Speakers 101

[JJ]

Fantastic information, I don't know how I overlooked this thread! Excellent job, Hedz.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

rich, I think you're trying to read way too much into it.

Probably. It's the perfectionist audiophile in me, I guess! :-) I've been an audiophile for many years, and have only recently become a wannabe videophile (wannabe because I don't actually have the gear I covet right now!).

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by richteer

Probably. It's the perfectionist audiophile in me, I guess! :-) I've been an audiophile for many years, and have only recently become a wannabe videophile (wannabe because I don't actually have the gear I covet right now!).

all good. Your points are valid and anyone reading through this thread will keep them in mind.

[jomari]

my 2 cents...

i believe the reason why speaker wires should be a little thicker due to the following...

1. "The thickness of a wire's conductive copper bundle is identified by its American Wire Gauge (AWG, or usually just "gauge") number. The lower the gauge, the thicker the wire, and the better its capacity to pass the amplified audio signal. Most speaker wire available on the market today ranges in thickness from 12 to 16 gauge."

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/IS...kers_wire.html

2. on a personal note, i believe its a factor when you are going to make a long run. the performance of a speaker wire would be less effective in a 18awg wire running 50feet over that of a 12awg running the same length.

here are some links to provide some good info regarding speaker wire...

http://www.pcavtech.com/techtalk/wire_size/index.htm

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

both very interesting reads for those who want to learn a bit further into it...

[saprano]

makes me wonder why monoprice doesn't carry ten gauge wire's.

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by PeechCobblerPie

never had a surround system but planning on getting a nice sony setup soon. But I was curious, when you hook up all the speakers and such does it essentially "turn off" your tv's speakers? or does sound still resonate from them? thanks

Highly recommend AGAINST Sony Audio... there Video is great, but their audio is the epitome of mediocrity... for the same cost, you can do MUCH better.

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by richteer

On the whole a nice article, but I must take issue with this subwoofer placement advice. A corner is the worst place you can place a subwoofer. Yes, the bass will be more pronunced, but it'll be less accurate, and less "tuneful". Muddy, one-note bass is not something to aim for!

Yes, and no....

If you are using your sub to augment a small set of speakers which cannot carry their own weight with regard to frequencies normally considdered in the "woofer" range, I agree...

If however, you have the crossover set low enough that the powered sub is doing what is is SUPPOSED to do, LFE (sub-sonics), I don't think a corner is that bad.

[supersix4]

yeah great hopefully we can get these in the newbie section unders something like MUST READ lol

[JohnGalt]

Originally Posted by Iceman_II

Yes, and no....

If you are using your sub to augment a small set of speakers which cannot carry their own weight with regard to frequencies normally considdered in the "woofer" range, I agree...

If however, you have the crossover set low enough that the powered sub is doing what is is SUPPOSED to do, LFE (sub-sonics), I don't think a corner is that bad.

Corners are generally good choices for folks who don't purchase capable enough subs for their rooms. Corner placement tends to maximize room gain and therefore perceived output from the sub allowing a less capable sub to perform to the owner's expectations. Buying headroom in audio equipment can be excessively expensive so tradeoffs like corner sub placement can be well worth the losses for lots of folks and in some rooms and for some folks the tradeoffs may not seem significant.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by saprano

does anybody know why crutchfield state's not to point your surroud speakers directly at your listen position? cause thats the way i have them now.

It really depends on how the speakers are made, what the sound mix is on the source material and receiver, and other factors.

My surrounds sometimes overpower the fronts, as they're actually closer to the seating position. Pointed directly at you, they're pretty loud when running in stereo mode - but fine for Dolby/DTS sound.

They're also a different brand than my fronts - much brighter in sound, with a higher db rating - so they're pretty strong. I'm thinking of shifting them a bit to point in a different direction, but they have built in subs.

In any case, let your ears be your guide - there's no "one way to do it". THX has one recommendation, other guides have others. Fool around with it, using different source material, see what you like best.

[crackinhedz]

@ Kings post.

[gearyt]

Originally Posted by KingLeerUK

I'm a big believer in "bigger wire" simply because at some point you will likely upgrade your system. Budgeting and installing larger gauge wire now means that when you are ready to go from a 90 watt/channel system to a 140 watt/channel system your wiring infrastructure will not need to change.

Larger wires (of the proper composition) are simply better conductors and will make your amplifier/receiver operate with greater efficiency (read, less heat, longer component life) and deliver more power to your speakers (not lost to the conductors).

Anything less than 14 gauge (in my opinion) is silly and you are just wasting your home theatre dollars (and heating up the corner of the room where your amp is at little more). I personally use 10 gauge leads on all of my speakers, including the surrounds, for reasons of consistency.

