The market for sound equipment has always been specific and complex for ordinary inhabitants, who were required to know many nuances in creating acoustics. Equipping a house with such equipment is an especially important undertaking, since it is a question of the close relationship of a person’s personal space with sound. One way or another, when choosing audio systems for the home, it is not enough to be guided by the basic principle of price-quality. In some cases, there is every opportunity to purchase equipment that is optimal for specific purposes for little money, and sometimes, due to circumstances, one has to solve elementary problems by making large investments.
Case material and dimensions
Although manufacturers are actively promoting compact models of audio systems, the size of the speakers and the resonant quality of the case still matter. Simply put, small-sized sound emitters simply cannot “pull” low frequencies. That is, high-quality home audio systems have at least average dimensions and a housing that provides optimal acoustics. The second condition, in fact, depends on the material of manufacture of the housing. I must say right away that wood is preferable. With all the advantages in the form of a low price and practicality, the plastic cases are not comparable with the natural counterpart in sound quality and the same low-frequency processing. Those who are hesitant due to a modest budget should propose a medium-cost option from MDF, but in this case a certain compromise with the quality of the system is expected.
Basic acoustic performance
Now you can move on to the main operational indicators that characterize the operation of any audio system for the home, and not only. So, the optimal indicators can be as follows:
- Sensitivity of emitters (speakers). In essence, this is an indicator of the sound pressure generated by the system. For home use, an acceptable level of sensitivity is 90 dB or more.
- Frequency range. This characteristic can be considered as the main one. The frequency corridor of sound waves that the system will be able to reproduce depends on it. It must be said that the best audio systems tend to be as close as possible to a range that is identical to the perceptive ability of the human ear. Therefore, you can safely purchase options with indicators of about 18-20 000 Hz.
- The number of audio bands. This is the number of satellites, that is, speakers that will work with different frequencies. The configuration 5.1 is considered the best.
- Power equipment. The higher this indicator, the greater the maximum volume. But it is important to consider that this limit should be at least 30% higher than the amplifier potential. The average power for home audio systems is 50 watts.
Features portable systems
The advantage of stationary speakers is that they are able to provide the best sound quality. The portable audio system, in turn, lacks this advantage for several reasons. Firstly, its design is focused on mobility, and not on winning music playback, for example, due to the use of the same plastic. Secondly, the place of operation of such devices is rarely beneficial in terms of sound quality.
One way or another, this type of equipment has its advantages. They are in the very mobility that allows you to take the system for a walk, cottage, office, etc. In its modern form, a portable audio system has little in common with monophonic speakers with a configuration of 1.0 with a 3.5 mm jack. In the model lines of Sven and JBL, for example, you can find good stereo devices with subwoofers of type 2.1.
Installation
Unlike other types of equipment , sound systems require a special approach during installation. It is necessary not only to securely fix the equipment and its elements, but before that, more importantly, choose the correct layout. As a rule, ordinary users have to deal with 5.1 equipment, although 7.1 systems are increasingly found. In both cases, the installation of audio systems involves the location of the speakers according to the following rules:
- Rear and front radiators are located at the height of the user's ears - usually 1 m from the floor.
- The front speakers and the user's head should form an isosceles triangle, the vertex angle of which will be approximately 60 °.
- The distance from the emitters to the listener should correspond to the distance to the front speakers, at least approximately.
Audio Reviews
Connoisseurs of high-quality sound today have practically no problems choosing the right equipment. Limitations can only be determined by the amount for which the audio system is purchased. Prices vary on average from 7 to 15 thousand rubles. If we consider the middle price category, which presents models from Sony, Samsung, Pioneer, etc., then only limited functionality can cause negative opinions. For example, this may be the lack of the ability to wirelessly connect equipment.
There are also sometimes complaints about build quality, although manufacturers of even low-cost musical equipment are especially careful when making cases. It is logical that the least number of negative judgments are caused by Hi-End systems, supplemented by Life Style prefixes. These are products of JVC, Bose and other companies specializing in the audio segment. Such systems are praised not only for impeccable acoustics, basic sound quality, functionality and ergonomics, but also for an exclusive design. However, similar equipment has a minus - these are the most expensive audio systems.
Conclusion
Until recently, it was believed that it was impossible to determine how high-quality sound was at an amateur level. Therefore, audio systems for the home were chosen, rather, not according to the criteria for evaluating sound, but according to functionality, the same dimensions and beauty of the design. But the situation has changed, technology allows us to achieve such heights of purity and depth of sound reproduction that these characteristics become paramount. Accordingly, those who want to not only have a sound background at home, but enjoy the music, should comprehensively analyze the equipment, carefully calculating its performance.