Cheap speakers, good speakers, and expensive speakers

Last week, I spent some time talking about room modes in bass frequencies. I know, it was very technical and pretty dry - I'll work on making these articles a bit less dry in the future!

This week, I want to cover a question that I get pretty often - does it really make sense to spend money on expensive speakers? Don't the inexpensive speakers do the same thing, for a whole lot less money?

When I was in graduate school, one of the first things I learned is that the answer to every question is, "it depends." And that statement really holds true here.

Speakers really do come in absolutely every price range - from the tiny little cones that put out the music in your $20 clock radio to $60,000 each top-end Krell speakers. And you need to buy a dedicated amplifer for each of those!

A quick story about the Krells - not long ago, I had the chance to demo those speakers. The demo used a western movie as source material. All of the characters were sneaking around the old mining town, getting into position. Each footstep was crisp and clear, and you could easily hear the tumbleweeds rolling around the dusty street. When the main characters faced off, their ragged breathing was audible. And then the first shot rang out.

I was sitting in the second row of seats, and I happened to be wearing a dress shirt and tie. When that shot and the ensuing battle came over the loudspeakers, the drivers moved so much air that my shirt sleeves actually flapped in the breeze!

Do speakers make a difference? Well, those Krells certainly helped me to feel like I was in the middle of the action in a way that the clock radio speaker never could.

Is it worth spending $60,000 each ($300,000 for a 5-channel home theater) on speakers in order to get great sound? Well, for those clients who want nothing but the best, and price is no object, certainly it's worth it. And those speakers would be paired with top-of-the line amplifiers, video projector, screen, lighting control, seats, and a control system. In other words, the entire system is well-balanced between audio, video, seating, and control.

But for those clients with a more modest budget, I still believe it's well worth spending an amount on the speakers that's commensurate with the rest of the system. After all, why would you spend $1000, $5000, $20,000 on a flat panel or projection system, and then skimp on the speakers? Sound provides a large part of the movie or sports event experience.

Our rule of thumb is that we recommend clients to spend about as much on the audio portion of the system as they do on the video portion.

Does that mean that just because a speaker is more expensive, that it's better? No, of course not. It's easy enough to find expensive speakers that sound pretty bad. But finding good speakers in any price range is also easy to do, and if you rely on the advice of a trusted A/V professional, you'll be able to find speakers that perform very well in any price range.

Better speakers will reveal more of the detail and color of the sound, and will sound better in all parts of the room, because they have better off-axis response. That means the sound that you hear off to the side of the speaker is as good as (although may be fainter than) the sound you hear directly in front of the speaker. This is very important because those off-axis sounds have a way of bouncing off of the walls, ceiling, and floor, and reflecting to all parts of the room. If there are significant off-axis flaws, those can make the speaker sound horrible when you play a movie or music through them.

And just because a speaker sounds good in a showroom doesn't mean it will sound as good in your room. Your room is an integral part of the audio system, and has a profound impact on the overall sound (remember the article on room modes).

If you're looking for the best possible sound and video experience within any budget, call your local experts! Inspired Electronics, Inc. is one of just a handful of companies in Illinois certified for both audio and video calibration, and we can make your room sound better. Call us today at 847-471-4420 to set up an initial consultation.