Mis à jour le 9 August 2023.
Bookshelf speakers, also called compact speakers, are ideal for enjoying quality sound while minimizing clutter. These speakers can often be placed on a piece of furniture, on a shelf, in a bookcase or even on dedicated stands or wall brackets, simplifying their integration in any interior.
There are many models of compact speakers and it can sometimes be difficult to determine which pair best suits your musical tastes, your listening room or your amplifier. What are the essential characteristics that a bookshelf speaker must have? Is a passive speaker better than a smart speaker? In this comparative guide of the best bookshelf speakers of 2023, we will give you all the essential elements to find the speaker best suited to your needs.
Bookshelf or floorstanding speaker?
More than just their compactness, bookshelf speakers offer interesting advantages over floorstanding speakers. Their price is often lower than the floorstanding model of the same range. To provide sound in a small room or when seated close to the speakers, the compact format of bookshelf models is ideal and offers a more coherent reproduction than floorstanding models, which require much more space to express themselves.

In addition, because the speaker cabinet is small, the risk of coloration or alteration of the sound is much less important. As a result, compact models offer a more punchy, energetic sound with a lot of detail. This type of speaker is able to combine rhythm and precision in surprising ways and can even provide a better sound image in a room of modest size when compared to their floorstanding counterparts.
Bass-reflex or closed enclosure?
Some compact speakers have a sealed, fully airtight enclosure, while others are equipped with a port. This second method, called bass-reflex, extends the speaker’s response in the lows. This way, it is possible to enjoy more powerful bass in a more compact and discreet format.
Most often, the port is circular and is located at the rear of the enclosure. In this case, it is better to leave a space of ten or twenty centimeters between the speaker and the rear wall, unless you want to artificially boost the bass level. Therefore, if the speaker is to be placed on a shelf or in a bookcase, it is better to choose a compact model with a port located on the front panel, like the Focal Chorus 706, Klipsch RB-81 MKII and or Davis Acoustics Mia 30.
The number of drivers
Unlike floorstanding speakers which often have many drivers, bookshelf speakers are usually only have two: a midbass and a tweeter. On some speakers such as the Fyne Audio F500 and the KEF LS50 Meta, the tweeter is located directly in the center of the midbass driver. This is called a coaxial driver. In addition to saving more space, this configuration optimizes the phase by ensuring that the different frequencies are emitted from the same spot and are therefore better perceived by the listener. A few manufacturers, Cabasse in the lead, use this technology to produce three-way bookshelf speakers, with a woofer and a coaxial midrange driver/tweeter. This is the case of the Cabasse MC170 Antigua and Cabasse MC40 Minorca speakers.
Bookshelf speaker design
In addition to acoustic performance, the design should also be taken into consideration when choosing your bookshelf speakers. The latter being intended to be installed in the living room, the bedroom or the office, it is necessary that they blend in or perfectly match the furniture. Some manufacturers innovate by offering models with more refined and more discreet silhouettes than standard models. This is the case of the French brand Elipson, with the Elipson Planet L and Elipson Planet M spherical speakers. This unique shape also has the advantage of eliminating the rear wave for a more natural and precise reproduction.
The technical choices made by manufacturers to design the drivers also often contribute to the final design of the speakers. Examples of this are Klipsch and its copper-colored drivers, Dali and its burgundy cellulose fiber drivers, and Davis Acoustics with its yellow fiberglass drivers.
Which amplifier should you use with your speakers?
In the technical specifications, many manufacturers indicate the recommended amplification power for the bookshelf speaker in order to facilitate the choice of amplifier. The power of the amplifier should correspond to the values recommended for the speakers, or even a little higher. For many technical reasons, it is preferable to opt for an amp that is slightly more powerful than the speakers, because there will be no need to push it to its limits to enjoy a suitable sound level. This recommendation remains valid whether it is a hi-fi stereo amplifier, a WiFi/Bluetooth amplifier, a DAC amplifier, a receiver, a tube amplifier, an AV receiver or a power amp.

It is also necessary to ensure that the impedance of the speakers is compatible with the characteristics of the amplifier. Speakers with lower impedance than that for which the amplifier is designed may cause it to overheat.
Connected bookshelf speakers
Connected compact speakers are a good option to enjoy a high fidelity stereo reproduction with a real pair of speakers, but without the hassle of multiple devices and cables to connect them. Long considered a pipe dream, wireless hi-fi speakers are now in our living rooms, driven by the explosion of digital music and streaming. You can now easily enjoy your tracks stored on a smartphone, shared on the network (DLNA) or even played from online music services. This field has been booming for several years, with ever more efficient models such as the Klipsch The Fives, KEF LSX 2, Dali Oberon 1 C, B&W Formation Duo and KEF LS50 Wireless 2, an essential reference in this category.

