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Everyone knows what a loudspeaker does, because everyone has heard a loudspeaker doing its thing. But do you know how it does it? Do you know what the differences are between the many different types of loudspeaker that are available? And which loudspeaker is best for you?

That’s where I come in — I will tell you everything you need to know about loudspeakers, how to decide on the type of loudspeaker that will suit you best, what to look (and listen) out for when you’re making your selection, and how to position them in your home to get the best sound possible.


How to Choose a Speaker

You won’t be surprised to learn loudspeakers have features and specifications that can go a long way towards determining whether or not they’re appropriate for your needs. And you probably won’t be surprised to find it’s not always easy to understand what the specifications and features actually mean. So here’s where we break down the most significant features and specs, and explain why they might be important to you.

Frequency response

Human hearing is generally considered to be in a range from 20Hz (the most deep, bassy sounds) to 20kHz (the highest treble sounds). It’s possible to physically perceive sound waves lower than 20Hz, but not as sound, and very young people can hear treble sounds even higher than 20kHz — but loudspeaker manufacturers generally use these two figures as the most significant boundaries of frequency response.

For context, 20Hz is the rumble you feel during a cinematic explosion or an earthquake simulation — it’s less a sound and more a vibration in your chest. Around 60Hz is where you’d hear the thump of a kick drum in electronic music or the low-end hum of a bass guitar. At the other end, 10kHz–20kHz includes the shimmer of cymbals, the upper harmonics of a violin, or the hiss of a high-pressure steam release.

Because producing low frequency sounds requires greater movement of air, smaller loudspeakers tend not to reach as far down the frequency range as larger loudspeakers with bigger drivers. Reaching the upper limit of human hearing should be straightforward enough for any loudspeaker, though, because high-frequency sounds don’t require big drivers or the movement of a large amount of air. So no matter the type of music you like to listen to, your chosen loudspeaker should have no difficulty in producing the high-frequency sounds of percussion or a soprano voice.

For example, bookshelf speakers might begin to roll off below 60Hz, which means you’ll hear the notes of a cello but might miss the full body of a bass drum. A subwoofer, on the other hand, can go down to 20Hz or lower, making it essential for home theater systems or genres like hip-hop or EDM where deep bass is a major part of the experience.

As well as being able to produce as wide a frequency range as is desirable, it’s equally important that a loudspeaker reproduces the frequency range as smoothly and evenly as possible. Every part of the frequency range needs to be created at roughly the same volume level if a loudspeaker is to sound natural and balanced — bass that’s much louder than treble, for instance, results in a sound that’s lop-sided and unnatural.

If you’ve ever listened to a speaker that makes dialogue in movies sound muddy or boomy, it’s likely that the midrange (where most vocal content lives) was being overpowered by the bass. Similarly, a speaker that boosts treble too much can make cymbals sound piercing or sibilant, exaggerating the ‘s’ sounds in speech. Balanced frequency response is what allows a jazz trio, a podcast, or a film soundtrack to sound lifelike and engaging without one part of the spectrum drowning out the rest.

Use Case Ideal Frequency Response Why It Matters
Casual listening / podcasts 60Hz – 15kHz Human voices sit mostly between 100Hz–3kHz; crispness improves intelligibility
Pop / Rock / Jazz 50Hz – 18kHz Covers electric bass, vocals, cymbals, and guitar harmonics
EDM / Hip-Hop / Home Theater 20Hz – 20kHz (or lower with sub) Deep bass enhances impact; full range needed for immersive sound
Classical / Orchestral 30Hz – 20kHz Captures low-end from double bass to airy highs from flutes and violins
Studio Monitoring / Audiophile 20Hz – 20kHz (flat response) Full-range and balanced output ensures accurate reproduction
Small desktop speakers 80Hz – 18kHz Focus on clarity and midrange; less need for deep bass in near-field setups

Sensitivity

A loudspeaker’s sensitivity is a measure of how efficiently it converts electrical energy into sound — specifically, how loud it sounds given a set amount of power. Sensitivity is almost always expressed in decibels (dB) at one metre distance when given one watt of power — be wary of any loudspeaker that chooses to express its sensitivity in any other way. The higher the sensitivity rating, the louder a speaker will sound when given a set amount of power compared to a speaker with a lower sensitivity rating.

