While many DVD enthusiasts wanting digital movie nirvana have already made the transition to 5.1 and 7.1 channel surround sound systems, less-obsessed people have continued to channel their video systems through their regular stereo speakers, compensating for the absence of surround sound with pure volume – much to the chagrin of their neighbors. That jury-rigged mishmash of speakers simply will not do justice to your upgraded HD cable service and, if you're so financially fortunate, Blu-ray DVD system. The good news is that the market is flush with very respectable, out-of-the-box, full surround sound systems and, to make matters even easier, they're delectably affordable. It's important to note, though, that pure audio enthusiasts will want to maintain a fully separate stereo speaker system, as this is still how nearly all contemporary music is recorded.
Types of Home Audio Speakers
Speakers fall into easily discernable categories nowadays, each conveniently marketed and packaged for the vast majority of consumers.
Most people aim to hit all of their birds with one stone in the form of a home theater speaker system. Sold in packages of five or seven speakers plus sub-woofer, this option is attractive for numerous reasons, including practicality, uniform design/color and ease of set-up. Color-coded plugs and straightforward diagrams mean that even the most tentative electronics novice can have a working system in short order.
Even the lowliest TV and DVD pairing can be drastically improved with a basic surround sound system. A 5.1 surround sound system encompasses left, right and center-front speakers as well as left surround and right surround speakers, and includes a sub-woofer that you can place pretty much anywhere. A 7.1 surround sound system is the same but adds left-rear surround and right-rear surround speakers. All of those speakers require significant space. Ensure that you're going to have adequate physical space for all that hardware as well as sufficient wiring to connect them all, particularly if you take the plunge for a 7.1 system and plan to spread them out across a large room. Some surround sound systems come with wireless speakers, which eliminates wiring headaches; in this case you'll be needing more available power outlets to independently plug in all of the components.
Whether you don't have the space or the technical wherewithal to seed your living room with a true surround sound system, you have a fallback option with virtual surround sound. Using only two front speakers, this system attempts to create the audio illusion that there are many more speakers in the room. The auditory trickery involved does indeed create an admirable approximation of surround sound, but even the most inexpensive surround sound kit will probably provide a better audio experience.
If you're building a home theater system from nothing, and you're on a budget, consider a home theater in a box, which, in addition to a forest of speakers, will also include an amplifier, radio tuner, DVD player and, very rarely, a TV. See our home theater in a box shopping guide for more information.
Should you be building or upgrading your stereo system, factors like power, sound quality and physical space come into play. Whether you're aiming for floor, bookshelf, in-wall, in-ceiling or desktop speakers, the physical space that you have available is going to indelibly predetermine the class of speakers from which you can choose. After space considerations, you can start contemplating power. Despite outstanding technological advances, at a certain level, size really does matter in terms of pure power (though not, obviously, sound quality). Most bookshelf speakers max out at 100 watts, though a few models will hit 150 watts. However, as you drool over power, keep in mind that anything over 100 watts is starting to get pretty loud, particularly in an apartment environment where immediate neighbors will be privy to your choice in music and may not appreciate your tastes. In other words, don't get caught up paying for power you'll never use. Homeowners can go over 200 watts before vibrating stemware becomes a concern. Unless you're trying to provide audio for a 300-seat dining hall, speakers boasting 400 watts or more are simply overkill. Your prospective speaker set will likely include a subwoofer (for reproduction of low bass audio frequencies at high levels), whether it be built into the speakers or come as a standalone unit, as well as tweeters (for enhanced reproduction of high frequencies). If your speakers will be sitting anywhere near a TV or computer monitor, confirm that they are magnetically shielded, so that you do not distort your TV/monitor image. With the exception of well-versed audiophiles, sound quality is probably the least quantifiable factor to gauge on paper. You'll have to read several consumer reviews and listen to a lot of in-store speakers to make a judgment for yourself. Though, as is true with many electronic components, price is usually a good indicator of speaker quality.
Finally, there's the old school method of speaker shopping, which involves putting together an ad-hoc system with individually chosen speakers and/or sub-woofers. This may be your best bet if you're just replacing a stereo speaker (or two) or if you want to really splash out on a house-party caliber set of standalone stereo speakers. However, due to possible compatibility issues and a virtually guaranteed increase in overall price, this method is not ideal for people putting together a home theater system, where both needs and price can usually be better met by a pre-packaged system. (That is, if you don't want to sit down with a home theater audio specialist and design a high-end, bone-shaking custom system).
How to Choose
What you're going to need, as always, is going to depend heavily on your primary listening wishes. Acquiring and installing an idiot-proof, out-of-the-box surround system, sub-woofer and all, has never been easier. However, for standard music stereo purposes, the two front channels of an excellent surround sound system won't hold a candle to two mid-range dedicated stereo speakers. If your home theatre and stereo occupy the same space, as they do in many homes, you've got a dilemma on your hands. People with even moderate familiarity with the back sides of their audio/video components can cut a few corners by hooking up a nice set of stereo speakers that serve the dual function of acting as the front two channels of a surround sound system. A home theater tonal purist may cringe at the thought of it, but the vast majority of listeners won't be able to tell the difference.
A deciding factor, of course, will be size. Stereo and home theater speakers come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. Though the compact multimedia "jewel-cube" speakers, like the ones often flanking home computers, are cute and inconspicuous, they can't hope to properly reproduce the sound of Godzilla ripping a subway car in half. Equally, a collection of tower speakers and a 1,000-watt sub-woofer are going to make you the bane of the neighborhood, not to mention possibly unseating the foundation of your house. Choose properly-sized speakers with space considerations at the forefront of your mind. In a standard living room space, it's always going to be better to have high-end bookshelf speakers than second-rate refrigerator-sized monsters.
It should go without saying that speaker shopping should involve lots and lots of listening. Especially if you're spending significant money, don't be too shy to ask a salesperson to audition several sets of speakers. Feel free to bring in a (non-offensive) CD or DVD of your own where bass, sharp tones and everything in between are well represented. Just because speakers are the same size and boast the same frequency and power specs doesn't mean they're going to sound alike. It can be quite the opposite, in fact, so indulge yourself to your heart's content.
Ultimately, you can't fully appreciate the speakers you're buying until you've taken them home, set them up, plugged them into your components and played your favorite movie or music. Sadly, it's not uncommon to discover at this stage that your new speakers are just not quite right, since we're not likely to live in an audio showroom. Ensure that the store has a reasonable return policy – and save all the packaging.
