Elvis Presley or Elvis Costello; Bach or Bad Company; the Beatles or the Bangles; John Denver or John Williams; it is music to somebody's ears and they are all musical legends. Great sounds deserve great stereo systems and Overstock.com's audio department is the place to find a great stereo system.
Knowing a few key facts will help you shop intelligently; this stereo buying guide includes basic information to help you wade through the options and purchase the components that will be music to your ears.
Your first consideration in buying any electronics is budget. Even at Overstock.com, you can spend a whole lot of money on stereo systems. How much are you willing to spend?
Once you have decided on the price, decide on which audio equipment you need. Are you a casual listener in a small apartment who just needs a mini stereo system, or are you a true audiophile with a dedicated home theater room?
The basics are a stereo receiver (a combination clock radio, stereo amplifier and equalizer) and a couple of speakers. If you're in a really small space--dorm room, office or studio apartment--you might want a micro system, like an iPod or MP3 player plus a speaker dock.
As you're ready to grow into a home theater, replace the receiver with a power amplifier and patch in a 7-band equalizer. Switch your AM/FM radio for a satellite radio receiver. Your speakers can be traded up for a surround sound system. Add a CD player or CD changer, and don't forget the video game console! Hook it all into a widescreen TV, DVD player and a computer and you have a complete 21st-Century video-audio system. As you build this mega-sound system, don't forget the audio cables. Most sound system components come with good connectors, but there are always upgrades available. Those gold-plated digital cables are pricey, but they give superior signal transfer.
Of course, if you just want an inexpensive portable stereo, the classic boombox is still a viable option, but most people these days are into small, personal audio. That means iPods and MP3 players, portable CD players or a mini stereo will work just fine.
If you want to get the right components, you'll need to understand a little techno-jargon:
Volume is measured in decibels (abbreviated dB) and gauges both air pressure and sound volume. In theory, 0dB is the softest sound a person can hear, though many people go higher or lower. The high and low ends of the scale need more volume to sound like they are the same volume as midrange frequencies.
Frequency response of human ears ranges from about 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz (20Hz-20KHz). Frequency response is also the range of sounds a speaker makes:
In theory, the response is steady. That is, 20Hz at 10dB is as loud as 20KHz at 10dB, but perfection is still a few years off, so you may see "20Hz-20KHz +-3dB" when frequency response will vary by 3dB across the range. Better speakers have a wider frequency response with lower variance.
Power is the amount of electrical energy each speaker can use before exploding (okay, before being damaged). Measured in watts (W), it varies with the size of the system and may carry two numbers, normal and maximum power (which is almost always twice normal power). A speaker rated for 75W at normal usage would be marked "75W RMS/150W peak power" or "75W continuous/150W peak" (RMS = "root-mean-square," a meaningless phrase unless you're an engineer). Cranking up the volume puts more energy through the speaker, causing more wear on the components. Think of wind--your house might survive a steady 75-mph wind (your basic hurricane) for several hours, but it's much less likely to hold up against 150-mph gusts (Katrina revisited).
Impedance exists because wires and microchips are solid objects that impede (ever so slightly) the flow of electricity. Think of a water pump connected to two pipes--the larger pipe has lower impedance because more water can flow through. Impedance is measured in ohms (abbreviated by omega, that horseshoe-shaped Greek letter). Stereo amplifiers and speakers are usually rated at 4, 8 or 16ohms; they work best when the numbers match; mismatched components can give you bad sound or damage each other.
Digital storage capacity is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB).
Sensitivity measures speaker efficiency, or how much volume a speaker puts out for a given voltage. There is no universal standard, so for simplicity, if speaker A's sensitivity is rated 3dB higher than speaker B's, then A needs less juice to put out the same volume as B. Higher sensitivity means a lower electrical bill, if one may put it so.
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is about clarity. "Signal" is the sound you want to hear; "noise" is the unavoidable audio clutter in the background. Usually measured in decibels (dB), the higher the ratio, the less noticeable the clutter.
Surround sound describes a group of speakers identified by a number: 5.1-channel, 6.1-channel or 7.1-channel. The ".1" is the subwoofer; the other numbers define how many speakers are in the set--5-channel has a center speaker, left & right speakers and left & right surround speakers. 6-channel adds a single rear surround speaker, and 7-channel adds two rear surround speakers. The more speakers in the system, the more power amplifiers are required, but the more exactly you can adjust the sound to fit the room and your personal music tastes.
Total harmonic distortion (THD) is similar to SNR. Imagine an amplifier as a copier set to enlarge; it won't make a perfect copy. These imperfections are "distortion." THD is expressed as the percentage of distortion within the total sound. A good audio component has a THD around 1 percent; really good audio components are below 0.1 percent.
