Level Up Your Sound System

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wirecutter Show – "Level Up Your Sound System"

Episode Overview In the April 23, 2025 episode of The Wirecutter Show titled "Level Up Your Sound System," hosts Christine Cyr Clisset and Kyra Blackwell, alongside producer Rosie Guerin, delve into the world of audio equipment. This episode is tailored for both novice listeners looking to enhance their home sound systems without breaking the bank and audiophiles seeking deeper insights into speaker selection and optimization. Special guest Brent Butterworth, Wirecutter’s senior writer on audio devices, joins the conversation to offer expert advice, practical tips, and address common misconceptions about audio setups.

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1. Introduction to Upgrading Your Sound System (00:37 – 03:33)

The episode opens with Rosie Guerin sharing her personal experience of seeking a new speaker setup for her apartment to accommodate her family's love for dancing. Frustrated with her current single-speaker system, she expresses interest in exploring connected systems like Sonos but is concerned about cost and complexity.

Notable Quote:

Christine Cyr Clisset (02:06): "But you don't have to. No, I actually we did. We bought some speakers this year and we got some for under 200. It was really great paired set."

This sets the stage for a discussion on affordable yet high-quality speaker options available to listeners.

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2. The Speaker Testing Process (05:03 – 08:14)

Brent Butterworth elaborates on Wirecutter’s rigorous speaker testing methodology. He emphasizes the importance of both objective measurements and subjective listening panels in evaluating speaker quality.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (05:34): "We get in as many products as we can, we give them a listen and weed out the ones that we know people aren't going to like."

Brent highlights "Tracy Chapman’s 'Fast Car'" as the premier song for testing speaker quality due to its comprehensive frequency range.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (08:38): "Tracy Chapman, Fast Car is generally regarded by audio scientists who have proven this in testing as the best song for evaluating audio equipment."

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3. Understanding Speaker Categories (11:50 – 19:32)

Brent breaks down the various types of speakers available, from basic Bluetooth speakers to advanced bookshelf and stereo systems.

• Bluetooth Speakers: Portable, often waterproof, ranging from budget-friendly ($20) to premium prices.

  Example Picks:

  • JBL Go4 for its durability and sound quality at around $40-$50.

• Stereo and Computer Speakers: Wired options that offer superior sound quality with built-in amplifiers.

  Example Picks:

  • Polk Speakers priced at approximately $230 a pair.
  • Teufeld TEUFE Speakers for a balanced audio experience with added bass.

Brent emphasizes the significance of bass in audio enjoyment, noting that "bass wins" in most speaker evaluations.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (18:50): "People like bass because it's kind of visceral, kind of gets you moving a little bit."

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4. Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi Speakers (25:11 – 28:22)

The discussion transitions to the differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers, highlighting the pros and cons of each connectivity type.

• Bluetooth Speakers:

  • Simpler connectivity without the need for additional apps.
  • Limited range and typically support pairing within the same brand.

• Wi-Fi Speakers:

  • Allow multi-room synchronization and integration with home networks.
  • Require specific apps and can be more finicky.

Brent introduces emerging technology Auracast, a subset of Bluetooth that enables streaming to multiple devices simultaneously, enhancing the flexibility of wireless audio setups.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (32:16): "Auracast lets you stream from your phone to the host speaker, then you can put 10, 50, 100. They can be of all different brands so you don't have to match them."

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5. Common Mistakes in Speaker Setup (29:06 – 32:07)

Brent identifies typical errors users make when setting up their audio systems:

• Speaker Placement:

  • Proximity to walls can exaggerate bass, leading to boomy sounds.
  • Ensuring equidistant placement from the listener for optimal stereo imaging.

• Balancing Controls:

  • Overusing bass and treble knobs can distort sound quality.
  • Starting with flat responses (both controls centered) is recommended for natural sound.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (29:06): "They don't pay attention to where they put the speakers. The closer the speaker is to a wall, the more it's going to reinforce all of the sound, especially the bass."

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6. Emerging Technologies and Future Trends (32:16 – 33:34)

The conversation shifts to innovative developments in audio technology, notably Auracast. Brent discusses its potential to revolutionize wireless audio streaming by allowing multiple connections across diverse speaker brands, enhancing user flexibility.

Notable Quote:

Brent Butterworth (32:16): "It's happening and I have experimented with it some, but it’s still going to be at a primitive stage for I think another year."

This indicates that while promising, some technologies are still in their nascent stages and may require a few more years to mature.

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7. Lightning Round: Quick Insights (33:48 – 34:47)

In a rapid-fire segment, Brent shares his preferences and recommendations:

• Indoor Concert or Outdoor Music Festival?
  Brent: "So hard. But I'm a jazz guy, so indoor."

