Best speakers for large rooms

There are plenty of choices for speakers if you are looking for one for a large room or area. You can buy an in-wall or in-ceiling speakers if floor space is a problem. Else, you can always opt for floor-standing speaker towers. Furthermore, there are a few other factors that you need to take into consideration when you are shopping for a speaker for a large room or area –

Things You Should Consider While Choosing A Speaker for Large Rooms/Area

● Budget

Budget is the most important factor when deciding what to buy for a large area. You might have your heart set on some of the most premium speakers but your budget won’t allow you to do that. So, with comprehensive research, you can always find the sweet spot between a reasonable budget and quality performance.

When comparing the in-wall speakers to the floor-standing tower speakers in terms of budget and performance, you will find some compelling in-wall speakers at a reasonable price point with a killer performance. But, installing in-wall speakers is quite hectic as it involves drilling into the wall and attaching the speaker to it.

On the other hand, if you have an ample amount of floor space in your designated area for a speaker, you can place floor-standing speakers in proper locations and they will sound amazing.

So, a budget range of $300 to $500 is quite practical for investing in a speaker or set of speakers for a large room or area.

● The Room Surroundings

The setting or the environment of the room is another critical factor to consider while looking for a speaker system for the room. You will have to make a decision based on that. If there is a lot of empty floor space in the room, your best bet will be floor-standing speakers. You can opt for in-wall speakers if the floor area is mostly taken by furniture.

If you are planning to sell the house shortly or live in a rented place, you might not want to go with the in-wall installation of speakers as drilling might not be a good decision. So, you need to find a tower speaker system that sits on the floor and install it in an acoustically transparent material.

● The dimension and design of the speakers

It is quite vague to search for speakers for a large room. You need to note down the exact dimension of the room or area and then find an apt speaker for the room. The dimension of the room will help you decide the number of channels you would want with the speaker and their defined placement in the room.

What is considered a large room for speakers?

While a small room can be defined as any room under 1500 cubic feet, a large room would be more than 3000 feet cubed. The ones that fall between the range of 1500 cubic feet and 3000 cubic feet can be labeled as mid-sized rooms.

It could be an open-plan living room or an incredibly long attic. You might use your basement as a large room to place speakers.

Best Speakers for Large Rooms

KEF LS50 Meta

KEF LS50 has been around for a long period now and is one of the oldest competitors in the segment of speakers for large rooms or areas. The only reason that has maintained the supremacy of KEF LS50 Meta is the quality of the speaker and the phenomenal sound it produces. It has made its contemporaries obsolete.

There has not been any major design overhaul in KEF LS50 Meta from its previous designs. Regardless of that, KEF LS50 still looks amazingly sleek with a cabinet-shaped design and curved front panel. The device is rather tough and sturdy, credit goes to the polyester resin and glass fiber material. The left-out area has been nicely covered to avoid any kind of irritating resonance.

Though the design has not changed much over the years, the audio quality has improved significantly to keep up with the cutthroat competition. The basic sonic character can be recognized easily which is a great advantage. Further, the sound coming out of KEF LS50 Meta is quite transparent and clear. You will have no trouble identifying the instruments in a particular track.

There are four classy colors available for KEF LS50 Meta. You can go for Mineral White, Carbon Black, Royal Blue, or Titanium Grey. The Royal Blue color is a special edition color.

The unmatched sound quality is due to the unique and revolutionary metamaterial technology that has been used to make these KEF LS50 Meta speakers. You won’t fuss or grumble over the tonality of the speaker. It is a satisfying feeling.

KEF LS50 Meta has been priced around $1400 which might seem pricey to the users. But, when you put it in comparison with other speakers for a large room or area, you will know immediately that the price is justified. With the stunning build quality and impeccable sound, KEF LS50 will last for years if you take proper care of the speakers.

Pros

• You will hear each beat and all the instruments, thanks to the Sonic Transparency feature
• Tough build quality that is guaranteed to last for a decade
• Metamaterial technology is a revolution

Cons

• Pricey compared to other speakers

Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio System

The brand Sony has been a synonym for quality for years and it has kept up the good work in the audio sector with incredible headphones and speakers. The Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system is among those unmatched speakers which are designed for large areas or rooms. It offers powerful audio with crystal clear clarity.

