New Year's holidays are a great time for changes. And it’s time to buy good acoustics: you can think, look and choose for yourself, in your own interior.
This is not an easy matter. Previously, it was like: whatever is available in terms of power, you take it. Nowadays, even an experienced professional can get confused in numerous audio systems - there are too many ambiguous options, controversial characteristics and noise around functions of little use.
Today we’ll try to dot the i’s: what device should you buy for home so as not to use dozens of different devices and enjoy the sound.
What are the requirements for a home speaker?
First, we should decide what we will require from home acoustics. If you think carefully and collect all possible requirements, the list of what you need will turn out to be quite voluminous:
● high-quality reproduction of any genre of music ● “live stage” for working with films, audio plays and video games ● good volume reserve (and normal operation throughout the entire range) ● extensive parameter adjustments (sometimes bass is important, sometimes it needs to be hidden) ● work with any sources audio stream (highly desirable - with several at the same time) ● appearance appropriate for the home interior (to be transferred from room to room) ● form factor convenient for movement and carrying (otherwise even cleaning can turn into a nightmare)
It seems that the requirements are too high. But let's go back ten years and remember stereo systems: they helped out in any situation like no other modern audio system. What now? A portable speaker does not replace desktop acoustics; buying your own speakers for each source is expensive. Also, you will have to look for separate solutions for different purposes.
Acoustics for outdoor trips, speakers for a computer, a soundbar for a TV, a karaoke device, a system for each room...
Sometimes you want to have a concert at home
But in reality? “Bookshelf speakers” are not needed for aesthetes; sound panels are not needed. All these are purely interior solutions for a narrow purpose. Bluetooth acoustics are actually used only in compact ones - for personal use. What if the owner is into music? Should I also buy a “combination”?
They all require their own sound sources, installation locations, and some additional conditions - applications, special disks, players or media set-top boxes. To each their own. Enough tolerating this!
Related questions
Is it possible to mix speaker brands?
Mixing brands is not recommended. Each speaker has a unique timbre, which is a sound signature. Using two different speakers creates two tones that conflict with each other. Even different models or product lines of the same brand can create the same effect. It gets even more chaotic when you have a full surround sound system with more than two speakers - for example, you might have multiple front speakers and surround speakers in the back or on the sides. If they all have different tones because they are all from different brands, all you can hear is a chaotic mess. It's always better to have a matching set since they are designed to work together.
How far apart should the speakers be from each other for best performance?
The optimal distance between speakers will depend on how your room is laid out. You want it to be proportional to the distance between any listening position and the speakers. For example, if you're using them for a home theater and your chair is seven feet from the TV, the speakers should be about seven feet apart. Your chair should form an equilateral triangle with the speakers.
How to set up a room for the best sound?
For best sound, tilt the speakers slightly toward your seat. Avoid placing speakers close to a wall, as this will cause sound to bounce off the wall and distort the sound you hear. If you place a chair against a wall, there will be less room for sound to travel and surround you, resulting in a less immersive experience. This also causes the sound to bounce off the wall behind you, resulting in more distortion. For best results, move the chair and speakers slightly further into the room. Make sure your equilateral triangle is still in place.
Recording source: https://thehometheaterdiy.com
One column should do everything at once
What's a concert without color music?
The most universal format of a modern home audio system: monoblock waterproof acoustics with stereo sound, simulating a single classic concert speaker. A couple of years ago, analogues were offered in a “mono” version, but not every home will accommodate such a unit.
Now the devices have moved to the mid-price segment, having received the maximum range of capabilities for all occasions: for a home disco with karaoke, to watch a movie, and to play the guitar. If you want - for the whole house, but if you want - it’s barely audible.
Just like the good old cassette-disc music centers (you can’t call this a boombox, they are smaller, weaker and focused on portable use). Only more convenient: separate systems had to be transferred in parts.
One of the class standards was the ultimate audio system Sony SRS-XP700, equipped with everything you could need: powerful omnidirectional sound, waterproof design, capacious battery - just in case. Works with anything, can “digest” content directly. He also organizes karaoke and color music.
