Speakers are the most important equipment that affects sound quality. There are different types of speakers available in the market- but not all are the perfect fit for your house. Some are big for the room or some are too small for the room. Buying a good set of speaker won’t make the overall sound quality better nor will the sound of your TV’s speakers suffice. Choosing the right kind of speaker for your house plays an important role. But how is one to determine what suits their needs? Read on to find out.
Kind of Speakers
There are different kinds of speakers under various brands in the market to choose from. The first thing to consider while buying a speaker is the type of speaker you are interested in. It could be a passive speaker, powered speaker, floor-standing, wall-mounted, portable, wireless, etc.
Passive Speaker or Powered Speaker
One of the most important thing to is to decide between a passive or a powered speaker. Most speakers fall into one of the two categories. The difference between the two is that passive speaker doesn’t come with a built-in amplifier. They need to be connected to a separate power amplifier to produce sound. Whereas the powered speaker or active speaker comes with a built-in internal amplifier and can directly be connected to the mixer.
Stereo or Surround System
Stereo is the most common type of speaker and is used in headphones, televisions, computers, laptops. It uses two audio channels, one speaker for each channel. One speaker comes to the right and the other speaker comes to the left. Surround sound is used in video games and modern movies to create an exciting experience. With the surround system, the sound is broadcasted around the listener similar to a real-life experience. Sounds like hearing footsteps from behind or a car approaching from a distance can be enjoyed with the surround system.
Size of the Room
Not every speaker will sound great in every room. A very crucial fact to consider before buying is to measure the size of the room. Small speakers are good enough for a small or medium-sized bedroom but will sound dull in an open family room. At the same time, large speakers are good for large spaces and sound overwhelming in small spaces.
If your room is bigger than 700 square feet you can opt for full-size speakers with a powerful amplifier to feel the effect of the music in the room. If your room is less than 300-400 square feet then a small subwoofer is more than sufficient for your music.
Acoustics
There’s much more to music than just speakers. The acoustics of the room matter in the quality of the sound. Sound usually bounces off of exposed walls, bare floors and furniture. But a few extra elements like carpets, cushions and rugs can help you balance the music from reflecting.
Music or Movies
While it is assumed that, if speakers are used for movies they will do perfectly well for music or vice versa- but that’s not the case. Modern movies feature a multichannel soundtrack as they use soft to loud dynamic range sound system and the deep-bass can be intense. For music, the sound system is dynamically compressed and the deep-bass is more or less nonexistent. Make a choice on what you are going to use the speakers more frequently for between movies and music.
