Wireless Connectivity Some floor standing speakers may come with the option to connect to your TV wirelessly or via your Wi-Fi network. The benefit to this set up is the absence of wires, which makes setup simple and clean Some floor standing speakers may come with the option to connect to your TV wirelessly or via your Wi-Fi network. The benefit to this set up is the absence of wires, which makes setup simple and clean. However, wireless networks can be unreliable and the quality of connection will never compare to that of a speaker wire connection. Bluetooth Enabled Speakers with built-in Bluetooth allow you to stream audio content directly from a device e. This feature behaves just like any other Bluetooth-enabled Speakers with built-in Bluetooth allow you to stream audio content directly from a device e. This feature behaves just like any other Bluetooth-enabled device, such as portable Bluetooth speakers. Simply connect your device to the speaker via Bluetooth and press play! Note that while Bluetooth is convenient because you can connect without wires, the connection will not be as strong or high quality as a wired connection. Receiver Inputs The type of connectors or terminals on the speaker determine how you connect the speaker to your receiver. There are two main types: spring clips and binding posts. Spring Clips: Spring clips are desi The type of connectors or terminals on the speaker determine how you connect the speaker to your receiver. There are two main types: spring clips and binding posts. Spring Clips: Spring clips are designed for bare wire connections. They are most commonly found on inexpensive speakers and receivers due to their convenience. However, they are not without their challenges. Bare wire connections are notorious for poor sound quality, and there is room for error when trying to connect a bare wire; it can fray, it can be too thick, among others. Binding Posts: Binding posts are typically the preferred connector type because of the versatility and ease of use. Each post has a threaded metal rod that allows you to tighten down the wire or connector to get a better connection. Banana Plug Compatible Banana plugs are a type of connector for speaker wire. They are often regarded as more beneficial than bare wire, which can fray and degrade over time. Banana plugs allow you to insert the bare wire i Banana plugs are a type of connector for speaker wire. They are often regarded as more beneficial than bare wire, which can fray and degrade over time. Banana plugs allow you to insert the bare wire into the plug, which is then plugged into the terminal or binding post. This results in a cleaner setup behind your speaker and stronger connections. Inputs Some speakers have other inputs in addition to the binding posts or terminals. An example of how this may be beneficial is the auxiliary c Some speakers have other inputs in addition to the binding posts or terminals. An example of how this may be beneficial is the auxiliary connection, which would allow you to connect any device with a headphone jack and listen through your speakers. For bi-wiring: If the speaker has dual binding posts or terminals, you may be able to use two wires to connect to For the more sophisticated listener, you may want to bi-wire or bi-amp your speakers. For bi-wiring: If the speaker has dual binding posts or terminals, you may be able to use two wires to connect to your amplifier amp r. This consists of connecting one wire to the high frequency terminal or binding post and one wire to low frequency; both of these wires are then connected to the same terminal on the amp. The benefit to this setup is more isolated frequencies or sounds to improve sound quality. Bi-amping is similar to bi-wiring, but it takes sound isolation to the next level. The setup consists of the same two wires—one for high frequency and one for low frequency—except each wire is connected to its own amplifier source. This allows you to independently power each sound range. Speaker Design Speaker design is a term used to describe the number drivers in the speaker. Drivers are the cones that actually create sound. These cones come in three types: tweeters, midranges sometimes called mi Speaker design is a term used to describe the number drivers in the speaker. Drivers are the cones that actually create sound. These cones come in three types: tweeters, midranges sometimes called mids , and woofers. Tweeters produce high frequency sounds, while woofers product low frequency sounds, i. Adding a midrange driver allows for a more robust sound, since the audio is split among more drivers and each driver can focus on key frequencies. To define the number of drivers, a speaker is considered two-way, three-way or four-way. Two-way speakers contain two drivers tweeter and woofer. Three-way add a midrange driver to the mix for a total of three drivers tweeter, midrange, woofer. Four-way speakers include four drivers, typically two tweeters, a midrange, and a woofer. While the number of drivers is important to the makeup of the speaker, more drivers does not exclusively mean higher quality. Lower sensitivity speakers require more power from the amplifier to achieve higher volumes. Lower sensitivity speakers require more power from the amplifier to achieve higher volumes. Higher sensitivity requires less power for high volumes. Generally speaking, higher sensitivity speakers are louder, and small increases in decibels result in big reductions in wattage needed to reach a certain volume. A low sensitivity is any rating up to 88dB. High sensitivity goes up to 100dB or higher. Frequency Response Range Given as a range in Hertz Hz , frequency response is a measurement of the range of sound a speaker can reproduce. For reference, the human ear can hear a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz shorte Given as a range in Hertz Hz , frequency response is a measurement of the range of sound a speaker can reproduce. For reference, the human ear can hear a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz shortened to 20kHz. A good frequency response starts at 50Hz or lower and covers as much of that range as possible. Impedance Impedance is a key electrical measurement, provided in ohms. This number describes the electrical resistance provided by the speaker to the power signal sent by your amplifier. A common analogy used f Impedance is a key electrical