Question:
What's the best way to improve the sound of my system?
The Weakest Link
In most cases, upgrading your speakers will have the biggest effect on the overall quality of your sound system. Speakers are the final link in the chain of your audio system. Good high end speakers have a way of exposing the shortcomings of the components connected upstream from them.
How do you find the weakest link, and improve your audio experience?
• Swap out different components with friend that own better systems to see if a change is heard
• Experiment with heavier speaker wires and RCA cables with gold plated connectors
• Remedy low-level hiss and audible ground loops with some well built cable
• Instead of using the amplifier which is built into your receiver, try a separate amplifier/preamp combination. A high-quality standalone amplifier will put many integrated receivers to shame.
Speakers Frequently Asked Questions
How much money should I speand on speakers?
Does the room I use for my audio sytem matter?
Should I trust speaker reviews?
What's the best way to audition speakers?
Is comparing speakers in a store worthwhile?
What is WAF, and how will it affect my speaker purchase?
Should worry about amplifier power and speaker wattage?
I think I might be an audiophile; what should I do?
Why would I want to buy old speakers?
Why should I bother using a tube amplifier on my vintage speakers?
Can vintage speakers be restored?
How can I find a decent pair of vintage speakers?
What's the big deal with Alnico magnets?
Should I spend lots of money on a pair of speakers?
What is distortion, and why should I worry about it?
What's the best way clean my wood veneered speakers?
What's the best way clean my vinyl clad speakers?
Why should I try to match all my home theater speakers?
Does size matter when it comes to home theater speakers?
How do I decide what kind of surround speaker to use?
Should I use a direct radiating speaker for surround sound?
When should I consider dipole or bipoles speakers for surrounds?
When is a omnipole surround speaker a good idea?
How can I improve the performance of my home theater?
Where should I mount my surround sound speakers?
Should I worry about what kind of tweeter my speakers have?
How can I improve the sound of my tweeters?
Why are most subwoofers so large?
Does room placement affect subwoofer performance?
What's the easiest way to add a subwoofer to my home stereo?
Why are some subwoofers placed in sealed boxes?
What are the advantages of a ported subwoofer enclosure?
Are band pass subwoofer enclosures a good idea?
Should I worry about my center channel speaker?
Why should I match my center channel speaker to my other speakers?
Does it matter where I put my center channel speaker?
What are the main differences between tower speakers and book shelf speakers?
Why should I buy tower speakers?
Why should I buy book shelf speakers?
What is the best bookshelf speaker?
What is the best tower speaker?
Why shouldn't I buy speakers at a department store?
Should I worry about manufacturer support for my speaker purchase?
What's the best way to improve the sound of my system?
Why would I want to buy vintage speakers?
Are full range speakers worth looking into?
Why are there so many sizes and types of speaker enclosures?
Why would I want to use an open baffle design for my speakers?
What does the term 'acoustic suspension' mean when it comes to speaker cabinets?
Why are some speaker boxes referred to as 'dead' ?
Should I pay more money for a fancy speaker cabinet?
How hard is it to build your own speakers?
Does a big company build better speakers than a Do-It-Yourself-er?
Is there a financial benefit from making your own speakers?
What's a good benefit of building your own speakers?
What tools do I need to build my own speakers?
Are there any good books on the design and construction of speakers?
Why would I mount speakers in my ceiling?
Is there a downside to mounting in-ceiling speakers?
Where did loudspeakers come from?
How did speakers move into our homes?
Where did horn loudspeakers come from?
What does acoustic suspension mean?
What is an electrostatic speaker?
Why should I worry about distortion?
Why should I worry about speaker ratings and amplifer power?
Why do I keep blowing up speakers?
Why do speakers need crossovers?
Why do most speakers use passive crossovers?
Is there a better way to implement a crossover?
Are there any speakers that don't use crossovers?
Does speaker enclosure design matter?
What does a speaker crossover do?
Why are there different sized speakers?
What is the best way to make my speakers sound better?
How should I set up my speakers for the best sound?
Where should I mount my surround speakers for the best sound?
Where should I mount my center channel speaker for the best sound?
Are In-wall speakers a good idea?
Is it possible to repair speakers yourself?
How can I fix a ripped speaker cone?
My old speakers' foam surrounds have rotted - what can I do?
Can I fix holes in the speaker surrounds?
Can you fix or replace grille cloth?
I love my speakers, but they are dead - Is there hope?
Recent Speakers Questions
Q.
hi. i have a pioneer stereo (bought in feb 05) connected to my stock speakers. about 1-2 months ago, the sounds started to go on and off, now is gone. the power to the stereo is on. we ran a ground wire, still no change. someone advised me that a blown speaker can trigger a signal to the stereo shutting the sound off. they say i need to replace the speakers. not sure if this is true. can you point me in the right direction? thanks
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Q.
I have several speakers that have rotted foam surrounds. I located an ebay site that sells these surrounds at very attractive prices but does not include the glue. Do you know what glue works best to attach the new foam surrounds (and where to purchase it).
Thanks for your help.
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Q.
enclosure dimensions,materials for 12 inch pioneer sub woofer vented or band pass
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Q.
what are the materials being used in speaker rewinding?what adhesive being used?what are the tips and instruction to be followed in rewinding an speaker?
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Q.
I have a home theater in a room with a bar on the right side (so I’ll say I don’t have a right wall to mount speakers). We don’t want floor speakers because of small children. My question is for the layout of a 7.1 system. I have no problem with the layout of the front, right and center speakers. For the surround and surround back, I have two wall mount and two ceiling speakers. Which ones should I use for surround and which ones for surround back? How should I layout the surround and surround back?
Thanks,
James
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Q.
I am looking for tower speakers online with RIBBON tweeters, mid-range , mid-bass, and built-in subwoofers in each cabinet!! (4-way speakers!) Can`t find any anywhere!! Can you help?? Use to be able to find dbx Soundfield V & VI models with all of the above--but not anymore?? Can you find these anywhere??
Willie
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Q.
I have a Bose AM7 system + 2 additional double cubes. The existing woofer element is not working in one chanel plus I need something to connect the addtional cubes. What is my best solution without shelling out a lot of dough (something other than bose is OK)? I already have my house wired with regular speaker wires. I would prefer to keep the cubes and replace the woofer only, if that is within reason.
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Q.
I have a pair of B&W P4 loudspeakers in Black ash finish-- I want to refinish. What are the steps to doing this without paying someone?
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