To put it practically, imagine two loudspeakers playing the same song: one has a sensitivity of 86dB, and the other 92dB. If you feed both one watt of power, the 92dB speaker will sound significantly louder — about 6dB louder, which is roughly equivalent to doubling the perceived volume. This means the lower-sensitivity speaker would need about four times the power to match the same loudness.

Low sensitivity usually means a sensitivity rating of less than 84dB — this loudspeaker requires a more powerful amplifier if it’s to produce the desired amount of volume. For example, some high-end bookshelf or studio monitor speakers in this range might offer excellent sound detail but will need a beefier amp to fill a room, especially at party volumes or in large spaces.

High sensitivity is generally considered to be anything above 90dB — it means a loudspeaker will be happy to work with quite low-powered amplifiers, so your choice of amplification will be wider. This makes high-sensitivity speakers ideal for tube amplifiers or vintage amps that don’t offer much wattage, or for setups where you want to achieve room-filling sound without straining your equipment. Horn-loaded speakers, often used in home theater or live music settings, are a good example of designs that typically boast very high sensitivity.

Sensitivity Rating Typical Use Case Amplifier Needs
< 84dB Studio monitors, high-precision bookshelf speakers Requires high-powered amp
84–89dB Most mid-sized home audio speakers Moderate power amp recommended
90–94dB Efficient floorstanders, home theater speakers Compatible with low-to-mid power amps
> 94dB High-output speakers, PA systems, horn-loaded Can be used with low-power amps or tubes

Impedance

A measurement of the electrical resistance a loudspeaker places on an amplifier — and, by extension, an indication of how hard an amplifier must work to drive the speakers. Impedance isn’t a fixed measurement; it can fluctuate with frequency and in other circumstances — so loudspeaker manufacturers usually quote a ‘nominal’ impedance, measured in ohms (Ω), as an average value at a midrange frequency.

For example, even if a speaker is rated at 8Ω nominal, it might dip to 4Ω or lower during bass-heavy moments, demanding more current from the amplifier than the number on the box would suggest.

It’s important to match your loudspeakers’ impedance rating with that of the amplifier that’s powering them — or, at the very least, ensure there’s not a huge discrepancy between them. Lower impedance speakers (with a nominal rating of 4 ohms or below) draw more current from an amplifier and play louder, but they can overwhelm and even damage low-powered amplifiers.

This is especially important if you’re using a compact AV receiver or an older integrated amp — pairing it with 4Ω speakers like some models from Magnepan or older B&W Nautilus designs could cause overheating or shutdown unless the amp is specifically rated to handle low-impedance loads.

Higher impedance loudspeakers (8 ohms and above) demand less current and are easier to drive, but they may not be capable of the sort of volume levels you require.

That said, 8Ω speakers are generally more amplifier-friendly and offer a safer match for entry-level gear, making them a reliable option for most home setups. If more volume is needed, you can still get there by using a more powerful amp without risking damage.

Power handling

Almost always measured in watts, the power handling capacity of a loudspeaker is simply a measurement of the amount of electrical power it can safely handle. Power handling is usually measured in a couple of ways — using an ‘RMS’ figure and a ‘peak power’ figure.

‘RMS’ (‘root mean square’) is a measure of the amount of continuous power a loudspeaker can safely handle without distorting its sound or sustaining any damage. It’s a more reliable indication of what you can expect your loudspeaker to deal with over an extended period.

For instance, if a speaker has an RMS rating of 100 watts, it means you can run your amplifier at that power level consistently without worrying about damage or distortion during regular listening sessions, such as playing your favorite albums or watching movies.

‘Peak power’, meanwhile, is exactly that: the highest power level a speaker can handle for short periods of time (for instance, in a big shift in the dynamics of a recording). It’s a temporary rating and should not be interpreted as an indication of overall power-handling capabilities. Fans of orchestral music will know that a symphony can go through enormous changes where intensity and outright volume are concerned, and ‘peak power’ is a helpful indication of how happy a loudspeaker will be in dealing with these fluctuations.

