Shopping for speakers can be quite the daunting endeavor . Everyone and their mother seems to make a set ofbookshelvesor a pair of trading floor - stander that areguaranteedto rattle your window and shake your doors . But marketing hyperbole only stretches so far , and when it ’s time to elicit up your favorite movie or give on your favored phonograph record , you ’re going to wantthe good speakersyou can rely on each and every time .
fortunately , we ’ve been vetting and examination talker for many geezerhood , and our consecrated squad of AV experts be intimate a thing or two about console , cones , and crossovers . While it ’s essential to keep an open mind when tell on for audio hardware , we think it ’s just as all-important for the tried and true companies to get the limelight they deserve . That ’s why we put together this listing of the best speaker brands featuring Ab manufacturers like JBL , KEF , Sonos , and Klipsch !
JBL
Accessibility meets performance
The JBL Xtreme 4Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsJames B. Lansing Sound ( JBL ) has seen a identification number of crest and valleys in its many tenner as a recognisable name in sound . With origins date back to 1927 , James Lansing and his business enterprise cooperator , Ken Decker , start up in the receiving set business , producing number one wood for at - home radio computer hardware . After a series of developmental collaborations with Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer ’s reasoned part , the tragical 1939 death of Decker in a woodworking plane crash , and a 1941 buyout from Altec Service Corporation ( later changed to Altec Lansing ) , James Lansing left Altec in 1946 after his declaration with the company ended , where he went on to chance his own trade name once more : Lansing Sound , and later on JBL Sound .
Fast - forward 25 year or so to the ’ 70 , and JBL is bigger than ever . Sold to Harman International in 1969 , the following year JBL would rack up bear dirt with its legendary JBL L-100 loudspeaker system , as well as its fecund line of professional studio monitors . waver a minute through the ’ eighty and ’ XC , at least in terms of mass - market appeal , Samsung develop Harman Kardon in 2017 , which brought about a major revitalization for the JBL label .
When it come to versatility , JBL is truly a jack of all trades and even the master of a few . Whether you ’re an aim audio engineer , home cinema connoisseur , or the median hearer who just require a durable andweatherproof Bluetooth speakerthat sounds great , JBL has reliable audio products that fulfil nearly every recess .
What is JBL’s calling card?
Portable audio , bar none . If you ’re looking for a silken , well - armor , and powerful - soundingBluetooth speaker unit , JBL is the way to go . And two of our best-loved JBL speakers in the portable category are the Authentics 300 and andFlip 6 .
Additionally , JBL are the makers of some fairly serious company speakers , including the 1,100 - wattPartyBox Ultimateand thePartyBox Stage 320that is capable of powering any large assemblage with huge volume and clarity .
Another capital JBL intersection that get nice and loud is theJBL Xtreme 4 , an IP67 - blackleg portable Bluetooth speaker unit that delivers up to 30 hours of barrage life and include a nylon carry strap . Our ownDerek Malcolmreviewed this regretful male child and pronounce , “ The JBL Xtreme 4 ’s bold and sweet well-grounded , boundary - pushing battery , and tough blueprint make it the premium Bluetooth speaker to beat this year . ”
What’s the best JBL speaker?
JBL has a number of arresting speakers to choose from , but when crowd turn to shove , we ’ll beak theJBL Authentics 300every prison term .
With a design that pay off homage to the company ’s golden geezerhood while still match in the present mean solar day , the Authentics 300 is a classy - expect Bluetooth speaker that ’s force by a 100 - W amplifier . Yes , this loudspeaker system gets plenty loud , but dual , mids and low - oddment absolute frequency are all well - balanced at higher volumes , too . The same ca n’t be aver for a lot of other Wi - Fi / Bluetooth utterer , where concretion and distortion often consume by at the mix when the volume is cranked .
The JBL Authentics 300 is also a breeze to do up and simple to operate , and because you may connect the speaker to Wi - Fi , you ’ll be capable to use the Authentics 300 as an Alexa or Google Assistant - power smart speaker . And if you download the JBL One app ( for iOS and Android devices ) , you ’ll make headway access to EQ place setting , native musical accompaniment for numerous music cyclosis avail , and a nerveless feature that fires up a preferred playlist when you tap the speaker’sMomentbutton .
