Loudspeakers.(Gift Guide)(audio)(Cover Story)(Buyers Guide)

Whether you want to create a superb home-theater setup or upgrade your stereo sound, speakers are a key determinant of overall audio quality.

Many small, relatively low-priced speakers now reproduce sound about as accurately as bigger, floor-standing speakers, even in the deepest bass frequencies--long a weak point for smaller speakers. Some speakers are being sold as six-piece systems--matched sets that include all the speakers you need for a full home-theater setup.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Here are the major speaker types:

Bookshelf speakers. These can serve as the main speakers of a stereo system or, in a home-theater arrangement, as the front or rear-surround speakers. Used singly, speakers that are relatively compact and are magnetically shielded so that they won't interfere with the TV picture can also serve as the center-channel speaker (which is typically mounted above the set).

Floor-standing speakers. Though similar to bookshelf models in range and purpose, their larger size all but precludes use as surround or center speakers.

Three-piece systems. Also called satellite/ subwoofer systems, these add a subwoofer to a pair of satellite speakers that handle the higher and midrange tones. While part of the intent is to achieve better control over the bass, our tests don't show them to have any particular advantage over bookshelf speakers in bass handling. What you do get are left and right speakers that typically are more compact--though they have more wires you need to hide.