• Subwoofer: Essential or Overhyped Essential?
  Brent: "If you are watching movies or you're into hip hop, maybe heavy rock, EDM, stuff like that."

• Which Sounds Better, CD or Vinyl?
  Brent: "I listen to vinyl sometimes because it's fun, but I listen to digital. I listen to, you know, MP3s a lot."

• One Speaker Brand He Wishes More People Knew About:
  Brent: "Mica."

• Desert Island Album:
  Brent: "By the 70s Progressive rock group Yes."

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8. Final Tips and Takeaways (35:12 – 37:03)

As the episode concludes, the hosts and Brent summarize the key takeaways:

• Affordable Upgrades: Starting with Bluetooth speakers and gradually moving to wired systems can significantly enhance sound quality.

  Example Path:

  1. Begin with a paired Bluetooth speaker setup for stereo sound.
  2. Upgrade to computer or bookshelf speakers with built-in amps for better bass and clarity.
  3. Consider Wi-Fi systems like Sonos or alternatives for a synchronized multi-room experience.

• Speaker Placement and Adjustment: Proper placement and maintaining balanced bass and treble settings are crucial for optimal audio performance.

• Emerging Technologies: Stay informed about new audio technologies like Auracast, which promise more versatile and expansive wireless connectivity.

Notable Quote:

Christine Cyr Clisset (35:12): "I really love his tip about pairing Bluetooth speakers. That really blew my mind."

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Conclusion

This episode of The Wirecutter Show serves as an invaluable guide for anyone looking to enhance their home audio systems. From understanding the basics of speaker types and connectivity options to avoiding common setup mistakes and exploring future technologies, Brent Butterworth provides expert insights that empower listeners to make informed decisions. Whether you're a casual music lover or a dedicated audiophile, the advice shared in this episode offers practical steps to elevate your sound experience without overspending.

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Additional Resources: For more detailed reviews and recommendations on the speakers discussed, visit Wirecutter's website or check the show notes for direct links to the products featured in this episode.

Transcript

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[Brent Butterworth]

Tracy Chapman fast car is generally regarded by audio scientists who have proven this in testing as the best song for evaluating audio equipment.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'm Rosie Garanta and you're listening to the Wirecutter show.

[Kyra Blackwell]

This episode is called level up your sound system. Hey team. Hi.

[Rosie Guerin]

I've been shopping for Shocking. No, it is. I have to say since starting to work here, I think I have shopped less. But I've actually, I've been shopping recently for a new speaker setup in my apartment.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Tell us more.

[Rosie Guerin]

You know, I'm a big. I'm indoctrinating my children in the sense that like we, we dance as often as possible. We dance through the decades, if not evening dance parties, certainly weekly. Their vibes are great. However, we only have one kind of main speaker in our living space. And so I've been thinking about maybe Sonos or maybe some kind of connected system.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Don't do it. Don't do the Sonos, Christina. The Sonos.

[Rosie Guerin]

Don't be suckered into it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I just find it kind of problematic.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, that's the thing. I'm kind of like, I, I don't quite know what my options are and I know that Wirecutter has done a lot of coverage on speakers and I would like something great, something that like is gonna sound great in our space, but I also really don't wanna spend that much money.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But you don't have to.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

No, I actually we did. We bought some speakers this year and we got some for under 200. It was really great paired set. But yeah, we kind of had gone through this similar situation, Rosie, where we had like same something in our living room, something in our kitchen. Nothing connected. And it was like kind of annoying, right? Like you want to be able to turn on the music and have it like pumping.

[Rosie Guerin]

Right? Yeah, we have. I've like, I cobbled together or I've collected maybe is A better way to put it. Like these little Bluetooth speakers that I can sort of put around the house. But it's time for an upgrade.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. There's just so many options and sometimes you need a guide. Right. And we do have a guide here at Wirecutter. Not just like a written guide with recommendations, but a physical person who can actually walk human being in our little journey through speaker world. So we're going to have Brent Butterworth on the show today. He is our senior writer who covers audio devices and he has literally decades of experience testing speakers specifically and all kinds of audio equipment. And he's also a musician, so, you know, he has a very high bar for good audio. And I think what's lovely about this episode today is he has some really great advice about how to find great speakers that won't cost you a lot.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Or almost free things that you can do to kind of upgrade the speaker system that you already have.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That's right. So if you've got like a couple Bluetooth speakers hanging out in your house, he can kind of like give you some hot tips for how to make them better.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. I'm really excited to talk to Brent.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So after the break, we will chat with Brent. We'll be right back.

