Which speaker should I choose?

The choice of speaker depends on your listening room and your preferences. If you want deep bass and powerful sound for large rooms, floorstanding speakers are a good choice. For smaller rooms or precise sound reproduction, compact speakers are ideal. It is important to choose a speaker that matches your other equipment and your sound preferences.

Is it possible to listen to the speakers before purchase, either in a store or at home?

Yes, at Lydspecialisten you can both experience our speakers in the store and listen to them in your own home. We offer a full 30-day return policy, so you can test the speakers in your own surroundings with your own system. This gives you the opportunity to make sure the sound meets your expectations before you make a final decision.

How do I optimize the placement of my speakers for the best sound?

Place the speakers a little away from the walls to avoid bass boost and distortion. Angle them toward your main listening position for the most accurate sound reproduction. Adjust the distance between the speakers to create a wide and clear stereo image

What difference do hi-fi components like cables and stands make to the sound?

Cables and stands can make a noticeable difference. Quality cables ensure clean and precise signal transmission, while solid stands reduce vibrations and improve the speakers' performance. For enthusiasts, upgrading these components can help further enhance sound quality

Speaker

Palle specializes in building and putting together 2-channel high-end stereo systems, where every single component plays a crucial role in the overall sound experience. With his extensive knowledge of system matching, he understands how different elements in a system can be optimized to create a cohesive whole.

Palle is also an expert in fine-tuning and upgrading existing systems, ensuring that everything works together at the highest level. No matter what type of speaker, amplifier, or electronics is needed, Palle knows exactly how to choose and set them up to achieve the best result. His expertise also includes the selection and calibration of subwoofers, power foundation and noise suppression, as well as cables and resonance control, all of which are essential for a well-balanced system.

Speakers

The speaker is an essential component in the production of sound and music. They are found in great numbers in our everyday lives and are used everywhere we go. In the car, in our mobile phones and TV sets, etc.

Typically, a speaker requires some form of power to play. It gets this through an amplifier, which is able to set the speaker's diaphragm in motion, thereby creating sound waves/vibrations that we perceive through our ears as sound. This is the short and simplified explanation of how a speaker works.

Speakers come in many forms, types, and sizes. Most importantly, however, is that you choose the speakers that match your specific needs.

Passive speakers

The passive speaker has no built-in amplifier and therefore needs a separate amplifier to produce sound. This type of speaker is the one we typically know from a classic stereo system with two speakers, amplifier, CD player, etc.

Active and wireless speakers

The active speaker, unlike the passive speaker, has a built-in amplifier that enables it to play without the use of a separate amplifier. We typically encounter these active speakers in everyday life as soundbars, boomboxes, and the well-known kitchen radio. However, in recent years, a number of great-sounding stereo speakers have also come onto the market for even serious listening. Several of these active speaker solutions also include built-in options for streaming from various services via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast, or AirPlay 2.

Active and wireless speakers are the perfect solution for those who want excellent sound without taking up too much space. In addition, several of these active solutions also offer so-called “multi-room audio,” allowing you to have sound in several rooms at once.

Floorstanding speakers

The floorstanding speaker must be regarded as the ultimate sound reproducer. Unlike the smaller compact/bookshelf speakers, this type of speaker is capable of reproducing all aspects of music, especially the deeper octaves found in music, which are necessary to achieve a completely realistic reproduction as the music was originally intended.

The floorstanding speaker delivers a realism and scale to the sound that the smaller alternatives cannot reproduce in the same way. This is typically because a floorstanding speaker has a larger physical presence in the form of a bigger cabinet, but generally also larger and more speaker drivers. The downside is that this type of speaker takes up more space in your listening room compared with a compact speaker solution.

A floorstanding speaker also tends to place greater demands on the surroundings in which it is placed, and here the size and nature of the room have a major influence on the overall result. However, this is the type of speaker in which you find the ultimate sound experiences.

Compact speakers

These smaller alternatives to floorstanding speakers are typically used in smaller rooms where space matters more than it does for users of floorstanding speakers. However, many compact/bookshelf speakers are mounted on a base or stand, which ultimately means that they take up the same floor space as floorstanding speakers.

