The Best Bookshelf Speakers to Blast Your Tunes

The Sony SS-CS5 pack in so much goodness for the money, it’s hard to imagine going with anything else at this price. A classic Sony staple for years, the CS5 utilize a three-way driver design that includes a 5-inch woofer, a 1-inch tweeter, and a smaller “super tweeter” to accentuate high-frequency dispersion. Whatever Sony’s doing, it’s working. While they’ve got a daintier touch that’s light on bass, I was blown away by their tactful definition, crisp instrumental attack, and wide stereo imaging for the money. The only notable caveat to their value quotient is their 6-ohm impedance rating, which requires an amplifier rated for either 6 or 4 ohms to properly drive them. This one should do the trick.

We’re all in a different place on our sonic journey. If you've already upgraded your TV speakers to a soundbar, maybe you’re ready to upgrade again. Kanto’s Ren speakers make for a smooth transition to better sound. This simplified system is easy to set up, starting with an HDMI ARC connection to your TV for basic control with your TV remote. They include their own well-stocked remote as well for input, volume, and EQ control, though without an app you’ll likely need the user manual to get it all down (which Kanto oddly leaves out of the package).

The Ren's performance doesn't quite reach the same level of definition and precise stereo imaging as the similarly priced QAcoustics M20, but they do provide clear, full, and expressive sound in a Swiss Army knife package. Spare inputs include Bluetooth, optical, 3.5 mm, and RCA line-in for connecting a turntable (with a phono preamp). There’s even a subwoofer out when you’re ready to take another leap from stereo to 2.1. The Ren come in a rainbow of chic colors, but choose wisely because you’ll hopefully be enjoying this upgrade for a long time.

Elac has made some of my favorite passive speakers for more than a decade. A new version of the brand's acclaimed B6 speakers, the B6.2 are boxy models that might look a bit “standard” with the black grilles on. That's fine because it keeps kids' prying hands from taking them off to see a front-facing bass port joined with custom soft-dome tweeters and aramid fiber woofers. Those work together to provide lush, flat sound, with a crossover around the 2,200-Hz range (right in the upper mids of the speaker).

They're surprisingly smooth and room-filling for their size, and the front bass port means you don't get weird wall reflections at first. These get as low as 44 Hz and can handle up to 120 watts of input, which is more than enough to fill even large living rooms. I've yet to hear something better at this price.

If you’re after a pair of high-quality Bluetooth bookshelf speakers, Q Acoustics’ M20 HD (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are all that and more. Their rounded cabinets and demure fabric grilles hide vivid clarity from within, providing effortless detail, a precise and expansive soundstage, and burly dynamics. You won’t get HDMI ARC or Wi-Fi here, but you will find multiple aptX flavors for Android devices, digital optical, USB, dual analog inputs, and a subwoofer output. These speakers work great for desktops and smaller rooms, and can even double as TV speakers. Those seeking a simplified stereo system with performance to spare will find these curvy cubes a sweet match.

If KEF’s LSX II are too rich for your blood, SVS’s fully fortified Prime Wireless Pro are a brilliant alternative. These piano-gloss beauties provide thrillingly clear and energetic sound with all the fixings built in. Their gorgeous design leaves room for intuitive controls, while their suite of connections lets you plug in multiple analog devices, connect your TV over HDMI ARC, and stream via Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and more. The Prime Pro’s sound quality comes surprisingly close to much pricier models and they pair perfectly with SVS subwoofers for a potent 2.1 setup. You simply won’t find a better, more capable pair of powered speakers at this price anywhere on the market.

KEF's Q-Series speakers offer a more affordable entry point to the brand's signature smooth, clear, and full-bodied sound, and the midrange Concerto (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a prime example. These loaded blocks do their best impression of KEF's more advanced and refined R3 Meta, with a similar three-way driver consideration (including a woofer, midrange driver, and concentric tweeter). They even come equipped with the company's premium Meta absorption technology designed to eliminate unwanted frequencies.

The biggest benefit to the Concerto's triple play is potent and musical bass, matched by a warm and smooth midrange and impressive treble extension via KEF's Uni-Q driver technology (hence the “Q” in the name). The speakers don't quite reach the finesse in the midrange of some options in their class like the SVS Ultra Evolution, and their vinyl wrapping gives them a bit of a budget vibe. Those points notwithstanding, they're a fantastic listen, providing a remarkably complete interpretation of everything from your favorite hip-hop and jazz to bombastic movies and TV shows, with or without a separate subwoofer.

