What are Bookshelf Speakers?
Don’t let the name deceive you, bookshelf speakers are loudspeakers that are made to be placed not only on a bookshelf, but even on any elevated surface. It is usually used for audio applications at home. That is for hearing music and for listening to the audio sound produced when watching any movie. One of the reasons they are preferred to floor standing speakers is because they do not take up much room space as these do.
Another reason is that they are more affordable when compared to the floor standing option. So when selecting speakers besides these two considerations of size and affordability, there are other factors that determine the best. Whether you are searching for the best bookshelf speakers of all time or the best hifi speakers of all time. Other major considerations that determine choice of the best include sound quality or performance, design or appearance and accessories among others.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $200
The list of the best bookshelf speakers you will find here may not interest every high-fidelity sound-loving individual, nevertheless, they are reliable. They might not be the best bookshelf speakers audiophile like. However, they are affordable. Consider them to fall under your list of the best budget bookshelf speakers.
The Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $200
If you want to get a new set of speakers for your home before settling for your choice in this under 200 category, pay attention to all the details provided. This includes getting to know the pros and the cons to determine what works best for you. Below are the best bookshelf speakers under 200.
JBL Arena 120
JBL is a brand consumers trust for delivering durable and high quality products when it comes to the audio equipment market. The Arena 120 is no different with a good design for a product that is made in two finishing colors of black and white depending on the one that agrees with the room that you wish to place it in. Specs include detachable grilles, 2-way crossover channel, frequency response of 100 – 40000 Hz, High Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide technology among others.
Even if the JBL Arena 120 sells for more than $300, it would still be a great buy considering the features that it comes with. For this reason, you should buy it even if it is listed in the best bookshelf speakers under 400.
Pros
- A functional beautiful visual design
- Superb audio performance considering the price range under which this bookshelf speaker falls under
Con
- Lacks additional details, but this is a minor issue
Polk Audio TSi100
This is a small speaker that comes in a sleek black and a glowing, woody cherry colors. Its enclosure is made entirely of well braced and a very solid MDF. It produces a good bass sound considering its small size and the price for this bookshelf speaker. For the treble sound, the TSi100s really performs well with a fantastic tone that is clear and pleasant to the ears. Other features of this Polk Audio speaker includes: a 2-way crossover channel, one driver, wired connectivity technology, a 2500Hz crossover frequency, et al.
You should get Polk Audio TSi100 as it also falls within the category of the best bookshelf speakers under 150 at its current price.
Pros:
- Great design that comes in two wonderful options to allow for customization
- An exceptional treble response
Con:
- The bass sound underperforms sometimes
Klipsch RB-10
Klipsch RB-10 was one of the best bookshelf speakers under 100 reddit. It was popular on this web content rating website several months back when it was sold for below $100 due to a sales promo. This compact bookshelf high performance speaker does not take up space. It makes use of a horn-loaded tweeter. The design of this horn ensures good production with very clear “front row” sound. Other features of this bookshelf speaker are: vinyl woodgrain finish, left / right channel speakers, bass reflex, woofer driver, single driver, a wired connectivity technology, etc.
Pros:
- Compact size makes it possible for it to fit in practically anywhere
- Great sound production for its size
Con:
- Bass production is somewhat disappointing
Klipsch R-15M
First thing that you notice with the Klipsch R-15M when you see one is its attractive appearance. Quality MDF inside black vinyl was used in making this speaker. Each speaker has an 80 Watts capacity output with peak performance limited to 340 Watts. It also comes with a 90 x 90 Tractrix horn. Some of the other features of the R-15M is that it has both tweeter and woofer drivers, bass reflex, detachable grilles, 2-way crossover channel and 62 – 24000 Hz frequency response. In fact, Klipsch R-15M is a speaker that has a tiny bit of everything.
Pros:
- A great design for the price it is being sold for
- Effective Tractrix horn
- A balanced performance that cuts across all sectors
Con:
- Flat low-end response
Presonus Ceres C3.5BT
It is a decent bookshelf speaker with a simple design. Measuring approximately 8.5 inches in height, 5.5 inches width and a 6.5 inches depth, the Presonus Ceres C3.5BT is a reasonably compact speaker. One of its unique features is the Bluetooth technology that comes with it. Most controls that the C3.5BT has are placed at the speaker’s front. Overall power limit per speaker is fixed at 25 Watts delivered by a built-in amplifier. Thus, making it an active bookshelf speaker. It is one of the best active bookshelf speakers for the under $200 price range.
