Passive (that is, non-amplified) bookshelf speakers need to be paired with a stereo amplifier or an AV receiver. They can serve as the backbone of a great stereo-audio setup or a surround-sound system. For the latter, you have to add a center speaker, two or more extra bookshelf speakers for the surround channels, and a subwoofer. You might also wish to add upward-firing Dolby Atmos–enabled speakers, which bounce sound off the ceiling to create an immersive sound effect; many manufacturers design these specifically to sit atop their bookshelf and tower speakers.

A good set of passive bookshelf speakers is perhaps the most sustainable component of an audio system because the speakers should last a couple of decades, are fully repairable, and will never become obsolete. If you decide to upgrade the rest of your system as new technologies arise, the passive speakers will still work fine.

The downside of passive speakers is the system’s greater complexity. You need at least one additional component to power the speakers and process the audio signals. You also have to make sure that your amplifier has enough power to drive your speakers to the listening level you want to achieve, and that the speakers don’t present a lower impedance than your amp can handle. However, all of our passive-speaker recommendations here are pretty easy for any decent amp to drive.

Top pick: Sony SS-CS5M2

The Sony SS-CS5M2 is an updated version of a passive speaker that has been a favorite of budget-minded home theater enthusiasts for more than a decade. It has a lively yet natural sound that works great for both music and movies, and Sony offers matching center and Atmos-enabled speakers to create a surround-sound system.

This pair just sounds great. In a brand-concealed listening comparison, the SS-CS5M2 had a more natural sound than our previous top pick, the Polk ES15, with a more prominent treble that made instruments like cymbals and acoustic guitars sound clearer. The SS-CS5M2 also had a slightly more present midrange, which makes vocals and dialogue a little easier to understand.

Even though the SS-CS5M2 has a relatively small, 5.12-inch woofer, it delivers decent bass. On Audrey Nuna’s bass-intensive “damn Right” the SS-CS5MK2 sounded even clearer than our upgrade pick, the Triangle Borea BR03, which produced a bit of chuffing from its bass ports. However, the Borea BR03’s sound is more spacious, and voices are smoother and more natural.

Its solid engineering will satisfy audio enthusiasts. My technical tests (described below) confirmed that the SS-CS5M2 is a well-designed speaker. Its frequency response stayed within ±3.0 decibels, and its sensitivity measured 87.9 dB, which means it can get over 100 dB (an uncomfortably loud sound level) when paired with just a 30-watt amplifier.

You can add matching speakers for surround sound. If you want to incorporate up-firing speaker modules to enjoy the more immersive effects in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks, the Sony SS-CSEM2 module is exactly the same width as the SS-CS5M2, and almost as deep, so it sits easily on top. Few other speakers in this price range offer a matching Atmos model.

Sony also sells the SS-CS8M2 center speaker, which sounds very similar to our pick and has comparably good measured performance. Sony doesn’t make a smaller version of our pick, though, so you’ll have to buy a second pair to use as surround speakers.

At 13.2 inches high, 7 inches wide, and 7.25 inches deep, the SS-CS5M2 doesn’t take up much space, so it’s easy to place on speaker stands and TV furniture. It’s rear-ported, though, so don’t push it up against a wall because that could block the port and thin out the sound.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They look like generic speakers from the 1980s. With a matte-black finish, sharp corners, and a rectangular shape, this pair’s design echoes all the traits that give speakers a reputation for looking ugly.

The grille attaches with grommets rather than the magnets used on our other passive-speaker picks. So, if you leave the grilles off (which increases treble clarity and spaciousness), it’ll look like your speakers are missing a part.

You’ll need to add a subwoofer for home-theater and bass-heavy music. The SS-CS5M2 doesn’t distort badly when being fed bass-heavy music and movies, but its small woofer can’t deliver the deep, satisfying bass extension that larger speakers offer.

Upgrade pick: Triangle Borea BR03

The Triangle Borea BR03 speakers are a great choice for serious listeners who want the enveloping sound of real audiophile-grade speakers but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars. This pair provides the most natural, balanced sound we’ve heard from bookshelf speakers priced under $500 per pair, and there’s no real need to add a subwoofer unless you’re a deep-bass fan.

