When you are going out to buy some speakers as part of your home audio set, make sure you know what kind of speakers are available. Having the right speakers in your home will make an aesthetic difference as well as a sound difference.
When producers and directors make a movie, they want the sound to be as lifelike as possible. To do this, they duplicate certain sounds and send them to the sides and rear of the listeners. For these reasons, modern soundtracks include additional channels that “surround” an audience with sound. When movies are played on a multi-speaker theater array, viewers are placed in the center of the action. That’s why you need all those speakers—to make the sound seem as real and complete as possible.
When considering a home theater system, make sure the speakers not only sound good, but sound the same. Using a technique known as “timbre matching,” many manufacturers achieve a consistent character of sound, or timbre, from main to center to surround speakers, assuring a smooth sound between all channels.
Every speaker in a home theater system has its job and must be able to do the job well. When selecting home theater speaker components, strive for balanced performance. It makes no sense to overspend on one speaker and under-spend on the others. Here are some of the main speaker components in a home theater system.
Loudspeakers are generally the main attraction when selecting a home theater system. These speakers must encompass wide frequencies and broad volume swings (dynamic range). They must reproduce subtle recorded details and create a pretty convincing sound stage (the impression of three-dimensional sound). The best thing to do when choosing these speakers is to play a handful of music or movies to see how they sound. You should be able to hear natural sounds, rhythms and resonance of certain instruments. Make sure the sound doesn’t become hard, flat or unpleasant as the volume increases. Loudspeakers should never sound fatigued.
Center speakers fix actors’ voices to the screen for off-center listeners. These speakers also carry a great deal of special effects sounds. In fact, more than 50 percent of the sound is routed to a center speaker. The speaker must be able to produce very high volumes without distortion or strain. You do not need a center speaker with good base performance. All surround receivers and processors have “base management” for the center speaker. They allow you to route the center channel bass information into the main or subwoofer channels.
The surround speakers are what provide the “surround sound” effect. These speakers should make you feel as if you’re in the center of the action. The speakers are usually located on a wall in a room. This arrangement makes it harder to identify where the sound is coming from and therefore, offers a more enveloping experience.
Subwoofer speakers provide the deep bass you hear and feel during the movie or soundtrack. Most subwoofers have a built in amplifier so you don’t need to worry about whether your receiver or amp has enough power to drive a powered subwoofer. Selecting a good location for the subwoofer will deliver high performance sound. Most of the time, people place subwoofers in the corner or near a wall. Make sure these subwoofer speakers sound good with your other speakers. There should be a consistent, clear, defining sound with a deep bass foundation. The sound should support the other sounds you hear from the other speakers.
By John Ivie