Bookshelf vs Tower Speakers: Which Should I Get?

[gene]

A common question we often get asked by our readers is “which should I get,a bookshelf or floorstanding speaker?”

There is no absolute answer as it really depends on many variables (ie. budget, listening habits, bass management, room size, aesthetics). We break this down for you in this article and accompanying YouTube video discussion to help you make a better educated decision. Get what you need and want in a speaker system!

Read: Bookshelf vs Tower Speakers: Which Should I Get?

Don't forget to vote in our poll on which speaker type is your favorite. Also please share your pics of your system here.

 

[gene]

 

[TheWarrior]

Conclusion: 'AsseSS'

I think the score card is a good idea! A no non-sense approach, except when people have an issue with the way things 'add up'.....

 

[Epetti]

Very helpful article. In my particular case I've got a large room (3300 ft^3) but am definitely intending to bass manage (primary use is home theater). Score came out at 4. But will most bookshelves solidly fill a room that size, even with a solid subwoofer, and keep good clean sound still at all levels?

 

[Steve81]

Since I occasionally listen at higher levels, I can appreciate the additional clean output a good 3-way tower (or large bookshelf) can provide. Even with an 80Hz XO, listening at reference level is a lot to ask from a compact bookshelf/satellite speaker. In my setup, I use towers with a 120Hz XO to good effect.

 

[TheWarrior]

Very helpful article. In my particular case I've got a large room (3300 ft^3) but am definitely intending to bass manage (primary use is home theater). Score came out at 4. But will most bookshelves solidly fill a room that size, even with a solid subwoofer, and keep good clean sound still at all levels?

Most definitely!

 

[3db]

Although I can get away with bookshelfs and sub based on the scorecard, I prefer to run my speakers full range without a sub and without room EQ when listening to 2 channel music. I prefer towers in that instance. Thats how I use my main system in the basement. For the secondary system, I use bookshelfs and a sub for 2 channel music.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Definitely depends on the setting.

For living room & theater, I prefer large full-range towers as well. Subs are fine, but I prefer to have less components when possible.

For other rooms (Bedrooms, Study, Exercise, Patio), I prefer smaller speakers like in-ceiling, in-wall, or bookshelf speakers.

For karaoke, well, I prefer pro-style high-efficiency speakers.

 

[Montucky]

I've always been a tower guy, loving to crank the volume, jam out and having something that has loads of bass without a separate sub (I'm talking about for music in the basement or garage, not HT).

That said, the Status Acoustics Voce Fina bookshelves might have converted me. Wow, do those things sound amazing, which goes to prove the point that high end drivers in a bookshelf can blow away lower end towers with lower end drivers. The bass output and overall clarity in those smoked my MUCH larger towers.

THEN we have the SA 8T Reference towers, which brought me instantly back to the tower camp. Haha. The ultimate solution? BOTH bookshelves and towers!!! I want the Voce Finas for the sitting room on our main floor, but still some monster towers for the basement.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've always been a tower guy, loving to crank the volume, jam out and having something that has loads of bass without a separate sub (I'm talking about for music in the basement or garage, not HT).

That said, the Status Acoustics Voce Fina bookshelves might have converted me. Wow, do those things sound amazing, which goes to prove the point that high end drivers in a bookshelf can blow away lower end towers with lower end drivers. The bass output and overall clarity in those smoked my MUCH larger towers.

THEN we have the SA 8T Reference towers, which brought me instantly back to the tower camp. Haha. The ultimate solution? BOTH bookshelves and towers!!! I want the Voce Finas for the sitting room on our main floor, but still some monster towers for the basement.

And for the rest of us poor people, the RBH SX-61/R bookshelf and SX-T2/R or SX-8300/R tower will have to do.

 

[Montucky]

And for the rest of us poor people, the RBH SX-61/R bookshelf and SX-T2/R or SX-8300/R tower will have to do.

