Speaker Buyer's Guide

Let your ears be your guide

When finally sitting down to purchase a speaker system, the previous information can only serve as tools.  The final decision is personal—it is all about what sounds good to the listener.  However, making these decisions is a process that requires careful development.  Some basic guidelines can be extremely useful in deciding which units to buy.

1.      What is needed?

Decide carefully what your needs are as a user.  Is listening to MP3s, webcasts, or CDs your most common activity?  Or are you the ambitious gamer that rides the leading edge of technology in search of the most immersive gaming experience possible? Or finally, is your computer becoming your home theatre system, and you want it to sound like one?  Surround sound carries a price, and stereo can sound great for much less.

Also, examine the possibility of adding a sub woofer.  The smaller speakers used for short range listening often do not carry the frequency response of larger speakers that would be overkill.  However, the frequency range can be extended with the sub woofer that will put some punch back into music and basic games.  Also, the lows can be run at a higher volume without raising the high-pitched frequencies that are more likely to damage hearing.

2.      How do the specifications look?

Carefully examine what the manufacturers say about their own speakers.  Also, look at what they don’t say.  Frequency response can be one of the most deceptive specifications when presented without a tolerance.  Also, the signal to noise (S/N) ratio can prove to be important as it describes how clean the sound will be.  Make informed decisions as to which speakers are worth listening to, but don’t necessarily eliminate all of the others.  Keep an open mind, and open ears.  Remember to get speakers that are magnetically shielded if they will be near the monitor because otherwise they will distort the screen.

3.      Listen, Listen, Listen

Try to find a store where you can actually get your hands on the speakers.  Try and stand (or even better, sit) with the speakers in a position like they would be in when at your computer.  Play your favorite song—one that you know how it should sound.  Then just listen.  Make sure that everything is there that you want to be.  The highs are warm and crisp, the lows are present, and everything seems balanced.  Then listen to another set of speakers and decide if it is better or worse.  It’s worth taking some time because the speakers will be with you for a while.

Good luck in what speakers you decide are best for you.  There are many options out there to choose from.  Look for more articles as we begin to pursue some of the best computer speakers on the market today.