Why do speakers not sell in pairs??

[dpomp]

this may belong in off-topic but don't "kill" me if it does. mods if you feel it does please move.

why can i not buy speakers in pairs?? such as floorstanding speakers are always sold as "each" why??

i wouldn't want to buy 1 speaker i would always buy in at least 2 so why not box them together?? it might make their prices go down.

[BStecke]

If you multiply the price by two, they're sold in pairs

One reason that I can think of is in the case of people using floorstanding speakers for their rears, and in the case of a 6.1 setup, they would have no use for an even number of speakers.

[dpomp]

Originally Posted by BStecke

If you multiply the price by two, they're sold in pairs

it's like buying shoes individually. sure if i multiply it by 2 i'll get "a pair" but that's not my point. i'm wondering if there's a reason they're sold this way.

[DavePS3]

Some do, some don't but because of LCR configurations, selling two pairs for an LCR would be goofy.

[JJ]

What happens if you just need one replacement and it is out of warranty? Or for 6.1 setups, etc. Many options. Besides - why is this a problem? lol - just get two and multiply the price by 2. Then you're set!

[dpomp]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

What happens if you just need one replacement and it is out of warranty, 6.1 setups, etc. Many options. Besides - why is this a problem? lol - just get two and multiply the price by 2. Then you're set!

it's not a problem i'm just wondering as i was shopping for speakers and i noticed that they were all sold individually. just wondering why.

[Beta Man]

accoustically transparent projector screens, and the people who love tower center channels

[D1-2005]

theres probably multiple reasons, but one I can think of is probably size, most floor speakers boxes are pretty big after all the packing to protect them. Smaller speakers like bookshelf speakers are smaller and usually packaged together, just a thought though.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

The reason they don't sell speakers in pairs is because of the fact that the standard schematics for the optimal audio are 5.1 and 7.1! Everyone would be left with having purchased one extra speaker that serves no purpose. Would you want to pay for a speaker that ends up sitting in a closet? That's why they sell individually.

P.S. Everyone seems to think that 6.1 setups would not be able to sustain speaker purchases in pairs... that is, in fact, the ONLY setup that makes sense for speakers sold in pairs!!!

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

The reason they don't sell speakers in pairs is because of the fact that the standard schematics for the optimal audio are 5.1 and 7.1! Everyone would be left with having purchased one extra speaker that serves no purpose. Would you want to pay for a speaker that ends up sitting in a closet? That's why they sell individually.

P.S. Everyone seems to think that 6.1 setups would not be able to sustain speaker purchases in pairs... that is, in fact, the ONLY setup that makes sense for speakers sold in pairs!!!

Assuming we all love towers as centers, though...right?

[HAMP]

I have also wondered why they are sold as a single and not as a set.

Maybe the question should be asked in a slightly different way.

"How come left and right are not sold as pairs?".
For your fronts you will need a Left and a right! (That should match)
For your 5.1 you will need a left and a right for the side! (That should match)
For your 7.1 you will need a left and a right for the rear! (That should match)

All of those would/should be considered a pair. Why would anyone mix any of those up? And if they should match, why sell as a single?

Only thing that wouldn't be considered a pair is the center channel.

[dpomp]

Originally Posted by HAMP

I have also wondered why they are sold as a single and not as a set.

Maybe the question should be asked in a slightly different way.

"How come left and right are not sold as pairs?".
For your fronts you will need a Left and a right! (That should match)
For your 5.1 you will need a left and a right for the side! (That should match)
For your 7.1 you will need a left and a right for the rear! (That should match)

All of those would/should be considered a pair. Why would anyone mix any of those up? And if they should match, why sell as a single?

Only thing that wouldn't be considered a pair is the center channel.

thank you! it seems they obviously want you to use them as your left and right fronts otherwise they wouldn't release speakers specifically made for the center channel. so that being the case. i think the best answer i saw was the size thing. they're too big to sell as a single unit. i don't know either way it's just a question. i'm not trying to start fights.
similar question. why are hot dogs sold in packages of 6 but hotdog buns sold in packages of 8??

[crackinhedz]

to make money?

[Slec]

weight and packaging. towers can be heavy and to move easily without damage they try to limit the weight to something a person can carry. One of my towers weighs close to what my last HTiB weighed and that was a 5.1 and a receiver. I can't imagine trying to move them otherwise

How does this relate to price? Well if you have to package them separately to keep them in good shape and moveable, then you need you individually mark them with UPC's.

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by Slec

weight and packaging. towers can be heavy and to move easily without damage they try to limit the weight to something a person can carry. One of my towers weighs close to what my last HTiB weighed and that was a 5.1 and a receiver. I can't imagine trying to move them otherwise

How does this relate to price? Well if you have to package them separately to keep them in good shape and moveable, then you need you individually mark them with UPC's.

Ok! That does make total sense to me.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by dpompeo

why can i not buy speakers in pairs?? such as floorstanding speakers are always sold as "each" why??

Eh? I didn't know one couldn't buy speakers in pairs (centers and subs excepted of course!). But then my world is mostly two channel, where the concept of buying one speaker would be ludicrous.

[jdc115]

I think if you go back before the success of HT, then most speakers were always sold as pairs even if boxed separately. You would have a hard time getting the store to sell you just one if it meant they were left with a single one as well as they may not easily sell it.

I know I had the problem in the mid 90's trying to buy an identical center channel as my right and left. The store would only special order the one single speaker from the manufacturer as they had all the inventory as sets. So it took me a few extra weeks to get the center channel.

[JJ]

Are you kidding? I'm going to build a Mono set-up with one of these:



On second thought, no. I want two. One would be heresy.

((Bonus points to who can identify!))

[Beta Man]

Maggies???? they look different than other maggies I've seen

[jdc115]

I'd guesss Maggies as well. My dad owned a pair for over 10 years but they were white. Eventually my brother took them over as he had a house with a basement and I had a tiny apartment in San Francisco and had no space Not sure if he still have them in use now though...