Recent Bookshelf Speaker Reviews

Anyone searching for new bookshelf speakers would do well to take a look at what's happening at AXPONA, which is rapidly becoming the premiere audio show for North America. AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) rolled into the Chicagoland area again where we were ready and waiting to take in all the new sights and sounds of high-end audio products. In this segment of our coverage, we look at a handful of bookshelf speakers in the low three-figure range to the low five-figure range. But, they all have something in common: we thought they sounded good enough that they deserved your attention. Read on to find out who made the cut in our coverage of the bookshelf speakers of AXPONA 2017.

The new Monolith K-BAS bookshelf speakers from Monoprice achieve a rare feat for their price and size: true sub 50 Hz bass extension. That is no small task for a medium-sized, $500/pr bookshelf speaker using only a 5.25" woofer. Monoprice has thrown their hat into the hi-fi speaker market, but does their K-BAS speaker do more than just excellent bass extension or does the good news stop there? Read our review of the K-BAS speakers to find out!

It has been awhile since Hsu Research has released a new speaker, so their announcement of the new CCB-8 bookshelf speaker at the 2016 RMAF audio show came as a welcome surprise. The CCB-8 is a coaxial speaker design that uses the pole piece and cone shape of its 8" woofer as a constant directivity horn for its high-sensitivity tweeter. This design promises to rectify many of the problems inherent in conventional loudspeakers, especially concerning the center speaker. Read our preview to see if the Hsu CCB-8 is the cure for your loudspeaker ailments.

Making a debut this year at RMAF (Rocky Mountain Audio Fest) the premium audio company Legacy unveiled their Calibre loudspeakers. We are really excited about seeing this new line of speakers from Legacy which will begin shipping this month and we’re hoping that it raises the bar for what a compact speaker can do. It’s designed to meet the high performance standards of recording studios and bring a level of resolution to audiophiles in a compact design. Similar in size to Legacy’s Studio HD, the Calibre loudspeakers are several inches deeper and taller. Check these babies out.

Atlantic Technology has introduced its new LCR2 ultra compact speakers in white or high-gloss black finish for a wide variety of audio and home theater applications. They seem to be going after the high value ultra compact form factor that so many ID companies already have successfully capitalized on for quite some time. At $200/ea and given their reputation, we'd have to say Atlantic Technology has just offered a compelling alternative to the already crowded ID marketplace. What do you think?

Online speaker retailer Monoprice unveiled their Monolith Air Motion Cinema Series Speakers at the 2016 CEDIA Expos in Dallas, Texas. The series features two way bookshelf speakers and a three way center channel geared towards great sound at an affordable price. Both models feature their AMT tweeter and cast basket woofers to offer serious performance atypical at these price points. Monoprice also showcased a surprise monster 15" sub that will surely get your Bassaholic adrenaline pumping. Read on for more information.

SVS just announced their new Prime Elevation speaker that can used for height effects or as a front, center, rear surround, side surround and/or LCR speaker when ideal placement isn’t possible. Instead of offering the typical compromised Dolby Atmos-enabled bouncy house speaker for marketing appeal, SVS instead chose to engineer a real solution for uncompromised performance and versatility. Check out all the installation possibilities this speaker offers by reading on.

Online audio company Monoprice unveiled their Monolith K-BAS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker at CEDIA in Dallas, Texas. The Monolith K-BᾹS Reference Series Bookshelf Speaker utilizes their K-BᾹS (Kinetic Bass Amplification System) technology to provide more bass extension for the size. The small speaker with the big sound comes with a great price of just a penny shy of $250/ea.

It's hard to stand out in a field of sub $1k bookshelf speakers, but Revel has done just that with their Concerta2 M16s. Revel has demonstrated top-notch engineering, build quality and value with their new Concerta2 line up of speakers. The M16s are balanced speakers that do a lot very well. They offer high fidelity sound to match their aesthetics and you'll have to read on to see how they performed in our objective measurement testing too.

Looking for a great pair of $200 bookshelf speakers and don't know where to begin? Read the following article to discover there are quite a number of speakers on the market that are great for two-channel listening as well as home theater without breaking the bank. We’ve narrowed down a list of speakers, in no particular order, that can be used for the budgeting audiophile for a quality two-channel desktop or a 5.1 home theater system for under $1000 when a subwoofer is added. Check them out and let us know you're favorite.

The original Janszen electrostatic loudspeakers were regarded as one of the first truly high-fidelity speakers, and some are still in use almost sixty years later. The new Carmelita Active speaker system sports the latest in driver technology with a high excursion woofer and a robust ESL panel that is built to last. The entire system is active with no passive crossover networks to increase efficiency and optimize driver integration. How do they sound? Check out our thoughts from our first listen at AXPONA 2016.

The RBH MC-4C are a high-performance speaker in a very compact package. They address the internal conflict in many of us; we want high-quality sound, but would rather not have to accommodate huge speakers to get it. Too often, small speakers represent a big compromise in sound. However, with the RBH MC-4C, good things do come in small packages. They look great, measure well, and most importantly excel sonically. Read our review and check out our YouTube video on the RBH MC-4C speakers.

Swedish audio manufacturer, XTZ Sound in Balance, makes a bit of everything. When they are not making amplifiers, CD players, cables, measurement systems, DSP, and earphones, they are making speakers. Today we will focus on several of the bookshelf speaker product lines ranging from their 93,95 and 99 series of products which look pretty interesting. XTZ focuses on naturalness of sound reproduction, neutral/flat frequency response in their products and based on quality parts and apparent great build quality, we have little reason to doubt their design goals.

While RSL Speakers are a relative newcomer to the ID race, they have a +40 year heritage in the loudspeaker business. Today we take a peek at two pairs of their compact but potent bookshelf speakers: the CG4 and CG24 as well as their Speedwoofer 10 powered subwoofer. This sub/sat combo looks impressive on paper. Could this be the best affordable speaker brand you've never heard of? We are looking forward to taking these products for a test spin via a formal review in the coming months to find out.