Choosing Home Theater Speakers

Choosing great home theater speakers isn't too hard to do, if you know what specs to consider. Times were when a pair of speakers were all you needed for great stereo sound. That won't cut it for home theater, though, where 5.1 sound is a minimum and newer, more exotic arrangements can have you putting up to eight speakers around your room.

The Basics of Home Theater Speakers
In a standard 5.1 surround sound setup, you'll have six speakers, also known as channels:

1. Center channel. This is placed above or below the center of the screen and carries most of the music and dialog.
2. Left front channel. Placed to the left of the screen, this handles some music and sound effects.
3. Right front channel. Placed to the right of the screen, this is also used for music and sound effects.
4. Left rear channel. Placed behind the left-hand side of the seating area, this speaker is primarily used for atmospheric sound effects and echo.
5. Right rear channel. Placed behind the right-hand side of the seating area, this is also for atmospheric effects.
6. Subwoofer. This is the .1 in surround systems. It provides the low bass tones. Since the human ear has trouble locating the source of bass tones, you can put this speaker anywhere. Helpful, because this speaker is considerably larger than the rest of the speakers in the set.

In an ideal setup, the seating area is in the middle of the room, allowing the front and rear speakers to be placed at an equal distance from where viewers will sit. In a smaller room, these speakers can be placed on side walls or on either side of the seating area, pointing in.

In a 6.1 surround setup, an additional rear center speaker is added. A 7.1 surround system has left and right side channels that should be installed halfway between the front and back side speakers.

Essential Specifications
Before you shop for speakers, you need to know your receiver. Wattage is the amount of power that the receiver sends to each channel, and this sometimes varies depending on the number of speakers you're using. If your receiver has variable wattage, use the specs for surround sound. Be sure that the speakers you choose can handle the wattage your receiver puts out; too much wattage will blow the paper cones inside the speaker apart at high volumes. You'll want to match the wattage of the receiver to the speakers.

Impedance measures the amount of electrical resistance that the receiver can handle, measured in ohms. If the impedance of speakers is too high, the receiver needs to work harder to get the signal out. This can cause the receiver to overheat, frying the circuits inside. Again, match the impedance of the speakers and the receiver; you can go a hair lower, but this sometimes causes sound distortion.

Frequency response is the range of sounds that your receiver can create. Speakers are limited in the sounds they can reproduce, although most run in a range from 20hz to 20,000hz. You won't damage speakers or your receiver by failing to match up frequency response, but if you have a great receiver, it makes sense to match it with speakers that can play its full range of sounds.

Separate Speakers or a Package?
If you're on a budget, a set of home theater speakers is usually the most cost-effective choice. A package also lets you set up the entire surround system at once, and you can always upgrade individual speakers later on. If you want the best sound possible, you'll want to buy speakers separately. Left and right speakers are typically sold in pairs, while center speakers and subwoofers are sold individually.

One advantage to purchasing separate speakers is that you can spread out the bill over time. Bose home theater speakers are generally considered the best on the market, but buying a full set at once can put a strain on your budget. Choosing separate speakers also lets you take advantage of new technologies that aren't always included in package sets. Wireless home theater speakers are available, but you'll need a compatible receiver or a Bluetooth transmitter to use them. These can provide a big advantage if you don't want wires trailing your rear channels across the room, but performance in wireless speakers isn't quite as good as with wired models.

What to Look For
Bookshelf or floor speakers can be used for either the front or rear left and right channels. All of these speakers have a tweeter for high tones and a woofer for low tones, and some models will include a separate midrange speaker. Bookshelf speakers are small and easy to mount on the wall. Floor speakers are much larger, and some models include a built-in subwoofer. Frequency response from 200Hz to 20,000Hz is excellent for these speakers. If you're on a budget, spend more for the front channels, which do more work than the rear channels.

A center speaker will have, at a minimum, one tweeter and two woofers and will often include one or two midrange speakers. These units are larger than bookshelf or mini cube home theater speakers; if you're using bookshelf speakers for the left and right channels, it's a good idea to choose a center speaker with robust woofers to balance out the thinner bass sounds that are common to small speakers. Frequency response can be found from 20Hz to 30,000Hz. Impressive numbers, but your subwoofer will handle sounds below 200Hz and the human ear can't hear sounds above 15,000Hz on average. A range of 200Hz to 18,000Hz will give you excellent performance, particularly if the speakers offer strong midrange response.

For subwoofers, look for size and power. Bass needs a lot of surface area on a speaker, so if the electronics are the same, the larger speaker will perform better. It's best to get a powered subwoofer, as this takes strain off your receiver and allows you more freedom in setting window-rattling bass levels. Frequency response of 20Hz to 200Hz is common, and the human ear won't hear frequencies below 20Hz.