With the Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system, you are bound to get multidimensional sound output. So, you can either use it in a horizontal mode or a vertical fashion. The sensors provided on the Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system will adjust the sound for either of the modes automatically.

The Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system sounds good and there is no doubt about it. But, things go beyond normal with the “Extra Bass” feature. This adds a layer of deep and solid bass to the sound output. This will surely live up to the expectations of rocking a large room or area. The “Live Sound” feature is another incredible feature that essentially creates a 3D sound effect (in both vertical and horizontal mode).

To sum up, in a single statement, the Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system can be labeled as a ball of fire when it comes to sound energy and that is what the user seeks to bring a large room to life. But, if you are more into acoustics and soft melodies, the Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system is the best speaker for you.

The Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system creates a colorful ambiance resembling a nightclub as it comes with LED lights which are placed in the front of the speakers. There is a party written all over it. The design is nothing special and it comes with a clean look. The back panel has all the input ports.

The Sony XB72 High Power Home Audio system can be purchased at a price of around $350 which is quite pocket-friendly, given the quality of sound it produces.

Pros

• The sound quality doesn’t distort at high volumes
• The bass is extra rich and deep
• LED lights are functional

Cons

• There is no remote control provided
• The live music mode renders some of the genres as hollow

SOUNDBOKS 2

Soundboks 2 is the best speaker that we have for large rooms or areas if you want a wireless speaker. The one quality of Soundboks 2 that stand out is its loudness and it is quite necessary for a large room or area filled with lots of people. So, if you are trying to find a smart speaker that can fill a large room with clear sound, Soundboks 2 Bluetooth speaker might be worth considering.

The loudness is not the only thing that Soundboks 2 boasts of. You will be equally impressed by the clear sound and the quality bass that won’t fade away with the increasing loudness. Soundboks 2 produces incredibly powerful sound output, credit goes to the dual 10 inches drivers which are designed to create a low-end response. If you are into EDM, you won’t be disappointed by the chunky bass sound offered by Soundboks 2.

Talking about the design, Soundboks 2 is quite simple and minimalist to look at. It is similar to a Sci-fi movie device as there are no buttons to press. You will get a knob that will control the volume. The buttons are provided in the back, thus leaving the front in one piece with a clean design.

For around $1000, Soundboks 2 is quite sturdy. This can be a logical investment if you want the best of both worlds viz. Good sound and smart features.

Pros

• The design is an eye candy
• Loud sound and powerful bass
• Battery life is good
• Wireless connection

Cons

• Given that Soundboks 2 is a wireless smart speaker, you cannot connect more that one Soundboks 2 together.

Marshall Woburn II

Marshall Woburn II is quite ubiquitous on social media due to its aesthetics and unique design. Chances are that your favorite celebrity has snapped at least one photo with the speaker in the frame and posted it on Instagram or Snapchat. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Marshall Woburn II is the speaker of millennials and Gen Z.

The Marshall Woburn II might look small in size but it is powerful enough to blow the roof of a large room with its incredible sound output. The Marshall Woburn II speaker is quite customizable as per your preference of music and genre. The Five band app can be used with the bass and knobs to get that sweet sound configuration as per your liking.

Marshall Woburn II will surprise you if you play it in flat mode with jazz and acoustic tracks. But, the real strength of the Marshall Woburn II comes into play when you play an EDM track on it. You need to be careful with the volume levels as it can go insanely high and even damage your hearing. With the accompanying loud bass, Marshall Woburn II is a rockstar and the life of the party.

The bass on Marshall Woburn II is unbeatable and you won’t be able to find a match to it. Further, the high notes on Marshall Woburn II will sound so dreamy that you might play your favorite track on a loop.

Talking about the looks, the Marshall Woburn II looks like an antique piece, straight out of the past which makes it insanely cool. It has a faded look of an amplifier but it is sure to stand out in a crowd and be an interesting topic to talk about. To add more, the leather strap is quite pleasing to the eyes. The minimalist front panel with a “Marshall”  logo gives it a clean look. The back panel has all the controls and looks mundane. But, I am quite sure you won’t have time to notice that as you will be awestruck by the beauty of its front panel.