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[Rosie Guerin]

Podcast is supported by Sierra.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Please hold.

[Brent Butterworth]

Estimated wait time is 25 minutes.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back. With us now is Brent Butterworth, who's a senior staff writer covering audio devices, musical instruments and recording gear for Wirecutter. Brent's been reviewing audio gear since the 90s and he's worked as a testing consultant for some of the world's largest audio companies. He's A huge music fan who plays upright bass, ukulele guitar, and records some of his own music. Brent, welcome.

[Brent Butterworth]

Thank you. It's so nice to be here.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Brent, before we jump in, I want you to tell us a little bit about how you test speakers. Paint us a picture of how you.

[Brent Butterworth]

Do this as much as possible. I think the sort of standard procedure that we do that me and Lauren Dragon, who's our headphone editor do is is we get in as many products as we can, we give them a listen and weed out the ones that we know people aren't going to like. I mean, because there's going to be some.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Some duds. There's always duds.

[Brent Butterworth]

Some poor products that just aren't going to make it. And then we narrow it down and then we bring in listeners and get second opinions because people have different opinions about audio.

[Kyra Blackwell]

You know, it's very subjective.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah, yeah. One of the really key things is it's good if you have, if it's not people that are really super hardcore audio people, if you have what they call in scientific testing, a low anchor, and that's one that, can I say sucks.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, I can say that.

[Brent Butterworth]

Where people can go, oh, okay, that one's bad. So at least I know that one's bad. And then they kind of relax and they can judge the rest of them.

[Rosie Guerin]

So what are you asking your listening panel to look for, Brent?

[Brent Butterworth]

The key thing, I think for most people that's the easiest to evaluate is voice quality. Because we listen to voices all day long every day. You know, does the singer sound natural or do they sound excessively boomy or do they sound excessively, you know, sibilant or whatever. That's what gets people comfortable is if they can listen to the voice, then they can start listening to the instruments. And then, you know, if they're more into audio, like if they're musicians, I can start to ask them about distortion and sometimes they'll bring that up. And distortion is when things start to sound unnatural. Like, you know, we've all heard that. If you hear like really cheap little speakers and things like that, you know, the classic example is the drive thru speaker at, you know, Taco Bell or.

[Rosie Guerin]

Wherever that sounds like it's underwater.

[Brent Butterworth]

I'm not picking on Taco Bell. They're pretty much all bad.

[Rosie Guerin]

Are you often going to get distortion at louder volume?

[Brent Butterworth]

Almost always, yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

So are you cranking these speakers up when you're testing?

[Brent Butterworth]

I do both. I actually, I crank them all up. I have a. There's a ZZ Top Track that was produced by Rick Rubin, who was notorious for really loud recordings that I play, and I measure them with a sound level meter, and I crank them up as loud as they'll go, and I measure that sound level. And then for my listening test, though, I usually bring it down to a kind of normal level. Like, you know, yesterday we were just testing record players at wirecutter, you know, turntables with built in speakers. And we started with everything at match levels and, you know, normal, moderate listening levels. And we did all that, but then we turned everything up full blast to see what it would do. And that changed some people's minds because some of these things would play really loud and some of them wouldn't.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I got to sit in on your record player testing yesterday, which was really fun. I didn't know that you were doing that. And I was just in the office, which is great. And you played Beyonce. You played Led Zeppelin.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And who was the last? It was a country singer.

[Brent Butterworth]

It was Steve Earle.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Steve Earle. And it was all amazing. You really could hear the difference in the sound qualities, especially based on the genre of music. We were wondering if you have a favorite song to play when you're testing speakers.

[Brent Butterworth]

Tracy Chapman. Fast Car is generally regarded by audio scientists who have proven this in testing as the best song for evaluating audio equipment.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, so I went to go buy my stereo system that I have now. He only played Bohemian Rhapsody because he said the same thing. He was like, this is the best song to listen to. If you're testing the quality of speakers.

[Brent Butterworth]

It'S not great song. Not so great for testing speakers.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Well, what is it about this Tracy Chapman song song that makes it so awesome?

[Brent Butterworth]

The more the song sort of fills up the frequency band, the better it is. So it has some bass in it, you know, some like bass guitar. And then it has acoustic guitar, which is real kind of a lot of high frequency and delicate. And you can hear if the acoustic guitar sounds bad. You know, it'll sound muffled or it'll sound kind of grating or somewhere in between. And then you can hear her voice, and the way her voice is recorded on that is really clear. But a lot of speakers start to make it sound kind of distant or kind of a little bit like she's singing in a cardboard box or something like that. So I put that on with a speaker and it's just like, nope. Or maybe I get a $30 speaker. I'm like, oh, that's a good speaker. You know, you can tell so much. And once you get Used to doing this, you can tell so much in about 32nd.

