An Audio Review of Speakers For Your Home Theater

audio review

By Anne Ahira

So you’ve bought the gorgeous LCD or plasma television, maybe even mounted it on the wall. You’ve invested in an upscaling DVD player or maybe even went ahead and placed your bets on the success of Sony’s Blu-Ray technology.

But before you can really enjoy this set-up, you need to make sure you have the right speaker set-up to deliver high quality, movie-quality sound. And that’s what makes this audio review so important.

Audio Review: Speaker Configurations

If you’ve never bought speakers before or if you’re just not sure how many speakers are needed, you’ll be more confused when you go to the store, enter the speaker area, and find a wide range of configuration options.

The home theater package I purchased a couple of years ago came with seven speakers. Others come with five, three, even just two. We’ll talk in a minute about whether these packages are a good deal or not but you do always have the option of purchasing separate speakers. Just remember most stores only quote the price per speaker even though you’ll have to buy them as a pair.

With your basic two speaker set-up, you’ll be able to get true stereo sound. This is how most music is recorded so it’s really the minimum you want for enjoying audio. The 3-speaker set-up is a bit better for music because it includes a subwoofer that can deliver more bass which is important for rock, rap, metal, and other types of non-adult contemporary music.

Now if you’re interested in getting a home theater experience, this audio review recommends investing in a 5.1 package. The name is a bit misleading because you’re really getting 6 speakers. The set includes a subwoofer, two front speakers, two rear speakers (so the planes or dinosaurs or monsters sound like they’re coming from all around you), and a center channel. The center channel’s purpose is to make the dialogue easy to hear because it can be drowned out by the special effects.

A newer configuration is called the 6.1 package. Again, the name is misleading because you actually receive 7 speakers. You get everything that comes in the 5.1 set, plus a rear center speaker. This audio review should also mention 7.1 sets, such as the one from Onkyo, that include four rear speakers and no rear channel speaker.

Audio Review Recommendations

Which speaker configuration is the best choice? Well, if you’re only listening to music, the two speaker or three speaker configuration will probably be good enough. If you want an impressive set-up, consider purchasing floor standing speakers which typically come with larger woofers than bookshelf models.

The cost is normally higher, as well. At Amazon, for example, JBL speakers cost $300 each. Add another $300 if you want to add the JBL subwoofer for a three speaker configuration.

Price wise, however, the best choice from this audio review is a full home theater system that comes with a compatible receiver. Separate receivers are hard to find and very expensive. One of my favorite sets is the Samsung 5.1 home theater system. It includes a 5 CD changer, the receiver, front standing speakers, rear satellite speakers, and an included iPod cradle (something that usually costs extra with most of the systems). At Amazon, the cost for the whole set is just over $400.

You may want to check out my other guide on: Sansa m250 and Creative audio

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