How to identify quality of speakers

[theforceofwill]

Anyone knows how to identify good speakers? I hear that the Frequency Response does not really affect the sound quality of speakers. If not, what actually is the factor that determines one speaker from another? As you can see i a noob. Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[MEgamer]

the drivers and the enclosure.... and then there are other factors like the equipments that is connected to it.

 

[americanaudiophile]

You identify the quality of a good speaker by listening to it. I would suggest going to a local high end audio store with some music if you can and let them show you the difference. If there is not one nearby then I would suggest reading magazines such as The Absolute Sound and Stereophile.

 

[blackhawk1928]

^Correct.

The quality of a speaker within its specifications (note that is say within specificactions, because a larger speaker or one with more of any variables doesn't mean it will be better, just more capable), is determined by the quality of enclosure, how well the ports are tuned if you have them, the quality of driver ( the cone material, magnet...etc), the quality of the crossovers (meaning the systems of coils and capacitors).

Specifications such as more frequency range, more efficieny, larger enclosure and larger drivers just mean a more capable speaker...which isn't doesn't nessessarily correspond to a better "quality" speaker as in how well it can deliver a flat frequency response, how livley it sounds, and how accurately it can reproduce the sound from the signal.

 

[jacobboe89]

there are many qualities that one could look for in a speaker as well as many types of speakers . my experience is that there are no total package speakers or systems you might find some products that do one thing well or may things ok. a home theater system generally plays movie soundtracks OK but music , not so much . a big pair of speakers that are good for cranking up loud a lot of times aren't so great for lower volumes .bookshelf speakers usually won't fill a large space with sound or produce a big sound. a pair of b the large pa speakers that sound good at a concert would sound awful in your living room .some people who are new audio equipment or tone deaf think bose are the way to go , i used to think so , but as you get more experienced and your ears get trained you will find bose doesn't sound that great all around and that their speaker have dead spots in the response curves. keep looking and eventually you will find speakers that sound good to your ears which is really what counts .
depending on what you listen to , most speakers will not play low enough to play the lowest notes audible to the human ear . also sometimes one may like to feel the vibrations of the music . so even if you find some speakers that sing to your ears , you may want to add a powered sub woofer .

in some cases the speakers are only as good as the amp that is driving them the first thing many look at is harmonic distortion , but this isn't the whole story when it comes to amps .yes the lower the distortion the better , but your speakers , your room , and a slew of many other things can be a source of distortion. a better quality amp may cause the same woofer to play lower bass simply because it doesn't clip as easy as a cheaper or lower powered amp .another thing to consider about an amplifier is the damping factor , damping factor is the amps ability to stop the speakers movement . a higher damping factor can make for cleaner more precise sound .

there is no simple answer as to quality though in my opinion as there are many qualities to look for in audio equipment and only you can choose which ones are important

 

[theforceofwill]

Best answer selected by theforceofwill.