What’s new
JBL’sMA Series receiversare a thing of beauty , but you ca n’t announce new receiver without one or two couplet of new speakers , right ? Fortunately , JBL ’s MA Series is also join by the sword ’s fresh Stage 2 Series family theater speakers , and we ’d care to call out theJBL Stage 240B bookshelvesfor being particularly awful .
At 10.75 inch tall , 6.9 in blanket , and 9.06 inches from front to back , these mid - sized tone titans come with 4.5 - inch blackguard polycellulose woofers and 1 - column inch aluminum dome tweeters with JBL ’s Next Generation HDI applied science for enhanced legal dispersion . anticipate great sound character and versatile performance from JBL ’s late and neat .
Bowers & Wilkins
Speakers tailor-made for audiophiles
The formative years of Bowers & Wilkins , a royal name in the existence of hello - fi , can be trace to an electronics store opened by John Bowers and business partner Roy Wilkins . As the company start out designing custom intercom equipment for schools and churches , John Bowers jumped on the audio - development train and never looked back .
Stepping away from consumer tech retail , Bowers founded the official B&W Loudspeakers LTD label in 1966 . work in a production deftness behind the principal storefront , the outlet of the 1967 P1 speaker would place B&W on the mapping .
These daytime , B&W is the go - to brand name for developmental reference work , intend all the other big hi - fi names are designing their products against the gamy criterion already set by B&W. With professional studio apartment monitor set up at both Abbey Road Studios and Skywalker Sound , and partnership with major European auto company admit Jaguar , Volvo , McLaren , Maserati , and BMW , B&W surrender flagship designs and performance for residential , commercial , and vehicular listening distance .
Oh , and rent ’s not forget to bring up that B&W also produces some pretty awesomesoundbarsandheadphones , too .
What is Bowers & Wilkins’ calling card?
B&W is best know for incredible lifestyle designs , backed up by dependable , in high spirits - close audiophile execution . From the company’sup to the formidable800 Series Diamond lineup , B&W couch painstaking detail into every individual one of its cabinet , driver , and tweeters , result in speaker that deliver un - compromised home audio .
Arguably , the 700 seriesis one of the stigma ’s more price - accessible speaker category ( lay out from the mid $ 1,000s to $ 7,000 ) , vaunt such feature as a substantial body housing for the Carbon Dome tweeter , dynamic soundstaging for dwelling cinema , and dedicated music session , and a multitude of floor standing and bookshelf designs in brilliant finishes .
For something different , view the well - received607 S3 , one of our favorite speakers of the year .
What’s the best Bowers & Wilkins speaker?
For the best in B&W , await no further than the industry - lauded801 D4 tower speakers .
Available in four alluring finishes and back up by 40 years of developmental whiz , the 801 D4 engage Matrix brace and armored Turbine Heads for the midrange cones , all in the name of decreased resonance , which intend precise soundstaging beyond your wild dreams .
And at $ 20,000 a distich , you’re able to either corrupt the greatest pair of speakers ever made or matriculate at a four - year university for a semester or two . The choice is yours , dear listeners .
Premium earbuds and earphone merit as much good as top - shelf loudspeaker , and B&W introduced some significant changes to its wireless in - ear batting order this past summertime . TheBowers & Wilkins Pi6 and flagship Pi8 TWS earbudsdeliver exceptional well-grounded timber , category - leading ANC , and aptX Lossless Bluetooth support .
regrettably , there ’s nothing brand - newfangled for B&W when it arrive to the traditional bookshelf and floor - stand speakers , or even soundbars and Bluetooth speaker . However , we ’ll be sure to update this segment as soon as new ironware is announced !
KEF
Decades of intuitive engineering meet the wireless age
KEF is another British brand that fork up an arresting blending of style , performance , and versatility , netting plenty of manufacture realization and a dedicated following of devotee the world over . With base date back to 1961 , ship’s company founder Raymond Cook , an electric engineer , started KEF on the campus of Kent Engineering & Foundry ( where KEF get its cognomen ) .
Aspiring to bring in generation after generation of innovations to the world of utterer technology , KEF has expend just as much fourth dimension search and test new way to ameliorate upon exist loudspeaker peripheral as they have on actual production .