[Rosie Guerin]

All right, so, Brent, I'm guessing the majority of people in your professional life are deep into the topic of audio. This episode is not necessarily gonna be for them. Today is for the curious novice. So those of us kind of looking to take our indoor or outdoor audio setup to the next level, ideally without breaking the bank. If I come to you for advice, what questions are you gonna ask me in order to lead me in the right direction? Before I make a purchase, I usually.

[Brent Butterworth]

Ask how much money they want to spend. Then I can, you know, some people are like, you know, no more than $30. Okay. And now where I'm at with that, a lot of people are just like, you know, whatever I have to to get good sound. And I start to ask them what kind of music they listen to. Because some kind of music, if they're, you know, jazz and classical fans, they don't need deep bass, right? They can get by with some fairly small speakers. If they're listening to a lot of hip hop or EDM or something, they need something with more bass. Otherwise, some of the music is just going to disappear. And then where are they going to put the speakers? Are they going to put it in a bedroom? Are they going to put it in a big, giant living room? Do they want to have dinner parties? Do they want to have. I mean, people sometimes have. I can't conceive of this, but sometimes people have dance parties in their homes. Oh, hell, yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. Why is that so inconceivable?

[Brent Butterworth]

We sit at home and close our eyes and listen very intently.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Seriously.

[Brent Butterworth]

But, you know, it depends on, do they want to use it outside? A lot of people want to use their stuff outside, in which case it probably needs to be waterproof to some degree. I usually just start talking to them about what they're going to do with the speaker.

[Rosie Guerin]

If you're thinking about sound systems, then what are the categories that are available?

[Brent Butterworth]

Okay, the big one, I think, for most people nowadays is a wireless speaker, and that can be a Bluetooth speaker. You know, it can be anything from the little things you buy for, you know, $20 up to about $1,500. But usually they're small and they're portable and they're waterproof to some degree. And you hook them up to your phone and you play whatever. And some of them sound great, some of them don't. The next step up from there is going to be probably a pair of stereo speakers, which could be like what we call computer Speakers that you put on your desktop or maybe on a bookshelf or something. And they're pretty small, but, you know, a lot of them sound really, really good. Then you go up to what we call bookshelf speakers, which is a bigger. Probably want to put them on a stand or something because they're. A lot of them are kind of big. And that's when you start to really get into serious, high quality sound. At a lot of the bookshelf speakers for. We have a pair in there for 400 bucks. It's been a top pick for probably five years. And oh, they sound so good. They're just really, really, it's. You'd have to really spend a lot of money to beat them.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And these bookcase speakers and the computer speakers, these are generally ones that are wired right. Like you're going to plug them in, they'll have a wire coming out of them. Or are there ones like that that are also kind of portable and you can move them around without being plugged in?

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah, they're usually wired. You plug them into the wall, you Bluetooth into them, you wi fi into them. Some of them you can hook up a record player, some of them you can hook your TV to them, all sorts of stuff.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What is the difference, in your opinion, between a great Bluetooth speaker and a bad one?

[Brent Butterworth]

The fundamental thing is you put it on with Tracy Chapman fast car and it sounds good. So it's the voice clarity. And a lot of them, they don't have that between you. And the speaker is like a lot of plastic grills sometimes, and sometimes that kind of rattles. And there's a lot of electronics. All of these have like digital sound processing inside them. And they can make bad decisions when tuning that. They can make good decisions. And so it's just how natural it sounds. But then as you get into a lot of the really tiny ones, you've probably heard, they don't have any bass.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Brent Butterworth]

So there's a tune by Audrey Nuna called Damn right that starts with like, you know, and you play that on those little Bluetooth speakers and it's like the tune hasn't started. You're like, what happened to the tune? Because you cannot hear that bass. It just filters it out because it knows it can't do it right.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So when you're playing a song and you're like, I feel like the song started five seconds ago, but I'm not hearing anything. It's probably your speaker.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yes. So with a lot of these things, they just can't do it. And you know, there's one that's one of our top picks called the JBL Go4. It's maybe 40 or $50. It's the size of, if anybody remembers cigarette packs. It's like a. It's kind of like a thick cigarette pack but they come in cute colors. You could probably throw it across the room and it wouldn't break. And you could dunk it in a meter of water and it won't break. And it actually sounds, you know, classical jazz. You know, I put on my jazz stuff in the morning and it sounds good. I listen to it all the time. And a lot of wire cutter staffers have bought that same speaker and love it. But then you get into the bigger ones and I think our. We have like a hundred dollar pick. It's got the Fender logo on it. You know, like the people that make the guitars and the guitar amps.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Brent Butterworth]

It's actually made by a German company called Teufeld T E U F E L And it sounds really good. It's actually got some bass. You can play hip hop stuff on it or something and it's not going to shake your floor but you won't feel like you're missing the music and it sounds really clean.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I think that most people just use one Bluetooth speaker at a time. But you told us something when we were preparing for this episode that surprised and delighted me that you can actually pair Bluetooth speakers, which I later that day told my husband. And we did it. We did it with our budget pick from Tribit and it was great. Tell us more. How do you know if you can pair Bluetooth speakers?