Its sound is nearly flawless. Even after hours of listening to the BR03, I can’t think of a significant complaint. Every part of the audio spectrum — from deep bass to midrange to treble — sounded natural, and I noticed no sonic flaws that distracted from the music. Voices, in particular, sounded smooth, and this pair has a more open, spacious sound than our other passive speaker picks.

Triangle Audio recently released the Borea BR04, a pricier version of the BR03 that uses the same drivers, a different crossover circuit, and an enclosure that’s 19% larger by volume. The main difference we heard in our tests was that the BR04 produced stronger, clearer bass. We think most listeners will be happy with the BR03, but if you don’t mind spending the extra money and accommodating a somewhat larger speaker, the BR04 is a worthwhile upgrade.

You can trust this speaker’s engineering. In my technical measurements, the BR03 produced an admirably flat frequency response, with a variation of about ±2.5 decibels through most of the audio range and an even balance of bass to midrange to treble. Sensitivity measured at 87.3 dB, about the same as the Sony SS-CS5M2, which means even a 30-watt amplifier can drive this speaker to loud levels.

The styling is elegant. The BR03 is available in a variety of finish options and color combinations to suit different room decors, though the price varies based on the finish. Measuring 15 inches high, 8.125 inches wide, and 12.5 inches deep, it’s the tallest of our picks, but its just-right proportions make it seem less visually intrusive. It comes with a magnetically attached, fabric grille.

The cabinet features a front-facing port, so there’s no concern about blocking the port if you push your pair of speakers back close to a wall. Front ports can make chuffing noises more audible, but this was rarely a concern for us with the BR03.

Matching center and Atmos-enabled speakers are available. Triangle Audio offers an excellent center speaker, the BRC1, which matches the sound of the BR03 nicely. There’s also the BRA1-3D Atmos-enabled speaker, which fits neatly atop the BR03.

For surround speakers, you can use more BR03 units, the smaller BR02, or the BRA1-3D, which has a switch that allows it to work as a wall-mounted surround speaker instead of an Atmos-enabled speaker.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

For a bookshelf speaker, it’s big. The BR03 may be too large for some rooms; measuring 15 inches high and 127% larger by volume than the Sony SS-CS5M2, it is bigger than all of our other picks by a wide margin. And at 6.9 inches high, the BRC1 center speaker may conceal part of your TV screen if you place it on a stand in front of the TV.

It may choke a little on certain deep-bass material. Unlike some smaller speakers that seem to filter out deep bass, the BR03 tries to reproduce it all. Generally, that’s good; it means the BR03 has a satisfyingly full sound, and it played Lil Baby’s ultra-bass-intensive “Woah” at a loud volume without audible distortion.

However, the bass notes in Audrey Nuna’s “damn Right” produced chuffing sounds from the BR03’s front ports. Consider the larger BR04 if deep-bass reproduction is important to you.

Budget pick: Micca MB42X G2

Music lovers seeking a decent pair of speakers at a low cost will appreciate the Micca MB42X G2 set. These speakers don’t sound quite as smooth and natural as our other picks, but when mated with a good small amplifier, they can easily outperform most portable speakers.

This model sounds shockingly good for around $100 per pair. In our brand-concealed testing of budget-oriented speakers, the MB42X G2 emerged as the favorite, even against speakers costing at least $50 more.

This set has a natural-sounding balance of bass, midrange, and treble: Voices sounded smooth, and no instruments were unnaturally emphasized. The bass was strong for a speaker with only a 4-inch woofer, which gave the MB42X G2 a fuller sound than what we heard from its competitors. The frequency response measured impressively flat at ±2.3 decibels.

It’s small enough to use almost anywhere. At just 9.375 inches high, the MB42X G2 is the smallest passive speaker we recommend. The grilles attach with concealed magnets rather than pins and grommets (which is unusual for models in this price range), so the speaker looks good without its grille.

