When it comes to enjoying movies and television, sound cannot be left out. Without sound, movies lose their dimension, and television shows lose their information. Therefore, it’s important to have high-quality speakers as part of your home theater to ensure that you don’t miss a single word of dialog or note of music. When it comes to choosing the right speakers for your needs, here are four factors you should consider.
Powered or Passive
All speakers require power to produce the vibrations that result in sound waves that your ears can hear. The choice you’re faced with, though, is where that power will come from. Powered speakers plug into a nearby outlet and provide their own power. Passive speakers, on the other hand, receive power from an amplifier that sends the power through a cable. While powered speakers tend to be more portable, passive speakers are usually smaller and, therefore, easier to hide to allow your home theater to look great.
Wired or Wireless
Another choice you’ll face when choosing speakers is whether to utilize wired or wireless speakers. Wireless speakers receive the sound information via a wireless signal from a central transmitter, whereas wired speakers receive that information via a speaker cable. In some cases, it may make sense to combine different types of speakers, using wireless speakers in the rear and wired speakers in front. If you choose wireless speakers, be sure that you don’t have other wireless devices using the same frequency spectrum, as that could cause interference.
Size
When it comes to the sound that your speakers can produce, size is significant. Larger speakers tend to be able to reproduce sound more accurately because the diaphragms of the tweeters and subs can be larger. However, larger speakers are harder to blend into your decor, meaning they could stick out like a sore thumb. When choosing the size of your speakers, make sure that you select the correct gauge of speaker wire to provide adequate power to your speakers.
In-Wall or Exposed
Another factor to think about when choosing speakers specifically for a home theater is whether you want in-wall speakers or exposed speakers. Exposed speakers can still be disguised if you choose a cabinet and grille color that matches that wall color. Obviously, though, in-wall speakers are the easiest to disguise, giving your home theater an upscale feel that will make your house a popular place to host movie-watching parties.
Though it’s not usually necessary to spend a fortune on high-end cables and connectors, it is important to spend as much as you can afford on your speakers. More expensive speakers aren’t just for show, as there truly is a difference in the sound quality you can achieve. Therefore, once you’ve set aside money for your television, it’s time to start saving up for some high-quality speakers to round-out your home theater.
