Bookshelf Speakers That Don't Sound Completely Terrible On A Bookshelf?

I'm seeking help with shopping for a good-sounding set of speakers + receiver for $600 or under. I know I'm not going to get anything spectacular for so little, but that's okay. I currently have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC turntable and a TC-750LC phono preamp. What makes my situation complicated is I need bookshelf speakers that actually sound good/decent on a bookshelf. They will need to go on a shelf for two reasons: (1) we have a toddler so we can't have the speakers on stands, and (2) we live in an apartment so can't mount speakers to our walls.

I've read that speakers with a rear port sound bad when they're on a shelf and/or close to a wall. But I don't know enough about what speakers are out there to find good ones without a rear port.

I would also like to have a setup that allows me to plug in my headphones (Sennheiser HD-598) for nighttime listening, to avoid waking up my daughter. This seems to rule out most powered speakers, as they don't appear to have headphone jacks or a way to easily connect headphones.

Finally, is it best to spend most of my budget (say, 2/3) on speakers and the rest on the receiver? Or should I also try to toss in a better phono preamp? (Mine is a budget preamp, about $50.)

Given all these factors, do you have any suggestions for speakers that sound good on a bookshelf close to a wall, and a receiver to power them? I appreciate any advice you might be able to offer.

Someone suggested the following gear for me, given my particular situation: a Yamaha R-S500 Stereo Receiver and Polk TSx 220B speakers.

 

I think with your budget, you are likely getting a pretty decent suggestion with the Yamaha and Polks.

You may also want to consider the Marantz PM5005 integrated in addition to the Yamaha.....and perhaps even the Polk RTiA1 speakers.

Contrary to what some will tell you, yes it is possible to make speakers work in a bookshelf. Is it optimal...no. But that does not mean it always sound bad.

As far as the phono stage, the Marantz has a pretty decent built in stage (not sure about the Yamaha).

 

Wharfedale Diamond speakers might be a good option as they can be placed close to a wall.

 

The discontinued ADS L200, L300, and L400 are particularly great sounding bookshelf speakers.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I hadn't really considered an integrated amp rather than a receiver. I'll look into that Marantz model.

Those Wharfedale speakers look excellent. Thanks!

 

Does anyone have experience with the Yamaha A-S301 integrated amp? How does it compare to the Marantz PM5005? How is the headphone sound on those two amps?

 

Not current production (25 years old by now), but I have a pair of German-made MB Quart 490 MCS that work very nicely on a shelf (actually the mantle over a fireplace) and against the wall. I was rather surprised when I tried them that way. Very nice titanium tweeter and the bass is rather remarkable for a bookshelf.

I was also rather surprised that a pair sold recently on ebay for $425.00. I think I paid about $50.00 at most for mine a couple of years ago.

 

Just recently, I recommended these speakers to an OP who was looking for >$1K bookshelf speakers.

I own several pairs of dofferent model speakers from Peachtree/Era. I have lots of speakers from smaller than these to speakers weighing over 150-lbs. I will personally recommend these, as someone who owns a few pair of them.

If you plan to mount them so they are real close to the wall, the D4's have rear ports, but they were designed specific for your application.

Peachtree/Era D4 & D5 Bookshelf speakers.

 

Without specifying a make or model, I would advise you to look for a speaker that doesn't vent behind the speaker. You want either an acoustic suspension design or a bass reflex design where the vent faces the room.

 

Please note, the D4,s were specifically design engineered for wall mounting. They come pre-drilled for wall mount brackets.



Before Peachtree, these were known as Era speakers. They were designed with home theater applications in mind. They even made a MTM style center channel speaker. Since Era became Peachtree, the focus has been on 2-channel stereo and the center channel speakers are no longer available.

 

I audiotioned both. The Marantz is a little better than the Yammie but they both suck, and bigtime.


These : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7J534...&ascsubtag=642d52ab6ce1e4576368c96481f999f6_S

Check out their measures; they do have a rear port just like most bookshelves but if you can separate 2 inches from the wall (or more if you're handy and can add some extension to the shelf) you should be OK. Actually closer to the wall will introduce a ¨loudness¨ reinforcement to the lower end which is desirable with small speakers. They're active and have a built-in phono preamp so you won't need a receiver, but no radio. If radio is a must you can always connect some stereo radio device to them (or send your phone's via bluetooth) as well as your TV.

