Reviews of speakers are not new to us, in fact, we have made so many that it can be difficult to find links if you are shopping with your budget in mind. That’s why in today’s reviews we have limited ourselves to the best bookshelf speakers under $200. We will examine a selection of passive and active speakers to meet your different needs. It probably goes without saying, but the speaker market is very competitive and there is no shortage of options, so you may be pleasantly surprised at what you can buy with your money these days.
Best Bookshelf Speakers Under $200
It’s important to remember that when you buy within a certain price range, you won’t usually find overwhelming differences between products. That’s why we’ll explain what you can expect for your cash in our guide for the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
1. Polk Audio RTI A1
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The RTI A1 is the first passive model to launch Polk Audio’s improved RTI A Series. You benefit from newly developed Dynamic Balance cone drivers and a more elegant redesign of the housing style. The pair is housed in an MDF (all wood) cabinet that features a Power Port Plus extension to the design part of Polk’s patented Power Port technology that improves bass tenfold. It eliminates the risk of distortion through optimal ventilation.
These are great floor standing speakers (i.e. not technically a pair of bookshelf speakers), generously equipped with the improved cone drivers coupled to a special tweeter. The dynamically balanced drivers measure 5.25 inches and are made of a polymer/mineral blend. They provide dynamic frequency response, a smooth crossover, and the 1-inch silk/polymer dome tweeter is extremely easy to handle due to its magnetic heat sink. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
2. Edifier R1280T
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Edifier’s R1280T set is packed with some pretty top-notch design features given its price tag, which offers a small advantage over similarly expensive shelf-sized speakers. It’s a carefully designed active speaker set where the active speaker has a combination of drivers, connectors, and controls. The cabinet has a bass reflex port that has been precisely calculated by the people at Edifier to deliver optimal, completely distortion-free bass.
The 4-inch woofer and silk dome tweeter, measuring just 13mm in diameter, together with their high-quality crossover circuitry, provide seamless, smooth sound with clear highs and overall depth across the entire frequency range. The tone controls let you shape your audio preferences by micro-matching the treble and bass elements with adjustable digital crossover signal processing. They can also be remotely controlled and muted at the touch of a button. The volume level is always reset to a comfortable level when the power is turned on. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
3. Sony SSCS5 3-way
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Another very versatile model with exceptional drivers and rich acoustics is this fabulous 3-way bookshelf speaker system from Sony. The construction consists of a stiff mica-reinforced cellular woofer, a tweeter, and a super tweeter. The woofer measures 5.2″ and thanks to its mica-reinforced cellular membrane it powerfully amplifies the low frequencies. The tweeter is 0.98″ and the newly installed super tweeter is 0.75″ and has a very large directional radius.
Both are assembled, have a precise acoustic tuning, and provide the vocal definition. The rear sound pressure is eliminated by sound-absorbing felt. They have optimized crossover components and with these improvements, they are ultimately more flawless than ever before. The cabinet design is very rigid, ported, and constructed entirely of wood to dampen unwanted vibrations. They can handle a recommended maximum of 100 watts and are affordable in price. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under 200 dollars.
4. Edifier R1700BT
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One of the best bookshelf speakers under $200 on the market today is the Edifier R1700BT Bluetooth bookshelf speakers, because of its many useful features. Unlike most bookshelf speakers, it has Bluetooth connectivity, meaning you can quickly pair your smartphone or tablet to play beats immediately. Moreover, you can connect to the speaker via an AUX cable if you do not have Bluetooth, which is an excellent method because you can also connect other devices, such as your PC.
The design of the Edifier R1700BT Bluetooth bookshelf speakers is excellent and gives a warm, lively feeling thanks to the wooden design. When purchasing the loudspeaker, you will receive a two-year warranty covering the manufacturer’s faults. The only flaw we could find with these speakers is that if you connect via the AUX cable, you need a high-quality wire, because otherwise, the audio may sound awful with many cuts and static sounds.
5. Klipsch R-14M
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See what Klipsch has to offer. We’ve reviewed some of the Reference bookcase models they make for wonderful models. They have some high-end design advantages, such as their proprietary 90 x 90 Tractrix Horn technology. This gives their aluminum tweeter with Linear Travel Suspension (LTS) a competitive advantage in terms of extended high-frequency response. The LTS method helps to minimize any distortion.
