How to shop for sound systems.
Let’s start by recognizing the reason for this note.
Bose.
Bose is the name of the most recognizable, “high-end” consumer audio brand in the US. So why is this note about Bose, you might ask? Bose is the perfect example of the mistake that 95% of people make when purchasing sound systems:
If it’s expensive, loud and advertised — it must be good.
The primary factor that leads to this misconception is that those 95% of people have never even HEARD “good” audio before. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve been to the theater” or “I’ve been to IMAX” — or my personal favorite: “My friend has a good sound system in his car.”
Your typical theater has a mediocre sound system. Yes, it’s loud, but that doesn’t make it a good sound system. Your friend more than likely also has a loud sound system, but again, it’s probably not a GOOD sound system.
IMAX? Ok, IMAX has a better than average sound quality. It’s probably the best sound that most people have heard or will hear in their lifetimes. And therein lies the issue: since people have never heard good sound quality, they don’t know how to shop for it.
The next thing we need to address is: what determines good sound quality? It’s difficult to identify something you have never heard! Here are some general descriptions to go by.
– CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SOUND SYSTEM
– Clarity
First and foremost, all speakers introduce “noise” into whatever you are listening to. This can come in the form of a hiss, a hum, white noise, etc.. an important step in learning to shop wisely is to learn to recognize “noise” AND the difference between noise caused by the speakers and noise caused by other external sources.
External sources can include: compressed (mp3, aac, etc..) low-quality music (i.e. 96kbps mp3), unclean power and background noise from whatever environment you are in.
A good sound system has a low amount of noise, even when the volume is turned up close to the maximum that the speaker is capable of reproducing.
– Accuracy
Believe it or not, it’s likely that you’ve never heard your music or movies the way they were intended to be heard. Whatever sound system you currently have probably “cuts out” a lot of various sounds.
A good sound system can reproduce sound accurately even at quiet volumes.
– Individual Speaker Quality
So many people think that the epitome of sound systems is a loud, 5.1 surround sound system. I’m going to let you in on a secret: if a stereo system and a surround sound system are of equal price, the stereo system will sound better.
No, you won’t have the full surround sound effect (although you may be surprised by how spacious a stereo system can be), but the clarity and accuracy will both be drastically superior.
A good surround sound system will cost much more than an equivalent stereo system. As an example, a $600 powered (see below) speaker will be louder, clearer, more accurate and have more bass than an entire $600 powered 5.1 surround sound system.
– Powered vs. Unpowered
Amps are what ultimately make music loud enough for you to hear. Powered systems have amps built-in, unpowered systems do not. Unpowered systems require external amps or a receiver with amps in order to function.
Amps cost money. The more speakers you have, the more amp power you need. Thus, in a cheap 5.1 surround sound system, you’re paying quite a bit for amps, and they aren’t going to be very high quality. In addition, that means you’re paying less for each individual speaker, and they will also be lower quality.
In the high end, powered speaker’s amps are usually matched to the speakers and are much higher quality than consumer amplification.
– APPLYING THIS KNOWLEDGE
First and foremost, you need a budget. Then, within that budget, you need to find the best quality sound system you can. “Best bang for your buck” as they say.
Here are some general price ranges:
$0-250: You are pretty much screwed, but the principal of individual speaker quality applies — go for stereo.
$300-900: If you’re willing to sacrifice surround sound, head over to your local area professional audio store and have them demo some studio monitors in this price range for you. They will be small, but will pack a huge punch. If you definitely want surround sound, look for an unpowered system (that needs a receiver or other amplifier source in order to work).
$1000-1500: Same as $300-900, but you’ll be looking for the larger studio monitors (8″+ woofers). Unpowered surround sound systems in this price range will be high quality. Powered systems will be decent quality.
$2k+: Now you’re in with the big boys. Most anything is going to sound good in this price range. You’ll want to drop by a hi-fi audio store and have them demo various sound systems for you, which will usually include unpowered speakers with high quality external receivers or amplifiers.
A note on sub-woofers: Any system can benefit from a sub, but remember that a good sub is going to cost nearly as much as a stereo setup, and at least half as much as a surround sound system.
The #1 thing to gather from reading this note is: try before you buy, and go for quality over quantity!
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Canvassing first from different stores before buying is a good idea, by this you will know and have an idea on were to buy your preferred sound system at a more cheaper cost. Other than buying, you can now obtain sound systems by rental.