The iLoud Micro Monitors are a small pair of computer speakers that have become a mainstay in home studios the world over. They're designed to sound as close to full-size studio monitors as possible, which means flat and easy-to-mix midrange, solid bass, and crisp enough high-end that you can dial in sizzle on the cymbals with EQ.

These are excellent speakers even if you don't create music or videos, with RCA and Bluetooth inputs that make them great to use with both phones and turntables (as long as the deck has a built-in phono preamp). I like that they have a built-in base, which helps angle them more toward your ears when they are on a desktop. They even have a threaded mic stand adapter, so you can mount them somewhere for a dance party.

It may take a beat to get used to the Evolution’s slanted aesthetic, part of a ground-up redesign for SVS’s heralded Ultra series of passive speakers. Yet their sharp angles and gleaming piano-gloss finish (woodgrain is also available) will soon steal your heart with futuristic fabulosity. There’s method to the design madness, aimed at aligning tweeter and woofer for perfectly timed frequency arrival, and the proof is in the air all around you.

The Evolution (9/10, WIRED Recommends) provide rushing clarity up top, rich yet dynamic midrange instrumentation, and musical bass from their 6.5-inch woofers. This is a brighter sound that's never harsh, thanks to thoughtful design that includes a diamond coating on the aluminum dome tweeters to keep them from sparkling too sharply. The result is textural detail and precision stereo imaging that rises to any occasion–especially when paired with a proper amplifier armed for their 6-ohm impedance.

The LS50 Wireless II (9/10, WIRED Recommends) take everything we love about the smaller LSX II into the stratosphere, with incredible high-frequency precision, a warm and satiny midrange, spacey stereo imaging, and sledgehammer bass. Based on the beloved LS50 studio monitor series, the wireless version adds custom amplification and built-in inputs for optical and coaxial digital, 3.5-mm analog, and HDMI ARC. Streaming options include both Ethernet and Wi-Fi for access to everything from AirPlay and Chromecast to Roon and Spotify Connect.

There’s also a subwoofer out for bigger bass, but—oddly at this price—no RCA or phono preamp input. That’s our only real complaint for a pair that WIRED's Parker Hall calls “the most immersive, distortion-free sound you’ve probably ever heard.”

Klipsch’s numbered series of powered speakers stretches from the pint-sized in The Fives to the gigantic in The Nines. The Sevens (8/10, WIRED Recommends) split the difference brilliantly. Their towering cabinets just fit on most speaker stands, helping them dispense clear, brash, and powerful sound. I love them best for TV where they spice up movies with thunderous bass and vivid stereo imaging, but their full and detailed sound is great for music too.

A stylish input wheel on the right speaker lets you select between a built-in phono preamp, analog, digital optical, and HDMI ARC inputs. They also include a subwoofer output but there’s no Wi-Fi connection, providing streaming over Bluetooth only. That’s tough to swallow at this price, but The Sevens’ potent performance and sweeping vintage aesthetic won my heart regardless.

After testing more than 20 different computer speakers, I always return to the Audioengine A2+. With an elegant design and quality construction, they’re compact enough for my busy desktop while still packing a serious punch. The clarity in the higher registers gave me instant goosebumps, but there’s also depth and accuracy in the mids. The lack of a subwoofer means the bass can be shallow, but not distractingly so.

They shine best with music, but I had no trouble hearing cloaked elites with positional sound in games like Halo Infinite, and voices come through crisp and clear during in-game chat, video calls, and movies. Connectivity is solid with USB, dual analog inputs, and Bluetooth 5.0. The volume/power knob is a little awkward behind the left speaker and there’s no remote, making volume jumps inconvenient. Otherwise, they strike a perfect balance of style, power, features, and price. —Simon Hill

KEF speakers make multiple appearances on this list for good reason. Options like the LSX and LS50 series have led the way for all-in-one powered speakers in both performance and execution, but KEF’s signature sound is just as notable. It’s luminous and detailed, without pushing toward sharpness or fatigue, which makes the brand’s traditional passive speakers equally enticing. KEF’s best sonic hallmarks are on full display in the R3 Meta (9/10, WIRED Recommends), which blend lavish design with phenomenal performance for an exercise in musical euphoria.

The R3 Meta improve on the original R3 with KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology, a mazelike cabinet structure designed to absorb “99 percent of unwanted sound.” Their tall, three-way driver configuration includes a dedicated bass woofer at the bottom and KEF’s Uni-Q Concentric Tweeter set inside a midrange driver above. Tech aside, the R3 positively glow with vivid detail, expressive dynamics, hair-fluttering stereo imaging, and breakneck transients. Their tight and powerful bass rounds out the sound for a performance worthy of their kingly cost.