A loudspeaker with a peak power rating of 300 watts can handle brief surges during loud crescendos or action movie explosions, but that doesn’t mean you should feed it 300 watts continuously, as this risks damage.

Be sure to pair your loudspeakers with an amplifier with a power rating that’s equal to or slightly more than the speaker’s RMS figure. Speakers driven by an underpowered amp can suffer distortion or even damage, while those driven by an amplifier that’s too powerful are at risk of damage to their drivers.

For example, pairing a speaker rated at 100W RMS with a 50W amplifier might cause distortion and stress the speaker at high volumes. Conversely, using a 150W amplifier gives you headroom to avoid distortion, but you still need to be cautious not to push the volume to damaging levels.

Speaker RMS Rating Recommended Amplifier Power Notes
< 50W RMS 50–75W Suitable for small rooms, desktop setups
50–100W RMS 75–125W Typical home use; balance power and headroom
100–200W RMS 125–250W Larger rooms, more dynamic music
200W+ RMS 250W+ High-output systems, home theater, live use

Driver technology

The most common form of driver technology is the ‘dynamic’ or ‘electrodynamic’ type — it’s most common because it’s effective, relatively affordable, and can be manufactured in a wide range of sizes. A diaphragm, usually called a ‘cone’ because of its shape and most often made of paper, metal, plastic, or a composite, is positioned in front of a magnet (which creates a static magnetic field) and a voice coil (which creates a magnetic field when an electrical signal passes through it). The whole arrangement is suspended in a ‘basket’ or ‘spider’ that keeps the driver properly aligned and minimizes unwanted vibrations.

For example, most home stereo speakers, car speakers, and portable Bluetooth speakers use dynamic drivers. A typical 6.5-inch woofer in a bookshelf speaker produces deep bass by moving a lot of air, while a smaller dynamic driver handles midrange sounds like vocals or guitars.

A big enough dynamic driver can produce sound all the way down to that 20Hz mark, but to deal with the highest frequencies the ‘cone’ is usually inverted into a ‘dome’ — and this much smaller driver is widely referred to as a ‘tweeter’.

In practice, the tweeter reproduces sharp sounds like cymbals, high-pitched vocals, or the upper harmonics of string instruments, which smaller cones cannot reproduce clearly.

Other driver technologies exist, of course — but they’re not as prevalent. Planar magnetic drivers, for instance, use an extremely thin diaphragm, embedded with conductive wire and suspended in a magnetic field (usually produced by an array of magnets in front of and behind it). When an electrical signal reaches the wire, it causes the diaphragm to move and produce sound. Planar magnetic technology is prized for the detail and accuracy of its sound, but it’s less power-efficient and considerably more expensive than the dynamic driver alternative.

Planar magnetic drivers are often found in high-end headphones, where their detailed and natural sound reproduction is valued, especially for genres such as classical, jazz, or acoustic music. However, their lower efficiency means they require more power and often specialized amplifiers.

On the subject of ‘more expensive’ and ‘less efficient’ (and with ‘usually much larger’ thrown in too), electrostatic drivers use an electrically charged diaphragm between two charged plates. By varying the voltage received by the plates, the diaphragm is attracted or repelled and sound waves are produced. The very high accuracy and very low distortion of electrostatic technology means it has a devoted following, especially among listeners who enjoy complex or intricate music — but it’s never found anywhere near mainstream loudspeaker design.

Electrostatic speakers are known for their exceptional clarity and fast transient response, making them popular among audiophiles listening to orchestral or acoustic music. However, they often require large physical space and special amplifiers, limiting their use to dedicated listening rooms.