The design is rear-ported, though, so as tempting as it might be to push these tiny speakers up against a wall, don’t. That could block the port and thin out the sound.

The matching center speaker sounds surprisingly good. We didn’t expect much from the MB42X-C center speaker, considering its low cost and size, but we were impressed by how clear it made movie dialogue sound. The MB42X-C lacked the sonic oomph to reproduce the deepest tones of male voices, but the speaker’s clarity made it easy for us to overlook this flaw.

The MB42X-C measures 5.3 inches high, so it stands a better chance of staying out of the way of your TV’s picture than do the center speakers accompanying our other picks.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Be careful about cranking up the volume. When played loud, these speakers may distort. With Audrey Nuna’s bass-intensive “damn Right” played at an average level of about 91 dB (measured at 1 meter), we heard distortion, and the sound became harsh. If you use the MB42X G2 in a home-theater system with a subwoofer, these problems will be much less troublesome.

We also found that playing this tune at full volume through the Micca pair could trigger the protection circuits in small amps like the Fosi Audio BT20A Pro, causing intermittent glitches in the sound. In our measurements, the impedance, while averaging 7 ohms, dropped to 3.9 ohms around the 240 Hz range, which might explain that result. Also, the sensitivity measured at just 82.9 dB at 1 meter with a 2.83-volt (1-watt) signal, which means it requires 2.7 times as much amplifier power as the Sony SS-CS5M2 to reach a given volume.

The MB line includes only the MB42X G2 and the MB42X-C. Micca offers neither larger models in the same line nor an Atmos-enabled speaker, and none of the company’s other speakers we’ve tried have impressed us.

Other passive bookshelf speakers worth considering

If you want a moderately priced speaker that looks nicer than our top pick: Consider our former top pick, the Polk Signature Elite ES15. The Sony SS-CS5M2 sounds clearer and livelier, and it usually costs a little less, but the ES15 is still a very good speaker. And with its curved front battle, magnetically attached grille, and more attractive finishes, it looks much nicer than the SS-CS5M2 does.

Polk offers two matching center speakers; the ES30 sounds fuller and costs less. The ES35 sounds thinner, but at only 4.25 inches high, it’s much less likely to block the screen if you place it in front of your TV. You can use the ES15 for surround speakers, or save a few bucks by using the smaller ES10. Polk doesn’t offer an Atmos-enabled speaker small enough to fit atop the ES15.

Compared with passive speakers, powered speakers with built-in amplification allow for a simpler, cleaner setup. They eliminate at least one component (the receiver or amplifier) and at least one cable. All of them have one or more analog audio inputs for you to directly connect your audio source. Most add some sort of digital audio input, and a few even have a phono input for a turntable.

There are some technical merits to building amps into speakers. For example, speaker designers can use digital signal processing (DSP) to fine-tune the speakers’ sound, and they can limit the amplifiers’ output so that it’s impossible to overdrive the speakers. So-called “active” powered speakers have individual amplifiers for each speaker driver, which lets the designers tune the sound specifically for each driver. But in the price ranges we’re covering here, powered speakers can’t claim a clear sonic advantage over passive speakers.

However, it’s complicated to build a home-theater system around powered speakers. You’re usually better off using passive speakers and a multichannel AV receiver.

Top pick: Victrola Tempo VPS-400

The Victrola Tempo VPS-400 speaker system delivers good sound, great styling, and a few nice features that can help optimize sound quality and convenience. It also has an impressive array of connection options for a speaker system in this price range, including Bluetooth Auracast transmission.

The sound quality is excellent for the price. The Victrola Tempo held its own in a brand-concealed listening test against our upgrade pick, the much more expensive ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41. This speaker pair produced a similarly natural midrange and excellent voice clarity, even if it couldn’t match the ELAC system’s bass and treble clarity and power. The even balance of bass, midrange, and treble makes it suitable for any kind of music, as well as for movies. It also sounded fuller than our budget pick, the HiVi-Swans OS-10.

