Statistics? (1 Viewer)

[Paul Murphy]

I have been looking to buy some speakers but have absolutly no idea what all these khz, db senstativity, frequency responce,tweater, and woofer mean. I have some idea but not a complete idea. Im just like to no what the best for all of them would be in these 3 ranges:
1. Top of the Line Speakers
2. Middle of the Road
3. Begginer Speakers
Thanks for any help

 

[Dustin B]

Well, my opinion would be along these lines:
1)
http://www.servodrive.com
http://www.lambdacoustics.com/unity.html
http://www.gr-research.com/AlphaLS/Alpha.htm
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2)
http://www.gr-research.com/performer/av1plus.htm
http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/.../kithe10_1.htm
http://www.madisound.com/audaxhometheater.html
http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/...iva_suites.htm
http://www.adireaudio.com/diy_audio/..._territory.htm
3)
http://www.speakerpage.com/
http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...D3/dayton3.htm
http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...ts/DBP/dbp.htm
http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/dht
http://www.speakerbuilder.net/web_fi...ts/RT3/rt3.htm
This is a smatering of DIY options with one pro option thrown in at the top. As for commercial:
1) get somebody to build you what I listed above.
2) Paradigm, Axiom, PSB, Ascend Acoustics and the list could go on and on.
3) JBL Northridge is pretty good.

 

[Paul Murphy]

I havn't even considered building my own speakers! I have absolutly no were to even start bye doing that. I live in calgary alberta so i you no anywhere that i could go and get a kit cause there is no way in hell i could ever build from scratch. At least for starters. My main concern was understanding what all those things mean when they talk about speakers like crossover and so on.

 

[DanaA]

Follow the link I have below. Use the dictionary. When you get to a word such as crossover, they will have a brief explanation. You'll notice that the word itself is highlighted. Click on that for a fuller, often excellent and easy to understand in layman's terms, explanation.
Click Here

 

[Dustin B]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=55635
Go to the last section. The advanced stuff. Start on the 4th one and read the next 5.
This is pretty good too:
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The Sound Clearing House stuff above can be purchased fully finished, flats or just the baffel.
Also for pretty much any kit out there one of these two places will ship you an enclosure in whatever stage of assembly you want to go for (of course the closer to assembled the more expensive).
Link Removed or Link Removed

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Paul, I DO support you learning what the terms mean. But you cannot put speakers into the low/medium/high catagory by learning these numbers.

Go to the store and read the ingredients on several cans of soda or packages of ice cream. Can you tell which will taste better just from the ingredients?

No. You actually have to taste each one and judge.

The same works for speakers.

I WILL give you some general truths that may help you in your search.

- Music Speakers are about accuracy.

- Home Theater Speakers are about impact.

- Music is a tougher job for speakers to reproduce than a DVD movie soundtrack.

The more accurate, audiophile quality speakers tend to be more expensive. They are also more sensitive to needing lots of power, and the speaker wires can flavor the sound a bit. (These are very 'sensitive' systems).

Home Theater sound is very artifical so an array of less-expensive/accurate speakers with a subwoofer in the corner can give a terrific experience.

When you go audition, bring a favorite CD or two and buy the speakers that make the music sound best. A DVD is great to bring as well, but music will reveal flaws in a speaker a lot quicker.

Hope this helps.

 

[Paul Murphy]

So really the best speakers can only be decided on someones opinion and have nothing to do with the specs and what the speakers are made of?

 

[DanaA]

I don't think anyone is saying that the specs don't mean anything or aren't relevent, because they are. The sound characteristics of speakers are a very personal choice though. Some may like a bright, forward, more detailed sound, whereas others might prefer a warmer sound. There are literally tons of different personal preferences floating around. It also depends on the types of uses and listening you're going to be using the speakers for. For instance, will they be used mostly for music or home theater? What types of music do you most prefer? Rock? Jazz? Classical? All of these factors play a roll in what you buy. As for the "statistics", the one I pay most attention to is the speaker's sensitivity, because this will influence the amount of power you need to adequately drive the speakers more than anything else. Generally, I try to get speakers rated at least 87-88 decibels, but prefer to get speaker's rated above that as that will widen the range considerably as to what amount of power I'll need to drive the speakers to the loudness levels I like..comfortably.