With compact speakers, the size of the room is also crucial, as the smaller speakers do not play as deep or as powerfully as floorstanding models. Therefore, compact speakers can be easier to adapt acoustically in a smaller room. Although these compact speakers do not have the same depth and weight in the sound as a floorstanding speaker, there should be no doubt that you can still achieve sublime sound reproduction with smaller speakers.

How do I choose my speakers?

1. First, think about your musical needs. How often do you listen to music, and how much does sound quality matter to you? This can ultimately be a guideline for how much you should invest in your new speakers.

2. Think about how much space you have available for your new speakers. Should they be passive or active speakers? Should they be floorstanding speakers or a compact/bookshelf speaker solution? Here, the size of the room is crucial. How many square meters do you want to fill with sound? This always matters whether you choose a passive or an active speaker.

3. If you choose the passive solution, be aware of what equipment your new speakers will need to work with. Here, the main consideration is which amplifier you will use. It really does matter which speakers you use with your amplifier. Seek advice and guidance here if you are unsure.

What is a speaker made of?

A speaker basically consists of a cabinet in which some speaker drivers are mounted and connected to what is known as a crossover.

1. Tweeter

The tweeter is the driver that handles the highest frequencies in music, where the overtones of voices and instruments are typically found. The tweeter is possibly the most critical driver in your speaker, as it is crucial to the stereo perspective. In other words, it is important for your speakers to interact correctly with each other.

The tweeter is also where all the fine and delicate nuances arise, so a good tweeter is very important for the overall sound reproduction. Typically, there are two types of tweeter drivers: the more traditional “dome” tweeter and the lesser-known ribbon tweeter. These two types perform the same tasks in the speaker, but they can sound very different. Here, it is a matter of listening to which type suits you best.

2. Midrange

The midrange is the driver that primarily handles the frequency range where the core substance of voices and instruments is found in music. Human ears are quite sensitive in this very range, and therefore it is also important here that the midrange is of high quality.

3. Bass

The bass driver is the driver that reproduces the deeper octaves in music. The larger the bass driver, the deeper and more powerful the bass it can produce. This is especially where you should pay attention to the size of your room and the placement of the speakers in the room.

If you choose speakers with large bass drivers, you should be aware of whether your room is large enough to match the bass reproduction from your bass drivers. Otherwise, it will typically result in a “boomy” and exaggerated bass response.

READ ALSO: How to set up and adjust your subwoofer

4. Crossover

The crossover mounted inside the speakers is responsible for distributing tasks to the various drivers in the speakers. It is the crossover that determines which drivers should play the different frequencies in the music.

Your speaker cables connect to the speaker terminals located on the back of your speakers, and from the speaker terminals there is a direct connection to the crossover, which then sends signals to the speaker's various drivers.

5. Wattage and power requirement

Watts are the unit of measurement for electrical power, and in a speaker the watt rating states the amount of power the speaker can withstand. The more watts, the higher the load the speaker can generally handle.

The power requirement indicates how many watts the speaker must be supplied with to produce a sound pressure level of 96 dB measured at a distance of 1 m. Simply put, the power requirement is an expression of how much power the amplifier needs to drive the speakers. At the same time, it is an indicator of how powerful an amplifier you need to use with the speakers in question. It is always important that the speaker's electrical characteristics match the amplifier that will drive them.

6. Placement of the speakers

How you place your speakers has a major influence on the overall sound quality. As a general rule, a pair of stereo speakers should be placed facing the preferred listening position, so that the speakers' drivers play toward the listener.

Ideally, the speakers should be placed so that they have approximately the same distance between them as they have to the listening position. In other words, in an isosceles triangle. Put another way, it makes a significant sonic difference that the speakers have the same distance to the preferred listening position. Otherwise, it will impair the perception of the stereo perspective. In addition, it will affect the rhythm and, not least, the timing in the music.

Most traditional stereo speakers also need a bit of space around them to sound as intended. Therefore, as a general rule, they should have some distance from the rear wall. Typically 20-50 cm. If possible, placing the speakers directly in corners should be avoided, and it may also be necessary to angle the speakers slightly toward the listening position to achieve a good stereo perspective and a cohesive soundstage.

Some speakers place higher demands than others on their placement in your listening room, and here you should seek advice and guidance if you are unsure. At Lydspecialisten, we are always ready to guide you and answer your questions. That is why we are here.