If you’re looking for powerful yet discreet sound, a bookshelf speaker may be the perfect solution. In this guide, we’ll describe what bookshelf speakers are, their benefits and what you should consider when selecting your next pair of loudspeakers.
A GUIDE TO BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS
by Thomas S.
December 9th 2024
What is a bookshelf speaker?
A bookshelf speaker is a compact audio speaker designed to fit on a bookshelf, speaker stand or other elevated surface. Despite their relatively small size, bookshelf speakers can deliver a musical performance to rival much larger floorstanding speakers.
Bookshelf speakers typically come in two-way or three-way designs, featuring a combination of drivers like a woofer for low frequencies and a tweeter for high frequencies. Bookshelf speakers are commonly used in stereo systems, home theatre setups and desktop audio configurations, offering a balance between space-saving design and impressive sound reproduction.
What are the benefits of bookshelf speakers?
Bookshelf speakers are the best solution when you want great sound but you don’t want large floorstanding speakers. A pair of bookshelf speakers positioned strategically on a wall, placed on a shelf or mounted on stands can deliver everything you might be looking for in terms of Hi-Fi performance. The more compact form of bookshelf speakers also blends into a room more easily than a pair of large floorstanders. If maintaining the aesthetics of your room is at the top of your priority list, you can also consider DALI PHANTOM on-wall speakers, in-wall speakers and in-ceiling speakers.
How do I choose the best bookshelf speaker?
Before investing in a bookshelf speaker, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind...
Sound quality
One of the most critical aspects to consider when selecting bookshelf speakers is the quality of sound they deliver. Despite their modest size, bookshelf speakers are capable of producing an audio experience that transcends expectations. When evaluating the audio capabilities of bookshelf speakers, consider these factors that contribute to an exceptional listening experience:
Frequency response & accuracy: Can the speaker reproduce deep bass notes and high-frequency sounds with control and precision?
Distortion: Do the speakers sound distorted or stressed at higher volumes?
Clarity in instrument separation: Can you clearly hear each instrument, also in complex compositions?
3D soundstage: The speakers should "disappear", making you feel like you’re sitting in the middle of a live performance. Smaller and cheaper speakers (also headphones) can have a tendency to sound "boxy".
Neutral sound signature: The sound should be reproduced without colouration, in other words, just as the audio was recorded with nothing added, nothing taken away.
Room size and acoustics
When investing in bookshelf speakers, the dimensions of your room and its acoustics play a pivotal role in shaping your auditory experience. Consider the following factors:
Room Size
Assess the dimensions of your room, as this significantly influences the performance of bookshelf speakers.
Adding a subwoofer will fill in missing bass frequencies. It also lightens the load on the bookshelf's woofer, so it can focus on delivering the best-possible midrange frequencies.
Larger rooms may benefit from speakers with more power and larger drivers to fill the space with clear, impactful sound. In this case we generally recommend floorstanding speakers.
Acoustic Considerations
Examine the acoustics of your room, including factors like wall materials, furniture and room shape.
Reflective surfaces might mean adjusting the speaker placement to minimise unwanted echoes.
Speaker Placement
Experiment with speaker placement to optimise sound distribution.
Ensure adequate distance from walls and corners, to reduce bass reflections and achieve a more balanced sound.
Want to learn more? Then check out our article on how to improve your room acoustics.
Amplification and power
When you selected your amplifier, you may have bought it based on how it sounded with your speakers at the time. To make sure your new bookshelf speakers match or improve on the audio quality of your previous setup, we recommend that you take your amplifier with you to your local Hi-Fi store for a hands-on demo. While store staff can provide insights and showcase speakers with their own amplifiers, nothing beats the experience of connecting them to your own amp. This way, you can hear firsthand which speakers sound best with your power source.
Sensitivity
If you connect two different bookshelf speakers to the same amp at the same volume setting, it’s likely that one will play more loudly than the other. This is down to a property called sensitivity – a measure of how many dB a speaker produces from 1 m away when fed with 1 Watt of power.
However, high sensitivity isn’t necessarily a sign of quality. Often, it’s achieved at the expense of bandwidth, as it’s easier to produce a sensitive speaker that doesn’t need to reproduce deep bass. When it comes to bookshelf speakers, you should be less concerned with lower sensitivity, as this may have been designed into the speaker to improve its bass frequency response. Many bookshelf speakers also include bass reflex ports to enhance their low-frequency response.
How many watts is good for a speaker?
The wattage of a speaker indicates how many watts it can tolerate under certain conditions without failing. According to the IEC268-5 standard, determining a speaker’s nominal wattage requires feeding it a pink noise signal (containing all tones in the frequency range 20 - 20,000 Hz) at a certain wattage for 100 hours. To determine the nominal wattage, incrementally higher signals are fed to the speaker until it fails. Another rating you’ll usually find on a speaker spec sheet is ‘maximum wattage’ – this indicates how much power it can handle for a very short period.
Do more watts mean better sound?
If your benchmark for great sound is how loud you can play music before your neighbours start banging on your door, then the power rating of your amplifier becomes more relevant. However, at normal listening levels, watts aren’t that important. Even high-end speakers like the DALI EPICON 2 compact speaker sounds amazing with just 30 W of amplification.
If in doubt, demo your amp/speaker pairing.
What is clipping?
Clipping is the cutting of a sine-wave signal produced by an underpowered amplifier. In extreme cases, the sine wave effectively becomes a square wave, which causes a speaker driver's voice coil to overheat as it tries to reproduce the square-wave signal.
Watts it good for?
A speaker’s wattage rating isn't very useful, as it doesn’t reveal anything about the following:
How loud it can play
Whether it will start clipping with your amplifier
The quality of the sound
How good it will sound when paired with your components
Budget
Before investing in bookshelf speakers, start by deciding how much you’re willing to invest; this is the quickest way to narrow down your options. Try to avoid the temptation of listening to speakers you know you can’t afford. That said, you may succumb to temptation and conclude there’s not an appreciable difference anyway, in which case you can sleep comfortably at night knowing that you purchased the best speakers – for you – within your budget.
Next, decide what’s most important to you in a bookshelf speaker. Are you willing to sacrifice some sound quality for a better design or higher-quality materials? It’s a personal choice.
Depending on how much you’re planning to invest, it may be worthwhile setting aside a portion of your budget for acoustical improvements in your listening room. You can read more in our article about how to improve your room acoustics.
Wireless bookshelf speakers
If you're concerned about the aeshetic impact of exposed speaker cables or the practicalities of running them from an amplifier located on the other side of your room, you could consider a wireless solution. Look out for an upcoming article on wireless speakers, where we explain the technology, compare the pros and cons of wired and wireless, and more.
Conclusion
In many ways, bookshelf speakers are the perfect combination of size, performance and convenience. When considering your next speakers, it’s important to think about what you’ll be listening to and where… and of course how much you have to spend. Also, remember that any reputable Hi-Fi store will be more than willing to demo their speakers using your existing amplifier. You can find your nearest DALI dealer here.
Finally, always keep an open mind when it comes to Hi-Fi. Although this article focuses on bookshelf speakers, you should be open to other types of speakers, such as on-wall/in-wall/in-ceiling custom install speakers, and even wireless active speakers like the DALI RUBICON 2 C, as they may be the ideal solution for you.