However, an indecent number of questions remain. The main one is how does this 16-kilogram speaker manage to replace almost any type of acoustics? Why this format?
The answer is simple: it is he who provides everything at once. And it fits into any interior: the SRS-XP700 will stand well under a curtain at home, or in a multimedia corner of a gaming-cinema-mana.
General view
Ratio between amplifier and speaker power
In the old days, a lot depended on the power of the amplifier, and buyers relied on this parameter when making their choice. The price of the acoustics also depended on the power of the amplifier (see How to connect an amplifier and subwoofer to a car radio: you are your own master), its quality. Technologies began to develop and power eventually ceased to be a fundamental criterion. Playback quality comes first.
Note. Today, if we compare, for example, the prices of Hi-End amplifiers of class “A” with a power of 3 W and transistor 2-pin amplifiers of class “AB” with a power of 2000 W, then they are practically no different.
Why do you need power?
Amplifier to speaker ratio
Below is information that will be useful for every connoisseur of good sound to know:
- The power of the amplifier directly affects the volume, but not only that. The device itself and its power cannot directly influence the volume of sound emitted by the speakers. And this component depends on the ratio of acoustics and amplifier.
- The acoustic component known to everyone today, called “sensitivity,” is measured in decibels and indicates what sound pressure a certain acoustic system can develop (at a distance of 1 meter from it).
- The usual sensitivity of modern speaker systems ranges from 83-105 decibels. A person during a quiet conversation emits a sound of 60 dB, loud rock music - 110 dB, but 120 dB or more already creates a real situation of complete loss of hearing for a person.
Note. In a word, the playback volume is determined not by the power of the device, but only by the ratio of its sensitivity and acoustics.
- The more powerful the amplifier, the lower the sensitivity of the speaker system that is matched to it should be. To be more precise, every 3 dB added to the sound pressure of the acoustics costs the device twice the power.
Note. If, for example, the acoustics create a sound pressure of 85 dB when a signal of 1 Watt is applied, then to create a pressure of 88 dB, you need to apply 2 Watts, and so on. For 91 dB you will need 4 Watts, and for 94 dB – 8 Watts.
- It is very important to measure the ratio of acoustics and amplifier at a distance of one meter, and not more or less.
- For example, a 3 W device paired with 105 dB acoustics will sound as loud as a 384 W amplifier with an acoustic sensitivity of 84 dB.
- When choosing this element of the system, you need to remember one more important rule: it must always have a power reserve. This will deprive the user of the inconvenient situation when it is necessary to turn the volume knob to the maximum, as a result of which, on some amplifiers, quite large sound distortions can be observed. If you imagine a rotator in the form of a clock (many modern devices do this), then a comfortable volume level should be achieved when rotating the rotary until 10-11 o’clock.
- All acoustic models can be divided into 2 large groups. This is a group where 4-ohm systems are collected and a group where 8-ohm systems are collected.
Acoustics 6 ohm amplifier 8 ohm
Note. It should be remembered that the lower the ohm of the acoustics, the more difficulty it will present for the amplifier. So, a 4-ohm speaker system will require double output from the device, while an 8-ohm speaker system will not.
- For owners of 8-ohm acoustics, the ratio of parameters will not be particularly important. In this case, it is much better to concentrate your attention on the sound.
- On the contrary, those with 4-ohm systems would be wise to look at amplifiers that can double the power as the ohm drops. For example, such a device should output 100 W at 8 Ohms, and 200 W at 4 Ohms. At the same time, we must also not forget about the sound quality of the amplifier.
Acoustics for marcantz amplifier
- Typically, 4-ohm acoustics are chosen by connoisseurs of bass and rhythmic music. When playing low frequencies, 8 ohm acoustics make the bass a little vague and indistinct.
- On the other hand, among amplifiers that do not double the power, there are much more devices worthy of attention in terms of build quality.
- All types of acoustics can also be divided into simple and complex, from the point of view of their relationship with the amplifier. This depends not only on the above factors, but also on such components as the size of the speakers, their design, etc. Complex types of speaker systems complicate the process of controlling the speakers for the device (see How to choose speakers for a car radio on your own). As you know, a good amplifier not only instantly sets the speaker cone in motion, but is also obliged to stop it when the signal stops.