Driver Type Common Use Strengths Limitations
Dynamic (Electrodynamic) Most consumer speakers, headphones Affordable, versatile, efficient Limited extreme detail at very high frequencies
Planar Magnetic High-end headphones Detailed, accurate sound Less efficient, more power needed
Electrostatic Audiophile speakers Very low distortion, high accuracy Expensive, large, special amps needed

Crossover frequency

A loudspeaker’s crossover frequency is the point in the frequency range where the electrical signal is divided by a filter to direct different frequency information to different drivers. Splitting the signal ensures that the loudspeaker’s drivers receive only those frequencies they’re designed to reproduce — the amount of air movement required to create low frequencies, for example, is completely beyond a little tweeter to generate.

For example, if a bass guitar’s low notes were sent to a tweeter instead of a woofer, the tweeter could distort or be damaged because it’s not built to handle those powerful vibrations. The crossover prevents this by routing low bass to the woofer and high treble to the tweeter.

The point at which crossover occurs varies depending on speaker design. Two-way speakers, which have a larger driver producing low- and midrange frequencies and a tweeter to deal with the high-frequency stuff, typically have a crossover point of somewhere between 1kHz and 3kHz — this keeps it well away from the midrange, which is where voices usually occur and where human hearing is at its most acute.

In practical terms, this means a two-way bookshelf speaker will send vocals and guitar tones mostly to the woofer while cymbals and hi-hats are handled by the tweeter, preserving clarity and avoiding overlap that could muddy the sound.

Of course, some loudspeakers have more than two drivers, and consequently have more than one crossover point. A three-way speaker has three drivers and two crossover points — but the crossover frequencies will usually be selected to keep them well out of the way of that all-important midrange. We’re extremely sensitive to the way the midrange is reproduced, and handling music with a vocal element calls for careful reproduction of this area of the frequency range.

For example, a three-way speaker might send bass frequencies below 300Hz to a woofer, midrange frequencies between 300Hz and 3kHz to a dedicated mid driver, and treble frequencies above 3kHz to a tweeter. This division allows each driver to specialize, resulting in clearer vocals and more detailed instrumentation in complex recordings like jazz or classical music.

Speaker Type Typical Crossover Points Driver Roles Practical Effect
Two-way 1kHz – 3kHz Woofer: lows/mids; Tweeter: highs Clear separation of vocals and treble
Three-way ~300Hz & 3kHz Woofer: bass; Mid: mids; Tweeter: highs Improved clarity and detail in vocals and instruments
Subwoofer + Satellites Subwoofer: <80-120Hz Subwoofer: deep bass; Satellites: mids/highs Deep bass handled separately, freeing smaller speakers to focus on mids and highs

Bi-amp / bi-wire

Bi-wiring is a method of connecting your amplifier to your loudspeakers using two lengths of speaker cable rather than one. If your speaker has two pairs of cable binding posts, one pair will take signal information to the high-frequency driver and the other to the driver taking care of everything below that — effectively, you’re bypassing the crossover filter and, according to some listeners, improving sound quality as a result.

In practical terms, bi-wiring can reduce interference between the high and low frequency signals traveling through the same cable, potentially making the treble clearer and the bass tighter. Some listeners notice improved instrument separation or reduced muddiness in complex music like jazz or classical, though the effect can be subtle and depends on the equipment used.

And by bi-amping your speakers, improvements in quality are considerably more marked. Use two amplifiers rather than one, and by connecting separate lengths of cable to each pair of binding posts and using a dedicated amplifier for each loudspeaker, each speaker driver enjoys its own dedicated amplification. It’s not the most affordable method of driving loudspeakers, but the results can be very impressive indeed.

For example, one amplifier might drive the woofers, providing strong, clean bass power, while another powers the tweeters, ensuring crisp, detailed highs without interference or power competition. This setup is popular among audiophiles or in professional sound systems where clarity, dynamic range, and channel separation are paramount.

Sealed or ported cabinets

Some loudspeaker cabinets feature a port (or less commonly a vent) that allows additional sound to come from a source other than the speaker drivers by harnessing the rearward air movement the drivers produce — the port can be at the front or the bottom of the cabinet, but most commonly it’s at the back. There are, of course, both advantages and disadvantages to both ported and sealed (‘sealed’ as a description is surely self-explanatory) loudspeaker cabinets.

