Experienced Audio Advice - Since 1981
I'm choosing speakers for my room
I'm Caleb, and I help people pick speakers every day. The one thing I wish more folks knew before they buy: your room matters as much as the speaker. Let me show you what I mean.
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO KNOW
Bookshelf or floorstanding?
This is the first fork, and your room usually answers it for you.
Bookshelf speakers (also called standmounts) are smaller and sit on stands. They image beautifully and suit small and medium rooms. Floorstanders stand on the floor, reach lower, and play louder with ease — but they need room to breathe and can overwhelm a small space.
Bookshelf vs. floorstanding. One saves space and images tightly; the other moves more air for bigger rooms. Your room size usually decides.
Bring your room to us, not just your budget. Tell me the size, the shape, and where thespeakers have to go. That tells me more about the right speaker than the price ever will.
How do I match a speaker to my room's size?
Bigger rooms need speakers that can move more air. Smaller rooms need speakers that won't overpower them.
A rough guide: small rooms suit bookshelves, medium rooms can go either way, and large or open spaces want floorstanders — or enough sensitivity and power to fill the room.
Match the speaker to the space. Small rooms suit bookshelves; large or open rooms need floorstanders or more power to fill them properly.
Where will they actually go?
Decide this before you buy. It rules some speakers in and others out.
If they can sit out in the room, most designs are happy. If they must live close to a wall, favor front-ported or sealed designs — rear-ported speakers shoved against a wall get boomy fast. When you can, pull them 18 to 24 inches off the back wall and aim them at your seat.
Placement decides a lot. Pull speakers off the wall and aim them at your seat. If they must sit close to a wall, choose front-ported or sealed designs.
Most people put their new speakers right up against the wall behind them. Pull them out 12–24 inches and the bass tightens up immediately. The larger the speaker, the further out from the back wall it should be.
Will my room ruin the sound?
Probably not. Most rooms are fine.
Two things matter more than the rest: where the speakers sit, and what's right behind and beside them. Hard, bare walls close to a speaker tend to make the sound harsh and boomy.
Move each speaker a minimum of 18 to 24 inches away from the wall (3-4 ft is even better!). This keeps the bass clean. Give them a little room from the side walls too, if you can. You'll hear tighter bass and a clearer center — and it costs nothing.
Speaker placement basics. A little breathing room behind and beside each speaker does more for the sound than most upgrades — and it's free.
Three customers taught me everything this page is trying to say. Here's how each one went.
The music sounded far away
A gentleman once bought a pair of small bookshelf speakers for a large, open living room. On paper they were lovely. In his room, the music sounded distant — like it was playing in another part of the house. The bass was thin, almost missing. The speakers just couldn't move enough air to fill the space. A good speaker, in the wrong room.
Boomy and never quite in focus
Another customer went the other way. He put big floorstanders in a small den and sat just six or seven feet from them. That close, the sound never pulled together — the speakers couldn't image properly because he was sitting too near. And every time he turned up the volume, the bass went boomy and swallowed the room. Too much speaker for too little space.
When the room and the speaker agree
Then there's the customer I point to when people ask what "right" looks like. His room was medium-sized — about 12 by 16 — with curtains across one end and soft furniture throughout. He chose modest floorstanders with dual 6.5-inch woofers. Nothing huge. In that room they imaged beautifully, and the bass was taut and well-defined. The speaker, the room, and the soft furnishings all worked together.
Caleb Hansen
The other day, a customer called me to complain about speakers he’d just bought. I asked him what was wrong and he told me the bass was boomy and the soundstage had no depth. We discussed how he had placed the speakers in the room. He then asked if an equalizer would help. I told him not to spend money on more gear yet. Move the speakers six inches further from the wall and listen. Then move them another six inches and see which spot sounds best to your ears.
He called me the next morning, thrilled: "Your suggestion did the trick!" I couldn't have been happier for him.
LET'S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
What usually doesn't matter
These four beliefs send people home with the wrong speakers. I'd rather you didn't.
Bigger speakers always sound better.
In a small room, big floorstanders often overwhelm. The right size for your room beats the biggest box.
More bass is better.
Too much bass in a small or closed room turns boomy and muddy. Bass that fits the room sounds cleaner.
Expensive speakers fix a bad spot.
Placement matters more than price. A modest pair set up well beats a costly pair jammed in a corner. More on placement →
You need a 5.1 surround set for good sound.
For music, a good stereo pair beats a pile of small surround speakers. Two right
speakers do more than five wrong ones.
Punchy bass and a beautifully detailed midrange make this speaker fun, engaging, and easy to listen to.
Powerful, punchy performance meets a smooth, detailed midrange for a lively and immersive sound.
Luxuriously refined sound with breathtaking detail, expansive imaging, and effortless dynamics for a truly immersive listening experience.
Want to go a little deeper?
No pressure to read it all. Here's where to go next when you're ready.
Still not sure? Talk with an Audio Advisor.
Caleb Hanson
Audio Expert