Direct Radiating Speakers
These speakers have drivers on the front of the enclosure, and are the most common design out there. They are the de facto standard of the speaker industry, and capable of producing a stunningly accurate sound stage.

Reflecting Speakers
Using multiple drivers on the front and back, these speakers produce a larger sound field than a direct radiating speaker, but at the cost of less accurate sound.

Subwoofers
These big boxes make the biggest impact on your system than any other speaker. Nothing can replace the visceral impact these things bring to the party.

Satellites
These systems use tiny speakers matched up to a subwoofer to produce the same sound of larger speakers. This design is great for tight spaces, and tends to be very "spouse-friendly".

THX
These sound qualities of these speakers are structured around the THX specification. While they sound great for surround sound audio, 2-channel music lovers should probably stray away.