With breakthroughs and other noteworthy finds being published in some of the most august audio publishing , include theInstitute of Acousticsand theAudio Engineering Society , KEF ’s analytic spine is a driving strength across all its ware categories , from wireless Hawaii - fi to groundbreaking flagship towboat and bookshelf designs .
What is KEF’s calling card?
efficaciously bridge the gap between radical - high - remnant performance and accessible pricing , KEF is a dominant effect in both the passive and powered utterer markets , but it ’s the latter where the steel sincerely dial in its gravitas . Their innovative Uni - Q speaker intent and frequency - absorbingMAT metamaterial technologydeliver attractively accurate sound .
Have you hear of theKEF LS50 Wireless II ? uncommitted in black , carmine , gray , and white , these tuner bookshelf speakers deliver one ofthe best - go and most flexiblestreaming - audio experiences you ’ll ever come across .
feature AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast compatibility , as well as wire link for video , turntables , and other AV components , along with 24bit/384kHz , Roon Ready , DSD256 , and MQA file support for all the richest listening session , the KEF LS50 Wireless II is the wireless hi - fi option we all care we had .
If you ’re look for floor - standing speakers , study the . With sleek finishes in black , whitened , and walnut , these speakers are engineered to bring out detail in your music and movies that other speakers ca n’t touch .
However , as excellent as KEF ’s talker are , their Mary Leontyne Price tag can be a bit much to take back for some folks , with theLS50 Wireless IIstarting at $ 2,500 and it ’s popularLSX II run $ 1,300a brace . But all promise is not lost , with KEF launching its most affordable rendering of the latter , theLSX II LT Wireless Hi - Fi Speakers , a streamlined version of the LSX II that retail for $ 1,000 .
What’s the best KEF speaker?
That ’s a tough call . Seeing as we ’re pressed for an solution , we ’re move to put our money on the showstoppingKEF LS60 Wireless , another amazing pair of wireless hi - fi verbalizer .
Sold in dark blue , white , and black-market finish , these beautiful tower speakers take everything we already know and love about the LS50 Wireless II and expand each set of astonishing feature . TheLS60 Wirelesstower speakers are capable of connecting to Wi - Fi , AirPlay 2 , Chromecast , and Bluetooth , and the KEF plug in app set out you additional access to Spotify , Tidal , Deezer , Amazon Music , and other top - notch cyclosis platforms . You ’ll also be able to decrypt PCM file up to 24bit/384kHz , along with the power to listen to MQA and DSD format .
Yes , KEF makes bigger and more powerful ( and more expensive ) inactive loudspeakers for home cinema and wired audio applications programme , but it ’s the wireless category where KEF radiate bright than most — at least in our humble thought . Thus , we ’ll call theLS60 Wirelessthe beneficial KEF speaker in our ledger .
KEF is n’t one to pillow on its laurels , which is why we ’re treated to young verbaliser lineup like the Hawaii - fi - focused Q Series . Hitting the market in declension of 2024 , the KEF Q Series with MAT feature eight talker models to pick out from , one of which is theKEF Q3 Meta .
This excellent pair of bookshelf speakers sport the twelfth generation of KEF ’s Uni - Q driver regalia . By placing the tweeter smack - splatter in the eye of the midrange cone , the Q3 Meta is able to balance treble and midrange frequencies more effectively , result in a wider and more elaborated soundstage .
Whether you design on using them for a stereo hi - fi frame-up or as front loudspeaker in a surround sound configuration , the KEF Q3 Meta has got you encompass !
Klipsch
For our at-home concerts and blockbusters
is a decade - vetted audio titan that kill it year after yr , especially when it fall to rock - solid speakers designed for dB - heavy music and cinematic tentpole flicks . If you ’re a Metallica diehard or an action picture fanatic , whether you opt for a stereo apparatus or a full - surround package , Klipsch is going to be your best friend .
Founder Paul W. Klipsch was a locomotive engineer who . During his graduate studies at Stanford University in the 1930s , one of Paul ’s peers suggested that loudspeaker system sound well when positioned in the box of a room . Building upon this enliven proclamation , Paul die to work designing the revered Klipschorn ( an iconic Klipsch driver staple fibre to this daytime ) that was formally patented in 1945 .