We liked the bit of extra spaciousness that the Tempo gave us. While the DCB41 produced more focused sonic images — for example, of singers positioned between the two speakers — the Tempo’s sound had a more “wraparound” effect that we enjoyed.

The Tempo’s 4-inch woofers can’t put out powerful bass, but you can easily add a subwoofer for that. The connection panel includes a subwoofer output that incorporates a filter to remove the bass (below 116 Hertz) from the Tempo speakers and route it to the subwoofer; this filter allows the Tempo speakers to play louder with less distortion. We loved the way adding the Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S MKII subwoofer helped fill out the sound on electronic music and movie soundtracks, but even a smaller subwoofer such as the Dayton Audio SUB-1000L can make this system sound surprisingly satisfying.

The Tempo’s frequency response measurements were good for a relatively inexpensive model, at ±3.1 decibels through most of the audio range. We detected a dip in treble response centered at about 10 kilohertz, but this was audible only on high-pitched instruments such as cymbals and violins.

This set includes useful connections. My favorite feature of the Tempo speaker system is the signal-sensing RCA and 3.5 mm analog inputs. When an audio signal hits one of these inputs, the Tempo automatically powers up and switches to that input. That feature came in especially handy when I connected the Tempo system to my TV’s variable audio output: When I turned the TV on, the Tempo also came on, and the TV’s remote allowed me to control the Tempo’s volume. It’s almost as convenient as having an HDMI input. Optical and USB-C digital audio inputs are also included.

The Tempo has Bluetooth support, of course, and it adds Auracast capability, which allows it to transmit whatever audio it’s playing to other Auracast devices to create a simple multiroom audio system. However, Auracast compatibility among devices of different brands is uncertain. For example, I was able to get the EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds to tune in to the Tempo’s Auracast signal by activating the Auracast option in EarFun’s app. But I had no luck getting the JBL Charge 6, Flip 7, and Go 4 Bluetooth speakers to receive the Auracast signal from the Tempo.

The Tempo system can also receive audio through Auracast, but only from other Auracast-equipped Victrola devices, which for now means only the Victrola Wave turntable.

The speakers are beautifully designed. It’s hard to imagine who might object to the Tempo system’s sleek, modern design. It’s available in four matte finishes (black, white, blue, and green). It’s also sturdily built, with robust RCA jacks of the same type usually found on multi-thousand-dollar high-end audio components. A front-mounted knob controls power, volume, and input selection. Each speaker measures just 9 by 5.8 by 7.3 inches. Victrola offers angled stands designed for using the Tempo speakers on a desktop.

Most powered speaker systems come with about 6 feet of cheap, thin-gauge “zip cord” to connect the two speakers. Not only is this cable often insufficiently long to put one speaker on each side of a big-screen TV, but it’s also easy to accidentally connect the speakers out of phase, which makes the sound spacey and unfocused. Victrola instead provides a sturdy, 13-foot cable tipped with RCA plugs, which makes it impossible to connect the speakers out of phase.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The upper treble doesn’t sound smooth. We enjoyed the Tempo’s sound overall, except in the upper range of the treble; high-pitched tones from cymbals and acoustic guitars sounded a little garbled at times.

This system doesn’t sound as robust as larger and pricier models. The ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41 and Fluance Ri71 both sounded clearer and less distorted at loud volumes than the Tempo did.

It’s missing some features. The system does not come with a remote control, nor does it include tone controls to fine-tune the sound, although we don’t think it needed them. You also don’t get the phono and HDMI inputs offered on our upgrade pick, but we haven’t seen those features on other speakers in this price range, either.

Upgrade pick: ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41

If you are serious about sound quality, the ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41 powered speakers are a great choice. The DCB41 improves on our top pick by adding HDMI and phono inputs, and it offers better sound and better measured performance. These powered speakers also look much nicer than most speakers in their price range.