Oh, they'll MORE than do. Haha. I'm just saving my pennies for the Voce Fines because they are the finest bookshelves I've ever come across. Not to mention my wife actually wants a pair because they are just that darn gorgeous to see (and hear) in person. I'm drooling just thinking about them. That said, I'd be VERY happy with any of RBH's more modest offerings. I've even pitted their outdoor MC-6AWs against my towers in a side by side comparison, and those little speakers actually spanked my old towers when it comes to overall clarity and tonal quality. Sure, they didn't have the bass my bigger speakers have, but they sure sounded better in all honesty. And that's an "OUTDOOR" speaker!!!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Oh, they'll MORE than do. Haha. I'm just saving my pennies for the Voce Fines because they are the finest bookshelves I've ever come across. Not to mention my wife actually wants a pair because they are just that darn gorgeous to see (and hear) in person. I'm drooling just thinking about them. That said, I'd be VERY happy with any of RBH's more modest offerings. I've even pitted their outdoor MC-6AWs against my towers in a side by side comparison, and those little speakers actually spanked my old towers when it comes to overall clarity and tonal quality. Sure, they didn't have the bass my bigger speakers have, but they sure sounded better in all honesty. And that's an "OUTDOOR" speaker!!!

Yeah, I just tested out the RBH MC-6AW (6" woofer) Outdoor, RBH A815 (8" woofer) in-ceiling, and RBH VA-815 (8" woofer) in-ceiling speakers. They all sound very clear like high quality bookshelf speakers.

 

[gene]

Conclusion: 'AsseSS'

I think the score card is a good idea! A no non-sense approach, except when people have an issue with the way things 'add up'.....

For those people, we included this statement:
Note: This is NOT a biblical source. It's just a guideline for you to utilize or not.

 

[Locoweed]

When you get to figuring the savings of buying bookshelf speakers, add in the price of speaker stands.

 

[KIRKLIN1]

Great article. I find myself in a bit of a quandary. I am running Paradigm Signature S4's. They are larger than most bookshelves, yet still shorter than towers. I love them . . . They're anomalies: clarity and enunciation of a bookshelf, but the authority of a tower. Yes, I have multiple subs running (I spent a lot of time getting them set up). Only my stereophile friends notice the subs. Most are so in awe of the sound of the S4's, overlooking that size speaker, even with all of it's impressive output, can produce the type of bass being heard.

Parasound A21 amps running; Parasound C1 processor

 

[gene]

Great article. I find myself in a bit of a quandary. I am running Paradigm Signature S4's. They are larger than most bookshelves, yet still shorter than towers. I love them . . . They're anomalies: clarity and enunciation of a bookshelf, but the authority of a tower. Yes, I have multiple subs running (I spent a lot of time getting them set up). Only my stereophile friends notice the subs. Most are so in awe of the sound of the S4's, overlooking that size speaker, even with all of it's impressive output, can produce the type of bass being heard.

Parasound A21 amps running; Parasound C1 processor

So what's the problem? If you're happy with the sound, who cares what someone that reads Stereophile says?

Sounds like you chose a high output midsized bookshelf that is blending well with your subs. Bravo!

 

[DukeL]

I think the right answer was given early in the video: It depends.

It's always a matter of tailoring the system to the specific situation: Where are the goalposts, and what are the constraints?

Some things we might look at, in no particular order:

- If bass quality is a high priority, can we use multiple subs? In most rooms, that would be optimal.

- It's inefficient to pay for duplication of capability, so if we're going to use an optimal sub setup from about 80 Hz on down, it makes no sense to pay extra for main speakers that go much deeper than that, BUT we also don't want speakers that are weak in the octave or two north of the subwoofers (which happens more often than we'd like to think).

- It's also inefficient to have one part of the system prematurely become the limiting factor, so dynamic capabilities of the mains (preferably including freedom from compression and timbral shift on peaks) should be matched to the subs and sufficient for the application.

- If room positioning constraints are limiting the footprint size, in general we can get more output from a floorstander than from a similar-footprint stand-mount.

I think that a well-executed satellite/subs system has the highest potential, and that (in the absence of subs) the floorstander format has more potential than the stand-mount format, but budget, living space, and/or spouse can overrule all of that.

 

[TheWarrior]

For those people, we included this statement:
Note: This is NOT a biblical source. It's just a guideline for you to utilize or not.

BAM! This thread hit it out of the park with the broad range of responses of whom prefers what! And furthers the duality of my point, as it relates to user budget!

Similarly, I chose to vote 'None of the Above' and take the slang 'cans' to mean any type of speaker, even head phones.

Just give me good quality drivers (beryllium), passive or active, with prodigious, evenly distributed bass!

 

[RochRx7]

The correct accurate and most factual answer would be all of the above.

Each category of speaker system tailored to the various rooms in your house.

Rooms with no speakers.. they are not a room. Just a shell waiting to be fulfilled.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If every room were 21' x 28' x 15' indoors, it would be all big bad towers.

But every room is not 21x28x15' indoors.