R-15PM Powered Monitors | Klipsch® »

 

Check out this preview of a Marantz AV receiver SR5008 on Audioholics. These are not the half size, but the full size AVR. The parent company also owns Dennon, but the Marantz is a step up. This is a $899 receiver that was introduced back in 2013. My processor died due to an electrical surge. I bought this receiver off of eBay, because, at that point in time, they did not have a Emotiva replacement available.

This is a top shelf product with a retail price of $899. I paid <$300 for it. It has every feature you can possible think of and it is only a three year old product.





The remote does not have back lighting, but the buttons are glow-in-the-dark. There is no phono input. The next model up does have a phono and retail's for $1,199.

Marantz '08 SR Receivers Conclusion
Marantz's new 2013 receiver lineup stays true to the company's long lineage of audiophile products. Many other AV companies tend to focus on offering as many features as possible, at as low of price as possible, usually at the expense of build quality (checkout our article on Marantz has resisted that urge, and has chosen to focus on high quality internal components in pursuit of the best sound quality possible. This also means that you might have to pay more for a Marantz to get the feature set you want. So, is one of the new 08' SR receivers right for you? Well, that depends on what type of consumer you are. But, we're confident that between Marantz's and Denon's offerings, there's sure to be a receiver for most anyone.

There is one on eBay right now for a Buy-It-Now price of $300. Plus $26.45 Shipping.

These are far better than to half size AVR's.

As it turns out. Who ever owns it is in Fort Lauderdale (no, it is not the one I bought), where I live. If you think this is something that you might be interested in, PM me. I would be happy to speak to the seller and take a look at it myself. We can get on the phone with you at the same time.

I gave mine to a friend who lives in Tennessee and was down visiting a couple of weeks back, along with a complete set of Polk speakers for a 5.1 HT system.

I tried to make it work for me, but it does not have any digital outs, like coax or optical, just HDMI. The way my system is hooked up, I require a processor. I bought two processors, so I have extra. My new eBay processor is back in my system.

Everything is well engineered with this Marrantz, DAC sounds nice, late model technology. Pay with PayPal and you have eBay's guarantee that the product will be as shown and advertised, or your money will be refunded.

I don't think you will beat this for the money. It really is a nice unit.

The Era D4 & D5 speakers have a recommended wattage of 40-150 watts. You can drive them much louder than you think that you would be able to with this receiver. I should provide you with many years of service.

S&G

 

Yeah, I was looking into those Klipsch powered speakers too. My only concern was that I didn't know how to hook up headphones.

What was it that you didn't like about the Yamaha and Marantz mentioned earlier? I'm not doubting you at all; just interested in getting more opinions. Thanks!

 

Right you are man ! There's no headphone jack on these. And that can certainly be a deal-breaker for some people.

I auditioned both amps seeking to replace one of my vintage ones and I found them too laid back to put it mildly. Matter of fact I could not get decent upper midrange and treble from them even with the treble control cranked up to the max. It was as if the speakers (Klipsch) were working immersed in a swimming pool. And I was there with my brother who's not an audiophile at all and he thought exactly the same. I did like the sound of the newer Denon 2-channel receivers though. But the reviews say they're unreliable; go figure !

Of course you'll have to listen for yourself; don't buy before auditioning first. Amps can be linear on paper but to my ears.....they have very different sound signatures. And by all means doubt not only mine but everyone's opinion. Trust your ears only.

 

Interesting. Sounds like I need to find a dealer near me (Washington, DC).

 

Sonus Faber Walls, at least the first version of this speaker. They are meant to be used against a wall but can also be put in a wall/shelf unit or on top of a fireplace mantel.

Scott

 

These guys won't send you to the moon, but they basic ol' reliables in a bookshelf situation, due to their acoustic suspension design. They'll play reasonably loud, reasonably low and image very well. NHT has 10-15% sales off and on.

NHT SuperOne 2.1 »

They would mate nicely with a used NAD integrated of 50 wpc or higher or something like the Marantz receiver pictured earlier. Grilles off (probably).

 

This sort of idea makes a lot of sense. First off, you can mount them at eye/ear-level. It's tough to get good imaging when the speakers (or more-specifically, the tweeters) are on a different plane than the listener's ears, unless you use a design that's purpose-made for that (like the Bose 901's or something like that maybe).