Stereo Receivers
The single most important component of most audio systems, it combines pre-amp, amp, microchips and plugs aplenty--they provide power to the speakers; they also take codes and signals from the various sources--radio, CDs, DVDs, TV, etc.--decode them, amplify them and send them into the speakers. A receiver can combine any of several components--a pre-amp, amplifier, equalizer, radio tuner (newer models may be Internet or satellite radio-ready), DVD or CD player, and maybe more, especially in a home theater in a box. If you choose a multi-function digital audio player, be sure it is compatible with all the current formats: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MIDI, MP3, MPEG4, WAV, WMA plus VCD, DVD, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DIVX (since they can also record audio files).
Stereo Amplifiers and pre-amps
Basically, every device that makes sound has an amplifier. Modern microphones are very small and use a tiny amount of electricity which, when recorded without amplifiers, would reproduce as a whisper. Still thinking of an amplifier as a copier set to enlarge? Imagine using two copiers. The first is the pre-amp. If a recording has very low signal or a lot of distortion, a pre-amp can strengthen and clean up the signal, then the amplifier will power it up to speaker level.
CD players
Come in many sizes, from the single-disc CD player to the modern equivalent of the malt shop jukebox, CD changers. Many also have an AM/FM radio built-in. CD recorders are also available for those who want to keep audio records of family and friends.
Equalizers
Recorded sounds can be run through this device that raises or lowers the volume of selected frequencies without affecting volume of other frequencies, in effect, fine tuning output to the personal preference of the listener.
iPod and MP3 Players
Docks for these mobile units can form the core of mini stereo systems or be a component of a larger home theater. You can also upload/download music between home stereo systems, car audio and portable stereo. Many iPods and MP3 players are now integrated with cell phones, PDAs and other consumer electronics.
Radios
AM/FM radios are still the music players of choice for local broadcast stations and an alarm clock radio is even great if you have trouble getting up in the morning. A new satellite radio tuner, however, is the inexpensive way to access to dozens of digital audio stations from all over the world.
Speakers
Sold both as a multi-speaker system or as individual components. Stereo speakers always include a center or center-channel speaker) for the core sound, dialogue, music, etc., plus "satellite speakers":
Speaker placement can also be important: Floor standing speakers do just that; if they are very tall, they're called tower speakers. Bookshelf speakers are designed to be small and unobtrusive. Outdoor speakers actually work both indoors and outdoors. Wireless speakers use radio transmission instead of wires for an uncluttered decor.
Audio systems and related devices don't require much care. Very few have moving parts to break, but dust, heat and humidity can cause problems. Electrical components will wear out eventually, so extend their service life by not abusing them:
Dust the exteriors regularly. Buy a can of air and blow clean the openings, air vents, CD & DVD slots, etc. Never blow them clean yourself; the humidity in your breath is not good for them. A room dehumidifier or air purifier (available in our housewares department) is worth considering.
Electricity flow generates heat, so be sure the stereo components get proper ventilation. Don't place them in completely enclosed cabinets. If your home theater room gets hot, use a fan or air conditioner and always turn components off when not in use.
"Heads" are the components that actually read the tapes and discs. These also need to be cleaned, and many kits are commercially available; they are inexpensive, quick to use, and components give better output when cleaned regularly. It's also a good idea to call a professional technician in for a tune-up, if you know one that makes house calls. They can give suggestions on speaker placements, room set up and advise you on getting the most out of your sound system.
What is a home theater?
Let's put it this way; a radio is just a radio. Add a pair of speakers and you have a stereo. Add everything else in Overstock's electronics store and you have a home theater: surround sound speakers, CD & DVD players, television, computer, more speakers, equalizers, amplifiers and so on. It can be a simple, complete-in-one-package home theater in a box, or you can keep adding audio components until you run out of space and money. (At Overstock.com's prices, that could take a while!)
Can there really be too much power?
Some people will say "No way!" but, sadly, yes. How do you tell you've got your speakers cranked up too loud? Well, the breaking windows, the nose bleeds, the visits from the police on Saturday nights ought to be really good clues.
Seriously, hearing loss can happen and, once gone, hearing is usually gone for good. You bought great audio gear from Overstock.com because you love great music. Wouldn't it be a bummer if you couldn't hear it anymore? Avoid anything over 90dB (jackhammers, airplane engines, exploding H-bombs) and do what your parents kept telling you to do when you were a teenager--turn your stereo down!
Disk Jockey the night away.
If you want to have some real fun, pick up a few DJ equipment components. Saturday nights will never be the same as your friends and neighbors gather to play with your karaoke machine and maybe your DJ mixer. How many of your friends have a secret rock star fantasy? Wrap studio headphones around your ears, crank up your singing machine and push it all through a DJ mixer to separate the idols from the I-told-you-not-to's.
Save some money through consolidation
Many computers now come with CD or DVD players as standard equipment; they work just like any other CD-DVD player so you can hook your computer to your home theater instead of buying a separate CD player. Audio files can also be stored on your hard drive. Likewise, new model televisions can hook into your audio system and replace your computer monitor.
Whether you're into heavy metal or light opera, Overstock.com is in tune--saving you money on great stereo systems.