Speaker advise: Help decipher this for me.

[Planterz]

Up front I'll say I know nearly nothing about speakers. Most of the numbers are gibberish to me.

I'm getting a new DiscMan for around-the-town tunes, but I want to get a couple speakers with it to use at work (rather than lugging a boombox around, which is nearly impossible on a bicycle).

I've narrowed it down to 2 models, this,, and this.

So, the cheaper ones are rated at 10W, the more expensive ones are 6 watts, but with 7 watts amplified, or something like that. WTF does this mean?

Which'll be louder, without being distorted? The more expensive ones have a lower frequency response, so I assume the bass will be better.

Note, I'm not looking for Bose or Klipsh quality. I need something loud, but clear, to be used in a noisy (loud pizza oven) environment.

Thanks.

 

[A.W.U.K.]

If you can, listen to them, then decide.

There are lots of ways of defining wattage, and it's no indication of quality in a speaker, anyway.

The most important part is the amplifier that is built into the speakers. In order to produce a reasonable volume of undistorted sound, the amplifier must contain a fair-sized transformer. Transformers are heavy. Pick 'em up and see how heavy.

Andrew.

 

[SDDLUP]

Since you're looking for high end speakers I'd also suggest you look at Polk Audio and Altec Lansing, both are very nice. Bose are nice but they just sound very different from most other speakers, I'm not saying bad but just very different. My guess is that you'll really like the Bose, or you will really like the way the others sound. Ahhh yes, the good old days when I could afford $1,500 speakers!