The Wharfedale Dentons are beautiful and a steal right now at $500 a pair (Music Direct has them), but I never tried mounting them on a bookshelf close to the wall, so I can't speak for that.

 

I'm kind of leaning toward the Polk TSx 220B or Wharfedale Diamond 220 for speakers. I was interested in the Marantz PM5005 integrated amp because I've heard great things about that company. But I see that it only has 40 watts per channel. Is that too low for the speakers I mentioned? Maybe I should stick to the Yamaha receiver mentioned in my original post?

The other suggestions on this thread are great, and I really appreciate everyone's input! I'm going to continue looking into all options people mention.

 

The first time I heard the larger D5's, was in a large room, sitting on a credenza, the first that hit me was the imaging. The sound stage was huge. The quality of the MP3's through the player, much better than I could imagine. I was only looking for something that I could play my MP3 player for the bedroom. The salesman was going to demonstrate the Peachtree Music Box but one channel was out. The Music Box was a $600 unit. He demonstrated with an iNova instead, a $1,800 unit.

For a real small room where space is a premium, they make a D3, system, I have one of those with the center channel, besides the D4 and D5.

When I first walked into the audio store, I was specifically looking for one of those half height Marantz units. I ruled them out. I ended up with a Peachtree integrated, a separate processor and power amp. I have many other components which integrate into that core system, so I need to do it that way.

For that other 90%, the Marantz SR5008 is a fantastic solution. For around $300 for a recent year pre-owned unit, it is a whole lot for a little amount of money. for around $700, you can gat a Marantz amp and refurbished D4 speakers.

There are still D4 center channel speakers listed on eBay from time to time.

I did later get a Music box for the bedroom. I have used it with the D4's, D5's and compact near field DS 4.5 speakers, the first two provide the best imaging and sound stage. They can be played at low volume or quite loud.

 

Another bookshelf speaker recommendation.

A coupe of years back. Boston Acoustics decided to release a flagship HT system called the M-system.

There was a choice for the front main towers, three models were offered, the top of the line being a $2,500 M-350. By the time, you figured in the M-Center and the rears (bookshelves), surrounds and sub, the system topped out over $6,000. Nice, but a little bit rich for my blood. They we not selling well for obvious reasons. BA decided to help the package by cutting the price in half for any front speaker. That placed the M-350's at $1,250/pr. or $625 each, a real steal!

I bought a pair of the M-350's , then a pair of the M-340's, very nice speakers. After trudging on for a bit, BA finally abandoned the idea of a high end audio line altogether.

I just happened to discover this a few days back looking for the M-Center. Did not find any, but I did find the same front channel speakers that I have for $900/pr. It looks like they sold them to merchandise liquidators.

I found the rear bookshelf type speakers, which had retailed for $598 for between $225 and $250 per-pair. They are nicely constructed, with a flawless piano gloss finish.





These are available on eBay for 58% off

Boston Acoustics M25B 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers Features:
Clear Natural Sound for Music Movies and More

• The M25 Bookshelf Loudspeaker is equipped with Boston's signature 1-inch Extended Wide Bandwidth (EWB) dome tweeter which is designed to cover a broad range of frequencies reduce distortion and improve clarity in the high registers. Unlike most tweeters the EWB has a small dimple in the middle and a large radiating surface that extends from the center to the outside perimeter of the diaphragm. This design enables the tweeter to track subtle treble details and reproduce the highest frequencies with ease.
• The speaker also contains a 5 14-inch polypropylene cone woofer driver with aluminum shorting ring for dynamic bass and clear distortion-free sound.

Lo-Q Construction to Limit Vibrations

• The M25 has a cabinet made of Lo-Q a material consisting of two pieces of medium-density fiberboard joined together with a thick layer of damping adhesive in the middle. This material significantly reduces cabinet vibrations to virtually eliminate unwanted resonances allowing the M25 to create a larger more vivid soundstage.
• The cabinet also contains heavy-duty absorptive fill and internal braces which have been strategically positioned to maximize the speaker's strength and optimize sound. The M25's black gloss finish and curved side panels with faux leather wrap can complement any decor.