[Brent Butterworth]

Almost all of the ones made in the last four or five years can be paired. That's if you have the same speaker from the same company. There's usually a button on it that allows you to pair it. And you have to look in the manual because they all pair a little differently. Some of them you have to go into an app to pair it. You compare them for stereo so you get like a bigger sound. Some of them, you compare them in mono so they both have the same sound. So you can put one in another room. I like to have sound on my back patio and sound in my kitchen, which is, you know, right next to my back patio.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And for stereo sound, what would be the difference in what I would hear if I paired these speakers in stereo versus mono?

[Brent Butterworth]

So stereo came out in the late 50s and it, you know, you have a separate left speaker and a right speaker and so the music Producers will pan some of the sounds to the left and some of the sounds to the right. Usually the vocals will be in the middle and you might put the guitar a little to the left. And if you have a drum kit, you might kind of spread it from left to right so it sounds more like a drum, a full set of drums in front of you, rather than just a bunch of drums kind of crammed into one little tight space. So it sounds more like an actual band on stage. And mono, everything comes out of one speaker. And so it's the same. Even if you have two speakers paired, it's the same. You know, in mono, it's the same sound coming out of both speakers. And it's fine. It's not like you're going to suddenly hate whatever band you like because they're a mono. But if you want a big, more exciting, more spacious sound, you're going to want stereo. And that's one thing, that one Bluetooth speaker. So you pair the two in stereo and you put them six feet apart and you put yourself in between the two so you're kind of getting an equal balance of the two. And then you get this sort of big enveloping sound. If you're in the right place, it sounds like there's a band in the room.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We've covered a solid Bluetooth speaker situation. What happens if you want to graduate beyond that? What do you suggest is the next step up?

[Brent Butterworth]

The computer speakers that we have, they range from little things that you might just plug into your laptop to get louder sound out of your laptop, to things that you would actually use for sort of low end music production. So a little bit more serious of a speaker. But usually those will have amplifiers. Well, I think they all have amplifiers built in, all the ones that we pick now. And so you plug them into your computer, you Bluetooth into them from your phone. Some of them, some of them you can hook up a record player. Those will have usually like a separate woofer for the bass and then a tweeter for the high frequencies. So they'll sound clearer in the, you know, cymbals and acoustic guitars and voices will sound clearer, but then those kind of low frequency, you know, boom, boom, boom, things will start to sound a lot fuller and more satisfying. And those of us who do brand concealed audio tests have a saying, bass wins. If your product has more bass, it's probably going to win. If your product's bass deficient, it's probably going to lose.

[Rosie Guerin]

Why is that?

[Brent Butterworth]

People like bass.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's fun.

[Brent Butterworth]

I mean, To a point. I don't like it when I'm hearing a lot of bass from my neighbors or when I hear one car going down the road with loud bass. But people like bass because it's kind of visceral, kind of gets you moving a little bit. Nobody dances to a violin. I guess you could. Technically, you know, the bass is what gives you the pulse and the rhythm of the tune. So if you don't have any bass, you kind of are missing a big giant chunk of the tune.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, so we've talked about the basic Bluetooth and now we've talked about a little bit more complicated speakers. Are wired speakers the next step up the classic two speaker system? And if so, why would somebody choose to do that to themselves?

[Brent Butterworth]

It will sound better, as they say, you will hear what the artist intended because every record that you've heard was mixed on two stereo speakers like that. And they can be wireless in terms of Bluetooth or WI Fi. They all plug into the wall. In most cases, you'll have a wire connecting the two speakers. You may have an amplifier for them. There's all sorts of different configurations, but generally speaking, that is going to be the best sound and it's going to be, you know, what the artist intended. For average use. You can buy our bookshelf speaker picks. So we have a Polk in there. I think it's 230 a pair. They sound really, really, really good.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I want to talk about the amps a little bit more because it's a word that just keeps popping up. And a lot of people may not really know what an amp is or what it does. Can you just explain what stereo amps are, what they do, and why people will probably need one for a two speaker system?