A ported cabinet generally offers greater low-frequency presence. In fact, with rear-ported speakers, the amount of low-end activity can be trimmed by positioning the cabinet closer to (or further from) a rear wall — it can allow smaller loudspeakers to effectively sound bassier than they otherwise would.

For example, placing a rear-ported bookshelf speaker a few inches from a wall can boost the bass response, making it feel fuller and more powerful, which is useful in small rooms or when you want more impact from compact speakers.

Room placement (dealt with in more depth a little later) can become an issue, though, and badly implemented ports can produce unwanted noise and distortion. The bass response of ported loudspeakers can also be a little more ponderous than is ideal, which can hamper the accurate expression of rhythms.

This means that fast, punchy bass like the kick drum in electronic music or tight bass guitar lines in funk might sound a little bloated or less defined compared to a sealed design.

A sealed cabinet can’t liberate the same bass presence as a ported speaker of the same size, but the bass it produces will generally be faster and tighter — although it will require greater amplification to achieve similar volume levels as the ported alternative. A sealed cabinet is much more forgiving of its position in your room as well.

For example, sealed speakers deliver bass that’s clean and well-controlled, making them a good choice for rooms where speaker placement options are limited, or when precise rhythm and timing are priorities in the music you listen to.

Types of Speakers

Speaker Type Sensitivity (dB) Impedance (Ω) Power Handling (RMS) Frequency Response (Hz) Driver Technology Key Notes / Recommendations
Passive 84–94 dB 4–8 Ω Match amp RMS (see specs) 40–20,000 Mostly dynamic Requires external amplifier; ensure amp-speaker impedance and power match to avoid damage or distortion
Active Often 90+ dB N/A (built-in amp) Integrated amps vary 40–20,000 Dynamic, sometimes planar Built-in amplification simplifies setup; check power output and input options; often balanced sound
Bookshelf 84–90 dB 6–8 Ω 50–100 W 60–20,000 Dynamic + tweeter Compact; typically rear-ported or sealed; bass limited by size; placement affects performance
Floorstanding 88–94 dB 4–8 Ω 100–250 W 30–20,000 Dynamic + tweeter + mid Larger drivers for deeper bass; often multi-way with multiple crossovers; suitable for larger rooms
In-wall 85–90 dB 6–8 Ω 50–150 W 60–20,000 Dynamic + tweeter Designed for discreet installation; check wall cavity depth; may require equalization to compensate room effects
Outdoor 85–95 dB 4–8 Ω 50–200 W 50–18,000 Dynamic, weather-resistant Weatherproof; consider sensitivity for open spaces; durable enclosures to withstand elements

Having said earlier that all loudspeakers are fundamentally the same, it’s very important to note that while they generally go about things in the same way there are a lot of different types designed to fulfill a lot of different criteria. Let’s outline the most common types and explain which is best for your particular purposes…

Passive loudspeakers

We’ll get to differences in size and application soon, but for now let’s start with the basics. ‘Passive’ loudspeakers are ‘passive’ because they produce no electrical power of their own — these are the speakers that require connecting to an external amplifier using lengths of speaker cable in order to function. All of the specifications and features we’ve talked about previously apply to passive loudspeakers, and many to their relationship with the amplifier that’s driving them.

Active/powered loudspeakers

These are the loudspeakers that incorporate their own amplification, as well as featuring a selection of physical and wireless inputs for source equipment — basically, an amplifier inside a pair of loudspeakers.

This means they require mains power, of course (or, at least, one of them will — some models keep all the power in one speaker and require the secondary speaker to be wired to it), and it also means that the discussion of the importance of sensitivity, impedance and power handling doesn’t apply. That’s because a pair of ‘active’ or ‘powered’ loudspeakers will have addressed any issues here at the point of specifying the sort of amplification they’re fitted with.

And the difference between ‘active’ and ‘powered’ loudspeakers? A powered speaker directs its signal through a passive crossover — this means the audio signal is amplified before being separated into frequency bands and directed to the appropriate drivers by the crossover. In an active speaker, meanwhile, each driver is powered by its own discrete amplifier — so the audio signal is divided before it’s amplified. This allows for the use of more accurate (and almost always more expensive) components in an effort to liberate the best possible sound quality.

