Set a price range for yourself. Speakers can range from $10 for a pair to more than $500,000 so it is important to set a budget to work within to help you chose your speakers accordingly. It is best to narrow your search before actually rating the options within the price range. If you include all speakers you will get high ratings for things you can't afford and may be superfluous to your needs.
Choose how many speakers you will be getting. There are surround-sound speaker sets that come in groups of five or more that you arrange all around your room. This gives you a bass-heavy sound from all directions. For music listening you may chose to get surround sound, but alternately, more traditional speaker pairs may be more appropriate and cost effective.
Measure your room so you know what area you need to fill with the sound. Different speakers are designed for different sized rooms so make sure you know where the speakers will be going and how far apart from each other they'll be. Also take note of how high the ceilings are and what the walls are made of since speakers react differently with different materials and are designed to perform best in certain sized areas. This causes a change in the overall sound quality.
Look at the specifics of the speakers that remain in your narrowed search. Look at how many Watts a speaker has, this will tell you how loud it can get. Also look at the 'speaker cone' and the make of the cabinet that holds the speakers. Don't buy speakers made of cheap materials and chose something that you like aesthetically. Ensure you talk to professionals on staff; they will listen to your specific situation and needs and likely help you narrow down the options even further.
Listen to each of the speakers you have narrowed your search to in order to see how they sound to you. If possible, bring in a sample of the kind of material you will be listening to -- a CD or a DVD of your favorite movie -- in order to play it on the speakers in the store to see how it sounds to you.
Rate the speakers by using the information you have gathered. Use three basic categories to best rate the speakers: cost, construction and sound or amplification. Rate the speakers you've narrowed your search down to and give them a score between 1 and 5 for each of the three categories. Whichever ranks the highest out of the possible 15 points is the speaker set that's right for you.