Best bookshelf speakers 2020: budget to premium

[What Hi-Fi?]

Small is beautiful - everyone knows that. Here are the best little speakers money can buy...

Best bookshelf speakers 2020: budget to premium : Read more

 

[James Robinson]

This is a nice collection of small speakers, but it would be good to see a review of actual bookshelf/wall-mounted speakers, particularly at the higher end of this price bracket. Here many of the higher end speakers actually require stands and the reviews suggest that their performance would be significantly compromised if they were positioned close to/on a wall (or on a bookshelf!).

 

[scene]

I know what you mean. I was recently looking for some (albeit cheaper) bookshelf speakers - to actually go on Billy bookshelves. I wish that (WHF) reviews differentiated more clearly between "stand-mounters" and "bookshelf" speakers - or at least indicated whether a speaker was suitable for Bookshelf/Desk-standing/Wall-mounting/Stand-mounting. There are probably few small speakers that wouldn't sound better on a stand - but some are designed for it. Others are very much designed to be placed well away from walls...

And a lot of people want speakers to go on walls/shelves as it's the only practical place to put them.

 

[James Robinson]

I currently have a pair of Dali Mentor Menuets that are designed to go on the wall, which I've been very pleased with; I also have some on the bookshelves in another room, where they also sound good - they were quite pricey, but worth looking out for secondhand. It would be nice to have some upgrade options, though...

 

[scene]

Due to budget constraints, my (new) bookshelves are the Q3020i - which are excellent for their price (in my opinion 🙂)
The Menuets look great - and I'd love to try some... if I had the cash.

 

[jjmcubed]

I to would love to know which speakers need to be stand mounted. Was about to pull the trigger on Revel M105's, but then I saw the rear ports. I only have approx 8 inches behind the speakers and they have to be on top of a dresser. Have a feeling the Revels will need more room.

 

[nick12]

If you have the cash, the Focal Aria 906 is definitely worth a demo. I have a pair that sit on shelves very close to a wall and I really couldn't be happier with them - a very detailed and spacious sound with a great sense of scale and authority (and Richer Sounds currently have an excellent deal on these speakers in the walnut finish: £749 compared to £899 in black). I agree though with posters above - an article on *true* bookshelf/close-to-wall speakers would be immensely helpful.

 

[Posaunepeon]

No mention of the classic L/S35a..?!