Choosing speakers for the room you actually have
The right speakers depend on your room as much as your taste. Here is how to weigh size, placement and power.
28 October 2026 · By Alpha Audio
Start with the room
Speakers and rooms work as a pair. The same model can sound full in one space and boomy or thin in another, so measure length, width and ceiling height before you shop.
Think in volume, not just floor area. A large space asks more of a speaker, while a small room can be overwhelmed by bass.
Surfaces count too. Hard floors, glass and bare walls tend to make a room sound bright. Rugs, curtains and soft furniture calm it down.
Floorstanding, bookshelf or in-wall
Floorstanding speakers have larger cabinets, so they tend to reach lower and fill bigger rooms with less effort. They are also a bigger presence in the room.
Bookshelf speakers suit small and medium rooms. Despite the name, they usually sound best on solid stands rather than inside a shelf.
In-wall speakers stay largely out of sight, which suits rooms where clean lines come first. They are best planned during a refit and depend on careful installation.
Be honest about placement
Close to a wall or in a corner, bass builds up and can turn heavy and indistinct. Start with the speakers a little way out, then move them until the bass sounds right.
As a rule of thumb, sit about as far from the speakers as they are from each other, with the tweeters near ear height.
If your room will not let them stand clear of the wall, look at speakers designed to sit close to one.
Match the amplifier
Speakers and amplifiers have to suit each other. A more sensitive speaker plays louder for the same power, so it asks less of the amplifier. Impedance, given in ohms, describes the load, and a lower impedance is generally harder to drive.
An amplifier with power in reserve usually sounds more relaxed than a small one pushed hard. If you already own one, note its model first.
Listen before you buy
Specifications narrow the field, but listening settles it. Bring your own music, including a quiet recording and a busy one, because familiar tracks make differences easier to hear.
Listen at the level you use at home, and ask which pair you would keep playing, not which one impresses first.
Room measurements and a few photos help our staff advise you on choosing and installing a system. When you are ready, bring your music and come and listen in our showroom.