measurement, provided in ohms. This number describes the electrical resistance provided by the speaker to the power signal sent by your amplifier. A common analogy used for impedance is the flow of water through a pipe. The audio signal is the water flowing through the speaker, which is the pipe. The bigger the pipe, the more water flowing through the speaker. Impedance is equivalent to the size of the pipe. This number is crucially important to your speaker set up. Without it, power would flow freely through the speaker until it burned out. First, all speakers in your set up should have the same impedance rating. The most common rating is 8 ohms, which will work with most amplifiers. Just make sure any other speakers you add to your setup have the same impedance. Second, the impedance must be compatible with your amp. Lower impedance, such as 6, 4 or 2 ohms, needs a more powerful amp to reach higher volumes without damaging your equipment. Maximum Power Handling Power handling, or peak power, is the highest wattage a speaker can accept from an amplifier before it burns out or becomes damaged. This number is given in watts. This number is given in watts. Powered Subwoofer Some floor standing speakers contain a built-in powered subwoofer as part of the overall speaker design. However, with a built in subwoofer, you have more of an all-in-one device. Subwoofers add even more range to your sound by reproducing extremely low frequencies—think cannon fire and earthquakes. Or, stated differently, if the subwoofer has its own built in amplifier to power the sound. Having this built in powered subwoofer really extends performance of the floor standing speaker itself, but for those planning to build an elaborate home theater system, an external subwoofer will provide more power, performance, range, and overall dynamic sound. Tweeter Size Tweeters produce the highest frequencies in sound, typically anything above 2,000 Hz. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes and sizes. Generally speaking, the si Tweeters produce the highest frequencies in sound, typically anything above 2,000 Hz. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes and sizes. Generally speaking, the size of the tweeter is not as important as the shape. But, for some guidance, consider that a larger tweeter measured by diameter in inches or millimeters will likely be louder and able to disperse sound over a larger area. Tweeter Type For the true audiophile, choosing the right tweeter shape is key to getting the best out of your speaker. Different tweeter styles distribute sound more effectively throughout the room, and because hi For the true audiophile, choosing the right tweeter shape is key to getting the best out of your speaker. Different tweeter styles distribute sound more effectively throughout the room, and because higher frequencies are more directional, better distribution usually means better sound quality. The major types include cone, dome, horn, and planar-magnetic. Cone: Found most commonly, cone tweeters are the easiest to produce and, therefore, of the lowest quality. Dome: The dome shape is preferred over cones because it does a much better job of projecting audio and dispersing sound across a larger area. Dome tweeters look how you might imagine… like domes sunken into face or plate of the speaker. Horn: Horn tweeters behave like a megaphone. The sounds coming through the tweeter are amplified by the horn for greater sound dispersion with more clarity of sound and less distortion. These are not nearly as common as the first two shapes, but you may come across them in some models. Planar-Magnetic: Primarily reserved for the high-performance speakers, planar-magnetic or planar ribbon tweeters are made of a thin material between two magnetic poles that vibrates as sound passes through for transparent, light sound. Planar-magnetic tweeters are made of special materials with high sensitivity and more cost-effective than regular ribbon tweeters. Tweeter Composition In addition to the shape of the tweeter, the material has a big impact on the type of sound emitted. The two most popular materials are metals aluminum, titanium, beryllium etc. The two most popular materials are metals aluminum, titanium, beryllium etc. Metal tweeters are lightweight, strong, and resistant to environmental factors such as humidity. They produce loud, crisp high-frequency sounds, which are great for cutting through big bass. The softer materials—most popularly, silk—are known for softer, more natural sounds, but cannot handle as much power. In these cases, you may see a hybrid blend of materials to reinforce the softer components to handle more volume while keeping sound integrity intact. Overall, it comes down to personal preference—do you prefer crisp, sharp and loud high tones, or softer, balanced high tones? For the former, choose metals. For the latter, choose textiles. Enclosure Type The type of enclosure, or cabinet, plays a key role in determining the focus of your sound. There are three types of enclosures to consider when purc The type of enclosure, or cabinet, plays a key role in determining the focus of your sound. There are three types of enclosures to consider when purchasing a floor standing speaker: Acoustic Suspension, Bass Reflex, and Passive Radiator. Acoustic Suspension: This enclosure type uses a sealed box or cabinet to reduce bass distortion and provide more controlled bass response. As bass reflex design becomes more advanced, acoustic suspension is falling out of favor and is found less often than its bass-focused counterpart. This enclosure includes a port, or opening, in the front or rear of the cabinet. The technicalities of how this works is complex, but basically the way that the air in the port interacts with the air inside the enclosure results in enhanced low frequency sound—bigger bass. Essentially, you sacrifice bass accuracy for bigger booms. Still, for true bass heads, a bass reflex speaker is the way to go. Passive Radiator: This type of enclosure is similar to bass reflex, except instead of a port, the enclosure contains a non-powered speaker cone. Like the port in a bass reflex speaker, the cone reacts in response to the air inside the enclosure to boost the lowest frequency sounds. While less common than ported i. The plinths also serve to ground the Q500, resulting in a rigid connection that eliminates any rocking resonances.