The Marshall Woburn II will cost you around $855 which is on the pricier side. But, a speaker that cuts no corners and provides all top-notch quality is bound to cost some extra dough.

Pros

• The sound is outstanding and the bass is impactful
• The aesthetic is a showstopper
• In-app equalizer
• The bass and treble are adjustable
• Both highs and lows are pretty clear

Cons

• The price makes it a premium device which makes it impossible to buy for budget users
• All the accessories need to be purchased separately including the aux cable.
• The back panel could have been much better

Wharfedale Evo

The new design of speakers might be pleasing to the eyes but the classic old ones are still caramel to the ears. One of such classic and yet best speakers is the Wharfedale Evo. If you are looking for one of the best standing speakers that creates the best sound design in a spacious room or area, your search ends here with the Wharfedale Evo.

With insanely crisp audio quality on the Wharfedale Evo, you will be hearing each instrument in a music track very precisely. The modern market competitors for the Wharfedale Evo might be more suitable for modern music like EDM with punchy bass but when it comes to filling a large room with incredibly loud and clear sound, the Wharfedale Evo is second to none.

The build of the Wharfedale Evo is nothing fancy and comes in a simple design. It is a tall speaker that is nicely supported by a case that comes with a bullet-shaped bottom. The case is made up of high-quality wood which gives the Wharfedale Evo a classic look. Further, there are pleats inside the Wharfedale Evo speaker that creates sound waves.

You can get your hands on the Wharfedale Evo at a premium price of around $2000. So, if you are not too tight on a budget and looking for a speaker that accomplishes all the goals of a large speaker for a large room, you can go with the Wharfedale Evo.

Pros

• The design is quite minimalistic with a sturdy finish
• The sound is loud and clear
• Great for all genres of music like jazz, acoustic, and EDM

Cons

• The price is quite high and thus not affordable for everyone

How big of a room do you need for 7.1 surround sound?

A 7.1 Surround Sound speaker system consists of 8 speaker units which are –

• A front left speaker
• A front right speaker
• Front center
• Surround right
• Surround right
• 2 rear surround speakers
• The main speaker with all the controls

To get full advantage of the 7.1 surround sound home theatre system, you need to have space behind the listener’s position so that the rear surround sound speakers can be placed in an optimal position. If you lack enough space behind the listening area, there is no sense in placing speakers in the rear end as the sound won’t be able to transpire properly to the listener to create a surround sound feeling.

So, speaking in terms of room size, if your room is larger than 350 square feet, you can consider a 7.1 surround sound system. If the size of the room is smaller than 350 square feet, you can opt for a 5.1 surround sound system.

Also, it should be taken into consideration that too many hard surfaces in the room like tables, desks, glass cabinets, and tile flooring will distort or ruin the sound by multiple reflections. But, surfaces like bookshelves, couches, and carpeting that are soft will absorb the reflections and keep the integrity of the sound intact.

Do bigger speakers sound better?

Size matters when it comes to speakers. Bigger speakers are better than the smaller ones as they can go louder without breaking or distorting the sound and create a more deep and more solid bass.

So, in order to get that deep bass feel and rock the room or enjoy a movie with theatre-like sound, bigger speakers are the choice as smaller speakers will fail terribly.

What is better 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround sound?

With the 5.1 channel surround sound system. You get the simplest setup for surround sound. This comprises a central speaker that will output the sound from the source and is placed above or below the source (screen if connected to the TV). Further, a pair of left and right front speakers will output the movie score and sound effects. Finally, a pair of rear left and right sounds will provide you with added effects. Finally, the subwoofer will output the deep bass to get that explosion sound right. So, 5.1 means, 5 speakers with one subwoofer.

With a 6.1-channel surround sound system, a central rear speaker is added to provide more detail and a sense of immersion to the listener.

Finally, with 7.1 channels, there are two central rear speakers provided. This creates a fully immersive experience as if the room is filled with the sound from each nook and corner.

To decide, which one sounds better, there are different factors that come into play and the size of the room is the major one. If the size of your room is small (less than 350 square feet), there is no point in investing in a 6.1 or 7.1 channel system as the rear central speakers won’t be able to act to their full potential. Given an optimal room size, a 7.1 surround sound system is better any day and is the current standard for movies.