WOW... where do I start. Wire gauge will determine the amount of current it will carry without degradeing...

Lets start with the better eff, less heat comment. In electrical power...
the stuff you plug into.... 14 ga is required by code for 15 amps, 12 ga will support 20 amps.. If you plug a 12 amp amp into it, there will be no difference in energy consumpsion or heat between the 14 and 12 ga wiring. Using 10 ga is way overkill with no benefits and that is why you cannot find a recpt that will support anything other that 12 or 14 ga wiring ( @ 120 vac )

Ok more to the point... Speaker wiring.. 4 or 8 ohm , the distance comes into play, under 100' 14ga is fine, over use 12ga. There is a loss due to the current over the resistance of the wire, although small

where this all comes from is the HTIB speakers that come with 24 and 26ga wiring.. no, you can't use that..... it is for low power, short distance

[jomari]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

In any case, let your ears be your guide - there's no "one way to do it". THX has one recommendation, other guides have others. Fool around with it, using different source material, see what you like best.

I rather choose to use my trusty SPL meter, to avoid the human factor...

you can make this worthy investment purchase via your humble radio shlack

we prefer the analog version...

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-7-range...i-2103668.html

over the digital version...

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-digital...i-2103667.html

heres a quick guide on using it. there are a lot out there, but use this as a reference...

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spl-meter_e.html

speaker gauge overkill? my rule of thumb is you can go safely thru 12AWG-16AWG depending on length run and other criteria.

about the speakers directly facing you, it really depends. horns tho are needed to have a 'toe-in' facing you in a triangle format (with you as the focal point), but ONE foot ahead of you. meaning the triangle should form with your sweet spot one foot away from the triangle.

[Flomaster]

Originally Posted by jomari

I rather choose to use my trusty SPL meter, to avoid the human factor...

you can make this worthy investment purchase via your humble radio shlack

we prefer the analog version...

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-7-range...i-2103668.html

over the digital version...

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-digital...i-2103667.html

heres a quick guide on using it. there are a lot out there, but use this as a reference...

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/spl-meter_e.html

I read the link on TnT-audio.com. it was rather vague on exactly how to use this meter to fine tune your speakers.

I plan to buy the radio shack analog SPL meter. but am looking for a better tutorial on how to dial in my speakers.

[JAGUAR1977]

Note: Some speakers, such as Bose® brand speakers and some DVD home theater systems, use non-standard plug-in connections. In these cases, using optional speaker wire is not possible.

I currently have this Sony HTSF1000 all in one system.

http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProdu...a+Surround+Kit

It uses non-standard plug-in connections into the amp.

As a short term solution, is it possible to snip these connectors off and connect the speakers upto an Onkyo 605 amp, until I can buy new seperate speakers.

Alternatively, which of the following speakers would be the minimum required to do the Onkyo 605 justice, bearing in mind I'm on a tight budget.

Bookshelf Speakers

http://www.richersounds.com/productl...dethumbs=false

Floor Standing Speakers

http://www.richersounds.com/productl...=FLOORSTANDING

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Canada]

I used a microphone callibrater that came with my Pioneer receiver will the decible meter make an improvement.

[jomari]

care of big daddy... i like the way he worded his guide to using a spl meter.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=38765

[gearyt]

that's why it is now a sticky !!!
nice post

[Memnoch71]

It is my understanding that a 4 ohm speaker requires more power to drive it to the same decible level as an 8 ohm speaker. So actually it's the lower the Ohms for speakers, the more watts would be needed to produce the same sound level for that speaker. That being said generally you cannot drive an 8 ohm speaker to the same(high) level as a 4 ohm without it creating more distortion. So if you want very high Volume, with little or no distortion, a 4 ohm speaker(Generally Speaking) would be a better choice. However you will need to make sure you have a much better\more powerful amp to produce the sound.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by doctorsteve

Ok, I looked through ALL of it... believe it or don't, and my main question isn't answered in any of those links or tutorials.

So... Why do I care about Ohms? I'm going to make a guess here - please tell me if I'm even in the ballpark - The higher the Ohms for speakers, the more watts would be needed to produce the same sound level for that speaker?

and if THAT is true, then is lower Ohms better (because your receiver wouldn't need to provide as much power), or are HIGHER Ohms better (maybe provides better quality or something, I'm just trying to imagine a reason why high Ohms would be better), and therefore it NECESSITATES a receiver with higher watts per channel if you want to get high quality, thundering sound (especially for a bigger room).

Since I can't find the answer in all those guides, could one of you kind folk fill me in???? Please?

Doc

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-...ers_faq.html#5

and another with mathematics of it all