The Best Bookshelf Speakers
If you are a music enthusiast, a pair of high-quality, durable, long-lasting bookshelf speakers will be one of your best purchases. These are compact loudspeakers that usually come in pairs. The audio quality of bookshelf speakers is better – crisper, clearer, more nuanced – than most Bluetooth speakers that are very popular today. They can also give better value for money because of their performance and longevity.
To help you start, we’ve compiled a list of the best bookshelf speakers in 2023 by ELAC:
The Carina speakers benefit from ELAC’s signature, a proprietary JET tweeter that produces a high-end sound that satisfies discerning audiophiles. ELAC gave it a new, perfectly calibrated, compound curvature aluminum woofer with a multi-element xover (crossover speaker). The bass reflex port points to the floor, sending vibrations from the bottom of the speaker cabinet and minimizing ventilation noise. The result is an organic, pure sound that makes songs sound like they’re sung in the same room.
The ELAC Carina speakers are best placed on opposite sides of a room with a one to two-foot distance from adjacent walls or solid boundaries. Avoid placing them on corners, but if that’s unavoidable, ELAC recommends placing each speaker further from one wall so that the distance from the side wall is unequal to the distance from the rear wall.
The ELAC Debut B5 was named “The Absolute Sound Product of the Year” in 2015 for its superior sound quality and performance. Magazines and websites applauded its incredible build and output, which outperformed many brands and models that cost thousands of dollars higher.
ELAC outdid itself by upgrading this already-exemplary product and producing the Debut B5.2. It boasts a brand-new dome tweeter with a wide-roll surround. The improved design also eliminates diffraction modes, which is a common problem in most traditional box speakers. Its aramid-fiber woofer also offers better damping than the more conventional paper or polypropylene material.
Small in size, yet impressive in performance, the B5.2 surpasses its predecessor and many of the pricier best bookshelf speakers in the market today.
When a company is committed to improving even its most outstanding products, you get exceptional results – just like the ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2. On the heels of its acclaimed predecessor, the ELAC Debut B6 released in 2015, the B6.2 model made waves of its own upon its release in 2018 and continues to appear in many best bookshelf speakers for audiophile lists to this day.
CNET named the B6.2 the best bookshelf speaker of its class in 2021 because of its superior sound quality, clarity, quality build, and affordability. Taller and slimmer than the B6, the cabinet boasts a 6.5-inch aramid-fiber woofer with a silk-dome tweeter that is almost flush with the front panel. Thanks to the additional bracing, it is less resonant than the original Debut speakers, which reduces sonic coloration.
The B6.2 is perfect for small to mid-sized rooms. And with their front-mounted port, you can position them closer to the wall. If there’s too much bass, move the speakers further away from any adjacent barrier.
If you’re looking for a vibrant edge and a touch of nostalgia to go along with quality sound, the ELAC BS 312 delivers spectacularly. It evokes the form and appearance of the ELAC Elegant 305 (a hit when we released it back in 1993) while boasting the brand’s award-winning JET 5 tweeter and other new and improved features.
The BS 312 uses an extruded aluminum cabinet and a 115mm AS-XR cone consisting of an aluminum outer layer bonded to an inner paper cone. JET 5 tweeter is also remarkable thanks to its “folded ribbon” design, which demonstrates ELAC’s precision and status as a maker of high-end speakers, but sans the exorbitant prices.
Small, compact, and a bit on the heavy side, the BS 312 produces the best sound when mounted on specially-designed stands with perfectly-fitting spikes that attach underneath each speaker. You can also achieve higher volumes while maintaining sound quality by using an amplifier with a clean delivery. With its flexibility and quality, the ELAC Line 300 deserves a spot on our list of best bookshelf speakers in 2023.
The Debut series is undoubtedly one of ELAC’s best. To up the ante, the company produced a new Reference line to build on the Debut’s best features while offering something new and different visually and sonically.
The Reference series is built and designed to blend with contemporary and traditional music room setups. Available in black baffle with walnut paneling and white baffle with oak, its minimalist design makes it easy to style alongside existing equipment and furniture.
These speakers have enhanced, full-perimeter bracing on the top and side panels that help reduce vibrations and coloration. The cast chassis woofer further minimizes chassis resonance while reinforcing the front baffle for a more solid, full-bodied sound. They are ideal for small to mid-sized rooms but can pair wonderfully with a suitable amplifier.
Enjoy The Best Bookshelf Speakers for Audiophile from ELAC
The German brand has earned a reputation for making some of the best bookshelf speakers in the market: high-end quality sound and a durable build that far exceed the performance of competitor brands that cost thousands of dollars more.
ELAC has been in the business for over 90 years, making its first PW1 record player in 1948. The company’s knowledge and expertise in building quality speakers are unparalleled, and the list above is proof. Despite being released a few years ago, any of the bookshelf speakers listed above can still outperform newer releases.Explore our website for more information on ELAC bookshelf speakers. We’re confident you can find one that will satisfy your build, sound, appearance, and performance preferences.. You can check the product specs and buy bookshelf speakers directly from our website.