Choosing Bookshelf Speakers

If you are shopping for a quality pair of stereo speakers for music listening not only should you trust your ears but have a look at the individual components that makeup the speaker. The cabinet of the speaker should always be solid, knock on it with your knuckles and see how it resonates the sound. Preferable it will sound dead and solid; we want the drivers moving not the cabinet!

The tweeter: The tweeter is responsible for the upper range and should be made from a rigid yet light material that does not deform when moving quickly, aluminum, titanium and ceramic are excellent. Paper, silk, cloth and plastic are not good for replicating notes in this range.

The woofer, much like the tweeter the woofer must be made from a rigid light material. Yet the woofer reacts differently since it produces a lower frequency range. Paper aka pulp fiber and other fiber composites work very well, as does aluminum and to a lesser extent plastic.