[Brent Butterworth]

Basically what an amplifier does is, you know, the signal that comes out of your bluet from your phone or maybe your record player or maybe you have a CD player. Those are kind of coming back. Any of those signals, you know, it's like really kind of low voltage. It's like a volt or something. It's like not much, like really weak. And it's enough maybe to drive a set of headphones, but it's not enough to push speakers back and forth. You know, you got a big cone, you got to move back and forth. You got to move a lot of air, as they say. So the amplifier just basically boosts that signal that comes out of whatever your source is, your record player or your phone or whatever. And so it boosts it to the point where it can drive a set of speakers. But with normal speakers like those Polks I talked about, any amp will drive those. You can buy a 20$30amp off Amazon and it will drive those and actually sound okay.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, Brent, I just want to pause for a moment because we've talked about a lot of different types of speakers and it would just help me personally to be able to run through the options. So if you are wanting to just kind of dip your toes into getting like a basic sound system, the most affordable and accessible option would be to start at a Bluetooth speaker. You could get one, you could get two if you want to pair them and do stereo sound. Okay. Next, go for two speakers.

[Brent Butterworth]

Right.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And you have a couple of options there. You could go with small computer speakers which have a built in amp so you don't have to buy an extra amp. They're pretty affordable, they sound pretty good. If you want to go up from there, you would get bigger bookshelf speakers and some of those have an amp built in and some you have to buy a separate amp. Right, right.

[Brent Butterworth]

If you're more of a serious music listener, I would definitely go with the two speakers. Absolutely, positively. But any of the two speaker options is going to be good for you.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're going to take a quick break and then when we come back, we'll talk about the most common mistakes people make with their audio equipment. Be right back.

[Rosie Guerin]

This podcast is supported by Sierra.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Please hold.

[Brent Butterworth]

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[Christine Cyrclassette]

Welcome back. This episode we're talking all about speakers and the things you can do to upgrade the audio equipment in your home. So Brent, you mentioned earlier we were talking about how you can really jump up in quality of sound when you get two speakers. Especially if you're getting these wired speakers. Maybe they're either computer speakers or bookshelf speakers, these larger ones. I am personally kind of intimidated by shopping for speakers. It kind of my brain shuts off a little bit. But I am curious. We talked a little bit about price before, but what do you think people should expect to pay to get something good in the category of wired speakers?

[Brent Butterworth]

Okay, those Polk ones, the Polk ones you mentioned earlier, those are 230 a pair, and then you'll need an amp, but, you know, almost any amp will work. We have a budget pick, though, from a company called Mica M. I. C C A. I think those are about 100 a pair. And I was just using them the other day with the WIM amplifier, and I was like, oh, these things sound really good. I was listening to one of my own recordings too, so I know what it's supposed to sound like, and they're shockingly good. So you can do that if you want. I think the Polks are a better place to start. They're going to have more bass, but I would recommend going up to 2 or 300 for your amp and then you're up to 500 bucks.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, that seems reasonable. Brent, where does something like Sonos fit into this, like, world of speakers? Is it like a computer speaker? Is it something else entirely?

[Brent Butterworth]

It's something else entirely. They kind of have the whole category of WI fi speakers to themselves. Lots of other speakers can do that, but they are the ones who really pioneered it. What the WI fi does for you is you can stream music into lots of different rooms of a house. You can put different Sonos speakers in different parts of your house, and they all synchronize so they all sound good. And the Sonos speakers themselves are actually, by and large, really good speakers.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Everyone I know who has a Sonos in the last couple years has done nothing but complain about their Sonos like they like the sound of it. But the app seems to be pretty glitchy. There seems to have been some quality control issues over the last last year or so. What are some other options in this category? Do you have to go with Sonos or if you want this sort of like, wireless experience where you can have the speakers all over the house? They're all connected. Maybe you have one that you can take outside. Is there another option out there besides Sonos?

[Brent Butterworth]

Absolutely. There's Apple AirPlay 2, which lets you do more or less the same thing. There's Google Chromecast, which lets you do more or less the same thing. Apple, AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast are available in a wide variety of speakers from different brands. Which Sonos, you know, is not. You know, the Amazon Alexa speakers can do the multi room thing too. You know, you can go buy those things for 40 bucks a pop or something like that, 50 bucks a pop, and you can sprinkle six of them around your house for almost nothing. And they'll all talk to each other and their app is pretty easy to use.

[Rosie Guerin]

And so for these streamers, Sonos, even Alexa, I apologize for anyone listening on a Spotlight.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

No.

[Rosie Guerin]

Are you going to get the option of listening to music in mono and in stereo for all of those?