Bookshelf loudspeakers

Also commonly called ‘standmount’ speakers, these are smaller loudspeakers that are designed (spoiler alert!) to be positioned on a shelf or a dedicated speaker stand. A smaller cabinet means smaller drivers, of course — which it turns means bookshelf speakers can struggle to produce the biggest air-movements that are required to produce the deepest bass.

Quite often a smaller cabinet can equate to a smaller overall sound, too — so if you’re a fan of orchestral music, for instance, you may not get the sheer scale of sound your favourite music demands. It’s a trade-off that many people will make, though, especially when you consider some very accomplished bookshelf designs can generate a fair amount of scale and can reach down to 50Hz or so. That’s a respectable amount of low-frequency activity from a compact and manageable cabinet.

Floorstanding loudspeakers

Again, the clue’s in the name. By building a larger cabinet that’s designed to stand on the floor, there is no need for speaker stands — and the chances are this bigger cabinet will allow for larger drivers (and sometimes more of them, too). So you can expect greater low-frequency extension and greater scale of sound — which should interest fans of dance music and orchestral music alike.

You can almost certainly expect a bigger bill at the end of the day, too. After all, designing a larger cabinet means using more materials — and a bigger cabinet requires more modelling and internal bracing to ensure the energy produced by the drivers travels forwards rather than back into the cabinet where it can interfere with driver performance, too. You’ll save money on speaker stands, though.

In-wall loudspeakers

Sometimes called ‘architectural’ loudspeakers because some are intended to work as in-ceiling speakers too, in-wall loudspeakers are designed to occupy the void behind a wall and to fit as flush as possible, so that only the drivers (or the grille covering them) are visible. They’re often, but not always, powered or active rather than passive, but all of the considerations that apply to more traditional bookshelf or floorstanding speakers apply here too.

In addition, you’ll need to be sure they’re resistant to dust and moisture — an ‘IP’ (or ‘ingress protection’) rating tells you how well your architectural speakers can survive dusty or damp conditions. Some designs feature backboxes, which almost function in the same way as the regular cabinets of the bookshelf speakers we’ve already discussed – this can help with ingress protection and can boost sound quality, too.

And if your in-wall speaker can’t be positioned in the perfect place to form a stereo image, it’s worth looking out for models with pivoting tweeters. If you can’t angle the whole speaker towards you, at least you can point the higher frequencies (the origin point of which are much easier to perceive than that of low frequencies) towards your listening position.

Outdoor speakers

Here’s where that IP rating becomes absolutely critical, of course — if you want a loudspeaker or two to function outside, it had better be weatherproof. An outdoor speaker is very likely to be powered or active, too, and will almost certainly receive its power from an integrated battery rather than via the mains.

The material it’s built from becomes more than an aesthetic consideration for this type of loudspeaker, too — UV-resistant plastic, aluminium or stainless steel are especially good. And while most other loudspeaker cabinets are either ported or sealed in the name of audio performance, any outdoor speaker that doesn’t have its cabinet tightly sealed is not worth considering.

Loudspeaker Evaluation: What to Listen For

Perception of sound is a personal and subjective thing, of course, and the sort of sonic presentation one listener enjoys may not suit the next anything like as much. But by breaking down the idea of ‘sound’ as it relates to loudspeakers into different categories, it’s possible to build up a picture both of how a speaker performs and what your preferences in loudspeaker performance might be.

Here are some aspects to listen out for:

Attack

The way a musical sound begins is called the ‘attack’. Sounds can have either fast attack (a drum-hit, a hand-clap) or slow attack (a gently pressed piano key, a brushed drum) — the time difference between fast and slow attack may be brief in the extreme, but it will be obvious to the listener. A superior loudspeaker will make the differences in attack time plain.

The attack of bass sounds is particularly important where loudspeakers are concerned, because unless there’s real discipline to low-frequency attack, a speaker’s ability to convincingly express a rhythm can be compromised.

