Best Speakers for Home Theatre and general audio CD's?

Hi there...

A large dilemma that's ironically fun to decide...

First of all...NEVER LISTEN TO THE SALESMEN...JUST LISTEN TO THE SPEAKERS!..Follow this and everything else falls into place...Take some personal CDs with you and listen carefully to each possible selection...Hearing your favorite songs on different models will help you decide...

Like most people said here, the choice is subjective...What sounds good to you, may not to me and vice versa...Some popular high-end brands are:

B&W - http://www.bwspeakers.com/

Vandersteen - http://www.vandersteen.com/

Legacy Audio - http://www.legacy-audio.com/

These manufacturers offer much higher end items than what we find at our local home theater store...They also have extensive lines for those who want bookshelfs over floor-standing models...

There are also speciality speakers like electrostats...Electrostats (planars) are LARGE polarized plates that use capacitance to make sound waves...Brands like Magnepan and Martin-Logan have been around for ages...

http://www.magnepan.com/

http://www.martinlogan.com/

Don't be afraid to also try listening to some recording studio grade speakers...The local music stores (Guitar Center or Sam Ash) usually have a good selection and may even be better quality than what you find at Best Buy...Popular studio monitors are Genelic, ADAM and KRK...

http://www.genelec.com/

http://www.adam-audio.com/

http://www.krksys.com/

I have a set of Focal's (also called JM Labs) and a set of ProAc's...I'd not part with either one..After what seems like the same battle you're fighting, I decided to go with 5 identical speakers for the system...This creates a uniform sound for movies and surround music...Also gives me floorspace back form the large Electrostats I used to have...They sound great...

http://www.proac-loudspeakers.com/

http://www.focal.tm.fr/

Happy Listening...

You'll need to decide on a price range and what size speaker you have room for. "Best" is subjective as well.

The best way to purchase speakers is to do a lot of listening. Make a CD of songs you're very familiar with, then take it to the store and audition different sets of speakers using that same CD. What sounds good to me, or a reviewer might not sound good to you, or might not be the sound you're looking for.

CNET has some good reviews on speakers. They like Aperion, Energy, KEF.

Definititve makes some very good speakers, but they're not cheap.

If you're looking to do home theater, you'lll want 3 speakers up front - Left/Center/Right and they should be very similar in sound, preferrably from the same manufacturer in the same line. You'll also want two surround speakers for the back of your listening area.

A good speaker is a good speaker, so once you find something that sounds good and can play at the volume levels you prefer, then it will do music and home theater. Music is the key. If a speaker sounds good playing the styles of music you like, then it will be just fine for home theater.

If you have additional questions, check out avsforums.com and go to the speaker forums. There's tons of information there about all kinds of different speakers from relatively inexpensive to ridiculously expensive, and of course you can post your questions as well.

Well, there no general "best" on any objective levels. Its a matter of, what can you afford to spend, and two, how do you like the sound coming from them. There are $10,000 speakers out there, that doesn't mean that they're the "best", or that you need such a system.

Now, if you're where most buyers tend to be, the mid market, then speaker companies such as JBL, Infinity, and Polk are among a list of very good choices. I would tend to choose such firms that concentrate on making speakers over firms that make everything; speakers are more of an art than electronics is.

If you have a look around on amazon, you should be able to find some good candidates that would suit your needs. It could well help to go out and listen to some choices at some stores, to see which ones you like best. Bring some music that you know well. Then, see who has the best deal, on or off line. Also, pick among speakers whose power ratings are compatible with your receiver.

I get this question at least once a week.

1. Determine the size of the room you want to install the speakers.

2. Determine if you want them wall mounted for true surround sound.

3. What rooms are next to the install room? If you have your kid's bedroom next to it, or if the room has high ceilings and is open to the upstairs - you should consider this.

4. How much do you want to pay?

5. What type of movies or events will you enjoy the most watching it?

Consider all of these things and go for a sensible solution. Do not buy a car that does 225mph, but you will live in a 70mph (max) area. By all means by a car 225mph if you can go 225mph on a regular basis. Same goes for home theater sound.

Watch out and don't be they guy that tells his friends, "Listen to this guys." And then you have to turn it down because it is too loud. Therefore you pay and live for that moment.

There are soooooooooooo many options you have the benefit of this being a good problem with unlimited solutions. Good luck!

You should fix your budget first in order for you to obtain one of the best speakers that are available today. Equipments such as this requires some spending. On the other hand do some canvassing first for you to know those equipments that suits your budget.

get a samsung surround sound system. The speakers won't pop and they are as loud as a movie theaters speakers. Go to bestbuy.com