The dedicated 4-inch woofer is made of copper-spun injection-molded graphite, which is exceptionally easy to handle, with very low breakage and no distortion. Combined with the LTS tweeter and advanced crossover technology, they provide some of the best sounds in their class. They handle approximately 90 watts of peak RS per speaker. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
6. Definitive Technology ProMonitor 1000
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The ProMonitor 1000 bookshelf speaker from Definitive Technology uses a wide frequency range of 47 Hz – 30 kHz, which means you can listen to music in high quality. The speaker’s efficiency is also 90 dB, so you can play music at very loud levels and experience pushpin audio without sacrificing quality. What’s more, the design is clear with glossy black color. You can also remove the front of the speaker to give the drivers a unique look, but this means you can expose the drivers to possible water/dust damage.
In addition, the speaker is easy to use and adjust because the necessary cables are connected to the back. You can mount the speaker on the wall if necessary, a feature that some heavier bookshelf speakers do not have. The Final technology ProMonitor 1000 bookshelf speaker can produce excellent sound quality, but it doesn’t look very good. The design is plain and simple, and if you’re looking for a speaker that fits in well with your interior, these are some of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
7. Polk Audio TSi100
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Now let’s take a look at Polk Audios’ entry-level Tsi Series model, which shares more than just its stylish good looks with the top-of-the-line Lsi Series model. They are a fully equipped 2-way class pair. Their woofers, despite their size of 5.25″, offer a very wide dispersion, they are dynamically balanced drivers and are made of a bi-laminate mix. They are combined with a one-inch silk polymer tweeter with a dynamic balance.
They have a good frequency response, even if we consider the woofer to be somewhat weaker than others. This is because they are designed exclusively as part of larger system setup. The handle is at a comfortable 20-100 watts per channel and the price is at a level that makes buying the whole set up an accessible option rather than a pipe dream. So an ideal choice for the dedicated home audio fan. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
8. Micca RB42
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A handsome looking, passive couple is sitting in our penultimate seat. They are very competitively priced and built to last, with high-quality components. They have a fairly compact design with a stylish look – classic black with soft bevels and rounded corners. They have a fantastic woven carbon fiber cone woofer, which is only 4″ in size and sits in a rubber surround to increase bass response. The ported cabinet also supports the quest for distortion-free bass.
The higher frequencies are handled by the powerful 0.75″ silk dome tweeter with a crossover with a filter capacitor. Given the low price, these bad boys contain some very high-quality components. Their cabinet is covered with wood-grained vinyl and they are 9.5″ high with a space-saving footprint of only 5.8″ x 6.5″. They have a reasonable frequency response and a power handling of 75 watts each. Overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under 200 dollars.
9. Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
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Andrew Jones’ SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers from Pioneer use a 4″ woofer with a textured surface with extra-large magnets and vented posts for better bass response. Using a highly efficient 1-inch soft-dome tweeter with high efficiency, the tweeter and midrange drivers sound incredibly good even at high volumes. Each speaker consumes about 80 watts of power, which is a lot for household appliances, and the nominal impedance is 6 ohms. Many things make them one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
What’s more, the bookshelf speakers are beautifully designed with a dark wood finish that gives them a warm, inviting look. For these bookshelf speakers, we recommend using the front grille, as they look much more attractive with the visible drivers. However, this is not a must and depends on the user’s preferences. There aren’t many drawbacks with these speakers, but if we had to imagine one, it would be that they sound much better than the solo speakers with the entire Pioneer setup.
10. BIC America DV62SI
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The BIC America DV62si bookshelf speakers use 6.5-inch graphite woofers that produce incredibly vivid bass. The use of a 0.75-inch soft dome tweeter also makes the mid and high tones sound great. The wide frequency range of 43 Hz – 20k Hz also helps the speakers produce lifelike beats. In addition, the style of the speakers matches all kinds of décors because of their dark wood design. You can turn off the grill to expose the soft dome tweeter and woofer, which can change the look of the speaker and give it a whole new atmosphere.
The bookshelf speakers are easy to install because only two cables are needed to connect to a stereo system. The dB sensitivity is also 90 dB, so you can hear the sound quite loud without having to adjust the volume to full power. The disadvantage is that you can’t use the speakers if you don’t have a stereo system that you can connect via cables. You also cannot mount the speakers on the wall, so you need to make room for them in advance. But overall, this is one of the best bookshelf speakers under $200.