Pros:
- Simple and beautiful cabinet design
- Some great features at this price
Con:
- Underpowered bass driver
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
This is a simple designed bookshelf speaker with MDF made cabinets that lack any specific baffle in front. What it lacks in design is compensated for with size. It is a compact speaker. This is especially so when the Pioneer is compared with immediate competition. The SP-BS22-LR is made to perform. Its 6 element complex crossover allows it to deliver easy transition between trebles, mids including lows. Another feature it has is a curved shaped cabinet design that breaks standing sound inside the cabinet.
The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR receives popular mention on Reddit to the extent that you can find it listed under the best bookshelf speakers under 300 reddit.
Pro:
- Compact, but still delivers quality home-theater sound
Con:
- Lacks audiophile control
Behringer MS40
Behringer as a brand is known for making mostly affordable audio gear. In fact, none of their products will probably be listed in the best bookshelf speakers under 2000. Therefore, it is not surprising that the MS40 is a set of decent monitor speakers. The design of this speaker is pure standard. Made with plain MDF, the cabinets look just okay, with baffles that are rather subtle. One feature that stands out for this active speaker are the 2.5″ unit tweeters, which provide clarity. Two ports in the front rather than at the rear end makes positioning of the MS40 a lot easier since you don’t need to careful doing this.
Pros:
- Simple design that aids positioning
- Good performance regarding frequency range
Con:
- Quality control is questionable
Edifier R1700BT
A classical stylish finish is the design of the Edifier R1700BT. It is an active speaker with a hifi, which the Edifier brand is known for. The port of this speaker is placed in front with each of the two active speakers delivering 15 Watts RMS. One of the nice features of the R1700BT speakers is that they are completely Bluetooth enabled and have a remote control that you can use to change input or adjust volume without getting up. The speakers provide a well-rounded sound performance with clarity and warmth. You can also connect these speakers to just about every mobile device.
The R1700BT was even reviewed and listed as among the best bookshelf speakers 2017 online. Generally, this speaker is a good buy for its price.
Pros:
- Highly versatile
- Provides convenience
- Excellent design and remote control
Con:
- Auto-pairing of Bluetooth with other devices without permission
BIC America DV62si
The appearance of the BIC America DV62si is such that you would think that it sells for more than $200. Based on this look it is even possible to think that this speaker falls into the category of the best bookshelf speakers under 1000. No wonder you will find it listed among the best budget speakers online. It offers real value regarding this. BIC America made use of nice panels plus reasonably durable vinyl in creating the cabinets for this speaker.
Sound performance of the DV62si is great. This speaker contains wonderful hardware. Other features include: frequency range of 43 – 20000 Hz, crossover frequency of 3500Hz, mid/woofer driver including tweeter driver, etc.
Pros:
- Very impressive look and body
- Great set of hardware included
- Good sound performance
Con:
- Tweeters can be better
Elac Debut B5 Series
Elac is an audio equipment brand that has been in existence for almost 100 years. It is known for creating products that exceed expectations at an affordable rate. Although it does not necessarily look the part, the Elac Debut B5 performs far better than speakers that fall within the same price range. Dual flared vent that is typical of every Elac speaker ensures great sound production by reducing unwanted noise. The sound this device produces is precise, well-balanced and detailed. It should make your list of the best bookshelf speakers 2018.
Pros:
- A generic design that is clean with some nice touches
- Wonderful audio that exceed expectations
- Versatile ability of the speaker
Con:
- Sound produced is a bit low
Klipsch R-14M Bookshelf Speaker
The R-14M Bookshelf Speaker delivers pleasant, detailed highs through the horn-loaded tweeter that the Klipsch brand is known for. A 4″ woofer produces powerful mid-range including solid bass response. This speaker is small having a height of 9.75 inches, width of 5.88 inches and a depth of 7.5 inches. Horn technology is the 90*90 tractrix combined with an aluminum tweeter to produce very efficient sound.