Product and Warranty Information

• This product measures 12.37 by 6.94 by 10.19 inches (H x W x D) and weighs 14.7 pounds. It is recommended for use with a 50- to 200-watt amplifier.
• The M25 Bookshelf Loudspeaker is backed by a five-year limited warranty.

These might fit your needs, and expensive speaker for an inexpensive price. Again is an example of buying way below retail and getting a first class product.

 

I have several pairs of Polk speakers, including a pair of towers that I bought for a friend of mine, from the TSx line. (same friend that I gave the Marantz receiver too)

I don't know your time frame, but Polk has been holding a private sale for guests who sign up on their web site to receive news about special promotions. They don't continuously spam you, you get some news from them every couple of months or so. When you first get to their web site, a pop up will, invite you to sign up, suggest doing so. The news letter the usually send out toward the end of November has their big annual sale.

This sale will give you a one time use Promo Code (you enter at check out) that will give you 50% off anything on their web site. You must order directly from Polk. The deals are so great, I have take advantage of them every year. If you are not on a tight time schedule, you may want to wait and get the TXs220B for $150/pr. I bought my friend's pair of the TSx towers during last year's sale. I never had them out of the box, so I have not listened to the TSx line.

I did have a pair of some entry level bookshelves, that I bought four years ago. They look similar to the D5's, but these were the only Polk speakers that I didn't care for their sound. They went out the door with my friend for use as rears in the HT.

I would venture a guess that the TXs bookshelves are passable at best, not all that good sounding. Entry level towers sound good for the money due to the large size of the enclosure, not the quality of the drivers themselves. Suggest avoiding their entry level book shelves. I say this as a Polk fanboy.

Suggest following the other member's suggestion and getting the Wharfedale Diamond for more money, I have not heard these, but Wharfedale's are at least a good solid speaker. The Boston Acoustics are likely to be as good, maybe better for their closeout price. The eBay seller is World Wide Stereo, they have been around for a long time and they offer 60-day returns. Most companies do not offer any returns on merchandise sold at closeout prices. Not much to loose with the BA;s and potentially something to gain.

The D4's are a steal for $349/pr.

GoldprintAudio did offer a good suggestion, as to stepping up to the Polk RtiA1's. I have their ATiA9's and the entire RTi line is highly recommended.

If you are set on Polk line and can wait for the sale, you can move up to the RTiA3,s for $200/pr. That would be $100 less than the TSx's you are considering and you will be getting a much better bookshelf speaker. Bookshelf speakers, because of the enclosure size, require better components, to obtain good sound, than the same components mounted in larger enclosures.

Earlier, this year, Polk has a private sale on their flagship LSiM line. I bought a pair for half off and saved $2,000! Reviewers had compared them to favorably to $8K speakers. The 707's weigh .9-lbs short of 100-lbs. and when you look at them, they do not even resemble what we thing of, when we say Polk.

The LSiM703's are their bookshelf model, They sell for $750/pr. On sale, you would pay just $50 more than the TSx bookshelves that you are considering. Polk have the advantage of being the big manufacturer (along with Klipsch) and economics of scale, come into play here. Judging from the 707's that I purchased, I doubt if any other manufacturer could produce and sell a speaker of their quality for Polk's retail price (more, definitely not through a dealer, doubtful if by direct model).

I am going to wait for the (hopeful) sale and buy their LSiM center channel speaker. Their top of the line is a $1,200 speaker, way out of my pocketbook. On sale it is still $600 but it is worth it for me because I have the 707 towers. I don't worry about such things as matching set for the rear speakers, I consider that completely unnecessary (yes, they still have synergy together, but you don't have to buy someone's rear speakers because you have their front speakers). My current center channel speaker is a $400 CSiA6 (bought on sale), which match the RTiA9's that I have put away for now.

Just about any of the suggestions that have been offered to you in this thread, are better options for you than the TSx bookshelves that you are considering.

Polk is announcing some major improvements shortly, after the beginning of September, at least wait a few more days and see what the new developments will bring.

 

Wow. Thanks!

 

Has the Wharfedale Diamond 220 been on the market for a while? I may not be able to make a purchase for another couple of months. I'm hoping they won't be out of production, or that I'll miss an update right around the corner.

 

For vintage stuff I always liked a Marantz 1060 and Polk Series 5 ,5 Jr.or smaller 4.5 for tight spaces and decent sound.