Only one year later , Mr. Klipsch go into the audio business under the Klipsch & Associates sobriquet , manufacturing the first moving ridge of Klipschorn speakers in Hope , Arkansas , with help from a nearby cabinetmaker and the helping hands of Baldwin Piano Company . Teamwork get to the dream work , kids !
Fast - forward nearly 80 years and Klipsch is still thriving in the audio market . Revitalizing some of the brand ’s classical designs for the mod age , a Klipsch system of rules can handle any levelheaded challenge you throw at it , and at prices that our wallet and purse can handle , too .
What is Klipsch’s calling card?
With Dolby Atmos as the mightiest surround sound codec , especially in terms of floor - to - ceiling immersion , speaker companies have been at war to see who can fork up the heavy Atmos experience .
And whether that ’s by way of life of towboat and bookshelves with top - firing driver or a utter surroundings sound kit to check off all your Atmos need , Klipsch offers some of the most powerful , accessible , and various Atmos - quick speakers and systems on the marketplace .
bill as the , buyers have their pick of multiple speaker configurations , from 5.1 satellite packages to one of the biggest and hardest - hittingyou’ll find on digital and brick - and - trench mortar shelves today .
What is the best Klipsch speaker?
We were gear up to feature a Reference serial tower or pair of bookshelf for our best Klipsch laurel , but that ’s when we remembered the perfect rating we gave theKlipsch ’s The Fiveswhen we reviewed them back in 2020 . And while they ’re pretty hard to come by now , their bigger siblings , The SevensandThe Nines , also rank up there with some of the best powered speaker you may buy . These diverse , all - in - one speakers can connect to your telecasting through eitherHDMI ARC , digital optic , or analog outputs , but there are also phono , USB , and 3.5 mm auxiliary connections .
And in terms of sound timber , the results are through the ceiling . The Fives , Sevens , and Nines all offer up some of the richest and most pulse - lumber stereo soundstages you ’re blend in to find .
While there is n’t much new in the world of Klipsch when it comes to traditional speakers and subwoofer , the company has a duet ofnew soundbars on the market , as well as the brand - newMusic City Party lineupof mega - loud Bluetooth speakers .
As to the former , we in reality had the opportunityto test the Klipsch Flexus Core 200and reviewerSimon Cohen praised the bar for its sound quality , unproblematic setup , and surprising low - end performance . It ’s arduous to get enough bass out of a soundbar when it does n’t come with a wireless subwoofer , but the Flexus Core 200 evidence the exception to the rule !
Fluance
The audiophile’s best-kept secret
has only been around for 20 yr or so , but in just two decades , the Canadian company has produced some of thegreatest turntablesand speakers for prices that may make you ask yourself , “ Is this too good to be on-key ? ” ( Hint : The answer is no ) .
When founder Deepak Jain found Fluance in 1999 , the man had one goal : to design audio peripherals that would give up the kind of sounds normally bump to subsist performances alone . You see , Deepaklovedlive music and would ofttimes go out of his way to see whatever local artists were sway the dive bars and other remarkable venues of Niagara Falls , Canada .
So when you buy a Fluance product , whether that ’s aor a , you ’re getting audio that ’s tailor - made to get you as close to the onstage artist as potential , minus the sweaty mosh quarry and many a buzzed uncle .
What is Fluance’s calling card?
Outside ofmasterful lazy Susan , Fluance is perhaps best known for its , the top - shelf choice for the company ’s , , and , with an array of people of colour options for each .
Featuring everything from Neodymium tweeter for articulate high - frequency reproduction to expertly crafted cabinetry for decreased plangency and acoustical precision , when you buy a Signature speaker system from Fluance , you ’re taking home an audio ware build for an endure sonic experience like no other — and the prices are in earnest affordable .
What is the best Fluance speaker?
This was another tough call , because , on the one handwriting , theis one of the cool wireless speakers we ’ve ever seen , but it ’s a pretty niche product that might only invoke to a certain chain of mountains of audiophiles and style - mongers .
In maintain with Fluance ’s thing for timber and affordability , we ’d like to put Fluance’sspeakers at the top of the heap .
Whether you plan to use them as front or rear speakers for a Fluance surroundings system or as a dedicated set of Hawai’i - fi stereo speakers for your lauded vinyl listening room , you ’ll have all of the awing engineering that goes into the Signature serial at your disposal . We ’re talk Neodymium tweeter , strict glass fibre for the midrange cones , and a transonic visibility more akin to the deliverable of a tower talker than a 12.8 - inch - tall bookshelf , and they fall in at an affordable $ 200 .
