Let's chat about speakers

Getting a theater to sound good is an important task. Getting the room to sound good on a budget is a difficult one. I spent a lot of time in and out of the media room stores probing question after question to figure out which types of speakers on the market are the best bang-for-buck, and whether to get speaker towers, wall mounted, or in-wall speakers. The decision is entirely up to you and your preference. I recommend doing a bit of in-person research inside the various demo rooms to hear the difference in sound before making your decision. I had the pleasure of speaking to Vice President David Berman with Stereo East. David has thirty-seven years in the speaker business with a background in engineering.  I took the liberty to ask a few questions for the average DIY’er that is constructing a small theater room for the first time.

Which speakers produce better quality sound for small rooms: towers, wall mounted, or in-wall?  Laws of physics state, wall speakers won’t out perform box speakers due to air pressure. The air moving backwards is just as important as the air moving forwards. In-wall speakers do not have the sealed space to hold in the air pressure like a box does. Surface mounted speakers or towers produce the best quality sound. If you have the room, box speakers (towers) are preferred. If going in-wall, use a back-boxed in-wall speaker (in-wall speaker that has a box built around the back that all fits inside the wall). On average box speakers are cheaper than back-boxed in-walls, so if you have the room, go with a tower or wall-mounted speaker.

What are some things to consider when shopping for speakers?

Front speakers (left, right, center): 

Know the measurements of front wall and screen (will give you an idea of how much space for speakers you have) you want front speakers at medium height of seated and standing ear level. If the speakers will be too high than that height, flip front speakers upside down so the tweeter is closer to your ear line.

Center channel:

The center speaker should be below the screen (closer to ear level than above the screen) and should have the same tweeter as the front speakers (same brand). This allows the sound coming from the front of the room to blend easily.

Subwoofer:

I recommend having two smaller subwoofers (one on each side of the front wall). Balanced sound is key in any sized room. Having one subwoofer will make its location identifiable, so have two small subwoofers to balance out the sound.

How large of a subwoofer do you REALLY need?

8” are best for small rooms… anything bigger than a 10” is too much mass for the driver to operate quickly. Also, the smaller the subwoofer, the less electricity it uses.

Any advice you have for the DIY’er when it comes to shopping for speakers to a small home theater?

Make sure that when you are setting budget, that you recognize that a good quality amplifier/tuner/receiver will dramatically make any speaker sound better.

When buying an amplifier, buy as big an amplifier as possible. Also, buy American or European. Japanese is a close second.