How to Choose Bookshelf Speakers on a Budget | Simple Home Guide

Adding bookshelf speakers to your living room or bedroom is never a bad idea. These small and compact audio features are great to provide a more entertaining element around.

how to choose bookshelf speakers
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When you are looking for some bookshelf speakers, you will find tons of options that can be quite overwhelming. They come with various features, designs, and price tags that may confuse you to pick the best one.

In this article, we share with you a step-by-step guide that you can refer to in choosing the bookshelf speakers that suit you well. There is more to think about than bass quality and design, so you can have the ones that provide you with the best experience.

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Let’s just keep scrolling to check out our quick guide on how to choose bookshelf speakers that you can use as an ultimate reference!

How to Choose Bookshelf Speakers

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Choose wired or wireless

When it comes to deciding whether you should go with a wired or wireless speaker, things to consider are mainly convenience and sound quality. It should be the first point that you can keep in mind.

As you may have known, with wired speakers, you will need to deal with a lot of cables which feel a bit tricky and traditional. However, wired speakers tend to sound better. It’s because you will have a separate stereo amp that can boost the sound quality that wireless speakers don’t offer.

The wireless speaker is, of course, more convenient to use and feels more sophisticated. You still can find wireless speakers with amazing sound quality and some even offer features which allow you to connect the speakers to other equipment so you can get a better experience.

Learn the sound quality

Actually, there are a lot of bookshelf speakers which offer high-quality sound today. They are manufactured with sophisticated technology which lets you get satisfying sound quality even with their small designs.

However, it actually still depends on how you listen to the music though. If your taste in music is more like jazz, classical, folk, or the ones that don’t emphasize super bass, two small bookshelf speakers are enough to accommodate your needs. For you who love bass-heavy music, consider adding a subwoofer that can give you a more captivating vibe.

You can find most of the bookshelf speakers (both wireless and wired) can be connected to an additional subwoofer easily. Another alternative is that you can purchase a bigger bookshelf speaker like the ones in floor standing design.

Pick the size

In choosing the speaker size keep in mind that the big speaker doesn’t mean good sound quality. Size doesn’t determine how the speakers sound at all. The only thing that you can see know from the size of the speaker is that the bigger it is the higher the volume can be since it comes with more space for amplification circuitry.

Of course, you will need to also refer to the size of the space and space available. If you have a small shelf or the space of the speaker is not quite large, you need to choose smaller speakers. Small speakers are also a good option for you who tend to move them here and there or if you’re still experimenting on the best position to get the best sound.

Learn the sensitivity

Sensitivity of bookshelf speakers is the measurement of how a certain level of power determines the number of decibels (dB) that come out of the speakers which leads to the loudness that you will get. The average loudness is ranged from 87 to 95 dB and the best one is above 95 dB. The higher the sensitivity is, the more expensive the speakers are.

However, some manufacturers may use different methods to measure sensitivity. You can use the measurement above as the general consideration to see how loud the speakers will be and whether it’s suitable enough for the music that you listen to.

Determine the position

Bookshelf speakers are actually designed with good versatility which means you can place them wherever you like. Some may say that there’s some kind of numeric calculation of placing the speakers so you can get the best sound delivery. But, it doesn’t really work like that.

The rule of thumb is that you need to give some space at the back of the speaker to allow the airflow properly and give you a nice boost. Placing the speaker at the ear level can also help you to listen better.

If you have an extra budget, buying stands is definitely a good idea. You will get more improved sound quality and they kinda give a more sophisticated touch to the decor of the room.

Bookshelf or floor standing speakers?

Well, the very reason that you have come to this guide is actually to look for some cute speakers to decorate your bookshelf, right? But if you have more space and want to go extra, floor-standing speakers are also worth considering.

Floorstanding speakers are generally bigger than bookshelf speakers. Their big dimensions allow them to carry more speaker drivers which means you can get more loudness and bass. Of course, you can’t ask for great versatility since they can be quite heavy and indeed designed to just sit on the floor.

With bookshelf speakers, you may not have the ones which are that loud, but you can move them as you wish due to their great versatility. They are lightweight and typically wireless.

Check your budget

The price tags of the bookshelf are widely varied, so you can always find the right ones which are within your suitable price range. Typically, the main factors that determine their price are sound quality, design, materials, and brand.

The cheapest price range that you can keep in mind is somewhere between $100 to $300. Some experts suggest that the bookshelf speakers which are offered between $1,000 to $2,000 are considered the best ones. If you are looking for superbly amazing bookshelf speakers, there are even the ones that are offered up to $10,000.

Add our guide on How to Choose Bookshelf Speakers to your reference now!

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