[Brent Butterworth]

Yes. So you can pair those. So you can say, okay, I want one in my bedroom and one in my kitchen or whatever, right? Or you can say, I want two in my bedroom so I can sit in my bed and listen to stereo and just one in the kitchen. And you can actually configure them all within the apps, you know, there's, you know, Apple has their own thing and different companies like say JBL or a Bowers and Wilkins or somebody will have their own app that lets you configure everything.

[Rosie Guerin]

So, Brent, these two terms, Bluetooth speakers and wireless speakers, talk about the differences and what do we actually mean?

[Brent Butterworth]

So Bluetooth is a wireless technology. I think we've all, you know, Bluetoothed our phone into our earbuds or into our car or something, and you don't have a wire connecting them. There are other wireless technologies like WI Fi based technologies like Sonos, where the audio device is streaming wirelessly from your home network or maybe from your phone or your iPad or whatever. People also sometimes talk about wireless speakers as speakers that don't have any wires attached to them at all. A stereo pair of speakers probably has a wire connecting them so they can kind of talk to each other and then they have probably a wire somewhere that plugs them into the wall for power. So the only thing that's purely wireless is a portable Bluetooth speaker. No wires. And then once you go beyond that, you're going to be running into wires.

[Rosie Guerin]

Sorry, all Bluetooth is wireless, but not all wireless is referring to Bluetooth. Fair.

[Brent Butterworth]

Correct.

[Rosie Guerin]

What are the functional differences between connectivity via Bluetooth versus connectivity via WI Fi?

[Brent Butterworth]

Wi Fi requires an app, Bluetooth does not. So WI Fi is going to be more complicated, although usually it's not that.

[Rosie Guerin]

Bad, but more finicky.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And if your network goes down, you can't use it.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'm curious. What is the most common mistake you see people making with their audio equipment in general?

[Brent Butterworth]

They don't pay attention to where they put the speakers. There's two things you got to worry about with speakers. The first thing is the closer the speaker is to a wall or a desk or a floor or, you know, especially in a corner, the more it's going to reinforce all of the sound, especially the bass. So when you push speakers up against the wall, there's going to be a lot more bass, and that might be good, it might be bad. Big speaker, if you go up against the wall, it's probably going to sound really boomy. With a little speaker, like these little Bluetooth speakers, these little portables, they probably will sound better up against the wall. So you have that variable right there. So the more bass you want, move it closer to the wall. Also, with stereo, you need to have left and right to get it to work. And your head needs to be about the same distance from both speakers for it to work right. And I've seen a lot of people have stereos where they put the left speaker on top of the right speaker.

[Rosie Guerin]

Oh. Because it just looks so damn cool.

[Brent Butterworth]

You really need to put the stereo speakers equidistant from your ears, you know? And also, a lot of people will put the stereo speakers, put one kind of in the right place, and they'll put one, like, on a different wall, and that's going to sound not good. What we look for is what we call a center image. So if your head is the same distance between those two speakers, it's going to sound like there's a singer coming from between the speakers. We call that imaging. It's actually awesome once you hear it. But if you don't have your speakers placed right, you will not hear it.

[Rosie Guerin]

The bass and the treble knobs on. What am I meant to be doing with these? Because I noodle around with them based on the song and, like, what I'm trying to get out of it, but I really don't think that that is what I'm meant to be doing.

[Brent Butterworth]

Okay.

[Rosie Guerin]

Help me.

[Brent Butterworth]

Oh, boy. This is such a good question. I mean, there's the classic example. If you get in a rental car and you turn on the stereo and you find that the bass and treble are both turned all the way up. That's a common mistake people make. Generally. You should start with the bass and treble controls centered, and that's usually going to be what we call flat response. In other words, you're not boosting anything, you're not cutting anything. It should sound the most natural. So I normally recommend that people just leave those centered all the time. However, if you have speakers that maybe don't have quite enough bass, you can boost the bass a little bit. If you boost the bass too much, it's probably going to distort, but you can boost the bass a little bit. Or maybe your speakers sound too boomy. You turn the bass too down a little bit. Or maybe they sound kind of dull, as if someone's got like a, you know, singing through a blanket. You can boost the treble a little.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Bit and that'll just make it sound kind of like almost sharper or something.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah, sharper, that's a good word.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So my question is, how do you turn the treble and the bass down on your neighbor's speakers when they're too loud?

[Rosie Guerin]

Is there any technology you're excited about? Any emerging stuff that you're intrigued by?

