Speakers come in different sizes and technologies. Here we’re going to look at smaller loudspeakers commonly referred to as bookshelf or stand mount speakers. They are speakers usually under 15-inches tall and under eight-inches wide. To sound their best, they sit on stable stands and take up the same footprint as a tower speaker. Advantages a stand mount offer are that they are physically smaller, lighter, and much easier to move or store away. They are also easier to sell due to shipping costs. Sonically they appear to “disappear” thus offering a better soundstage and image. They throw out a wider and deeper soundstage and pinpoint imaging. Nothing is definite so this isn’t always the case.
The major advantage of a stand mount speaker is the cost. It’s much easier to enter the high-end game by purchasing a bookshelf speaker versus a large tower. The speaker enclosure itself can be half of the manufacturing expense. Typically, there are fewer drivers in a bookshelf lowering the production costs.
For true full-range sound, subwoofers are almost required. Some tower speakers also require subwoofers to reach those lower octaves. Subwoofers add to the cost and can be a challenge to place and set up properly. Full-range sound isn’t always essential as a good bookshelf speaker will cover 80-100% depending on the song and volume level. Personally, I tend to favor the smaller overachieving speaker and I’m not sure why. Good stands are a must and you should expect to spend $300-$600 on quality stands. Some manufacturers make custom stands for their speakers like Bowers & Wilkens and KEF, both with models on our recommended list.
Recommending Methodology
AV Whiz’s recommended components are currently available either from brick-and-mortar or online. Qualifications for our recommended products, manufacturers must demonstrate the capacity to provide customer support. If I learn that a product is very difficult to get either due to backorders or too few retailers. The purpose of our recommended lists is to help consumers interested in the audio and visual market, especially those looking to purchase new gear. Products not listed were never reviewed by us, reviewed negatively, or can’t be recommended due to poor company standards. We want you to feel protected on your next purchase. The lists are segmented by price point, and each segment is sorted by price, lowest to highest. On to the recommended list…
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 | $400
- 86.5 dB sensitivity
- 12 ¼” tall by 7” wide by 10 ½” deep
- 1” aluminum dome tweeter
- 5 ¼ ” woofer
- Black or walnut finishes
- Ported enclosure plays down to 48 hertz
Elac’s Debut line has dominated the budget market for bookshelf speakers for the past decade. Elac is a German company with a wide range of speaker lines with the Debut at its entry point. The Elac made our list because it’s an overachiever. The Debuts put out a comfortable thick and warm sound, this comes in handy when you put on a poorly recorded song. These are non-fatiguing speakers, an unusual trait at $400. I wouldn’t skimp on an amplifier, I’d match them up with quality neutral amplifiers such as Cambridge Audio, NAD, Marantz, Rouge Audio among a few others.
Klipsch Reference Premier RP-600M | $600 ($400 on sale)
- 96 dB sensitivity
- 15 ¾” tall by 8” wide by 12” deep
- 1” tweeter with Tractrix horn
- 6 ½” copper woofer
- Black or walnut finishes
- Ported enclosure plays down to 45 hertz
The RP-600M is in their third version and gets better with each change. Excellent company that manufactures only speakers. A large bookshelf speaker with two quality finishes: walnut or black. The RP-600M uses a tweeter mounted in a horn which increases its efficiency. You only need a few quality watts to make them sing. Ideal if you want to use a low-powered tube amplifier. Harshness creeps in at loud volumes so stick to good electronics to minimize. Good 24-inch stands recommended.
Monitor Audio Silver 50 7G | $800
- 86 dB sensitivity
- 11” tall by 6 ½” wide by 10 ¾” deep
- 1” gold dome C-CAM metal tweeter
- 5 ¼” C-CAM silver cone
- Gloss black, black oak, or walnut finishes
- Ported enclosure plays down to 47 hertz
The Silver line from Monitor Audio provides an overall excellent sound regardless of music genre. That is why I’ve recommended it the most, I can guarantee the listener will be happy. Please don’t consider this speaker as playing it safe, this is a genuine affordable audiophile speaker that generously emits tons of fine detail without becoming fatigued. This does not sound or look like an $800 speaker. If I didn’t know the price, I’d guess $2,000. This will work well with most quality amplifiers or receivers. Here are four amplifiers I’d recommend for these speakers: (1) Rega io $845, (2) Rega Brio $1,200, (3) Marantz MODEL M1 $1,000, and NAD C3030 BluOS $1,500. True gems.