Detail Retrieval

As illustrated by ‘harmonics’ below, it’s the details that make for a complete picture. A good loudspeaker is not only able to retain all of the details in a recording that are being sent to it by its amplifier, it’s able to put them into coherent context. Even if an occurrence in a recording is minor, or fleeting, or both, it needs to be given to the listener — and with the appropriate weighting.

Dynamics

Put simply, the dynamic range of a piece of music is the difference, in volume, between the quietest moment and the loudest moment. The dynamic range of a symphony orchestra, then, can be from a gently struck triangle at one end to all 70 musicians all going for it at once at the other.

It’s important, then, that your loudspeakers have significant dynamic range if they’re going to properly express these changes in intensity and/or volume.

Harmonics

Vibrations in the air caused by a loudspeaker reproducing a voice or a musical instrument produce soundwaves of specific frequency. This frequency, in turn, propagates frequency waves called harmonics. The basic initial frequency and its accompanying harmonics determine the timbre of a sound — the greater the number of harmonics, the more generally interesting and/or pleasant a sound is perceived to be.

Integration

At the very least, your loudspeaker will have two drivers. How smoothly managed is the crossover point where one driver hands over to the other? Ideally, the answer will be “very smoothly indeed,” otherwise your music will sound disjointed — and smooth integration is even more essential when a loudspeaker has more than two drivers.

Soundstaging

Positioning your loudspeakers so they create a convincing stereo ‘image’ is very important, because carefully positioned speakers have the best chance of creating a convincing soundstage.

If you imagine a recording of a symphony orchestra, each section will occupy the space in front of you in a different position — piano at the front (probably to the left), strings further back and more central, and so on. The more apparent the position of elements of a recording relative to each other, the better your loudspeakers are at soundstaging.

Tonality

‘Realism’ is what we crave in loudspeakers or, at least, as realistic an account of the recording as possible. The tonality, or tonal balance, of a speaker can go some way to creating an idea of ‘realism’ — too much heat and the sound will be lush and begin to sound a little vague, while too little heat can result in an edgy and rather austere account of the music.

Your Room and How to Optimise It for Your Loudspeakers

It’s possible to make a case for your room being the single most important element of your audio system. It’s certainly possible to buy loudspeakers that are inappropriate for your room, and not be able to hear what they’re capable of as a result. So take a little time to consider the room you’re going to be putting your loudspeakers in, and refine your search accordingly.

Room Size and Loudspeaker Match

Most importantly, measure your space. It’s fair to say that very large loudspeakers — those capable of moving a large amount of air and creating a large-scale soundstage — require a relatively large space in which to operate. Otherwise, the sound waves the speakers are generating will reflect from walls and cause sonic confusion and imbalance.

Equally, if you have a big room you want to fill with sound, small loudspeakers (no matter how accomplished in absolute terms) will struggle. The laws of physics are at work here — if you can’t move a lot of air, you won’t be able to fill a big space with sound.

Speaker Placement and Boundaries

Most loudspeakers require some free space in which to operate, and it’s worth bearing in mind the direction in which any bass ports are facing and how close to a boundary wall they are likely to be. Unless your chosen speakers are specifically designed to be put in a corner, then avoid putting them in a corner at all costs. Boxing in a loudspeaker seldom ends well, and sound waves are more prone to reflect and interact with each other when the speaker is close to a boundary.

Symmetry and Listening Position

When using two speakers for stereo sound, try to make sure the area around the speakers is as symmetrical as possible — this helps with stereo imaging and, consequently, soundstaging.

Try to position them so that they face the seat in which you’ll be doing your listening, with the tweeters up around eye- and ear-height — and try to make sure that you are a little further from them than they are from each other.

Almost every loudspeaker manufacturer recommends a little ‘toe-in’ toward your seated position in order for its speakers to image as well as they possibly can. Imagine a straight line drawn out from the tweeter — the line from each speaker should cross just in front of where you’re sitting.

If it’s possible, try not to put anything between the speakers that might provide a reflective boundary.

