Best Bookshelf Speakers for Real Stereo Listening Experience

Samuel J Tan Entertainment, Home & Kitchen, Speakers 0

Bluetooth speakers are great but in order to enjoy real spatial stereo, one would need a pair of these book shelf speakers and an amplifier. We take a look at your best options for the sweetest and greatest listening experience.

Most Bluetooth speakers are designed as a single unit with both left and right channels in the same compartment with some using merging the stereo signal to drive a single full range speaker. This allows it to be compact and portable, be it cylindrical, boxed or rectangular.

As the sound is driven from a single source, the drivers are designed to be fired from a single source. Even where dual speakers are used, these are located right next to each other. They take away the spatial effect you get from using a dedicated right and left channel. Here we explore 10 of the best book shelf speakers for the best listening pleasure with real spatial sound stage.

Table of Contents

Passive Speakers vs Active Speakers

Note that, these speakers are not active speakers and will need to be powered by a suitably powerful and high fidelity amplifier for good sound reproduction. They also do not connect to Bluetooth on their own and will need to be wired to the left and right speaker outputs from an amplifier. They are known simply as passive speakers.

If you are looking for speakers you can connect to your source directly be it the smartphone, player, USB flash drive or CD player, you want active speakers. These are speakers that will amplify the source signal with its built-in amplifier. Modern active speakers come with built-in Bluetooth connectivity, USB port and auxiliary analogue input. A good example of active speakers are the range of Edifier book shelf speakers.

Surround Sound for Home Theater System

These passive stereo speakers are also suitable for home entertainment system. Connect them to an AV receiver to complete your 5.1 surround or 7.1 Dolby Atmos surround sound system. They are great as front and/or satellite speakers for 3D audio imaging. Some of these are small enough to mount on the wall and with a closed enclosure design, it can be placed really close to the wall without effecting its performance.

Top 8 Best Bookshelf Speakers for Real Stereo Listening Experience

Here are some of the best highly rated book shelf and home theater speakers.

Let’s take a closer look.

1. Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speakers

The two-way speakers feature 1-inch aluminium tweeter in a 90 x 90 square Tractrix Horn. But what is more impressive is the 4-inch spun-copper woofer and rear firing bass reflex port in each. The R-41M works well as a bookshelf speaker pair as well as for home theater. It has a polished modern appearance, the Tractix Horns and Spun Copper Woofers will definitely turn heads and be great talking points. Additionally, the speaker can handle up to 200 Watt of power.

Dimensions: 11.3″ x 5.75″ x 7.9″

2. Jamo S 803 Bookshelf Speakers

Available in three colours; black, walnut and white (shown below), the Jamo S 803 is another two ways speaker pair. The S 803 from the Studio 8 series caters is part of the Dolby Atmos ready theater speaker system. The S803 is the bookshelf speaker system has a chick industrial look with the use of contemporary material and finish. The speakers come with front firing tube port for versatility in placement be it against the wall, in the cabinets or mounted. It offers an enhanced and cleaner bass response. Together with WaveGuide technology, the speakers produce high frequency sound for dynamic rull range. Each speaker is capable of handing up to 80W of power.

Frequency Response: 57Hz – 26kHz (+/- 3dB)

3. Sony SSCS5 3-Way Bookshelf Speaker System

The only three-way bookshelf speaker in our line-up, the Sony SSCS5 is also part of a home theater system from the CS-series. The 3 way speaker bass-reflex system includes a 5.25-inch foamed Mica Cellular Reinforced Woofer, 1-inch Polyester Main Tweeter and 3/4-inch Sony Super Tweeter. That’s not all, Sony includes an optimised crossover component for clear audio path and together, offers immersive sound staging and up to 100W power handling. Lastly, the Sony CS5 is rear ported.

Simply put, these speakers are solid, well-made, and have an incredibly warm and accurate sound. They can easily compete with speakers up to the $500 price range, well compete is not the word… blow the doors off speakers in that price range is more like it.

Dimensions: 7 1/8″ x 13 1/4″ x 8 3/4″

4. Polk Audio T15 100 Watt Home Theater Bookshelf Speakers

The Polk Audio T5 is driven by a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 5.25-inch Dynamic Balance Driver each. Together they produce a natural, well-balanced sound with massive bass even at the lowest frequencies. The speakers are front ported. This allows for them to be wall-mounted or placed right up the wall or in an enclosed book shelf. In other words, these are flexible speakers that work well as front left and right speakers as well as surround or rear speakers in a home theater setup pumping out crystal clear vocals and detailed audio. Other Polk Audio in the T-series are T50 Tower Speakers, T30 center channel and subwoofer. The speakers can handle up to 100 Watts each. The Polk T15 from the T-series is the affordable option from Polk Audio’s range of speakers.

Frequency Response: 60Hz-24kHz

5. Klipsch R-15M Bookshelf Speakers

The second Klipsch bookshelf speaker pair in our line-up is just as exciting as the first one. These also features the shiny copper-spun woofers measuring 5.25-inch and 1-inch aluminium linear travel suspension horn-loaded tweeter. These are wrapped in a brushed black polymer veneer cabinet. The reference R-15M monitor speakers may be small and minimalist but packs a big punch. Just so you know, these are rear ported for bass-reflex and therefore not wall-mountable. Also, the maximum power handling is 85W versus 200W on the higher R-41M. What we are most excited about is the use of the 90×90 Tractrix Horn technology and aluminium tweeters to deliver amazing high-end responses.

Dimensions: 12.5″ H x 7” W x 8.11″ D

6. ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers

The front ported ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 uses a wide-dispersion waveguide 1-inch tweeter and a woven 6.5-inch Aramid-Fiber woofer. This extends the frequency response to 35kHz from 44Hz. In the power department, it is capable of handling up to a maximum of 120W. With front firing port, the ELAC Debut speakers overcome the problems associated with having the speaker close to the wall. A slightly smaller version, the B5.2 with a smaller 5.24-inch woofer is also available mirroring ELAC’s tower speaker offerings, the F5.2 and F6.2. And, if you are looking to complete your surround sound system, consider the Debut 2.0 OW4.2 on-wall speakers.

Dimensions: 7.09″ x 13.43″ x 9.21″

7. Acoustic Audio AA321B 400 Watts Bookshelf Pair – SUPER COMPACT

Small, affordable and wall-mountable speakers, we would only recommend these if you are truly stuff for space. The 2.5-inch Polypropylene full range woofer in each speaker is all you get. It works well as surround sound for home theater or multiroom systems. Maximum power handling is rated at 200W each.

Dimensions: (H x W x D) is 3.5″ X 3.5″ X 4.5″

8. AVX Audio 6.5-inch Bookshelf Speaker Speakers

Last but not lease, another affordable speaker pair but this time is the bigger AVX Audio with a huge 6.5-inch Polypropylene Woofers. It features a custom tuned bass reflex port that is also front facing and an accomplished 1-inch silk dome tweeter in each cabinet. As bookshelf speakers go, these not only sound good but looks the part. Finally, power handling is rated at a respectable 80W RMS for your typical 45Hz to 22kHz frequency response.