Speaker & headphone how-tos

  • Subwoofer set-up guide

    15 May 2008 3:31 PM

    Merely buying a great subwoofer is no guarantee you'll wind up with great bass — properly setting it up in your home is crucial. This guide will tell you how to get the most from your subwoofer.

  • How to make your music sound better

    14 Mar 2008 10:28 AM

    From noise-cancelling headphones to software tweaks, we show you how to get the most out of your music -- and highlight some must-have products for tune lovers.

  • How does a speaker work?

    06 Jun 2007 5:38 PM

    CNET explains the jargon behind the conventional loudspeaker, with a quick guide on the anatomy of this important home theatre component.

  • How to set-up your home theatre speakers

    21 May 2007 2:51 PM

    You don't have to be an electrician or an acoustics expert to get great surround sound from your home theatre system. Just follow the steps in this tutorial to set-up your home theatre speakers for optimum sound.

  • How to set up a subwoofer

    27 Apr 2006 2:17 PM

    Take our easy-to-follow procedures to integrate your powered subwoofer into a component-level home theatre system.

  • CNET.com.au's quick guide to surround sound formats

    04 Aug 2005 5:02 PM

    Everything you need to know about surround sound formats, explained by our experts -- now including the upcoming Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD formats.

  • Calibrate your surround sound

    20 Jul 2005 6:04 PM

    As no two home theatre rooms are exactly alike, setting up a system for optimal sound can be a real challenge. But now we're increasingly seeing clever automated audio calibration systems to help eliminate the hassle of an audio setup routine.

  • DIY: Vinyl resurrection - Turn LPs and tapes into digital media files

    26 May 2005 3:43 PM

    The Andrews Sisters and Black Sabbath deserve to be heard. Follow our guide to digitising your dusty records and cassettes, and you can put your old turntable on eBay.

  • Surround sound buying guide

    12 Aug 2004 4:33 PM

    If you're feeling surrounded by questions instead of ambient sound, you've come to the right place. We have suggestions on how to shop for everything surround, from receivers to speakers to full home-theatre systems.

  • DIY: 10 tips for better home theatre sound

    26 Jul 2004 8:55 AM

    We've assembled this checklist to help you quickly improve the sound of your home-theatre system.

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Reviews

  • Bose SoundDock 10

    While it's expensive and isn't loaded with features, the Bose SoundDock 10 is classy looking and sounds excellent for a compact iPod/iPhone speaker.

    Specs: ipod speakers

  • Logitech G330

    The G330 may not sound great, but it's certainly one of the most comfortable headphones around.

    Specs: Headphones

  • Altec Lansing Mix iMT800

    The design of Altec Lansing's Mix iMT800 may not appeal to everyone, but its winning combination of good performance, lots of oomph and portability makes it one of the best iPod speaker options out there.