This system has an especially clear sound, particularly for its size. The DCB41 is considerably more expensive than the Victrola Tempo, but the performance improvement it offers is obvious. In our tests it had the natural, uncolored sound we expect from a well-engineered, high-quality speaker. Our listening panelists praised this system’s clarity, its surprisingly full sound, and its focused, realistic stereo imaging. “It’s hard to complain about this one. It’s pretty close to ‘just right,’” one listener said.

The DCB41 system is no bass monster, but the bottom end is pretty impressive for a speaker of this size. On bass-heavy tunes where the Tempo’s bass sounded strained and distorted, the DCB41’s bass sounded clean, punchy, and powerful — even though the DCB41 is about the same size as the Tempo. It offers an XBass Enhancer button on its remote control, but in our opinion the DBC41 doesn’t need bass enhancement, and the function boosts the maximum bass output by only about 1 dB, anyway.

Our measurements showed that the DCB41’s frequency response is essentially flat, at ±2.3 decibels through most of the audio band, which means that no instruments or voices stand out unless they’re supposed to.

It connects to almost any audio source. The DCB41 has a stereo RCA input with a switchable phono preamp so that it can connect directly to any turntable, plus USB and optical digital audio inputs, a subwoofer output, and aptX Bluetooth support.

It also has an HDMI ARC port, which lets it connect to a TV and allows the TV’s remote to control the speakers’ volume, so you can use the DCB41 much the way you would a soundbar.

It looks sleek. Thanks to the DCB41 set’s minimalist, modern design, it’s one of the best-looking powered speaker systems we’ve seen. It’s available in black, orange, blue, and walnut finishes. At just 9.6 by 5.5 by 7 inches, it’s compact enough to fit on small shelves, although the rear bass ports make it impractical to shove up against a wall.

The DCB41 comes with a slim remote that controls power, volume, mute, source selection, and play/pause and track skip for Bluetooth sources.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Bass devotees are likely to want more oomph. The DCB41 produces excellent bass for its size, but it can’t match the bass power of speakers with larger woofers. Connecting a subwoofer via the mono RCA output helps. But you have no way to filter the bass out of the DCB41 speakers, so you’ll still hear some bass distortion if you crank up the system.

The only control knob is on the rear. If you can’t find the remote, you’ll have to reach around the back of the right-channel speaker to adjust the volume or change sources.

Budget pick: HiVi-Swans OS-10

The HiVi-Swans OS-10 powered speakers are a terrific choice for those who want excellent sound at a low price, or in a smaller speaker. The OS-10 system actually sounds clearer and looks nicer than many of the more expensive powered bookshelf speakers we tested — but it lacks HDMI and phono inputs and a subwoofer output, so it’s much less versatile. Also, it can’t match the bass performance of larger models.

This system produces the best sound we’ve heard for the price. When we did a brand-concealed test of the OS-10 against our previous top pick, the Andover Audio SpeakEasy 4, and the much larger Dayton Audio B65A, we were shocked to find that the relatively tiny OS-10 was our clear favorite. It had an exceptionally clear sound, with a strong but not overemphasized treble that made voices sound more intelligible yet still natural. Because of its neutral-sounding tone, this speaker system works well with most genres of music … except for bass-heavy EDM and hip-hop.

We were also shocked to hear how good the bass coming from the OS-10’s little 4-inch woofers sounded. No, it doesn’t play the low notes particularly loud or deep, but what bass it does have is well-balanced with the midrange and treble. It sounds clear and well-defined rather than boomy.

The OS-10 delivered one of the best frequency response measurements we’ve ever seen for a speaker, at ±1.6 decibels through almost the entire audio band, which means that the mix of instruments and voices will be preserved and nothing will sound unnatural.

It has enough connections to assemble a basic system. The OS-10 speakers offer Bluetooth, optical and coaxial digital audio inputs, and a stereo RCA input. That’s enough to connect a phone or tablet, a computer, and a TV. You can also connect a turntable, but you’ll have to include your own phono preamp or get a record player with the preamp built in.

This system looks terrific. Unlike most affordable stereo speaker systems, the OS-10 has a sophisticated, stylish design that doesn’t look cheap in any way. The molded, black front baffle and the absence of visible grille fasteners make it look like a much more expensive product.

