The long and the short and the tall

Speakers come in many shapes and sizes; the trick is to find the pair that fit – and sound – best in your listening room. Welcome to our speaker round-up

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As this is our 'speaker special' issue, allow us first of all to confirm that speakers are, indeed, special. Of all the components in your system, none more obviously influences the nature or quality of the way your music sounds than your loudspeakers.

As the devices that convert the electrical signals they receive into soundwaves and send them on their way towards your ears, your speakers carry a heavy burden of responsibility. All the more reason, then, to invest some time into finding a pair that are right for you. And that, we believe, is where this speaker roundup will come into its own. Before you turn the page, you will need to decide whether you want standmounters or floorstanders. Standmounters are the more compact of the two and, as the name helpfully suggests, require speaker stands to bring them up to the optimum listening height. Unless you are looking to spend less than about ₹30,000 on your speakers, we would suggest you look to pay around ₹15,000 for a pair of stands.

Having smaller cabinets than their floorstander cousins means that standmounters tend to be less prone to cabinet resonances that can adversely affect the quality of the sound. Floorstanders, on the other hand, tend to produce more (though not necessarily better) bass and tend to have greater electrical sensitivity, placing a slightly easier load on the partnering amplifier.

And while standmounters are typically two-way affairs (one tweeter, one mid/bass driver), some floorstanders add one or more extra drivers, giving them the potential for greater power handling. They are also a neater solution as you don't have to worry about stands.

If you decide on the floorstander format, don't omit to attach, level and tighten the spikes on which the speakers sit. These typically screw into the base of the cabinets and help to isolate the speaker from unwanted external vibration that could compromise the sound.