The best bookshelf speakers under €300
- Eltax Monitor III: 5″ midbass driver, 90W RMS, 8 ohms, 89 dB
- Davis Acoustics Hera 70: 5″ midbass driver, 80W RMS, 4 ohms, 90 dB
- Dali Spektor 1: 4.5″ midbass driver, 100W RMS, 6 ohms, 83 dB
- Q Acoustics 3030i: 6.5″ midbass driver, 75W RMS, 6 ohms, 88 dB
The best bookshelf speakers between €300 to €500
- Klipsch RB-81 MKII: 7.9″ midbass driver, 150W RMS, 8 ohms, 97 dB
- Focal Chorus 706: 6.5″ midbass driver, 120W RMS, 8 ohms, 90 dB
- Q Acoustics 3030i: 6.5″ midbass driver, 75W RMS, 6 ohms, 88 dB
- KEF LS50: 5″ coaxial driver, 100W, 8 ohms, 85 dB
The best bookshelf speakers between €500 and €1000
- Focal Aria 906: 6.5″ midbass driver, 120W RMS, 8 ohms, 89.5 dB
- KEF Q350: 6.5″ coaxial driver, 120W RMS, 8 ohms, 87 dB
- Elipson Prestige Facet 8B: 6.7″ midbass driver, 85W RMS, 6 ohms, 91dB
- Dali Opticon 1 MKII: 5″ midbass driver, 100W RMS, 4 ohms, 86 dB
- Cabasse MC40 Minorca: 6.7″ midbass driver, 75W RMS, 8 ohms, 89 dB
The best bookshelf speakers between €1000 and €3000
- KEF LS50 Meta: 5″ coaxial drivers, 100W RMS, 8 ohms, 85 dB
- B&W 705 S2: 6.5″ midbass driver, 120W RMS, 8 ohms, 88 dB
- Jean-Marie Reynaud Bliss Jubilee: 6.7″ midbass driver, 80W RMS, 4 ohms, 88 dB
- Sonus Faber Sonetto II: 6.5″ midbass driver, 200W RMS, 4 ohms, 87 dB
- Elipson Legacy 3210: 6.5″ midbass driver, 100W RMS, 6 ohms, 88 dB
The best bookshelf speakers over €3000
- Q Acoustics Concept 300: 6.5″ midbass driver, 200W RMS, 6 ohms, 84 dB
- Elipson Legacy 3210: 6.5″ midbass driver, 100W, 6 ohms, 88 dB
- B&W 805 D4: 6.5″ midbass driver, 120W, 8 ohms, 88 dB
- Jean-Marie Reynaud Voce Grande: 7″ midbass driver, 180W, 8 ohms, 88.5 dB
The best WiFi/Bluetooth bookshelf speakers
- Elipson Prestige Facet 6B BT: 5.5″ midbass driver, 70W RMS, Bluetooth, aux.
- KEF LSX 2: 4.5″ coaxial driver, 2 x 70W + 2 x 30W, WiFi/BT, aux.
- Q Acoustics Q Active 200 Google: 5.5″ woofer, 2 x 100W, WiFi/BT, aux.
- B&W Formation Duo: 6.5″ midbass driver, 250W, WiFi/BT
- KEF LS50 Wireless 2: 5″ coaxial driver, 2 x 280W + 2 x 100W, WiFi/BT, aux.
Naturally, we couldn’t add every speaker to this comparison, which is incomplete. Son-Vidéo.com currently offers a large number of different bookshelf speakers, so we had to make some choices. These are of course totally debatable and necessarily subjective. To complete this comparison and find the best pair of speakers for your needs, do not hesitate to visit one of our 16 stores to compare brands and speaker sizes, but above all to listen to each model.
Want to go further with a portable Bluetooth speaker that follows you into the garden? Need an even more discreet solution with architectural speakers or a soundbar? Discover all our comparisons of the best speakers for each use:
- Comparison of the best floorstanding speakers
- Comparison of the best outdoor speakers
- Comparison of the best architectural speakers
- Comparison of the best portable Bluetooth speakers
- Comparison of the best connected speakers
- Comparison of the best party speakers
- Comparison of the best soundbars