[Brent Butterworth]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. There's a new thing coming out called auracast and it's kind of a subset of Bluetooth. So what AuraCast lets you do is you can stream, you know, normally with your phone you can stream to one or maybe two Bluetooth speakers. With this, you can scream stream to an unlimited number as long as they're within range of what we call the host speaker. So you stream from your phone to the host speaker, then you can put 10, 50, 100. Theoretically they can be of all different brands so you don't have to match them. And also it works with headphones.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, so you could have like for my kids, for instance, I am always annoyed because they each have Bluetooth headphones and I want them to be able to listen to the same music. We have to connect a separate phone to each headphone and that's annoying.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So you want to pair that.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'd love to be able to have them listen to the same like songs on both of their headphones.

[Brent Butterworth]

It's happening and I have experimented with it some, but it's still going to be at a primitive stage for I think another year. But then more people will have it. And I think it's going to be in every hearing aid in another probably two years. All the wireless earbuds. It'll probably be in those in two years, three years, it's going to be in every Bluetooth speaker in another probably two, three years.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, Brent. So sometimes we like to do a really quick paced lightning round at the end of our episodes to just get in those last Questions. So I don't want you to overthink any of these. Just say what comes to your mind. Indoor concert or outdoor music festival?

[Brent Butterworth]

So hard. But I'm a jazz guy, so indoor.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Subwoofer essential or overhyped essential.

[Brent Butterworth]

If you are watching movies or you're into hip hop, maybe heavy rock, edm, stuff like that.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Which sounds better, CD or vinyl?

[Brent Butterworth]

Oh, you're gonna get me in so much trouble here. You know, cd, I mean, I don't listen. I listen to vinyl sometimes because it's fun, but I listen to digital. I listen to, you know, MP3s a lot.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, I think this was a very controversial answer, but we'll take it. All right. The one speaker brand you wish more people knew about.

[Brent Butterworth]

Mica. The one I talked about. M I, C, C A. I can't say they're all great, but that one that we have. Oh, God, it's so good and it's so cheap.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Your Desert island album, the yes album.

[Brent Butterworth]

By the 70s Progressive rock group yes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Before we wrap, we usually ask our guests one final question. What's the last thing you bought that you've really loved?

[Brent Butterworth]

The wire cutter top pick for screwdrivers. It is really fabulous. It has, like, a whole bunch of bits built into it. So, like, every weird screw that you might want to access, you can pull the bit out and it. It's really, like, well built. Like, you can get a lot of torque and really get the screw in tight. And I'm building a new deck on my home right now, and this screwdriver is coming in very, very, very handy.

[Rosie Guerin]

Brent, thank you so much for joining us. This was really, really fun.

[Brent Butterworth]

Well, thanks for having me on. It's been great.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Speakers, Brent. So much information. Information, he said. I feel like I was the one lagging in this conversation. You two were, like, ahead with Brent, and I was kind of, like, behind, trying to, like, pick up the pieces and figure out all the details because I'm not an audiophile.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No, but you enjoy good music, good sound, and you got there.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I do. I just want someone else to think about it for me.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, I think Brent is that person. What did you take away from this?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So I really love his tip about pairing Bluetooth speakers. That really blew my mind. So that was very cool. And I will continue to pair my Bluetooth speakers at home to create stereo sound, which now I understand what that means.

[Kyra Blackwell]

They got deep.

[Rosie Guerin]

I love that. For me, I am very grateful for the final explanation of the differences between connectivity via Bluetooth and via WI fi and why you might opt for a speaker system that could connect via Bluetooth, maybe over WI fi. Because WI fi, as we know, can be a little fiddly. And so Bluetooth, at least right now, is, is more reliable in that sense. So I loved that. I also loved that Brent had the final word on the song to listen to, to check whether your speakers are great. Tracy Chapman, fast Car. That song truly can do anything.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I think my takeaway is that, you know, honestly, I got into stereo systems and speakers because of my dad. He really, like, taught me what good sound can be. But I think that I relied a little bit too much on him to like, tell me what these things do. So I'm going to go back and I'm going to actually read the manuals for all of the cases that I have and see what I've been missing out on.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, a whole world will open up, probably.

[Brent Butterworth]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Also good if you are looking to cure insomnia.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Sure. Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, if you want to find out more about Wirecutters coverage, any of Brent's reporting, or if you want to check out the products we recommended today, check out our website or you can find a link in the show notes. That is it for us, Christine. Kyra, my friend. See you next week.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Bye bye.

[Rosie Guerin]

Peace.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Mattie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Itup and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Christine Cyr. Clisette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Thanks for listening.

[Brent Butterworth]

Nobody dances to, you know, a violin. I guess you could technically. I think they did on the Titanic. Right in that movie. But that's all they had to work with and look what happened to them.