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Can I use bookshelf sized speakers for my HT?
The simple answer is yes - with one caveat.
Don't let the size of a small speaker fool you. Today's bookshelf speakers pack a lot of performance into a relatively small box. Unless being driven at very high volumes, they can accurately and faithfully reproduce sound without distortion.
But, when you look at the drivers inside of a bookshelf speaker you'll immediately notice one thing - the size of the woofer. Clearly, it is not as big as those that are found in larger floor-standing speakers.
Unfortunately, physics is physics. To move a large amount of air (which is necessary to create bass), you need a large driver. The woofers found in most bookshelf speakers are adequate, but they simply cannot reproduce the low frequency effects (lfe) you often find in todays movies - especially action or effects laden soundtracks.
So, if bass is important to you, you really only have two options. The first option is to skip the small speaker and purchase a larger floor-standing model. The second option is to purchase the bookshelf speakers and supplement them with a subwoofer.
The second option is becoming more and more popular. Almost all major speaker manufacturers offer some sort of small speaker (often called a 'satellite') combined with a subwoofer...or you can create the combination yourself.
This works well in that the subwoofer can take the job of handling the bass, while the small satellite/bookshelf speaker handles the midrange and high frequencies.
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