If you are looking for hi-fi speakers then the chances are you have come across a world of options, in every finish, budget and shape. This choice is, well – wonderful but can cause problems, you may find yourself lost between the woofers and tweeters!
The good people at Audio Affair have tasked me with creating a list of 10 speaker essentials you can use a crib sheet! I see loudspeakers as a tool, picking the right one means you get the most for your cash and a engaging sound for years to come!
Top Tips!
1) Speaker Size
Selecting an appropriately sized loudspeaker is important, a small bookshelf speaker is not going to function well in a large room, the LS50 for example due to its fantastic bass weight will have a go (a good one!) but will start to struggle in very large rooms! Similarly placing floorstanders on a shelf or table would not be ideal, far from it! Basically I am saying choose a HiFi speaker that suits your needs! Not forgetting that standmount speakers will always perform better on stands – not bookshelf’s, keep you books there not your speakers!
Need I say anymore, if this happens to be your system: call me – I can help
2) Picking a Port
One question I get asked quite often is regards porting VS placement – rear ported speakers do not work as well close to walls, this is due to the drivers in HiFi speakers kicking as much out of the back as the front – this unwanted pressure and noise needs to go somewhere – if it is from a rear port close to a rear wall the reverberation towards the listener can cause problems in stereo imaging and neutrality – here the rule of thumb is: If you speakers are rear ported them keep them at least 3 foot away from the rear wall – if you have to your speakers close to the wall then go for front ported design such as the ProAc D2
3) Choosing a brand
When it comes to choosing a HiFi speaker then picking a good manufacturer is key, a brief look on Amazon will bring some weird and wonderful brands – the majority of rock bottom prices, a bargain? Usually no – these cheaper brands seem to be more prevalent in the smaller speaker market such as 2.1 systems for PC’s, laptops and Mac users etc – in my opinion you are better to save you money and buy something better such as the Focal Dome 2.1
Dome 2.1 package, space age sub and quality finishes available.
4) Tweeting
Arguably the one driver that can cause the most difference to the listens ear is the tweeter, for example you can choose between Ribbon, silk dome or plasma – the latter you only see on crazy high end designs such as the Acapella Violon MKVI – see me delivering a pair here. If you are looking for highly defined highs and huge dispersion (noticeably wide high frequencies) then a Ribbon design would fit the bill – if you like a more relaxed sound then a silk dome may be for you, or in the case of the Dali Ikon 1 MK II why not have the best of both worlds!
5) Advantages Of Bi Wire Speakers
Some Hi-Fi speakers will only have a shotgun connection others will have four plugs on the back (for connection to an amplifier.) If you were Bi- Wiring you would use a cable with two plugs on the amplifier end and four on the speaker end – in Biamp (two amplfiers) it would be four to four! My advice is not to get to over concerned about this – it is something I hear about quite often – in honesty I recommend running a 2-2 shotgun cable and getting some high quality jumper cables in place of a Bi-Wire cable (2 plugs – 4 plugs) – such as these from Nordost – keeper of the craziest cables award!
6) Seeking Isolation
When you reach a certain point building a system you start considering isolation – well me personally, some may consider it from the offset, I envy these people! Isolation should be key when looking a HiFi speakers – a speaker will affect what is around it – preventing this can only result in improved sound quality! If you decide on stand mounters then get some of these. If you are looking at floorstanders then spikeshoes will not only protect you floor they will also give added isolation properties.
7) Material World
The component material of you HiFi loudspeakers can impart of large different in sound quality – for example metal drivers will give tight kick drums and sharply edged vocals – match them carefully to an amplifier though – partnering bright with bright can result in fatigue. Soft materials tend to give a warm (softer!) response – this is personally where I tend to sway, as much can be send for component matching as choosing a HIFi speaker!
8) Aesthetics
There are two schools of though here, one is pick a speaker on it sound not looks, blind listening etc – the other school of thought is that a speaker should be work of art, matching or adding to the room they are in! My way of thinking is solely in the first statement, I do however understand that some speakers can look awful :/
Thankfully loudspeaker design, or common sense has improved over the years – try getting the below speakers past your partner!
9) Buying On Spec
Based upon your existing kit it is a good idea to choose a pair of HiFi speakers that will match well – for example if you have a hugely powerful amplifier and are looking at speakers designed to be used with valve amplifiers, high sensitivity (92dB+) more than likely horn loaded then you are going to run into trouble – the type of trouble which includes flaming voice coils and a large bill. Speaking and amp matching can be a confusing process – so please drop us a line and one of our knowledgeable team can assists you further or just ask for me directly.
10) Choosing A Retailer
Finally and possibly the most important tip (after the sound quality of course) is choosing where to buy, selecting the correct retailer who can over not only offer expert advice but also fantastic after sales service. Not to blown our own trumpet but here at AA we pride ourselves on such a mantra – your only a phone call away from making the right Hifi speaker choice!
Why not check out one of my videos on what makes the KEF R500 a top Hifi speaker:
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