While there ’s nothing to report on novel and cool Fluance hardware at the minute , we ’ll be indisputable to update this section once there is !
SVS
Come for the subs, stay for everything else
Whatisn’tthere to say about ? Founded in 1998 by a group of audio engineers in their garage ( technical innovation has an eldritch hang for emerging in service department ) , the SVS team was initially intent on design subwoofers and speaker system that drive home the kind of performance and note value that was n’t effectively being bewitch by the audio market at the time ( at least in SVS ’ ruling ) .
leap in front two - plus decades , SVS is still kicking down our threshold and rock our LFE dreaming with a sonically superior superfluity of bookshelf and tugboat speakers , wireless audio , and , you pretend it , gloriously seismic subwoofers . And you ’re get all of these options ( and more ) at undeniably strong-growing prices .
What is the SVS calling card?
Subwoofers , baby . All daylight , every day .
It ’s the , and it ’s the loudspeaker system niche the brand has always been renowned for . SVS subs are designed for precision , profound output signal , and sleek and modern cultivation , as well as seamless handshaking with your other speakers . While we ’re certain SVS would be glad with you buyingallSVS gear , these are subwoofers that will go great with pretty much any other stigma on this listing .
embark on with theand climbing all the manner to the top of the hierarchy for the , nothing screams SVS like the royal rumblings of a pulse - pounding sub .
What is the best SVS speaker?
SVS is going to take home the amber for one of its wireless products — specifically , theSVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker System .
Rocking a 200 - watt Class D amplifier , the SVS Prime Wireless system is streamable audio like you ’ve never get wind before .
Sometimes the “ smart verbaliser ” recording label is enough to turn an audiophile away , but we implore you to give the SVS Prime Wireless the benefit of the incertitude . With its 200 - watt Class D amplifier , 24 - bit/192kHz DAC for the finest audio recording streaming you ’ve ever heard , and a potpourri of wire - costless and cabled connections , this is a smart verbalizer built like a passive Aloha State - fi workhorse .
Give it a go — you wo n’t be disappointed . Well , maybe except for the DTS playing period - Fi app ’s small list of limitations , although we ’re betting this is something everyone can look retiring .
Not too long ago , SVS released the all - new SVS Evolution Series , and our editor - at - big Caleb Denison had the opportunity to test theSVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle , the company ’s flagship floor - standing speakers . And Caleb didst quoth : “ If the SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle were the last Speaker I owned , I ’d be thrilled . ”
These are end - all - be - all floor - standers that can serve as the perfect LR partners for the make out vinyl radical enthusiast but are just as capable of providing front - end bravado to a complete base theater configuration .
Sonos
Laying down the red carpet for whole-home audio
And last , but sure enough not least , we come to Sonos — user - friendly , lovely sounding , competitively priced , ever - expandable , and immeasurably customizable Sonos .
With a succeeder account that will add a binge to any enterpriser ’s oculus , Sonos ’ four founder — John MacFarlane , Tom Cullen , Trung Mai , and Craig Shelburne — placed their wager on four major insights based on the groundbreaking rollout of the Internet as we recognise it , a quatern of principle that spelled succeeder for the Santa Barbara collective :
Collectively , all of the above means that the sunup of the net epoch meant software developers could have a field mean solar day with web - connected technical school . The world just was n’t expecting these four horse fancier to be audio pioneers , too .
What is the Sonos calling card?
All together now : Wireless . Whole . home plate . Audio .
From its to the full portable Bluetooth - and - Wi - Fi subject utterer like theMove 2andRoam 2 , to its largwer speaker system like theEra 300andchest - thumping Subs , Sonos rule the power of your Wi - Fi mesh as the lifeblood of its armory of sound . Once connect and pair , Sonos creates a mesh web for its hardware that allows you to tie all of your TV sound , music , radiocommunication , and podcasts together into one easy - to - use platform . With simple dongle connectivity , you may alsohook up your turntableand play records through a Sonos web system , too .
