A sound, long-term investment, speakers can last for years.

Any home-entertainment system will sound only as good as its speakers. Good speakers don't have to cost a lot, though an audiophile might spend well into five figures. Speakers generally last a long time and are less likely to become outmoded than other home-theater gear. For your system, you can start with two or three speakers and add others as need dictates and budget allows.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Among the hundreds of speaker brands available, the major names are B&W, Bose, Boston Acoustics, Infinity, JBL, KLH, Klipsch, and Polk Audio. Speakers are sold through mass merchandisers, audio/video stores, and "boutique" retailers. You can also buy speakers online, but shipping costs are often high "$100 or more" if the speakers are heavy.

Speakers are sold as pairs for traditional stereo setups, and singly or in sets of three to eight for equipping a home theater. To keep a balanced system, buy left and right speakers in pairs rather than individually. The center-channel speaker should be sonically matched to the front speakers. Rear speakers should also sound similar to front speakers.

Each type of speaker serves a different purpose. The front speakers are used for stereo music playback; in a home-theater setup, they provide front left and right sounds. A center-channel speaker delivers movie dialog and is usually placed atop or beneath the TV in a home theater. Rear speakers, sometimes called surround speakers, deliver rear ambient effects such as crowd noise. A subwoofer carries the lowest tones, such as bass instruments and action-movie explosions.

Bookshelf speakers. These are among the smaller speakers, but at 12 to 18 inches tall, many are still too big for most shelves, despite their name. A pair can serve as the sole speakers in a stereo system or as the front or rear duo in a home theater. Small speakers such as these have become better at handling deep bass without buzzing or distortion. Any bass-handling limitations would be less of a concern in a multispeaker system that uses a subwoofer to reproduce deep bass. Price: $50 to more than $800 per pair.

Floor-standing speakers. Typically about 3 to 4 feet tall, these large speakers can also serve as the sole speakers in a stereo system or as the front pair in a home-theater system. Their big cabinets have the potential to do more justice to deep bass than smaller speakers, but we think many listeners would be satisfied with smaller speakers that handle bass well. Price: $200 to more than $1,000 per pair.

Center-channel speaker. In a multichannel setup, the center-channel speaker sits on, above, or beneath the TV. Because it primarily handles dialog, its frequency range doesn't have to be as full as that of the front pair, but its sound should be similar so that all three blend well. Most center-channel speakers are short and wide so they fit atop a TV. Price: $100 to more than $500.

Rear-surround speakers. Rear speakers in a multichannel setup carry background sound, such as crowd noise. Multichannel formats such as Dolby Digital, DTS, and SACD make fuller use of these speakers than earlier formats. Rear speakers tend to be small and light (often 5 to 10 inches high and 3 to 6 pounds), so they can be wall-mounted or placed on a shelf. Price: $50 to more than $500 per pair.

Three-piece sets. Meant as a stand-alone system or to be used with other speakers, these sets combine two bookshelf or small satellite speakers for midrange and higher tones with either a center-channel speaker or a subwoofer for bass. Price: $100 to $800.

Six- to eight-piece sets. An easy route to a surround-sound system, these matched sets have small bookshelf or satellite speakers for both front and rear pairs, a center-channel speaker, and a subwoofer. The front pair are sometimes floor-standing speakers. Six- or eight-piece sets take the guesswork out of matching speakers, which can be daunting. Price: $400 to more than $1,000.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Consider size. Speakers come in all shapes and sizes, so see how they'll fit in your room. Floor-standing speakers might overwhelm smaller spaces. Bookshelf speakers are often a better fit, but some are quite large, so make sure the model you choose will fit the shelf or niche you've earmarked for it.

And don't worry that you're giving up quality for compactness. Many small speakers do a fine job. Some new speaker systems are thin and flat to complement flat-panel TVs; they can be wall-mounted or placed on a stand.

Focus on accuracy, not advertising. The most critical attribute of any speaker is accuracy - the ability to reproduce sound frequencies without over- or underemphasizing any part of the audio range.

As our tests have shown time and again, some of the lowest-priced speakers are among the most accurate. Ads often tout two-way or three-way drivers and the size of the cone inside a speaker, but you can't judge sound quality by those attributes.

Listen for the differences. Speakers with similar accuracy scores can sound very different. One model might emphasize treble, while another de-emphasizes it. There's no substitute for hearing speakers, so bring a CD with a familiar piece of music to the store.

Speakers will sound different at home because of your room size, shape, and furnishings, so see if the retailer will allow a home trial or ask about the return policy. If you're torn between two choices, buy the cheaper. Stores might be more open to a return if you want to trade up to a pricier set.

Check impedance. If you like to play music loudly, make sure your receiver is rated to handle the impedance (generally from 4 to 8 ohms) of the front speaker pair. The lower the impedance, the more difficult it is for the amplifiers in the receiver to drive them, and the greater the chance that the receiver can be damaged. Power range refers to the power-handling capability of a speaker, often expressed in RMS (average power) and peak power (maximum surge power). Speakers placed by a picture-tube TV set should have magnetic shielding to avoid interfering with the picture. (This is not an issue with LCD and plasma sets, or with rear projection TVs using DLP, LCoS, or LCD technology.)

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