Pros:
- Five year warranty from date of purchase
- Uncommon bass reflex port
- Tractrix horn technology that produces natural sound
Con:
- Additional subwoofer might be required for more bases
Yamaha NS-6490
The size of the NS-6490 might make you think you are getting one of the best bookshelf speakers under 500 2017. Although this size is for a good reason as Yamaha NS-6490 comes with three grilles that remind one of some vintage designs. It also has a big woofer cone at 8 m, mid-range driver at 4 m, and tweeter driver at .875 m. The NS-6490 works nominal input power of 70 Watts, while maximum input comes to 140 Watts. Sound performance is good with this three-way speaker producing super bright trebles, well-balanced middles plus tangible bass.
Pros:
- Great quality build
- Three-way speaker that is affordable and delivers
Con:
- Space challenge for anyone with a small space available
M-Audio AV42 Compact Studio Monitor Speakers
Buying monitor speakers is no longer an afterthought. This is why audio manufacturers now produce them for clients who seek devices that integrate the connectivity and capability of computer speakers with the greater power of stronger boxes. They focus of the M-Audio AV42 is audio visual usage. This includes among others music playback, watching movies plus of course producing music. It is a bigger version of an initial version (AV32).
Although the AV42 is considered to produce raw sound, trebles are balanced and tight with mid-ranges considered the best of the lot. It also comes with a headphone output that one may use to work privately.
Pros:
- It is flexible
- Compatible with different devices including computer and tablet
Con:
- It is considered heavy by some at 7.6 lbs
Fluance Signature Series HiFi
Home theater per excellence is one of the ways to describe the Fluance Signature Series HiFi Two-way Bookshelf Speaker. It is a Home Theater and Music Systems speaker that delivers great sound. This hifi speaker will not fall within the category of the best bookshelf speakers under 100 2017 or even in 2018 unless there is a sales promo since such speakers for now do not come with an hifi addition. Its Neodymium tweeters, which are ultra-high end deliver high frequencies effortlessly. The tweeters convey the finest details of your movie.
Pros:
- Manufacturer’s lifetime support including warranty
- High-quality components used in making speaker that deliver superior sound
Con:
- Weak bass
Cerwin Vega XD5 Active Studio Monitors
Cerwin Vega XD5 is an active speaker that is completely capable of producing overall clear, reasonable bass plus lower distortion. This speaker is made of solid MDF wood with measurements of 10.25″ (height), 7.25″ (width) and 9.25 (depth) with no cables attached. It will fully combine with your whole sound arrangement plus outboard accessories. The XD5, which is one of the best active bookshelf speakers under 300 is able to handle various inputs, like switching your source from a computer to more portable gears such as phones, iPods, etc.
Pros:
- The speakers are well packed from manufacturer
- Clean solid appearance
- Automatically powers down immediately after an audio signal loss
Con:
- The high frequencies are dull
Definitive Technology ProMonitor 1000 Bookshelf Speaker
This affordable bookshelf speaker in spite of the 1000 included in its name, which might get one confused on how much it sells for wears a beautiful, unique round synthetic design. This particular design may not appeal to everyone, but it is a bold effort to stand-out by Definitive Technology. Frequency range for the ProMonitor 1000 speaker is from 47Hz to 30,000Hz. Also, this product comes with the brand’s magnetic shielding solutions, which means issues may arise when it is placed close to another electronic device. Other features of this bookshelf includes low-frequency radiators that actually deliver.
Pros:
- Performance is okay across the range
- Low-frequency radiators do work
Con:
- Interference possible when placed close to another electronic equipment
Conclusion
The best bookshelf speakers under 1000 2017 will have more features and deliver better sound than the ones on this list. However, before deciding for any speaker as stated in the opening, there are factors to consider. This is more so, if you want appropriate sound production. A major factor regarding this that has not been mentioned earlier is room size.
For bigger rooms, you will need floor standing options. You may find the one that fits your budget by searching for the best floor standing speakers under 1000. This is so because floor standing speakers cost more since they usually have more drivers and are bigger than bookshelf speakers. You may equally search for the best bookshelf speakers under 500 reddit for better options regarding the bookshelf speaker of your choice.