I hope I haven't confused you more. What I'd do is audition a lot of speakers first. Listen for how wide and deep the sound stage is. How well they play a variety of types of music. How true each voice and instrument sounds to what you'd actually expect them to sound like. Whether the bass is authoritative and well defined, rather that just booming away in a muddled way. The more you listen, the better you'll be at choosing what works best for your ears. When you've found a sound that appeals to you, then ask about the sensitivity and make sure you buy enough power to adequately drive the speakers COMFORTABLY to levels you like. Then, I'd match those up with a receiver that makes them sound the best. Different receivers have different sounds themselves and some will work better with the speakers you decide on.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

So really the best speakers can only be decided on someones opinion and have nothing to do with the specs and what the speakers are made of?

No.
But the things you asked about like "senstativity, frequency responce,tweater, and woofer" cannot alone be able to tell how accurate/detailed a speaker is.
(Ok, Frequency Response does show flaws in a speaker, but not how accurate one is.)
There are things like detail, imaging, radiation patterns, that are hard to measure exactly the same for all speakers. These things are important, but nobody has a dead-on-accurate way of measuring and reporting these things so you can compare speaker-to-speaker.
Some speakers have a reputation for being great for Jazz or Classical, but dont have the punch people want for rock/rap.
Some speakers will play loud (which is often mistaken as 'better'), but this sometimes hides details. Some speakers bring out details, but overall are considered "layed-back" or "neutral".
Like wine/beer/ice-cream: speakers have flavor. And this flavor is hard to quantify.
If I gave you 5 speakers and asked you to put them in order from best to worst, and I did the same, likely your order and mine would be different. This does not mean either order is wrong, just that we have different tastes.
This is why we recommend everyone take their favorite music with them to audition speakers.
I hate to leave you un-satisified by not giving you a definitive answer on how to judge speakers from a few numbers. But...thats just the way it is.

 

[Paul Murphy]

You were saying that the reciever should affect some of you choice in selecting you speakers. Right now i own a brand spankin new yamaha 530 for my 15th birthday. Stuck with my old peice of shit 35 watt denon speakers as rears.
Also my main concern is movies. I like my movies nice and crisp sounds and able to push some power but pumping a huge house party is a concern... well if my dad let me maybe.. but anyways. the main type of music i listen to is rave,trance that kind of stuff. I want speakers that have crisp sounds and able to have sudden sounds like in rave music. Considering that is there any brands that you could point me to.

 

[David Young]

I think you missed the, "If you need to ask the price, you can't afford them category."

 

[Geoff L]

Do you have a budget to work with?
What speakers do you need, all, Just the front 3, a powered sub, etc?
Read up on the information links to help you understand somethings and post back. People love to help, but you don't want to make a quick draw purchase as they say.
I like Black Cherry buy the way..

Kinda laid back with an explosion of taste when you nail one of them suckers.
Geoff

 

[Paul Murphy]

around 200 canadian. Also with any speaker it will be a 30% disount. Im looking right now to replace my 2 rear. Have been looking at some athena and some acoustic research. They look to be pretty good and others say athena sounds great for what you pay. Havn't gotton a reply on the acoustic's though. Bye the way. What the hell is a black cherry. Is it a speaker?

 

[Geoff L]

Hi Paul
Black Cherry:::> NO not a speaker, but
~{Ice Cream}~
It was in referance to Bobs post above about speakers and how people like different flavors of beer/wine/ice cream. The flavor thing, what one likes another may not care for. Doesn't mean it's bad ice cream, but you may prefer a different flavor.
It was my poor attempt at being funny in relation to the topic and discussion.
Which model, or models of AR are you looking at?
Cheers
Geoff

 

[Paul Murphy]

The AR 15's
I understand. I think my favorite flavor is Mint Chocoalte Chip Anyways... yaaaaa

 

[Frank Carter]

Have you considered Klipsch speakers? Their excellent dynamics make for a very exciting HT experience. Another plus about Klipsch is their high sensitivity, they need very little power to go loud.

 

[Paul Murphy]

the acoustic reseach have excellent sensitivity too. There all above 90 senstavity. And no i havnt considered them. No of the stores i have been to have them.

 

[jeff_coil]

Butter Brikle for me please!