Specifications
Bring great sound home!
Speakers
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Whether you’re going for a pair of smooth stereo
speakers or an enveloping home theater system,
we’ve got it! Check out the comparison charts and use-
ful info on speakers — then decide what’s right for you!
Stereo sound is still sweet
Stereo music continues to be a big part of A/V, and there
are plenty of spectacular main speakers. Keep in mind: (1) a powered sub can
add real punch to stereo listening; (2) if you’re looking for stereo now, but want
home theater later, consider speakers with voice-matched options for all channels.
Get surround sound for movies and music!
hanks to cutting-edge technologies like Dolby
®
Digital, DTS
®
, SACD, DVD-Audio, and more, there’s
tons of riveting surround sound out there. You just need speakers to deliver it!
■
Assemble your own system by choosing (1) a pair of front stereo speakers, (2) a center
channel speaker, and (3) a pair of surround speakers, all voice-matched. A powered sub
is the finishing touch. A handpicked setup can be tailored to your room and taste!
■
A/V novices may want a home theater speaker system (see the purple box on pg. 115).
Speaker quality and capability do make a difference
Think of it this way. A movie seen on a 13" TV can’t have the same impact as the same
movie viewed on a 40" screen. It doesn’t mean a 13" TV isn’t great for certain situations
— it is. It just can’t stand in as an equal substitute for a big, bright TV screen.
Speakers work the same way. If you’re looking for easy, affordable surround sound in a
small room, a compact, inexpensive speaker system may be the answer. But if you want
superb music and involving surround sound, carefully chosen speakers are your best bet.
Why buy your speakers from Crutchfield?
Speakers never sound the same at home as they did in the showroom.
Shop smart! Get speakers delivered to your door; try them in your room
with familiar music. Not the ones? Return ’em and try something else, or
get a refund via our 30-day money-back guarantee (see pg. 75 for details).
We’ll even include our Audio/Video Reference, with its “Guide to
Speaker Placement and Room Acoustics,” color-coded CableLabels
™
, and
more. It’s FREE with any main home component purchase; see pg. 85.
Enclosure types
Bass Reflex — uses a port to produce
more bass output in a specific frequency range. Perfect for
a low-powered receiver or amp — you get more bass from
fewer watts. Acoustic Suspension — uses a sealed enclosure
to provide tight, accurate bass response. Acoustic suspension
speakers often need more power from a receiver or amp.
Video-shielded
Indicates that a speaker can be safely placed
on or near a TV, because the magnets in it have been shielded.
Woofer, Subwoofer
Most speakers use a passive (non-
powered) woofer for bass frequencies; some use a powered
subwoofer to deliver deep bass. The charts at right list each
speaker’s bass driver — a “(2)” indicates dual drivers in a single
cabinet. Powered subwoofers are indicated with a footnote.
Connector Type
There are three types of speaker connectors.
Spring clips accept bare wire and pin connectors. Binding
posts add spade-connector and banana-plug capability. 5-way
binding posts also accept double-banana plugs.
Recommended Power Range
The minimum and
maximum power ratings for a speaker. This info tells you
whether a speaker is suited to your receiver.
Sensitivity
Measures a speaker’s efficiency when converting
power into sound. Using the same amount of power, a speaker
with high sensitivity plays louder than one with low sensitivity.
Frequency Response
20 to 20,000 Hertz is about the range
of human hearing. Frequency response tells you how much of
that range a speaker or subwoofer can reproduce. A lower
number on the left means deeper bass.
Recommended Center and Surrounds
For top-quality
surround sound, all your speakers should sound as much alike
as possible. In the chart on top of pg. 115, we recommend voice-
matched center and surround speakers. (Note: these are not nec-
essarily the only centers or surrounds for your main speakers.)
Speaker Placement and Cables
Because most small- and
medium-sized speakers sound best when their drivers are at
roughly ear-level, many people choose to wall-mount their
speakers, or place them on speaker stands (see pgs. 87-89, 116,
118, and 126). Also, good speaker cable makes a serious differ-
ence in a speaker’s sound (see pgs. 111, 117, 119, and 123-125.)
FREE
With home
A/V purchase;
just ask!
▲
Great speaker brands
We carry Bose, Polk, Infinity, Sony,
NHT, Niles, Pinnacle and more.
For our full selection, call us, or
visit us at www.crutchfield.com!
114
Home Theater
Speaker Systems
Where
to Look
What’s Included
in the System
System
Frequency
Response
(Hertz)
Recommended
Power Range
for Satellites &
Center (watts)
Sub
Wall-
mountable
Satellites
Subwoofer
Driver Size
Add-on
Speaker(s) for
6.1 Surround
(if available)
Speaker Cables
Included
Sony SS-LA500 package pg. 107 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 22-70,000 10-120
✔ ✔
5
1
⁄
4
"
(2)
158SSLA500
Polk RM6005 pg. 116 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 40-19,000 20-100
✔✔
10"
Polk RM7200 pg. 116 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 32-20,000 20-125
✔✔
8"
Sony SA-VE445H pg. 118 5 satellites & subwoofer 26-50,000 20-120
✔ ✔
8" 158SSV441H
✔
Sony SS-LA300 package pg. 118 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 26-70,000 10-100
✔✔
5
1
⁄
4
" 158SSLA300 $999
99
$399
99
$1299
99
$499
98
$1499
99
Your Price
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Center
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Satellites
250 RMS
135 RMS
100 RMS
50 RMS
250 RMS
Subwoofer
Amplifier
Power
(watts)
Polk RM7600 pg. 116 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 28-25,000 20-150
✔
10"
(2)
107RM4300 $1499
98
✔✔
165 RMS
Infinity Primus with PS-8 pg. 117 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 35-20,000 10-100
✔
8" $649
99
✔✔
100 RMS
Infinity Primus with PS-10 pg. 117 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 27-20,000 10-100
✔
10" $749
99
✔✔
250 RMS
Infinity Primus with PS-12 pg. 117 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 25-20,000 10-100
✔
12" $849
99
✔✔
300 RMS
Polk RM6700 pg. 116 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 35-20,000 20-125
✔ ✔
8" 107RM2350
$699
99
*
✔✔
100 RMS
Polk LSi7;
see pg. 121
Infinity TSS-750 pg. 117 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 34-20,000 10-100
✔
10" 108SAT750 $699
99
✔✔
150 RMS
Pinnacle Quantum/Subsonic pg. 117 5 satellites & subwoofer 28-21,000 15-100
✔
6
1
⁄
2
"
(2)
584Q2P $1499
99
✔✔
200 RMS
Sony SA-VE345 pg. 118 4 satellites, center & subwoofer 26-20,000 20-110
✔✔
8"
✔
$299
99
✔✔
120 RMS
Video
Shielding
Save
$
50-
$
100 on a home speaker system!
Looking to get into home theater? Here’s a great deal — just purchase a home theater receiver (or an
all-in-one receiver/DVD player component) priced at
$
398 and up and a select home theater speaker
system, and save
$
50 or
$
100! See pages 107 & 116–118 to find out which speaker systems in the
catalog apply, and pages 100-110 to check out the receivers. Plus, there are more models online. Offer expires 10/31/2003.
* sale price from 8/17/03 to 10/19/03
®114.T1-115 Home speaker ed2 07.23.2003 9:51 AM Page 114