Listening is subjective, meaning that not everyone perceives the sound of a speaker the same way. What sounds loud or bright to one person may be revealing and ethereal to another, so there will always be debate about what sounds better. When choosing the speaker that will occupy a place in your living room, sound quality is added to appearance, size, budget, dimensions of the room and other factors, so it is not always as simple as choosing what sounds better.
This blog post focuses on the audible aspects of choosing a speaker and what to consider when answering the question “Which speaker is best for me?” Not coincidentally, the features we list below are SVS’s absolute priorities when designing and manufacturing speakers. We are passionate about creating sound that reflects the nuances, artistry and intensity of your favorite music, movies, video games and other audio content.
1.CLARITY
The simplest and most objective factor is clarity. One way to determine if a speaker has excellent clarity is to play music that he knows inside out, a song or album that he knows inside out, every note, every rhythm and detail. Do you hear those details in a clean and clear way? Better yet, do you notice sounds or layers you’ve never heard before because speakers are especially revealing? That is the most indicative proof that a speaker has great clarity.
On the other side of the coin, if the detail is muffled or blurred and the sound is not as expressive as you remember, this speaker will not be the right speaker for you.
2.IMAGE and SOUND SCENE
The second thing to pay attention to in a stereo or home theater system is the imaging and soundstage, or the ability to represent the sense of space, distance, and three-dimensional sound fields. The speakers should convince you that the sound is coming from everywhere, not just the two boxes in front of you. The bass guitar should be distinguishable from the lead singer and drummer in terms of placement on stage if you are listening to live music. The sound of a car passing in front of you should rise and fall in volume to give you the impression that it is going from right to left or vice versa so that it appears to be passing through your field of vision.
Soundstage also refers to the speakers’ ability to create atmospheric sound. Even background noises behind dialogue or action scenes are clearly noticeable and deepen the feeling of immersion.
3.NEUTRALITY AND PERFECTION
By neutrality and perfection we mean the speaker’s ability to sound as close to reality as possible. Does a human voice sound really human or does it sound more like a robot? Do the plucking of a guitar string, the roar of an engine, or the soft voice of a female vocalist sound as accurate and faithful as the original artist or her producer intended?
Since most dialogue and instrumental content occurs in the mid-frequency range, it is especially important that you focus your listening there, but do not ignore the lows and highs, as they have the ability to recreate the full impact and all the power in a convincing and realistic way. If a speaker can overcome his sense of disbelief and transport him to a stage or the location of a movie scene, it can boast superb neutrality and perfection.
4.DYNAMIC RANGE
The ability of a speaker to effortlessly reach extreme musical and cinematic peaks or interpret the calmest moments with detail and clarity is known as dynamic range. It is not only the measure of how much effort you can put into the speaker without distorting; the dynamic range is much more nuanced. The question is how well the speaker displays the contrast between the most extreme moments of the content being played. You’ll want a speaker that can reach full volume when you need it, but also be delicate or subtle when the content demands it.
When it comes to choosing a speaker based on sound, you can’t go wrong by considering the qualities we just listed. If you like the sound based on these criteria, you like the look, it fits the dimensions of your room, and the price is within your budget, chances are you’ve found the perfect speaker… for you.
WHY CHOOSE SVS SPEAKERS?
SVS engineers spend hours and hours in anechoic chambers and real listening spaces measuring, adjusting and re-tuning to perfection to ensure that all SVS Prime and Ultra series speakers sound great in small apartments, listening rooms, living rooms and anywhere where surround sound is sought. To dive deeper into the speaker design process, we recommend our video, Designing a World-Class Speaker:
Revealing clarity, impeccable precision, pointillist imaging and faithful neutrality, with a wide dynamic range and deep, powerful bass extension. SVS speakers give you all the refinement you’d expect from the best audiophile speakers with the energy, excitement and explosive dynamics of home theater surround sound. You will never have to sacrifice one thing for the other.