MP3 Speaker Buying Guide

Why MP3 Speakers?

If you’re frequently outdoors with friends, a set of portable MP3 speakers is a great investment. They’re smaller, lighter, and tend to consume less battery life than portable radios or CD players. For home use, MP3 speaker systems are a great alternative to blasting the stereo at one of the end of the house to carry music to another and in smaller homes and apartments or in a bedroom, MP3 speakers are an excellent alternative to larger component-based systems. If you’ve gotten rid of CDs, tapes, and vinyl, MP3 speakers are the next logical step toward getting great sound in less space.

Basic Features

While you’re shopping, it may be tempting to think that MP3 speakers come in two types: iPod and everything else. The popularity of the iPod has driven most makers of MP3 speakers to build their systems around the device, but many of these are compatible with other MP3 players so don’t rule them out if you have a Zune or another non-iPod MP3 player. You may lose the dock recharging feature by using something other than an iPod with these MP3 speakers, but sound is what matters most and if you like the sound, you can’t go wrong.

MP3 speaker systems include a built-in amplifier, volume controls, and at least two speakers. MP3 speakers lack a tuner, so they can’t play anything on their own. The most common MP3 speaker connections are 1/4 inch headphone jack or a docking cradle, although some MP3 speakers include USB connections.

Another feature to consider is whether you want (or need) your MP3 speaker system to be portable or stationary. Portable MP3 speakers run on batteries or AC power. These MP3 speakers are small and lightweight, making them a good choice for tailgate parties, barbecues, and other outdoor uses. Stationary MP3 speakers are larger and heavier than portable models. Designed for home use, these MP3 speakers run on AC power and some models can recharge the battery in your MP3 player.

Small speakers, big sound

When you’re shopping for MP3 speakers or any other home audio, price determines quality. The more you pay, the better the MP3 speakers you’ll get. A common myth in the early days of home stereos was that bigger speakers sounded better. This is less true today than ever before, especially with stationary MP3 speakers, although bass reproduction can be a problem with smaller MP3 speaker systems.

Older stereo speakers were all-in-one enclosures that housed a tweeter for high tones and a woofer for bass tones. Woofers took up the majority of the space and contributed the most size and weight to stereo enclosures. With portable MP3 speakers, you’re going to get less bass, because smaller woofers are less efficient at sound reproduction. Stationary MP3 speaker systems often include a separate, satellite subwoofer for those who can’t live without window-rattling bass.

Apart from bass performance, there is little that MP3 speakers cannot do when compared with larger sound systems. The quality of MP3 speakers can rival that of component systems if you’re willing to spend more for quality MP3 speakers. Look for separate speakers that handle high, midrange, and bass frequencies for the best performance.

Amplifiers and distortion

MP3 speaker systems have built-in amplifiers that determine frequency response. Amplifiers are the second-largest contributor to the cost of MP3 speakers, and again, paying more gets you a better product.

Frequency response tells you the range of sounds that MP3 speakers can reproduce. The human ear can hear sounds from 20Hz at the low end to 20,000Hz at the high end, and as we age, our ability to hear higher frequencies diminishes.

Check the frequency range on MP3 speakers to compare performance. For portable MP3 speakers, frequency response from 1,000hz to 6,000Hz is considered good. If the frequency response isn’t listed, use your ears and avoid MP3 speakers with a thin or tinny sound.

Stationary MP3 speakers with separate, powered subwoofers offer the most frequency response, ranging from 200hz to 10,000hz for high-end models. These MP3 speakers can rival component stereo systems for sound quality. Listen for clipping, which occurs when the amplifier sends too much volume to the MP3 speakers. Clipping sounds like crunching or paper being torn, and it’s a sign that the MP3 speakers can’t handle higher volumes or certain frequencies well.

How do you like the sound?

Digital MP3 audio can be encoded at different rates to save size, but smaller MP3 files don’t have the same fidelity as their larger cousins. This affects loudness and frequency response. Commercial MP3 and MP4 files are usually encoded at 192 kilobytes per second, and this is the type of file you should use to test MP3 speakers. Using smaller MP3 files may give you a false sense of the performance of MP3 speakers.

When you first use your MP3 speakers, start at a low volume and slowly turn it up to the highest level you’re likely to use. Listen for any changes in sound quality. If you hear distortion or static from the MP3 speakers as the volume increases, it’s a sign that the amplifier is poor or the volume knob is faulty. Avoid MP3 speakers that don’t adjust volume smoothly or that distort at higher volumes.

Additional features

Portable MP3 speakers don’t include much in the way of extras. You may want a car adaptor or some rechargeable batteries if you’ll be using these MP3 speakers frequently. Detachable MP3 speakers will allow you to create a larger sound field.

For stationary MP3 speakers, consider how much sound you need and whether or not you’ll be using them to replace a component system. Look for radio tuners, multiple RCA inputs for components and digital inputs in more expensive MP3 speakers. You can find complete 5.1 and 7.1 MP3 speaker packages, but you might be better off with a home theater system if you desire that much sound.

Need to know more?

• MP3 Speaker Comparisons
  http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1738,7498,00.asp
• Top 9 iPod Speakers
  http://macs.about.com/od/productreviews/tp/ipod_speakers.htm
• Stereophonic Sound
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo_system