At just 8 inches high, 7.5 inches deep, and 5.2 inches wide, this speaker is compact enough to fit almost anywhere. The speakers do have rear ports, though, so it’s a bad idea to shove them all the way into a shelving unit or against a wall.

A touchscreen on the top of the right-channel speaker lets you turn the power on and off, select the input, and adjust or mute the volume. The touchscreen is illuminated; even when the system power is off, the power button has red backlighting, so you can find it in the dark.

A slim remote control offers the same functions, plus a mute button and a button that turns off the touchscreen’s lighting.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

This speaker can’t play deep bass. Playing tunes with lots of deep bass made the OS-10 system’s woofers distort, and the system doesn’t include a subwoofer output — so there’s no way to augment the bass. It’s great for most pop and rock music, as well as jazz, classical, and folk, but hip-hop and EDM music with deep, synthesized bass tones will sound bad if you play it at full or near-full volume.

It lacks connections some people will want. The OS-10 lacks some inputs and outputs found on our other picks. There’s no HDMI or phono input, no USB digital input, and no subwoofer output. And the analog audio input isn’t signal-sensing, so you’ll always have to power-up the OS-10 manually; our other powered-speaker picks can power up automatically when you turn on a connected TV set.

Other powered bookshelf speakers worth considering

If you want more bass and don’t need lots of features: The Edifier S1000MkII system, a former top pick, offers sound quality comparable to that of the ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41 speakers but with considerably better bass performance (roughly 6 dB more bass output in our testing). However, the S1000MkII system lacks HDMI and phono inputs and is comparatively bulky.

I’m a writer at Wirecutter, currently handling 12 guides on audio gear and providing technical measurements for our headphone guides. I’ve worked as an editor or writer in audio publishing for more than 30 years, and I’ve previously served as a consultant on speaker tuning and measurement for some of the world’s biggest tech companies.

• I’ve tested 44 models over the life of this guide.
• For my most recent round of tests, I brought in another listener — drummer and audio production student Kage Shissler — to provide a second opinion. For listeners other than myself, I conceal the identities of the models to avoid bias.
• I ran frequency-response and sensitivity measurements on the contenders to find flaws that our listening sessions might have missed.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

Here are the criteria we regularly consider when deciding which models to test:

• Size and styling: These speakers are sized and styled to suit a living room or den. If you need something to use with a computer — for gaming or audio production — check out our best computer speakers guide. Note that you can get better sound from these speakers by placing them on stands (such as the Sanus BF24B) rather than on a shelf, because placing them near a wall can make bass sound boomy, and whatever else is on the shelf may rattle.
• Cost: Our price limit for both the passive and powered categories is $600 per pair. Above that price, you’re getting into models for serious audio enthusiasts, who probably already have strong ideas about speakers.
• Wireless connectivity: Among powered speakers, we look only at models that include Bluetooth support. Some of the models we’ve tested offer support for more advanced Bluetooth codecs, such as aptX or aptX HD, but we don’t require that.
• Extra features: All powered speakers include at least one analog audio input, but we try to find models that also have other useful features, such as a phono input, digital audio inputs, and a remote control.

Before conducting listening tests, I try out each system for a couple of days, looking for any difficulties that a listener at home might experience during setup and everyday use. With passive speakers, I also check out the matching center speaker, if one is available.

Next, I conceal the speakers behind a sheet of thin, black fabric and play them for various experts and audio enthusiasts. Read more about our testing methods.

In these tests, we listen mostly for the following:

• Voice clarity: Because humans hear other people’s voices so much, people are especially sensitive to the naturalness of voice reproduction.
• Imaging and spaciousness: Imaging is the ability of stereo speakers to produce focused sonic “images” of the various singers and instruments. Spaciousness, or soundstaging, is the feeling of envelopment that stereo speakers can produce. We prefer speakers that do a good job on both.
• Bass: Research shows that listeners prefer speakers that can play deep bass notes cleanly and loudly. The bass must also be reproduced at a level consistent with the midrange and treble; otherwise the sound becomes boomy or thin.