Even though the once - superb Sonos app has been run throughsome growing pains of late , we have high-pitched hope that it will return to its former glory . With it you’re able to create custom chemical group for all your Speaker , play the same birdcall on all of your networked speakers at once , adjust bass voice and treble for individual components , heed to Sonos ’ excellent curation of net tuner avail , and so much more .
And with amazing engineering science like Sonos Trueplay , your speaker unit or soundbar will graduate itself based on the listening surroundings you ’ve locate it in .
Here ’s another inspiring tidbit from our very own Caleb Denison : “ Sonos did for audio frequency what Apple did for iPhones . ” Yeah , that about add affair up . The company has even bound into the headphone space with its well receivedSonos Acecans .
What is the best Sonos speaker?
We have n’t phone out an splendid soundbar yet , and what good direction to award the family than through the Dolby Atmos - inspire engineering of the mightySonos Arc Ultra ?
Yes , Sonos makes much less expensive soundbars , such asthe fine Sonos Raythat do a great job of produce your TV sound substantially than it has in years , but the Arc Ultra is build for so much more . Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant ( and its own newSonos Voice Control ) , the Arc Ultra doubles not only as a sassy place controller for all of your home ’s vane - attached camera , lights , and window blind , but also as a standout replicator of a full Dolby Atmos system .
Does it soundexactlylike a full Dolby Atmos configuration ? No , but it ’s dang confining . Simulating Atmos sound is no paseo in the park , and liken to other soundbars that take a stab at the exploit , the Sonos Arc Ultra comes out on top . That ’s not to mention that you could combine the Arc with a Sonos Sub and a set of rearward surrounds , such as theEra 100 or epoch 300speakers , for an immersive spatial audio experience .
The only other thing we could peradventure ask for is HDMI - shift ( only an HDMI output ) , but that ’s because we love the appliance of wiring all of our devices into one AV brain , and perhaps we ’ll see this addition on a young multiplication of the hardware .
We ’re always waiting with bated breath for Sonos to unveilanything , so you could imagine our delectation when Q4 2024 brought us two unexampled Sonos product : the Sonos Arc Ultra Dolby Atmos soundbar ( the successor to the much - lovedSonos Arc ) and theSonos earned run average 100 Pro , Sonos ’ firstPower over Ethernet ( PoE ) speaker .
The former boasts some notable improvements over the O.G. Arc , especially when it comes to basso and Dolby Atmos immersion .
Honorable mentions
MartinLogan
The king of the electrostatic driver , MartinLoganhas build up a prestigious reputation over the year . Touting an iconic look , the brand ’s ElectroMotion serial harnesses the power of the electrostatic transducer , as opposed to the traditional conoid pattern utilize by most speaker unit party . But what does this unique technology really do ?
For one , the transducer allows theElectronMotion seriesto achieve accurate high - frequency statistical distribution without cutting out other parts of the soundstage . In a elbow room , you’re able to recollect of the transducer as a midrange driver and tweeter as a single package . And in terms of bass voice , the ElectroMotions are also equipped with dual 8 - inch woofers , filling out the sound spectrum in rich and exciting new ways , and extra speakers can be added for a full environment system of rules . But these futuristic - looking speakers will cost you , ranging from $ 2,500 to $ 4,000 .
Polk
interchangeable to a JBL or Klipsch , Polkhas a handsome mien in the audio marketplace , across multiple product categories . reckon to outfit your car with a active audio arrangement ? There ’s a Polk root for that . take care for an amazing set of place theater speakers or dedicated hi - fi bookshelf ? There ’s a Polk solution for that , too .
And with Polk , not only are you getting expertly made utterer , soundbars , and other sound peripherals , but you ’ll be paying some affordable prices for these items , too .
Sonus Faber
And for our “ money is no object ” pick , there ’s Sonus Faber . own by the prestigiousMcIntosh Group , if Italian - styled hullo - fi is what you ’re after the ultra gamy - end , multi - laurels - winningSonus Faberfamily is the speaker brand for you . Ultra - boutique and divinely engineered , Sonus speaker system seem awe-inspiring and sound simply unconvincing .
Whether you ’re shopping for their much more affordablewireless all - in - one system , at roughly $ 2,000 , or desire to net yourself a readiness of the attractively craftedIl Cremonesefloor standers at a pant - worthy $ 62,000 , you ’re guaranteed the best with every Sonus Faber leverage .