Audio equipment: how to choose good sound and buy it well
Good sound starts with the place and the purpose
Before you look at models, ask yourself where and how you will listen. Headphones for the metro, a speaker for a picnic and speakers for the living room are different jobs. For a room, its size matters and whether you can play loud in the evening. For travel, noise cancelling and battery life matter.
The second point is the source. If you listen from a phone, wireless gear is handy. If you have a turntable or a PC, you need inputs and an amplifier.
Main kinds of audio equipment
- Personal listening. Headphones: in-ear, on-ear or over-ear, open or closed back, microphone, codecs. Also MP3 players, if you want to listen without your phone.
- Home sound. Speaker systems (2.0, 2.1, 5.1), amplifiers and receivers, music systems.
- Analogue sound. CD players and turntables: belt or direct drive, cartridge, whether there is a phono stage.
- Portable and car. Portable speakers (water resistance, battery life, power), boomboxes and radios.
What to write in your request
The more specific you are, the better the replies:
- purpose: where you will listen and to what;
- connection: Bluetooth, AUX, USB, optical input, HDMI ARC;
- power and size: for a room or for outdoors;
- condition: new, used, refurbished;
- brand or model, if you have already picked one;
- city and delivery, and your budget if you want to share it.
How to choose audio through BlaBlaPrice
You create a request once, and sellers of audio equipment reply in the chat with their own offers. They state the model, price, what's in the box, timing and warranty. BlaBlaPrice shows the best offer by value first, and reviews help you judge the seller. Sellers see their place among the others and often improve their terms.
Your phone number is not shown to everyone: only the seller you choose gets your contacts. How it works is explained on the “How it works” page.
How to compare and what to avoid
You can't compare sound by numbers, but some specs are worth relying on: impedance and sensitivity, frequency range, and RMS power instead of “peak” power. Check that the speakers' impedance suits the amplifier.
Always inspect used speakers: cones, surrounds, terminals. Fake headphones of famous brands are common, so ask for photos of the box and serial number. A typical mistake is to pair a powerful amplifier with weak speakers or the other way round.
New, used or vintage
In audio, used gear makes sense: old amplifiers, turntables and speakers often sound better than modern budget models. But age means wear. For amplifiers, ask about the condition of the capacitors and potentiometers. For turntables, ask about the cartridge and belt. For speakers, ask about the cones and surrounds.
New gear gives you a warranty and modern interfaces. If you want both, ask for offers from both segments in your request and compare them side by side.
If you can, listen to speakers or headphones with tracks you know. If that isn't possible, agree on a return in case of a defect.
Finally, find out whether you need a cable, a remote or a separate power adapter. Used gear often lacks these small things, and they are hard to find later.