To get a scientific perspective on these speakers, we run frequency-response measurements on all the contenders. Research shows that listeners consistently prefer speakers that have a “flat” frequency response — which means they produce all frequencies of sound at approximately even levels — and speakers that maintain a similar frequency response whether the listener is sitting directly in front of them or slightly off to the side. You can see frequency response measurements for current and past picks on this spreadsheet.

We also measure the sensitivity of the passive speakers, to see how much volume they can deliver with a 2.83-volt (1 watt at 8 ohms) signal at a distance of 1 meter, in a range between 300 Hz and 3,000 Hz. This measurement tells us how much amplifier power a speaker needs to reach high volumes.

Frequency-response deviation (smoothness) vs. price

Over the years, we’ve reviewed 138 bookshelf speaker systems, plus many center and surround speakers. Below are capsule descriptions of some of the systems that we believe are of most interest to Wirecutter readers. If you don’t see a certain model you’re interested in, check out our running list of bookshelf speakers we’ve tested.

Passive speakers

The Dali Oberon 1 set was competitive with the Triangle Borea BR03 pair except in deep-bass performance.

Although the Dayton Audio Classic B65 is quite handsome for such an inexpensive speaker, in our tests the Micca MB42X G2 sounded clearer and more natural.

The ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 offered sound quality that was about as good as that of the Triangle Borea BR03, but the DB63’s rather plain styling didn’t appeal to us as much. If you like a more understated look, these are a good choice.

The JBL Stage 250B sounded unnatural to us, with an apparent unevenness in the midrange.

Although the KEF Q1 Meta sounded good overall, its treble seemed a little too soft.

The Micca RB42 sounded a bit less clear than the less-expensive MB42X G2 did.

The NHT SuperZero 2.1 had exceptionally clear treble and natural voice reproduction in our tests, but it has so little bass capability that we can’t recommend using it without a subwoofer and a subwoofer crossover that filters the bass out of the main speakers. The larger SuperOne 2.1 also sounded good, but the Triangle Borea BR03 sounded more spacious and had much stronger bass.

The Q Acoustics 3020i, a former top pick, is worth considering if you want something that looks less boxy than the Sony SS-CSMK5. It’s a nice-sounding speaker, but it fell short of the Sony in bass response, and its availability is inconsistent.

The SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers produced room-filling bass, but our top pick offered superior midrange and treble performance.

Though the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 and Diamond 12.2 pairs sounded good, they were somewhat softer and mellower than our picks.

Powered speakers

The Audioengine HD3 put out a surprisingly full sound that our listeners liked in previous panel tests. The HD3 set offers a nice array of features, including aptX HD Bluetooth support, a USB digital input, a front headphone output, and a variable-level analog audio output that you can use for connecting a subwoofer. But the HiVi-Swans OS-10 set is just as good and costs less.

The Dayton Audio Classic B65A sounded dull in our tests.

The Electrohome McKinley system had lots of bass for its size and price, but in our listening tests it produced an unnatural, inside-a-box sound.

The Fluance Ri71 is an excellent system, with outstanding measurements, an HDMI input, and support for aptX HD Bluetooth. However, we thought the ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41 sounded smoother, and the DCB41 includes some features that the Ri71 lacks, such as a phono input and USB and optical digital inputs.

The House of Marley Get Together Duo is a neat idea. The right speaker has a rechargeable battery, so it can work on its own as a portable speaker. But the system’s sound was rather thin and crude in our tests.

The Kanto Ora has exceptionally clear midrange and excellent measured performance, but its 3-inch woofers distort badly when fed deep bass, and it’s relatively expensive. The larger Ora4, to our surprise, sounded dull in our tests, even though its measured performance impressed us.

All of our panelists said that the Q Acoustics M20 speakers had an emphasized midrange that produced a notably thin sound and somewhat dull quality in the treble.

The Triangle Audio Borea BR02 Connect speakers sounded clear in the midrange but very soft in the treble.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.