Trying to define today’s audio listener is like trying pin down a single reason why the Gibson Les Paul sounds just as good in the hands of a rock guitarist like Slash, as it does for fusion cats like Al Di Meola or blues-based guys like Warren Haynes.

Similarly, music enthusiasts have more options than ever to achieve audio nirvana, with CDs, digital audio files, multichannel home theater, vinyl, SACD, DVDAudio and Blu-ray formats among listeners’ libraries.

The end point in the electronics chain that reaches listeners’ ears is arguably the most recognizable category: loudspeakers. At this point it’s no state secret that the loudspeaker industry has undergone a major facelift in terms of how the products are designed and presented to the public.

The loudspeaker community’s efforts to revamp how its goods fit into the modern consumer electronics landscape can be seen in the variety of products available: floorstanding speakers, powered subwoofers, bookshelf speakers, on-wall speakers, active speakers and desktop computer speakers. This doesn’t account for architectural speakers, which we showcased in CE Pro August 2011.

Download this guide for a sample of what’s going on in freestanding speakers.