The speaker market is developing – new models are announced or released almost every day. We have put together a selection of the best bookshelf speakers that have just hit the shelves for you – none of the models this year disappoint.
8. Magnat Monitor S10 B
Pros: affordable price, nice sound
Cons: the resolution is not too high
Suitable for: zealous music lovers
The small two-band speakers Magnat Monitor S10 B are designed in closed cases, which improves the bass response (frequency response starts from 42 Hz!) and allows you to place the speakers close to the wall. The model’s arsenal includes traditional German quality, ferrite magnets in the tweeters, pressed cellulose on a proprietary FE-Dynamics rubber suspension as a mid/bass cone, and tightly knocked-down enclosures made of E1 MDF panels.
7. Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5
Pros: good design
Cons: bass lacks texture
Suitable for: looking for a pass to the world of Hi-Fi
Unlike the model described above, Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 uses a phase-inverted design. The speakers are solid – an inch tweeter with a silk dome and a neodymium magnet, plus a 130 mm mid/bass driver with a fiberglass cone (frequency response from 55 Hz). Each speaker weighs 4.2 kg, comes with gold-plated terminals – and, in general, looks and sounds “all the money.”
6. Focal Theva N1
Pros: nice presentation
Cons: slightly raised treble
Suitable for: fans of French charm
The speakers from the famous French brand was developed using the company’s own technologies – for example, Time Alignment allows you to focus the stereo base, and the TNF tweeter (inverted dome made of an aluminum and magnesium alloy) and mid/bass speakers with diffusers made of Slatefiber material (carbon fiber in a thermoplastic polymer sandwich) allow you to achieve a luxurious resolution for this price group. In addition, even the HF suspensions are innovative – Poron polyurethane with a memory effect is used! Each speaker weighs 7 kg and plays at 57 Hz.
5 Mission 700
Pros: solid and powerful sound, flat frequency response
Cons: nothing major
Suitable for: People confident that the classics do not age
These heirs to the iconic model are assembled in the UK – and with a similar design, the speakers accumulate all of the company’s 45 years of experience in the manufacture of loudspeakers. The latest polypropylene mid/bass drivers with a molded chassis and low-density suspensions, redesigned magnetic systems, bass from 45 Hz, proprietary Inverted Driver Geometry driver layout, a solid weight of almost thirteen kilograms – you can hardly find something in this price list today. the best. One “but” – the sensitivity of the speakers at 86 dB dictates the use of a very powerful and stable amplifier with them.
4. Revival Audio SPRINT 3
Pros: Sound wall from speakers of small dimensions!
Cons: you will need to find a worthy partner for reinforcement
Suitable for: Those who want to try something new
Revival Audio’s 2023 development is the SPRINT series. The French style here is multiplied with the latest achievements in the audio industry – for example, dome tweeters impregnated with RASC are complemented by an anti-reflection inner dome ARID (Anti Reflection Inner Dome) and a rear chamber, due to which 95% of reflections are extinguished. The main frequency band is sounded by a no less extravagant driver with a diffuser made of BSC (Basalt Sandwich Construction) basalt sandwich, and the front panel of the speakers is deliberately made asymmetrical with waveguides. The frequency response starts from 55 Hz, and the sound delivery of the speakers is distinguished by a chic scale.
3. Davis Acoustics Olympia One MASTER 35
Pros: Stunning quality finishes, great sound
Cons: price is high
Suitable for: Those who want to combine beautiful design and sound
Launched to mark the 35th anniversary of Davis Acoustics, the Olympia One MASTER 35 sports an incredibly high-quality finish (ebony and Tamo ash) and uses a proprietary set of drivers – a 1.1″ tweeter and a 5.11″ mid/bass driver with a cone made of Kevlar, which is so fond of the French developer. Frequency response from 55 Hz, resistance in the range of 4-8 ohms, sensitivity 90 dB – everything is fine here.
2. Epos ES14N
Pros: good resolution
Cons: very high price
Suitable for: ready to invest in a hobby
The debut of Karl-Heinz Fink in Epos is a rethinking of the classics of the famous audio company. The new Epos ES14N are equipped with a 28 mm tweeter with an anodized aluminum cone and a solid 180 mm main driver (polypropylene cone) with a double-layer voice coil with a diameter of as much as 36 mm. Super-rigid cabinets are made of MDF and complemented by a system of internal partitions. The speakers play from 40 Hz – the design is exceptionally solid, the sound too.
1. Monitor Audio Platinum 100 3G
Pros: Reference sound for this price list, combining accuracy, power and sophistication
Cons: as usual – the price tag
Suitable for: those who want to join the world of High End
Updated Monitor Audio Platinum 100 3G shelf speakers are expensive, but, as they say, they justify every penny invested in them. High End model guarantees “the same” resolution and gloss in the entire frequency range, which audiophiles are chasing. The ultra-modern tweeters use third-generation MPD technology (Micro Pleated Diaphragm III – micro-corrugated diaphragm). The main drivers are equipped with cones made using Rigid Diaphragm Technology III technology (a magnesium-aluminum alloy with a ceramic coating is applied to a Nomex aramid substrate). We add cabinets with wall thicknesses up to 21 mm and 36 mm baffles (each speaker weighs more than 15 kg) – and here it is, a dream, with a frequency response from 37 to 60,000 (!) Hz.