Home Cinema Setups

If you’re using multiple speakers in a surround-sound home cinema setup, these basic rules still apply. The biggest concern in a system like this, though, is the centre speaker — almost all of the dialogue in a movie is routed through the centre channel, and in some cases as much as 50 percent of the entire soundtrack will be delivered by this speaker.

It’s crucial to ensure the centre speaker is as close to your screen as is realistically possible — it’s important the sound of the voices comes from the same area as the images of the mouths moving.

Obviously, this means a TV or projector screen between your front left and right speakers — but not all the rules of stereo speaker room setup apply to home cinema. The rule about toeing in the speakers toward your seated position still stands, though — and you should do the same with the two rear ‘effects’ channels that make up your surround-sound system.

Acoustic Environment

After that, you’re into the realms of the ‘ideal’. Ideally your walls and floor should be solid. Ideally there won’t be too much glass, or too many soft materials, in the room — glass is very reflective of sound waves, of course, and soft furnishings can swallow sound waves before they’ve had a chance to propagate.

If your room is heavily glazed, listen to the difference in sound between when your curtains are open and when they’re closed — quite often it can be preferable to do your listening with curtains drawn. And it’s worth comparing the sound with all your soft furnishings in place to the sound after you’ve removed that beanbag or pair of scatter cushions.

No one is suggesting you should turn your environment upside down in order to wring the last drop of performance from your audio system — obviously there are limits to the extent to which even the keenest listener is prepared to compromise their actual home. But equally, it’s important to be aware of the effect your room is having on the system in it, and the practical lengths you can go to in order to mitigate them.

Some Leading Loudspeaker Brands

One shouldn’t generalise, of course, and there are just as many exceptions to rules as there are rules themselves — but it’s fair to say different territories of the world have different preferences when it comes to the way sound is reproduced. And their leading loudspeaker brands reflect this.

In the United Kingdom, brands like Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, and Q Acoustics have powerful reputations where performance, quality control, and aftermarket support are concerned — and they’re not the only ones.

Mainland Europe, from Focal in France to ELAC in Germany and plenty more besides, is similarly well-regarded. Scandinavia in general, and Denmark in particular — where DALI and Dynaudio are particularly venerable — is, if anything, overrepresented.

In the United States, the likes of JBL have been in business for getting on for a century now — and that simply doesn’t happen unless your products and your business practices are basically impeccable. Add in brands like Bose and, more recently, Sonos, and it’s obvious the USA is well catered for.

Asia — especially Japan — has plenty of distinguished and acclaimed brands of its own, too. The likes of JVC, Technics, and Yamaha are not household names by accident.

All of these brands — and the scores of alternatives that compete with them — have reached a level of ubiquity for a number of reasons. The way their products sound, of course, is the single most significant — but build quality, pride of ownership, customer care (especially where warranties and after-sales service are concerned), retailer training, and more besides are all contributing factors.

Brands like Bowers & Wilkins keep spare parts for loudspeakers they stopped manufacturing years ago, because they have a loyal customer base that has grown up over decades.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

If you’ve read this far, then you’re already in a position to avoid the majority of mistakes people make when selecting loudspeakers. But there are additional things to consider.

If you’re considering passive loudspeakers, don’t overlook the importance of speaker cable. It’s possible to spend too much, of course, but it’s equally possible to spend too little — and this brings us to the notion of proportionate spending throughout your system.

If your amplifier is inexpensive, there’s no point in spending big on loudspeakers it can’t fully exploit. Equally, you’ll never hear what your high-price amplifier is capable of if it’s driving some budget-level loudspeakers. Try to strike a balance throughout.

Don’t decide on a pair of loudspeakers without hearing them. Our guide to what’s important is a big help, but you should create a shortlist of possibilities and endeavour to hear them all. Ideally, you’ll hear them in the same environment, as part of the same system, and with the same selection of music — music that you’re thoroughly familiar with, what’s more.

And when you get your nice new speakers home, and set them up just so, and start to listen, don’t rush to judge. Brand new, box-fresh loudspeakers can take a few hours (or a lot of hours, in some instances) to sound how they’re going to sound — when they first come out of their packaging, they need a few hours of movement in those driver surrounds before they come up to ‘operating temperature’.