Smart Shopping: Speakers

A sound long-term investment, speakers can last for years
Any home-entertainment system will sound only as good as its speakers, which can make or break your high-fidelity listening experience. A passionate audiophile might spend well into five figures for speakers, but you don't have to pay a fortune for decent sound. Any money you spend for good speakers is an investment, because they generally last a long time and are less likely to become outmoded than other home-theater gear. You can start with two or three speakers and add others-such as rear surrounds or a subwoofer-as your need dictates and your budget allows.

What's available
Among the hundreds of speaker brands available, the major names are B&W, Bose, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, JBL, Klipsch, and Polk Audio. There are also lower-priced models from some well-regarded "audiophile" brands, such as Definitive Technology, Paradigm, and PSB. Speakers are sold through mass merchandisers, audio/video stores, and "boutique" retailers. You can also buy speakers online, but shipping costs can be high-$100 or more-if the speakers are heavy.

Speakers are sold as pairs for traditional stereo setups, and singly or in sets of three to eight for equipping a home theater. In order to keep a system balanced, buy left and right speakers in pairs rather than individually. The center-channel speaker should be sonically matched to the front speakers. Rear speakers should also sound similar to front speakers.

Each type of speaker serves a different purpose. The front speakers are used for stereo music playback; in a home-theater setup, they provide front left and right sounds. A center-channel speaker delivers movie dialog and is usually placed atop or beneath the TV in a home theater. Rear speakers, sometimes called surround speakers, deliver rear ambient effects such as crowd noise or special effects. A bass unit-colloquially known as a subwoofer-reproduces the lowest tones, such as bass instruments and action-movie explosions.

Bookshelf speakers
These are among the smaller speakers, but at 8 to 21 inches tall, might be too big for some shelves, despite their name. A pair can serve as the sole speakers in a stereo system or as the front or rear duo in a home theater. Small speakers like these have become better at handling bass without buzzing or distortion. Any bass-handling limitations would be less of a concern in a multispeaker system that uses a subwoofer to reproduce deep bass. Price: $60 to more than $800 per pair.

Floor-standing speakers
Typically about 3 to 4 feet tall, these large speakers can also serve as the sole speakers in a stereo system or as the front pair in a home-theater system. Their big cabinets have the potential to do more justice to deep bass than smaller speakers-and some may contain built-in powered subwoofers-but we think that many listeners would be satisfied with smaller speakers that handle bass well. Price: $200 to more than $1,000 per pair.

Center-channel speaker
In a multichannel setup, the center-channel speaker typically sits on, above, or beneath the TV. Because it primarily handles dialog, its frequency range doesn't have to be as full as that of the front pair, but its sound should be similar, so that all three blend well. Many center-channel speakers use a horizontal design and can fit atop a TV. Price: $100 to more than $500.

Rear-surround speakers
Rear speakers in a multichannel setup carry ambient sounds, such as crowd noise, and directional effects, such as a car racing by or a plane flying past. Multichannel formats such as Dolby Digital, Digital Theater System (DTS), and the newer high-resolution lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master soundtracks found on many Blu-ray movies, make fuller use of these speakers than earlier formats, so many models now have a wider frequency response. Rear speakers tend to be small and light (often 5 to 10 inches high and 3 to 6 pounds), so they can be wall-mounted or placed on a shelf. Price: $50 to more than $500 per pair.

Three-piece sets
Meant as a stand-alone system or for use with other speakers, these so-called 2.1-channel sets combine two bookshelf or small satellite speakers for midrange and higher tones with either a subwoofer for bass. Some may include a center-channel speaker, but no subwoofer. Price: $100 to more than $800.

Six-to-eight-piece sets
An easy route to a full surround-sound system, these matched sets have small bookshelf or satellite speakers for front and rear pairs, a center-channel speaker, and a subwoofer. The front pair is sometimes floor-standing speakers. Six- or eight-piece sets take the guesswork, which can be daunting, out of matching speakers. Price: $300 to more than $1,000.

Subwoofers
More correctly called bass units, they reproduce all the bass or low frequencies in the sound. In a stereo or multichannel setup, the bass unit might sit apart from the other speakers, at a location that delivers the most consistent bass or that's more convenient (even hidden out of sight). Placed in a non-optimum location, such as a corner, the unit might overemphasize some notes and make your system sound boomy. Most subwoofers are "active" or "powered," meaning that they have built-in amplification. Price: $100 to $1,000.

Sound bars
Many are self-powered-they have built-in amplification-and connect directly to a TV, cable/satellite box or DVD player, so a receiver/amplifier isn't needed. Some come with a separate subwoofer. Price: about $300 and up.

How to choose

Consider size
Speakers come in all shapes and sizes, so see how they'll fit in your room. Floor-standing speakers might overwhelm smaller spaces. Bookshelf speakers are often a better fit, though some are quite large. Make sure that the model you choose will fit the shelf or niche you've earmarked for it, although most can also be placed on stands.

And don't worry that you're giving up quality for compactness. Many small speakers do a fine job, especially in the relatively modest environs of typical rooms. For maximum space saving, consider one of the new flat speaker systems designed to complement flat-panel TVs. They can be wall-mounted or placed on a stand. In-wall models have gotten better, and can virtually disappear in a room.

Focus on sound, not price
While more expensive speakers can sound better, not all do. We've found that many lower-priced speakers can deliver a very full, satisfying sound. Also, ads often tout two-way or three-way designs and the size of the cone inside a speaker, but you can't judge sound quality by those attributes.

Listen for the differences
Even speakers with similar scores can sound very different. One model might emphasize treble, while another de-emphasizes it. There's no substitute for hearing speakers, so bring a few CDs with familiar pieces of music to the store. Speakers will sound different at home because of your room size, shape, and furnishings, so see if the retailer will allow a home trial. If you're torn between two choices, buy the less expensive one. Stores might be more open to a return if you want to trade up to a pricier set. And if you're ordering from an Internet retailer, check its return policies so that you can exchange them if you're unhappy with the sound once they're set up in your home.

Check impedance
If you like to play music loudly, make sure that your receiver is rated to handle the impedance (generally from 4 to 8 ohms) of the front speaker pair. The lower the impedance, the more difficult it is for the amplifiers in the receiver to drive them, and the greater the chance that the receiver can be damaged. Power range refers to the power-handling capability of a speaker, expressed in RMS (average power) and peak power (maximum surge power). Speakers placed near a picture-tube TV set should have magnetic shielding to avoid interfering with the picture (This is not an issue with LCD and plasma sets, or with rear projection TVs using DLP, LCoS, or LCD technology.)