Top 5 bookshelf speakers under $300 (per pair)

By Tom NewmanMay 25, 202113 mins read

If you’re after a high quality pair of bookshelf speakers, these are just about the best money can buy under $300.

If you’re on a tighter budget, see our top picks under $100 and $200. If you’re tight on space, see our top compact computer speakers here. If you’re after something a little more high-tech, see the best home smart speakers here.

Handles up to 120W of maximum input power: Designed for today’s dynamic movie soundtracks and music.
6-1/2″ woven aramid fiber bass driver and 1″ soft-dome tweeter: Woofer delivers deep impactful bass and tweeter provides smooth extended highs for both movies and music.
Wide-dispersion waveguide: Improves directivity control and eliminates diffraction modes.
Five-way metal binding posts: Ensures compatibility with nearly all speaker wire connectors.
Thick MDF cabinet with internal bracing: The speaker cabinet has specially designed internal bracing reducing unwanted cabinet vibration.
Enclosure with front firing port: Allows for greater flexibility in room placement – even up against a wall.
44Hz – 35kHz frequency response: Ensures a wide range of accurately reproduced sound.
Easy-to-drive 6-Ohm nominal impedance: Compatible with nearly all AV receivers and stereo amplifiers.

Thoughtful design and comfortable style: Make these bookshelf speakers a perfect accessory for any studio or living space housing.
High-gloss piano finish: Adds a bit of elegance to match your room’s décor.
Dual-speaker system: Consists of active and passive speakers and provides maximum audio performance.
High-performance sound: Each speaker contains 25mm silk-dome Eagle Eye tweeter that makes the slight sounds clear, and 5″ bass unit for spectacular, distortion-free audio.
Digital signal processing (DSP) technology: Offers active crossover frequencies and superb tonal balance even at high volumes.
Dynamic range compensation (DRC) technology: Keeps any possible distortion at an absolute minimum.
Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity: Lets you stream your favorite music wirelessly. Simply connect this Bluetooth speaker system to any Bluetooth-enabled device, such as your smartphone, tablet, and laptop, for a seamless and cordless listening experience.
Additional wired connection: You can also connect devices to your R2000DB through an optical and RCA input.
120W RMS of power: Creates a powerful sound.
55Hz – 20kHz frequency response: Enables accurate sound reproduction.
85dB sensitivity: Picks up highs and lows for faithful sound reproduction.
4-ohm impedance: Conducts power to keep the speakers working at optimal levels.
Built-in and wireless controls: Conveniently use a wireless remote or the side panel on the speaker to adjust bass, treble, and master volume.

Polk’s S20 hi-res bookshelf speakers deliver big, reliable surround sound: Featuring Dynamic Balance acoustic array, these full-range speakers each have (1) 6.5″ driver & (1) 1″ tweeter that produce clear vocals & exceptional music with deep bass for a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home
Dynamic audio with exceptional low frequency response: Polk’s patented power port technology delivers deeper bass impact with its turbulence-smoothing diffuser that transitions air flow from the speaker into your listening area minimizing distortions to produce rich, clean sound for movies, TV & music
Designed to deliver: The non-resonant construction of the speaker cabinet with thick baffles ensures a more lifelike sound, while its iconic curved edges & vinyl finish gives the S20 speakers a performance-oriented yet stylish look that fits in with any home decor
Versatile use in home theater setups: Use as front, rear or surround in an all-inclusive stereo or surround sound system in 2.1, 3.1, 5.1 & above configurations with Polk’s Signature collection of tower speakers, center channels & subwoofers, making your movie nights perfect with room-filling sound
Trusted name in Home Audio & Entertainment Systems: The Signature Series has earned the hi-res certified rating and redefined the real american HiFi sound with Polk’s unwavering commitment, reliability, and craftsmanship, so you can sit back, relax and listen with your heart!

4-1/2″ polypropylene woofers: Along with 1″ aluminum tweeters for a complete range of sounds.
2-way speaker system: Sounds like 1 source rather than several separate sources.
69Hz – 25kHz frequency response: Ensures a wide range of accurately reproduced sound.
85dB sensitivity: Ensures crisp, robust audio.
8 ohms nominal impedance: Ensures efficient conduction of power through the speaker.

Wood fibre cones: Our low-loss drivers uses a mix of low-mass paper cones with wood fibre reinforcement. The wood fibres give the surface an uneven structure, which dramatically minimizes the resonance of the surface. This creates the best possible reproduction of every detail in the audio signal.
Amplifier friendly: The amplifier friendly design makes the SPEKTOR series a perfect fit for almost any of the amplifiers in its price category. No matter if we look at compact Hi-Fi, stereo amplifiers or surround receivers, SPEKTOR will bring out the best in them.
Soft dome tweeter: The dome tweeter offers best-in-class resolution with an extended frequency response, wide dispersion and low coloration. The tweeter is based on an ultra-lightweight weaved fabric, which weighs less than half of the market standard (0.056 mg/mm2).
Low signal loss: By using only DALI designed and custom-built drivers, the need for frequency correction in the crossover is eliminated. This enables us to design an exact crossover which together with carefully selected quality components ensures that the signal loss is close to zero.