Whats the difference of high end speaker system, and where can I experience them?

Question

I plan out to set up surround sound home theater system for the new 52in LCD TV I bought. I went to walmart and such to test listen to some system they had. I am not a sound enthusiast and I can't tell sigle or very little difference between $150 and $450 system. And while I was looking at some home entertainment magazine. I saw bunch of big box like speakers that cost few grand. I was wondering why they are so expensive. Can sound really get that high quality for a money to be worthwhile? How do speaker enthusiasts tell difference? By how loud it can get? How clear the sound is without noize? So I might want to test them out, where can I go to experience these speakers? I know curcuit city has some BOSS system that cost like 3 grands so I might try that.

Answer 1

If you can't tell the difference get the cheap set.  When I graduated high school I went and bought a $500 Yamaha HTIB.  It was about the best there was in that price range.  I was happy with that for 3 yrs.  This year I started upgrading my setup.  All I have left hooked up from my original system are the 2 surround speakers.  I got the upgrade bug after going to Best Buy and listened to Klipsch F-3 speakers.  To me they sounded awesome.  Then I added a C-3 center channel and a new Klipsch Sub.  This last week I went and bought an $1100 receiver I didn't pay that much for it. I like the Klipsch F-3 because I can play them as loud as my receiver will go and there is 0 distortion.  The detail you get from Klipsch is amazing.  I have been rewatching movies because they sound different.  I hear details I hadn't heard before.  My new receiver has Hd sound capabilities and the sound from blu ray blows dvd out of the water.  By the time I am done I will have a 7.2 system that will have cost me $3200 including the receiver.  Before you decide to get the $150 system go and listen to what speakers can sound like and then decide if you can live with the HTIB.  With a 52" TV you are going to want the audio to match the picture.  Check this link for Klipsch.     http://www.klipsch.com/products/lists/fl...

Answer 2

Your best bet is going to a independent home theatre dealer that specialises in high end systems and installations. You will not find what is considered "high end" speakers at Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc. Once you find the dealer they should have a sound room where you can actually listen from a chair or sofa in an optimal location and environment. Standing in a big area at place like Circuit City will not allow you to learn or hear much. Finally "high end" speakers are NEVER made in Japan, or China they almost always are made in USA. They also may be a brand you have never heard of since they are not mass produced for the big stores. I don't know your price range but somewhere around $1,500 to $2,000 is probably low end at a speciality store as their high end is $20,000 if not more. In the end a $1,500 matched set of quality speakers is better than what you will find at the big stores. Even if that is not your price range I'm sure the salesperson will be happy to educate you and do some demonstrations. You can take your money elsewhere or buy used.

Answer 3

I have been selling audio and designing home theater systems for 10 years. What I have learned is that there is no such thing as the "best sounding" speakers. Everyone has a different criteria for sound and for that matter everyone hears things differently. Some people are less or more sensitive to certain frequencies and even the shape of your ears can affect how you hear.

So sound is personal. One persons favorite speakers can be someone elses least favorite. And guess what. They are both right. This is all opinion anyway.

That being said there are some general rules of thumb. Highly desirable traits in your speakers are

Full range sound - Plays from the deepest notes up to the highest.

Flat or mostly flat response - There should be no major inherant boost or cut in specific frequencies.

Low Distortion - The speakers should play loud enough for your taste without cracking. Which brings us to..

Power handling - People who don't know about speakers ask for speakers with lots of Watts. Speakers don't have watts, but they do need wattage to run. Speakers usually have a minimum and maximum wattage rating which is usually a suggestion for the wattage of the reciever (per channel) Make sure the speakers can handle the power required to play at the volume you want to play at but other than that wattage ratings on speakers are not important. More watts don't mean better sound and the speakers sensitivity has more impact on the volume it can reach than the power handling.

Listening to the speakers with a variety of material and at different volumes is the only way to find out what sounds better. No amount of numbers can tell you what sound best except for maybe customer satisfaction ratings.

Edit: The speakers you choose have the greatest impact upon the sound you hear. You cannot make up for a lousy set of speakers by buying a really good reciever. But you can get good sound from a great set of speakers and an average reciever. So take your time to get the right speakers. In general speakers should be equal to the price of your Receiver+source components. So $500 reciever, $400 Blu-Ray player, $200 cable box (approx. value) means your speakers should cost about $1100 (without sub) and cables should cost about 10% of the entire system to get the most out of your system. But choose the speakers first then pick an appropriate reciever to power it.

Answer 4

bose r good..

and panasonic..

Answer 5

Start with a good AVR, or audio-video receiver. Harman Kardon, Denon, or Onkyo are quality, mid priced brands. Whatever you get, make sure it is a "high current" amplifier.

Next you need speakers. There are a few Internet Direct speaker manufacturers that sell great sounding speakers at low prices. You can usually audition these speakers at home for 30 days and decide if you want to keep them.

I went with Ascend Acoustics CBM 170. They sound so sweet, and for only $348 per pair!

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/

But wait, there are others!

http://www.axiomaudio.com/

http://www.magnepan.com/

http://www.affordableaudio.org/

http://www.hsuresearch.com/

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/products_...

http://www.fluance.com/

This is not a complete list, but it is a good place to start.

This is great quality sound at a discount price.

As one poster said, stay away from the "Big Box" stores.

Answer 6

There is only one criteria with speakers: you must listen, compare and pick what works for you. We all have different tastes and we all have different ears so you can't rely on someone else's criteria of what's good.

I think speaker companies do more or less the same things technically speaking and they rely on marketing to sway consumers their way.

Look around where you live for smaller hifi stores who can take the time to let you listen to a few speakers. Give some guidelines in terms of price, but ask to listen without knowing which models cost what.

If you want speakers you will want to keep a long time, don't go to BestBuy, Circuit City, Walmart and the like - they know NOTHING about what they sell.

And finally, DO NOT buy whatever speaker cable they want to sell you. Get 12 or 14 gauge speaker cable from Home Depot or Lowe's, etc., cut to whatever length you need. They will work flawlessly since speakers only need a wire to carry the electricity along. The size of the cable would matter over long distances however, but 12 or 14 gauge is perfect.