You only have to venture into a hi-fi and home theatre store to realise that the range of speaker packages available today is huge, and quite often overwhelming. Satellite speakers, bookshelf speakers, wall-mount speakers, floorstanding speakers, in-ceiling speakers…how the hell do you choose what is right for you and your home? How do you sort out the performers from the pretenders?

These are important questions, because speakers, in conjunction with room acoustics, make up the most critical part of a stereo or home theatre system. Why? Because they have by far the largest effect on the overall sound of the system, compared to the other system components.

To assist you in choosing the correct speaker package for your needs, we have put together what we believe to be some of the best performing packages available at the moment. The packages have been grouped into various price categories to suit a range of budgets, with an overview of each category also being provided.

Our goal here is to give you a good idea of the quality speaker packages currently available at various price points, and we will endeavor to update these package suggestions as new and improved solutions are released. Keep in mind that these speaker packages serve as a guide only, and may not necessarily suit your particular needs. Some suggestions have been made at the end of several individual package reviews, outlining alternatives to the set package that may be more suitable to your individual situation.

In light of what has been written above, we always suggest that you come into our store if possible so we can discuss with you what you require in a speaker package. For those of you who cannot make it into our store, the packages listed below can function as a reference point – you can then ring or email us and we will be more than happy to discuss and suggest a solution for you.

This article focuses on speaker packages only. We have intentionally not included any A/V Receiver or amplifier suggestions in this article, as there are many factors to consider, besides the speakers you are powering, when deciding which amplifier to purchase. Sometime in the future we’ll compile an article on selecting the correct amplifier.

The prices quoted for the speaker packages are RRP, however you will often find that ‘go’ pricing will place individual packages into a lower price bracket.

The following reviews often refer to room sizes, so below is an indication of the room size we are referring to:

Small room: up to ~ 16m²

Medium room: ~17m² to 30m²

Large room: ~ 35m² +

One last thing. When auditioning and choosing between speaker packages, don’t let the process be a stressful one, and don’t take things too seriously. Enjoy the experience and remember to take the most important listening tool with you – your ears. We can guide you in the right direction, but in the end you must choose the package you prefer, as you will be living with the speakers, not us.

If you are on a limited budget or this is your first foray into home theatre/hifi, the speaker packages below are a great place to start. They are an affordable way to get into home theatre and surround sound, offering very decent ‘bang for the buck’. The packages in this category are best suited to small and medium sized rooms, such as bedrooms, the study, or a small rumpus room.

Package includes:

Suitable for small and medium size rooms, the Gale HT405.1 is a great starter package if you’re new to the home cinema game, or wish to have a second surround sound speaker package in another room. The HT405.1's 5 satellite speakers are compact 60 Watt 2-way designs that are magnetically shielded. They come packaged with brackets for wall mounting, and the brackets allow swiveling of the speakers left and right for better positioning. The compact subwoofer sports an 8" driver that fires downwards.

Having only recently had a good listen to this package, and when packaged with a basic amplifier from Yamaha or Sherwood, the little Gales will blow away any home-theatre-in-a-box system up to $1,200. In fact, during listening sessions the HT405.1outperformed another 5.1 speaker package from a very well respected manufacturer that cost several hundred dollars more (hence this other package does not appear in this article!).

The main characteristic that sets this system apart from other affordable speaker packages is the detail that’s delivered through such compact enclosures, and unlike most small satellite systems, the HT405.1 can handle relatively high volume levels without sounding distorted and un-listenable. They also perform surprisingly well for music – sure, they lack a little in the mid-range, but any compact satellite package does.

The compact 65 Watt (don’t laugh) subwoofer also packs a decent punch for its size, and musical performance exceeds expectations considering the price. It’s no room shaker, but the bass it does produce is clear and tight. It’s also small enough to be hidden away behind the couch or under a coffee table.

TIP: If you’re initially disappointed with the amount of bass, placing your subwoofer in the corner will amplify the bass output.

→ RRP: $999 (we currently have limited stocks at $499)

→ Colours: Silver

→ Review: http://ws1.richersounds.com/static/Gale%20HT405.1.pdf#search='gale%20ht405.1'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Package includes:

4 x Slim-line Tower Speakers

Slim-line Centre Speaker

Subwoofer

Speaker Wire

The Welling Saturn package contains four silver slim-line tower speakers rated at 90 Watts, and are used as the front and rear speakers. The freestanding towers at the rear negate the need to wall mount or stand mount rear speakers. The centre speaker is a matching 70 Watt slim-line unit, while the subwoofer contains a 100 Watt amplifier with dual 6" drivers. The Welling Saturn Package presents an involving experience that is similar to the Gale HT405.1 above, however the Gales have a slight edge when it comes to music.

The subwoofer included in the Welling Saturn Package produces a large amount of bass, more so than the Gale HT405.1. This comes as no surprise as it is physically larger and more powerful, giving cannonball fire in the battle scenes of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World greater weight and impact. The Saturn package is modern in its styling and provides great movie performance considering its price. It will perform well in a small or medium size room.

→ RRP: $1,499 (we currently have limited stocks at $699)

→ Colours: Silver