If you’re in the market for a set of speakers, here’s what to consider:

1. How powerful is your amp? If the speakers are too big for it, the amp won’t drive them efficiently
2. How big is your room? Aesthetically, you won’t want to dominate the room with the speakers, and also you don’t need extremely loud speakers for a small room
3. Where will you put them? If they have to go right up against a wall, a rear-ported speaker isn’t the best idea; make sure you have room
4. What’s your colour scheme? Can you get them in the finish that you like; one that matches your other gear and/or furniture
5. What type of listening do you do? If you listen predominantly to delicate baroque recorder music, you might want a different setup than rock gods.
6. Can you leave some budget for decent cables? Don’t spend all your money on the speakers if your cables are rubbish
7. Will you need a subwoofer? Will you need surround sound?

Usually when building a system it’s best to choose your speakers first, but if that nugget of wisdom is too late for you, hopefully the above tips helped! And now you’ve got your speakers sorted, how do you choose cables? Find out here

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Dear Tone Reader,

It’s not all bad news!
We listened to people banging on about how expensive gadgets and TVs and whatnot are in NZ, and how hard it was to get the cool stuff available overseas. And then we went out to find out the truth! You’ll be surprised at just how lucky we are in NZ, and it’s all in the new Tone. Also: Find out how to get the very best out of your new TV panel, lust after the gear in our home theatre review section, and win an Onkyo receiver!
Gary Steel
Editor

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