Amplifier 8 ohm acoustics 6 ohm
- Damping factor is the name given to an amplifier's ability to drive speaker cones. In more powerful devices, this parameter is usually better and has good current output.
Note. If the speaker systems are not complex and do not pose a large load for the amplifier, then even the most low-power sample is capable of driving the speakers so that they create a sound that is fantastic in purity.
- It is important to know one more thing when choosing acoustics for an amplifier. When purchasing a low-power amplifier and low-sensitivity systems, it may be impossible to achieve sufficient sound volume. On the contrary, by purchasing a powerful amplifier and the most sensitive speakers, you can get a powerful sound, but it will be very difficult to control it, because when you turn the knob just one degree, you can be deafened by the strong sound.
In short, choosing the right amplifier is a real art.
Video on the topic
A home speaker should sound powerful, loud and detailed at the same time
Typically, pseudo-boomboxes in a speaker cabinet offer one speaker per frequency band, rarely offering a pair of midrange drivers. Accordingly, only two are suitable for music.
This is why you should choose the Sony SRS-XP700 - it has a completely atypical speaker layout:
✅ 3 front broadband with a diameter of 6 centimeters; ✅ 1 omnidirectional high frequency with a diameter of 5 centimeters; ✅ 2 low-frequency X Balanced with a diagonal of 17 centimeters.
X Balanced is the company's proprietary technology that delivers more power and clear bass without distortion through special rectangular speakers with an increased area. Thanks to them, the lows are good even at maximum volume.
“It’s so bassy that with the controls turned up to full and the MegaBass , not a single car subwoofer is standing nearby. It’s just that the “improver”, which changes the saturation of frequencies, very actively moves everything around, especially when placed on a desktop.
However, the SRS-XP700 is not a speaker for bassheads. The engineers did their best: the range does not rush forward, effectively complementing the work of universal speakers that provide stereo sound. The speaker plays any material accurately, without distortion or wheezing.
The location of the speakers extremely well complements the volume of the caseAn important role is played by the omnidirectional speaker on the top cover, which provides volume and naturalness: all-round sound coverage is not fantasy, but reality. At least take it to the center of the room/dance floor, there will be enough for everyone.
Live Sound software installation , which makes the listener feel like they are at a concert or in the very center of events. The immersion, thanks to the volume of the case, is incredible.
Everything in the world should be connected to your home speaker
Microphone, guitar and rhythm - a ready-made mix for a concert.
It’s time to think about the current source. And again it’s worth talking about the Sony SRS-XP700 as a reference device: here, under the cover on the rear panel, there is a whole battery of inputs and outputs for all occasions.
The main connection method today is Bluetooth, with a modern revision for simultaneous work with two sources, be it a smartphone, tablet or computer.
Since the speaker was designed by Sony, experts did not forget about supporting the most advanced codec today, LDAC , which allows you to transmit an audio stream with virtually no compression and is even suitable for playing lossless streams.
If you need to connect the speaker to an analog source or combine it with a TV, you can use 3.5 mm AUX
The engineers did not forget about the microphone and guitar inputs, each of which received its own volume control. The first (low resistance) immediately responds to the connected device, the second (linear, high resistance) requires an additional press of the corresponding key.
In nature, and in a number of home situations (for example, during the holidays), a USB connector that can read mp3 files from drives is useful. It and a second similar one can be used to charge external gadgets with currents of 5V/1.5A. Isn't this the standard?
