Courtesy of http://www.sounddistributors.com/productlist.asp?crid=243&pcrid=40&cat_name=Klipsch+Home+Theater+Systems
When looking at speakers, you look at the number of channels and how loud it can get.
Channels:
The number of channels indicates how many speakers there are so a 2.1 channel setup has two speakers, a 5.1 channel has 5 speakers, and a 7.1 has 7 speakers.
Obviously the more speakers, the better surround sound you get, in other words, more sounds coming at you from different directions.
Usually a 2.1 channel is fine since the music is directed at you, but for watching movies, 5.1 or higher is better for the surround sound effect
Loudness:
The loudness of a speaker is measured in Watts. The louder a speaker can get, the more watts it has listed.
Monitor/TV speakers usually only output 3-10 watts which is fine for someone sitting up to 20 feet away.
Home theater systems, typically 5.1 or 7.1, are 100 watts and up, designed for larger rooms, aka a theater
Other Parts:
you may also notice that home speaker systems also require a subwoofer and sometimes an a/v receiver.
What do these do?
The subwoofer is to pump out more bass, since the other normal speakers=satellites, pump out more treble. Don’t worry about these terms. Just know having a subwoofer will make the music sound more balanced.
The A/V receiver is used to process the signal from the source=cd/dvd/bluray/cablebox/computer. It is needed when having a 5.1/7.1 system since the sound needs to be divided up between the speakers, since not all of the speakers are playing the same thing. This is done to give it a more realistic surround sound effect. Also, DVDs are at 480p resolution not 1080p like blurays and since most High Definition TVs are at 1080p or 720p, look at my TV thread for details on resolution, a a/v receiver must convert the signal upward or downward depending on the TV. Of course, TVs can do this anyways since they have to be able to play anything, but this can lead to noticeable lag.
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