PSB Imagine B50 | $1,000
- 87 dB sensitivity
- 11.8” tall by 6 ¾” wide by 10” deep
- 1” titanium dome tweeter
- 5 ¼” woofer
- Satin white or satin black finishes
- Slot ported enclosure plays down to 45 hertz
PSB is headed by a speaker design legend Paul Barton whose been making affordable audiophile speakers for five decades and is still innovating. Music comes across as full and neutral regardless of genre. When I recommend speakers to friends or clients, I will almost always suggest a speaker which can play most genres well. We love the smooth sparkle from the titanium dome tweeter in the B50s. The design is unusual with the tweeter mounted below the woofer. They look great but upside down until you get used to it. The rear slot port keeps the bass very tight with respectable impact for a speaker this size. The PSB will work well with pretty much any amplifier, but I wouldn’t suggest a 2-watt tube amplifier. I haven’t heard the Imagine B50 with a low-powered tube amplifier yet. Anything from sister companies NAD or Bluesound will gel with the PSB and they are not the only ones. Excellent designs at this price will work with most amplifiers.
KEF LS50 Meta | $1,600
- 85 dB sensitivity
- 11.8” tall by 7.9” wide by 11” deep
- Uni-Q driver array – one source point for bigger dispersion
- 1” aluminum dome tweeter
- 5 ¼” woofer
- Carbon black, mineral white, moss green, or sand shell finishes
- Rear ported enclosure plays down to 79 hertz
British speaker manufacturer KEF offers a wide range of speakers including some budget friendly models. The LS50 Meta was developed as the company’s 50th anniversary and has become a legend. These are extremely well built with a curved front baffle around their famous Uni-Q driver array. In my system the KEFs gave me a lifelike image humanizing the singer. The image was dead center with a neutral and natural sound humanizing the singer. Other speakers throw a flat wall of sound, and these speakers add dimension to it – like no other under $5,000. They are beautiful to look at. KEF makes custom stands for the LS50s and the speakers deserve them. 10 out of 10 for aesthetics and 8 out of 10 for sonics. We conservatively score the speakers trying to save room at the top for the perfect speaker. I purchased the review pair as a reference for speakers under $5,000. Subwoofers are needed to fully appreciate the great sonics the LS50 Meta delivers.
Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor | $2,300
- 87 dB sensitivity
- 13” tall by 6 ¾” wide by 6 ½” deep
- 1.3” textile soft-dome tweeter
- 5 ¼” long-throw woofer
- Black ash, satin white, white oak finishes
- Made in Canada
Canadian speaker company that manufactures their speakers in their homeland. Totem is a speaker-only company with a history of making legendary speakers. I currently own the Rainmakers, Arros, and Hawks. The Bison Monitor sits at the bottom of their recent Bison line. Totem believes in simple designs using high-end custom drivers, so they don’t have to rely on a crossover with too many parts to compensate for driver and enclosure flaws. This is another one of their 2-way gems and the only speaker on this list with a soft-dome tweeter. Soft domes tend to be less harsh, especially at high volumes. One may think that is at the expense of detail, but it is not. Totem is one of the few high-end companies that have a cult-like following, me included. The enclosures are extremely well constructed and finished. They are plain which appeals to me and gives me the impression their manufacturing budget is mostly for the sound. I love speaker boxes, but they are expensive and having limited funds its good to know the dollars are applied to the most important part – sound. The Bison Monitor checks most boxes on the audiophile’s list of required metrics, they over deliver on tone. These are tone masters. Maybe not as good imaging as the KEF LS50 Meta, but the speaker’s tone will have the listening not missing it. I must mention that they play jazz, indie, and classical better than they do heavy metal. I think fans of Dave Matthews, London Grammar, Fleetwood Mack, Paul Simon, and the list goes on will be happiest with this speaker. Any good amplifier above 50 watts will match well with the Bison Monitors. Excellent all-arounder speaker. If speakers were friends, I’d choose the Bison Monitor as my best friend because they will not let me down.
Bowers & Wilkins 706 S3 | $2,500
- 88 dB sensitivity
- 13 ½” tall by 7 ½” wide by 13” deep
- 1” decoupled carbon dome tweeter
- 6 ½” continuum woofer
- Mocha, black, or white finishes
- Rear ported enclosure plays down to 50 hertz
Bowers & Wilkins offers a large range of speakers at all budgets. In our opinion, here is their affordable gem. The 700 line from Bowers & Wilkins sits up a few levels from their entry point. The 706 bookshelf is their top line before the top-mounted tweeter. The top-mounted tweeter version sells for $3,800, $1,300 more than the 706 S3’s $2,500 price tag, and that’s where Bowers & Wilkins loses me as I don’t see the value. The 706 S3 gets you that sweet sound Bowers & Wilkins is known for. When I added the 706 S3 into my system, two words came to mind: bloom and awake. These speakers seemed to wake my room up with a sweet and detailed tone I haven’t heard before. These are one of those bookshelf speakers that get by without subwoofers. They threw out a full sound. It makes me think of a big magnolia flower busting from its bud. Match with quality amplifier with at least 50 watts. Brands such as Rega, Musical Fidelity, Rouge Audio, Parasound, Advanced Paris, to name a few, will get the best from the 706 S3.
Our recommendations reflect our personal experience with the equipment reviewed and should be considered alongside your own listening preferences and room acoustics. We encourage readers to audition audio equipment whenever possible. Great sound is personal, and the best component is the one that brings you closer to your music.