How power is distributed across sound bands
Further. A loud front is usually either a 2 or 3 way system. To select amplifiers for channel-by-channel amplification, you need to understand what powers are dissipated (“arrived”) across the bands. The musical signal is usually divided into three ranges: low frequencies (LF), medium frequencies (MF), high frequencies (HF). In a 3-way system, each range is played by a separate speaker; in a 2-way system, the low/mid ranges are played by one speaker, which is called midbass. Musical signals - that is, music - can be completely different, with different tonal balances, some have a lot of bass, some have a lot of ringing sounds, there are genres that use non-musical sounds that create an increased load in both the midrange and midrange. HF range. In order to take into account all possible variants of musical signals when designing acoustic systems, the concept of a generalized musical signal was introduced in audio engineering. This is a static noise signal averaged over all genres. The amount of highs, mids and lows in this signal covers any genre. If you have designed the system for a generalized signal, it will play music with any tonal balance within the specified power. The most important property of this average for all genres of music is that for it you can accurately determine the power distribution across sound bands. The distribution of power across the ranges of the generalized sound signal is as follows: low frequencies: 63 - 250 Hz, 60% of the total power middle frequencies: 250 - 5000 Hz, 30% of the total power high frequencies: 5000 - 20000 Hz, 10% of the total power if the system is 2-way , midbass playing in the range from 63 to 5000 Hz accounts for 90% of the power. The division into frequency ranges is generally accepted and canonical. All modern 2- and 4-channel amplifiers are broadband and linear (the gain is constant throughout the entire sound range). Therefore, the amplifier power is distributed in the same proportions across the ranges. That is, the amplifier develops in the low-frequency range no more than 60% of its nominal value (then a clip, a dirty signal, a burnt-out coil), in the mid-frequency range no more than 30%, in the high-frequency range - 10%.
The home speaker should be freely carried around the apartment (and taken out)
The handles are really comfortable.
The already mentioned form factor of a universal megaspeaker should provide not only operation from the network, but also autonomous playback. Both at home and on the street. Especially when she can rock a party of 50 people.
The built-in battery allows the Sony SRS-XP700 to work for about 3 hours after 10 minutes at the outlet. Maximum autonomy of 25 hours of continuous playback will require 2.5-3 hours.
But that's not all, because large audio systems need to be carried. Therefore, the XP700 has a pair of convenient handles on the edges, disguised as decorative elements.
All these features are complemented by a durable plastic case with IPX4 , a rigid metal speaker grille and soft rubber feet. A forest picnic or a country disco is just the task for this Sony.
The speaker must have an advanced application and additional functions
Of course, any modern audio system must have smart features. The Sony SRS-XP700 implements them using the Sony Music Center and Fiestable applications (free in the App Store).
The first is used for firmware updates, direct connection to streaming services, management of inputs/outputs and storage contents. It is also necessary for creating stereo pairs (each will reproduce its own channel, working in mono mode) or synchronizing a larger number of speakers into a single sound system.
The second is required for advanced music lovers: here you can adjust the sound using an equalizer, adjust color music, and adjust the operation of the guitar and microphone inputs for live performances. Texts for karaoke are also collected in this program.
How about turning the device into a DJ booth by collecting the right tracks into a playlist and adjusting the effects in real time using the on-screen touchpad? Also here, and works very well.
Factors to consider when choosing smaller or larger speakers
Other aspects to weigh when purchasing a speaker include the size of the usable space, how you'll use the speaker, and your price range.
The amount of space available to you will determine the type of speakers you can install in it. If you live in a tiny apartment, you're not going to buy bulky speakers that will take up all the space. You'll likely choose a much more conservatively sized set. Just remember that they won't deliver the same level of power as a large set of speakers. Larger speakers usually provide a better experience, but make sure you have room for them.
How you plan to use the speakers will also play a role in your decision. If you only need music for the bedroom or a sound system for a small home theater, smaller speakers with a subwoofer may be a more economical and efficient choice. But if you have a large home theater or have a lot of gatherings at home, larger speakers will better suit your needs.
The final aspect of the purchasing decision will be cost. Small speakers usually have a lower price than larger ones. However, if you choose one of the newer, more advanced models, the cost may be higher. Just remember, in most cases, you get what you pay for. If you pay a lower price, you'll likely get a cheap speaker. Including reduced sound quality. A higher price for higher quality can make a big difference. Not to mention, higher quality speakers are generally more durable. This means you won't have to buy new speakers as often as you would if you bought a cheaper, less durable model.
