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How to Avoid Speaker Blow Outs

Most of us have heard about the dreaded " Blown Speaker " where the music is played to loud and damages the speaker so that in only plays distorted sounds or goes completely dead. But did you know that there are other ways to blow a speaker beyond just playing music too loud? In fact there are at least four other ways to "blow" your speakers. First, a few thoughts on overpowering your speakers by playing things too loudly. It is best to have an amplifier that is closely matched to your speakers rated power. Having an amplifier that is more powerful than your speaker's rating is okay as long as it is not excessive. Speakers can usually handle a bit more power than their listed rating. Another very common way to blow speakers is counter intuitive - under powering. Under powering occurs when you match an amplifier with a speaker that is power rated much higher than than what the amplifier is able to output. For instance, you might have 300 watt s...

Pro Audio Speakers For the Price of a Home Consumer Stereo Speaker Set - How to Achieve This

Quality audio equipment is a highly subjective. Many individuals will have an opinion that varies from the next person of where to find good to high quality audio speakers . Some will almost always default to the local brick and mortar electronics super chain. The average consumer may be willing to settle for this solution not knowing the truth. There are many brand names throughout the pro-audio speaker world. Some manufacturers have even attempted to carry over their name to the home audio enthusiast, sometimes without sacrificing good quality. Many times, however, the home audio speakers available at the electronics store are constructed with cheap quality parts. Frequently this allows the retailer to advertise the products as a best buy with deep discounts. There are excellent alternatives to relying on the local retailers. Shopping on the web can yield several advantages. The first step in purchasing an excellent set of audio speakers is to write down the intende...

Audio Speaker Repair - Basic Construction Is The Same, But Materials Vary Widely

Repairing an audio speaker may mean any number of things. For most of the common repairs a speaker can be repaired very inexpensively. The only non-repairable damage that a speaker may sustain is if the speaker is dropped onto a hard surface causing the speaker itself to bend or the magnet to break. Some speakers are so inexpensive , however, that it does not make sense to invest time and a small amount of money to repair the speaker. In order to understand what damage is repairable by the average audio listener, a lesson in audio speaker anatomy is needed. With reasonably decent speakers which have a removable face grille, it is simple to identify most of the repairable materials without removing the speaker from the enclosure, or box. Whether the speaker is round or oval the anatomy will still be the same. The majority of speakers on the market have the same basic anatomy. Although the materials may differ from plastic or cork to butyl rubber, the construction should...

How to Care for Your Speakers for Years of Quality Sound

It is very easy to spend a lot of money on audio equipment and you will likely want to protect your investment. Part of that investment are your system's speakers . They need a little tender-loving-care to keep them working in tip-top condition. Unfortunately, people don't often consider their specific needs. This handy article should help guide and prevent your speakers from suffering damage from a few common conditions. Fortunately, these steps are easy to implement and won't cause you an undue burden. The first thing to be aware of is heat. Storing or using your speakers in an hot environment will cause their sound quality to degrade over time and shorten their lifespan. Storing them in your garage is generally not going to work. Find a climate controlled environment where they can be stowed safely away. Also, bear in mind that direct sunlight does nothing to help your speakers. Try to keep them away from powerful sunlight. Finally, if you are using the s...

Audio Speakers - Repair of a Blown Speaker or Fatigued Driver or When Replacement is Better

Almost every individual listens to music at some time; some more than others. However, most users of audio equipment have a limited understanding of how audio speakers physically work. When a speaker becomes damaged the majority of people will just assume that the damaged speaker is now a piece of trash and dispose of the unit in favor of spending more money on a new pair of speakers. There is a more inexpensive alternative to throwing away what may be an easily repairable piece of audio equipment. There are several ways a speaker can become damaged. The most frequent damage sustained is what is termed a blown speaker . Symptoms of a blown speaker can be no sound being produced or a clipping type of distortion. The frame, also called the basket of the speaker, can be permanently bent if the speaker has received an impact as from being dropped. The speaker can become fatigued through heavy use. Speaker fatigue will affect the clarity or crispness of the sound. On rare ...

Solutions to Common Surround Sound System Problems

Surround sound is an awesome technology for watching movies. Bullet sounds and special effects in general are just much more enjoyable when they are coming from different directions. These systems are relatively straight forward to set up in theory but there are always special issues to overcome. This article will discuss a few common ones and how to address them. The first issue is physical. How do you get the wires to the rear speakers in a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 system? In homes where wires were not installed during construction you can be left thinking that there is just no place to run them without crossing walkways or doing major construction to run them in the walls or ceiling. One option is to install special wire under the carpet that is only an eighth of an inch in diameter. Of course, you will need to pull up your carpet and then reset it but this is much easier than ripping drywall. And perhaps it is the perfect excuse to get new carpet for your media roo...

Aliens Behind the Couch or How to Set Up Your Surround Sound System

Few things enhance home movie viewing like a new home theater surround sound system. Watching sci-fi and horror movies becomes much more of an experience when you can hear creatures sound like they are sneaking up from behind you or a laser blast zips from one side of the room to the other! But how to do you set up your system to achieve these great effects? It all comes down to speaker placement. Most home theater systems will have five speakers and a sub woofer and many will have seven speakers and a subwoofer. These are a called 5.1 and 7.1 systems respectively. Fortunately, a little bit of information on setup goes a long way. With most systems there will be three speakers at the front near the television or screen. The center channel speaker is situated directly above or below and centered on the screen. The front of the speaker should be flush with the edge of the screen. Be sure the speaker is on top of or very close to the screen otherwise the sound can ap...