Bookshelf Speakers FAQs | The Revolver Club

Q1. What are Bookshelf Speakers?
A bookshelf loudspeaker is a compact loudspeaker, generally sold for consumer-grade home audio applications as part of a shelf stereo pair or home theater package, that is compact in size and intended to be placed on a raised surface.
Q2. What are Active Speakers?
Active Speakers, unlike powered speakers, have one dedicated amplifier for each of it’s drivers.
So, a two-way speaker with one tweeter and one mid/bass driver unit will have two power amplifier modules, one for each driver (or 'way').
Since the active powered crossover fed to these speakers work at a much lower voltage than their passive counterparts, their components can be optimised for precision rather than pure power handling, resulting in a potentially better integrated and more precise sound.
Q3. What are Passive Speakers?
Passive Speakers are your driver filled boxes which require an external amplifier to drive them.
Once the signal from the amplifier reaches these boxes, there's an internal, non-powered crossover built-in to filter the appropriate frequencies to each of the drivers.
Q4. What are Powered Speakers?
Powered Speakers are nothing but passive speakers with an amplifier built into one of the boxes.
Q5. What are Speaker Drivers?
A speaker driver is an individual loudspeaker transducer that converts an electrical audio signal to sound waves.
While the term is sometimes used interchangeably with the term loudspeaker (speaker), it is usually applied to specialized transducers which reproduce only a portion of the audible frequency range.
Q6. What are the different types of Bookshelf Speaker Drivers?
Tweeters are small drivers, named for the high pitch sounds birds make, are usually found at the top of the speaker, and generally emit sounds at high frequencies ranging from 2,000 to 30,000 Hz.
Tweeters are of 3 types:
- Horn tweeters offer plenty of high-frequency detail, with a shape that provides focused, precise sound that’s big on sensitivity and dynamic range but low on distortion.
- Cone tweeters can be made out of several materials - paper cones are available but tend to produce distorted sound. Fabric and metal cones have better sound dispersion than their paper counterparts.
- Dome tweeters have largely supplanted cones, due to their superior sound dispersion and range. They may be made out of a variety of thin, strong materials, such as Mylar, silk, polymer, or various metals.
Mid Range Drivers can handle sounds ranging from 500to 2,000 Hz. This is the range that instruments and the human voice falls within, which means having a satisfactory midrange driver is crucial.
Like tweeters, they can be made of different materials, which will affect sound quality.
Woofers are named such for the low-pitch noises dogs make, these drivers produce lower frequency sounds, ranging from 40 to 1,000 Hz or higher.
Woofers are known for having a high-quality bass response.
The superior bass performance of woofers in tower speakers is one reason they are often chosen over smaller, bookshelf speakers.
Q7. What is a Bookshelf Speaker configuration?
Speakers are described as two-way, three-way, four-way, etc. This is a description of the number of speaker drivers handling the different audio frequencies.
A two-way speaker is the simplest type of tower speaker. It has a tweeter (for high-frequency) and a woofer (for low-frequency).
A three-way speaker contains a tweeter, a midrange driver (for mid-frequency dialogue), and a woofer.
While it's hard to generalize that a 3-way speaker is better than a 2-way speaker, if you properly design a speaker, one with more drivers allows the speaker designer to have the components dedicated to a smaller range of frequencies, which can result in better and more accurate performance.
You would want a speaker that can produce as much of the full range of frequencies that human ears can hear as possible.
Q8. What are Bookshelf Speakers best for?
Bookshelf speakers are the middle ground between portable and floor speakers. They often provide a better sound quality than you'll find in a portable speaker, making them ideal for entertainment centers.
Q9. Where should Bookshelf Speakers be placed in a room?
For the best listening experience speakers should form an equilateral triangle with your listening position.
The best place to start is by optimizing your speaker setup for the best bass response in the room.Get your favorite bass-heavy track ready to go, whether streaming or playing from your turntable, so you can really hear what your speakers are doing.
Some speakers sound best when near or up against a wall, while others do well when given more breathing room.
Try to avoid placing your speakers in a corner.
It may be convenient spatially, but you’ll almost certainly get fat, lumpy bass that will skew the whole balance of the sound.
Q.10 How high should speakers be off the floor?
Your speakers should be at ear level when seated which is approximately 30 to 50 inches off the floor.
Q.11 Can you use Bookshelf Speakers for a TV?
Definitely. But the cost of it will go high as compared to a soundbar due to the need to buy both, the speaker as well as an A/V receiver.
Q12. How different are Studio Monitors as compared to Bookshelf Speakers?
The main difference between powered bookshelf speakers and studio monitors is primarily the sound profile of the audio produced.
Studio monitors are intended to produce a flat frequency response to playback the audio recording exactly as intended without any kind of coloration to the sound.
Q13. What to look for when buying Bookshelf Speakers?
The first decision you have to make is a very simple one: do you want a pair of wired or wireless speakers?
This is a question of both convenience and sound quality. Wired speakers are more traditional and a little clumsier – you are, after all, having to deal with a lot of cables – but they also tend to sound better.
In comparison, wireless speakers smoke traditional wired speakers in terms of convenience. As long as you have a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection, you’re good to go.
The sound quality of bookshelf speakers now-a-days is quite high. While it’s rare to get a pair that don’t sound passable, it’s crucial to know their limitations before you buy.
One of the most simple but yet essential things while buying a bookshelf speaker is knowing the budget.
If you’re buying bookshelf speakers, then you must’ve set an ideal budget for it, and we will strongly advise sticking to it because there is no reason to buy overpriced speakers.
There are many great speakers which are available at affordable prices but most of them are expensive, and those who don’t have proper knowledge about them might end up buying the worst one.
Q.14 Can Bookshelf Speakers be wall mounted?
Specifically, bookshelf speakers should be placed within two to three feet from the wall to optimize their overall performance.
This means that they will not perform their best when placed too close to a wall or another boundary-like surface.
Q.15 Do Bookshelf Speakers sound good?
As compared to Floor Standing speakers, Bookshelf Speakers are known to put out less bass in comparison.
But for most people and most music styles, a good pair of bookshelf speakers will deliver a satisfyingly complete sound.
Q.15 Which are good Bookshelf Speakers brands available in India?
In India, Some of the best bookshelf speaker brands are Polk Audio, Q Acoustics, Edifier, PSB, Dali, and Fyne Audio.
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