When starting audio, speakers are indispensable along with amplifiers.
It's often said in audio, but there is a "5-3-2 rule" in terms of the ratio of money.
Specifically, it seems to be 50% speakers, 3% amplifiers, and 2% players. In short, the performance of the speaker is the best! Even if you buy a high-end amplifier, it doesn't make much sense if the performance of the speakers seems to be low. If you compare it to a racing car, even if it is equipped with a high-performance engine, it will not be able to run fast on the circuit unless there is enough grip on the tires that are in direct contact with the road surface. Even if the engine (amplifier) is good, if the tires (speakers) that transmit to the road surface (ears) are inferior, you will not be able to run fast (you will not be able to hear it with good sound).
In order to enjoy a higher quality music life, it is very important to choose a speaker that suits your purpose. Prices and shapes vary, but be sure to keep your own points in mind when choosing.
Types of speakers - How to choose according to size and basic shape -
Bookshelf type
As the name "Bookshelf" suggests, it is made for speakers that can fit on a bookshelf, and is compact and easy to install. Many speakers are relatively small, making them suitable for close-up viewing on desktops. Ideally, you should use a stand at the bottom of the speaker to bring the unit as close to ear level as possible. As for the sound quality, there are many types that do not produce bass, but it is a speaker that allows you to enjoy a clear sound in the mid and high frequencies with excellent three-dimensional effect.
floor type
It is a medium-sized or larger speaker that can be placed on the floor as it is. It is a speaker shaped like a larger bookshelf. It's large, so it takes up a lot of space, but it can play a wide range from bass to wide range and treble, and it's recommended for those who want to make a loud noise in a large room or want a full-fledged speaker, but most speakers are quite expensive.
Tallboy
It does not take up much footprint among floor types and is a vertical type speaker. There is no problem with the installation location, and the design is stylish and attractive. In terms of sound quality, it is a versatile type speaker with floor-type performance that can cover a wide range of sounds, especially bass, and is the most popular speaker.
A speaker with a hole in the enclosure is called a bass reflex type. It radiates bass from there to increase the volume of bass. On the other hand, the sealed type does not have holes.
Talk about speaker specs
The efficiency of converting the power input from the amplifier to the speaker into sound is called the output sound pressure level or efficiency. The values range from the first half of 80 dB to around 100 dB. The higher this number, the louder the sound can be produced even if the output of the amplifier is small. In the past, there were many large speakers with 100 dB or more in order to play a tube amplifier with a small output of 2 or 3 W at a high volume, but now there are various high-output amplifiers other than tube amplifiers, so high-efficiency speakers are generally around 80 dB to 90 dB. As for how to choose, if you want to make a loud noise in a large room, or if you have a tube amplifier with a small output, a speaker of 85 dB or more is the best choice. In other cases, it is not a problem to worry about too much.
Many speakers have two or more speaker units. This is because it is difficult to reproduce the human audible band (20Hz-20kHz) cleanly with one unit, and the sound range is produced separately. The part where the playback bands of each speaker unit overlap is called a crossover, and if you increase the number of units, the sound connection becomes unnatural, and the sound balance deteriorates due to the dispersion of sound output locations, so the majority of units are usually two or three. In addition, full-range speakers, which have a narrow sound range but dare to use only one unit due to natural sound quality and good localization, are also popular. Support for high-resolution sound sources is one that can reproduce treble at 40 kHz or higher. A CD is a disc that contains only roughly enough to be heard by humans. A high-resolution sound source is a sound source that records a wide range of sound in detail above the human audible range (20Hz-20kHz). I guess it's a throwback and it's closer to a record lol. Even if your speakers don't support it, it doesn't mean you can't listen to high-resolution audio sources or that the sound will be worse. As proof of this, there are many models with high frequencies around 20 kHz even for expensive speakers. This is because we place more emphasis on the output sound pressure level and efficiency in order to make the sound sound rich and pleasant in the audible range and to listen to it in the best way.
And finally, there is impedance. It is a numerical value that represents the magnitude of electrical resistance, and the unit is Ω (ohms), which is approximately 4, 6, or 8 Ω. The lower the number, the greater the output of the amplifier, but the burden on the amplifier is greater, and in the case of 4Ω speakers, it is safer to use an amplifier that supports 4Ω. Speakers with an impedance of 6 or 8 ohms can be used with any amplifier without hesitation.
If you are listening to music and the low sound is not enough, you can add a subwoofer, which is a speaker dedicated to bass, and if you feel that the treble range is not enough, you can add a tweeter of a treble speaker and upgrade the sound to your liking.
Let's choose speakers by taking into account the combination of the above, the amplifier to be used, and the installation space!
Finally, speakers up to about 50,000 yen sound reasonable in price, but for example, speakers that cost more than 100,000 yen even if they are small make up for the numbers indicated in the specs, and with design concepts and technology that more than make up for them, they will sound surprisingly good that far exceeds your imagination.
TRI PHONIC MONITOR-061 6cm Full Range Speaker
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Yamamoto Acoustic Craft 8cm Full Range TQWT Speaker System YS-08TQ
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FAL Supreme S C40ES Desktop Speaker
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