Roaming around a hi-fi store or checking prices on the internet, you’ll likely come across audiophile-grade speakers. Many of these speakers carry high price tags, have odd-shaped designs, and noteworthy marketing. If speakers range wildly in price, aesthetics and specifications, then it makes sense that some speakers would be objectively better than others. Do better…
Audio equipment can be costly, meaning that people sometimes have to settle on one or more pieces of gear. Should you buy a high-end amplifier and settle on inexpensive speakers, or purchase top-notch speakers and skimp on the amplifier? Which is more important, speakers or amplifiers? Speakers and amplifiers are equally important for music playback….
Damaging a speaker is one thing audiophiles, musicians, or audio enthusiasts can all agree upon as a terrible occurrence. Speakers can sustain damage in several ways, and in this article, we’ll investigate whether playing music too loud will cause speaker damage. Is playing music loud bad for speakers? Playing music/audio too loud may cause damage…
Having a cell phone around your speakers may result in some intermittent humming and buzzing. The cause of such interference could be a mystery, as inconsistent as it may be. Why do speakers hum/buzz around cell phones? A cell phone may cause a speaker to hum or buzz as data is transmitted to and from…
If you’re a huge fan of music or a professional in the audio industry, you may very well have found yourself drawn to vintage audio equipment— only to find how incredibly high the prices are. Why is vintage audio equipment so expensive? Vintage audio equipment is expensive partly because of rarity (a lot of vintage…
If you are wiring speakers, you must know the correct way to do it. If it is your first time wiring speakers, you may be confused about which speaker wire is positive and which is negative. There are different signs and methods you can use to determine this. Which speaker cable wire is positive, and…
Speakers are somewhat ubiquitous nowadays. These sound-producing devices are found in our televisions and computers, at performance venues, in public spaces such as malls, places of worship and airports, and even in our pockets and palms with the popularity of the smartphone. If the mechanics behind how speakers work is a mystery, then this article…
Speakers are quite remarkable in their ability to convert electrical audio signals into sound waves for our listening pleasure (or displeasure). Speakers of all sizes, from built-in smartphones to live sound subwoofers, require amplifiers. Why do speakers need amplifiers? Typical analog audio signals are recorded, stored, and played back at line level (nominally 1 volt…
In recent years, Bluetooth connectivity has become more and more prevalent in our everyday lives and how we listen to audio (through speakers and headphones). You may have wondered how exactly your Bluetooth speaker works, and by reading this article, you’ll find out. How do Bluetooth speakers work? Bluetooth speakers receive digital audio wirelessly via the…
The damping factor is one of many equations that applies to audio equipment. When discussing the relationship between audio outputs (particularly amplifiers) and audio inputs (particular loudspeakers), the damping factor is somewhat lesser considered rating but important to know nonetheless. What is the damping factor between an amplifier and a loudspeaker? Damping factor (DF) is…
Whether it’s on the specification sheet or written as a number of ohms (Ω) on the back of the speaker, impedance is something we’ll see or hear of at some point when using speakers. The seemingly mysterious specification of speaker impedance should be understood in order for us to fully comprehend how speakers work. What…
There are many specifications used to define speakers, and power handling or “wattage rating” is one of the most common specs we encounter when reading into using or buying a speaker. The spec will look something like 1000 W; 350 Wrms, or 800 Wpeak. What is speaker power handling (wattage rating)? The speaker power handling…
