. Plus, I'd rather buy a sub from a brand like Velodyne for instance, I'd be getting better quality with it. If you get the chance, buy 3-way speakers, they give you much better fuller sound.
-All-In-One-Speaker Packages?-
*Don't buy them, unless you get them from brands like M&K or Atlantic Technologies. Like, you can get the 750 THX set for $2,000 now. That's one good deal. But, things from Kenwood or Aiwa, you'd better be careful. Most people buy them, to only upgrade to larger speakers a short while later. These cheap packages usually come with small speakers, and often with no distinct center channel, or a pretty bad one. You know, money doesn't grow on trees. Why not just buy the speakers you want now, rather than buying them later. Or, there's also something called waiting, it'll save you money! So, if you're not looking at a high end package from brands like Energy, M&K, or Atlantic Technologies, then forget it. The speakers are usually pretty bad quality. Experience from Aiwa.
-In Conclusion-
*If you do your research and you know what you want, then you'll be happy with your purchase. You can't really purchase any speakers unless you test them out. You can't go by reputation, such as Bose. You really gotta see what suits your needs. If possible, try to get a matching front stage, and a large 12" subwoofer. That set-up will usually give you the best results. Just follow my guide lines, and you'll be fine.
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
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I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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