A listing of the Best Bookshelf Speakers for $500/pair

[gene]

Let's face it, when space is tight, your best bet to getting good sound is a pair of bookshelf speakers mated with a subwoofer tucked away out of sight. $500/pair seems to be a good sweet spot where respectable performance and good aesthetics can be had in the same package.

While there are so many brands to choose from, not all are created equally and price may often not dictate quality. At the same breath, ID does NOT always mean you will find a better deal than traditional Brick&Mortar retail channels.

We've put together a collection of some excellent bookshelf speakers from the likes of Ascends, Jamo, Phase Tech, Aperion, and SVS for someone just looking to get the best performance within a budget of $500/pair!

Each of these options should provide great sound reproduction, and their availability through different channels means at least a few of them can be for trial or audition. We're confident you will discover the right speaker for your room and your tastes!

See our 2015 Top $500/pair Bookshelf Speakers Listing

Please vote for your favorite and let us know if you prefer an alternative that is not listed here.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Imho: just to be a bit more fair : Since Phase Technology V62 is already included over $500 it would only be fair to compare it to Ascend 340SE and not 170's, since the prior is at about same ball park pricing wise

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It's always tricky comparing ID vs B&M prices (as noted in the article).

A B&M brand that is $585 MSRP is more like $400 actual price b/c of discounts.

An ID brand that is $568 MSRP is more like $568 actual price b/c of no discounts.

 

[gene]

Imho: just to be a bit more fair : Since Phase Technology V62 is already included over $500 it would only be fair to compare it to Ascend 340SE and not 170's, since the prior is at about same ball park pricing wise

Agreed I will see about getting that updated or at least recommended as an upgrade path. More speaker for the money for sure!

 

[Cos]

Focal Chorus 70
Monitor Audio Radius 90
PSB Image B6

Are a few that I have heard that I thought sounded very good, but don't have a lot of experience in this area.

 

[gene]

Rather than rewriting, I added this to the article:

Upgrade Path: CMT-340SE
CMT-340 SE Product Page

However, if your budget can expand to about $600/pair ($568/pair + shipping), we highly recommend stepping up to the Ascend CMT-340SE speakers. The CMT-340 SE's sport dual 6.5" phase plug polygel midbass drivers in an MTM configuration with an upgrade 1" silk dome tweeter. We are big fans of vertical MTM's for their ability to not only play louder but also to help control vertical dispersion and give more body to the critical midrange region by having twice the piston area to cover those frequencies. The CMT-340 SE is certainly a top pick of ours in this price class and it should be for you too if your serious about sound and can accommodate the larger footprint of such a speaker.​

 

[GranteedEV]

Imho: just to be a bit more fair : Since Phase Technology V62 is already included over $500 it would only be fair to compare it to Ascend 340SE and not 170's, since the prior is at about same ball park pricing wise

Keep in mind, it took me a single google search to hit an authorized dealer that lists the Phase Tech:
http://www.eastporters.com/product/v62-pair/

at exactly 500 dollars.

Usually dealers get told not to list the product pricing online if it's under MSRP.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Keep in mind, it took me a single google search to hit an authorized dealer that lists the Phase Tech:
http://www.eastporters.com/product/v62-pair/

at exactly 500 dollars.

Usually dealers get told not to list the product pricing online.

Most major holidays Ascend has cmt 340se on sale around same $500. In fact there's a decent chance one could get same pricing if contact Ascend directly, especially on 5.1 system purchase

 

[zieglj01]

Keep in mind, it took me a single google search to hit an authorized dealer that lists the Phase Tech:
http://www.eastporters.com/product/v62-pair/

at exactly 500 dollars.

Usually dealers get told not to list the product pricing online if it's under MSRP.

Also at SoundApproach for $254 each
http://soundapproach.com/phase-technology-v62-phase-velocity-bookshelf-single-speaker.html

 

[GranteedEV]

Good catch. It looks like they have a Save $20 coupon code going on right now too.

http://soundapproach.com/coupons

 

[alphaiii]

XTZ 93.22 - $440/pr (93.22 and 93.21 use same drivers/crossover, just different cabinets/tuning)
Arx A1rx-c - $350/pr + shipping

Having owned and enjoyed the NHT Absolute Zero, I think both of these are more capable speakers for the money. I think the XTZ sound very good, are reasonably easy to drive for bookshelves, they are built like tanks, and have a nice gloss black finish. I had the Arx A1b, the predecessor to the A1rx-c, and they were solidly built with very good sound quality. The downside was the less than stellar looks and low sensitivity.

I haven't heard the others, although I have heard the Aperion Verus Forte center, and was a bit underwhelmed. Unless specifically looking for small speakers, the Forte satellites would not be on my list of $500 speakers... and even then, I'd recommend the NHT Absolute Zero instead. If smaller was necessary, then I'd probably recommend the SVS Prime Satellites - they measure better that the Verus Forte and cost less (although with a bit less bass extension).

I would like to hear the SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers...

 

[Seth=L]

SVS played their cards right, they started with a simple enough product line that offered extremely high performance that quickly gained traction all over the web. It's really neat to see them trickle in broader product ranges as time goes on without making it seem like they've been forced to diversify.

This is something that I've always felt was amiss with Emotiva for example, something about their effort to produce new types of products seems forced and doesn't seem to garner the same amount of respect. At the end of the day people only think of two things when it comes to Emotiva, amps and preamps. SVS gives people shopping for speakers something to really scratch their head and think a little. I'm happy to see this little Ohio company come up like this.

 

[KEW]

Also at SoundApproach for $254 each
http://soundapproach.com/phase-technology-v62-phase-velocity-bookshelf-single-speaker.html

That is $254 each as in $508 for a pair!

 

[zieglj01]

That is $254 each as in $508 for a pair!

Bingo!

However, with the $20 coupon it is $488.

 

[utopianemo]

I vote for the Chane A2RX-c at $224/ea as best value under $500 anywhere. I'm actually a little surprised that Audioholics hasn't been all over the ARX speakers, since you guys have always been like bloodhounds at sniffing out great performing products at great prices.
http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/A2rx-c

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The reason I voted for NHT:
1. I've own the $100 SuperZero and thought it sounded great.
2. The Absolute Zero had a listening window on HTM of about +/-0.9dB, which was the best ever measured in HTM.

But for those looking for a better deal, I think the EMP, Infinity, & Pioneer bookshelf speakers would do just fine. IOW, I definitely don't think any of these $500 bookshelf will sound twice as good.

 

[Seth=L]

I vote for the Chane A2RX-c at $224/ea as best value under $500 anywhere. I'm actually a little surprised that Audioholics hasn't been all over the ARX speakers, since you guys have always been like bloodhounds at sniffing out great performing products at great prices.
http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/A2rx-c

Interesting. The driver quality seems unparallelled at the price, which makes me wonder what gives.

 

[its phillip]

I was interested in the ARX speakers before they got mixed up with Chase. Now that they are going their separate ways, maybe I'll take another look

 

[rvance]

Wharfedale Diamond 10.1. No brainer. $299.00/pair. Should easily hang with all the above mentioned.

 

[rnatalli]

I was a fan of Mirage's OMD5 which could be had for $500/pair.