Wired or wireless, a nice pair of bookshelf speakers is a great investment you can make for your audio. Here are seven of our favorite pairings for 2024.
Don’t be fooled by their size — a great set of bookshelf speakers is oftentimes all you need to build a fantastic sound system at home, and can also be one of the best ways to do without spending a fortune.
Their space-saving design, as the name implies, make these compact speakers ideal for sitting on bookshelves, media units, on on either side of a turntable, an AV receiver or integrated amplifier. They can also be mounted on speaker stands or used as rear or side surround speakers in a home theater setup — yep, bookshelf speakers are pretty versatile.
As you can imagine, there are hundreds of speaker brands to choose from, and the bookshelf category is arguably the most popular (we have another roundup that covers a wider range of the best speakers, too). This is why we’ve put together our own list of the best bookshelf speakers.
In this roundup, you’ll find speakers for just about every budget, along with representation of both classic audio brands and new companies.
Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3Best overall bookshelf speakers
When it comes to audio royalty, Bowers & Wilkins is a brand that deserves all the prestige it can get (not that it’s wanting for it). From its amazing floor-standing speakers to its subs and satellites, B&W’s dedication to quality and performance always shines through. And as far as bookshelf speakers go, we can’t think of a better name to call our favorite.
The overall soundstaging on the S3s is wide and immersive. In execution, the B&W 607 S3s are best used as hi-fi speakers, but with a little finesse, they work pretty well with most home theater setups, too. When it comes to music playback, we would be careful with genre-matching, though. B&W speakers are stellar for jazz, classical, and vocally-driven singer-songwriter tracks.
This isn’t to say you can’t head-bang to a little Metallica with them, but you may be a bit disappointed by the 607 S3’s lack of aggression — adding a subwoofer can help with that. These are exquisite and refined bookshelf speakers that do quite a nice job at shining a light on your music.
Audioengine A1-MRBest budget-friendly powered bookshelf speakers
We love Audioengine products here at Digital Trends, so there was no way we weren’t going to feature something from the company’s catalog in our bookshelf speaker roundup. And what better badge of honor to fly home with than “best budget-friendly powered speakers?”
At only half a foot tall, the Audioengine A1-MR deliver the kind of sound we’d expect from much larger speakers, and that’s all thanks to the type of engineering and build that go into these bad boys. In terms of audio, we think you’ll be surprised at how much bass and high frequency articulation the A1-MRs can pull off. That’s also thanks to the cabinetry and drivers, which include a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 2-3/4-inch aramid woofer for each speaker.
As far as physical connections go, you’ll have access to a 3.5mm auxiliary port and an LFE output if you feel like adding a subwoofer. The former is good enough for plugging in a phone or tablet, but where the A1-MR truly shine is in the wireless department. Once you’ve downloaded the Audioengine Control app (for iOS and Android), you’ll be able to add the A1-MR to your Wi-Fi network, which unlocks a bevy of music-streaming options.
This includes AirPlay and Spotify, as well as hi-res audio options via the likes of Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music support, amongst other platforms. When networked, you can also use the Control app to group and change what audio sources are playing on what speakers. Add up to 12 A1-MRs to the same Wi-Fi network, or invest in the Audioengine B-Fi streamer to control up to 12 full audio systems (including non-Audioengine speakers). Small but mighty, all for just over $200.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.1Best budget-friendly passive bookshelf speakers
Wharfedale doesn’t beat around the bush, and we appreciate all the straight-shooters of the world. This is an audio company that builds and engineers speakers to give you incredible sound, and they’re not going to cost you too much either. In the case of the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 bookshelf speakers, the brand continues to score big in the quality department, while keeping our bank accounts intact.
This time around, Wharfedale is working with mica-infused polypropylene, incorporating the materials into the Diamond 12.1’s 5-inch Klarity woofer. This helps the cone to maintain its shape and to respond to audio signals as quickly as possible, meaning you won’t have to worry about missing a single detail in your favorite songs.
