If you’re looking to appreciate your favourite music even further, a set of new speakers is a fantastic way to do so. The right set of speakers can help you hear nuances you never heard in songs you’ve played hundreds of times, but selecting the right speakers for your needs is not always the simplest task. There are many considerations to make to ensure you get the best bang for buck, so in this article we take a look at a few important things to note when you’re looking to invest in some lifechanging new audio equipment.
Where to start
It’s easy to get lost in all of the options related to audio visual solutions, but the best place to start (as with many other things) is by working out your budget. Understanding how much you want to invest in speakers can narrow your options dramatically (in the best possible way) as it can help you determine where your money needs to work the hardest.
For example, if you need to invest in an entire 5.1 speaker setup and amp, you’re not going to be able to net as high quality audio as if you wanted a simple high quality bookshelf speaker combo. Do keep in mind that speakers can very much be considered an investment due to them not necessarily relying on technology to function by themselves (as you can always upgrade an amp with tech advancements), so spending money here should be considered a waste.
It is also the size of your room that has a huge impact on the required size of your speakers, so measuring room dimensions is an important factor when making your consideration. The larger the space, the larger your speakers will need to be and your budget will factor into this as well.
How big do you need your speakers to be?
After you have a rough idea about the type of speakers you need and your approximate budget, another big consideration you’ll have to make is whether you get a pair of bookshelf speakers or floor standing speakers. Which you go with isn’t always a common sense decision – far from it, in fact, as you can often purchase bookshelf speakers for the same price as floor standers, and vice versa.
Floor standers are much louder in stature and also much louder than their bookshelf counterparts, so if you intend to play your music very loud for whatever reason, this will be the common sense option, but if you wanted superior sound, bookshelf speakers for the same price will often produce higher quality audio, although sometimes at the cost of bass – if you need more bass you can eventually get a subwoofer, though.
Do you need your speakers to look as good as they sound?
Related in a way to out last point is how pretty you need your speakers to be. Although the high end speaker market will usually produce some appropriately gorgeous speakers, if you’re aiming for something in the midrange when it comes to budget, often you might have to make sacrifices when it comes to either sound and aesthetics – if you have to ever choose, though, do make sure that you prioritise sound whenever possible – even if you spot an irresistibly gorgeous speaker set. You’re buying speakers, not furniture, after all.