Passive Bookshelf Speaker Options (Poll) - 1k USD Budget

[BookshelfBob]

Hello Everyone. I'm in the market for a new pair of passive bookshelf speakers to pair with a Aiyima A80 I got as a gift. Budget for this is about 1k USD. I wanted the Revel M16's but it seems I'm not going to get them in my budget if it all. Added some obvious options in the poll. Feel free to let me know if there are other obvious contenders. For whatever reason I find Kef products to be aesthetically unappealing for the most part. And Klipsch are just too "loud" visually so they're out as well.

Some relevant context

Nearfield, about 4'
Desk
No sub planned
General use (movies/music)
No EQ (probably should get it, layout is poor for audio quality)

 

[Power Pop 23]

Welcome to ASR,

I am uncertain of your market

Consider also the AsciLab F6B - currently $995 in the USA - when in stock at Tested Audio dot com

AsciLab F6B Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the AsciLab F6B stand mount speaker. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $835 for a pair (shipping included). In black, the F6B seems formal with a very clean design. It feels solid with sense of precision. Compared to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[BookshelfBob]

Welcome to ASR,

I am uncertain of your market

Consider also the AsciLab F6B - currently $995 in the USA - when in stock at Tested Audio dot com

AsciLab F6B Bookshelf Speaker Review

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the AsciLab F6B stand mount speaker. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $835 for a pair (shipping included). In black, the F6B seems formal with a very clean design. It feels solid with sense of precision. Compared to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I should have added those on the list with the Revels.

US Market

 

[Power Pop 23]

FYI,

Amir posted on 6/15 at the sub-forum for Tested Audio that a shipment of a full line-up of AsciLab loudspeakers is expected at the end of July 2026 but that the quantities received is dependent on the current 'waitlist' - per the message below

Our comprehensive order of rest of the products is being manufactured and due in late July. That order is limited by the waitlist so please contact me if you want to get on the list as I may have to adjust the quantities.

 

[Redacted]

The choice so far is between 4 speakers from a much larger set. Have these 4 been pre-selected by your own listening tests or by reviews (hearsay), or measurements? Your room will have a effect on how they all sound.

 

[MarkS]

Of those four, I'd go Elac, pretty smooth spin overall and a bit of a bass bump that is probably welcome in your use case.

Measurements for speaker Elac Debut Reference DBR-62

www.spinorama.org

No on the Focal, no spin available.

The other two are also fine. Ascilab is also good if you can get it (I wouldn't wait).

 

[Doenerkunde]

It's a shame the Elacs are this much more expensive in the US. In Germany they can be bought for 450$ and one can ask for shipping costs to the US, but I have no idea how tariffs come into play and warranty could become an issue...

Elac Debut Reference DBR62 *schwarz* - elektrowelt24.de

Elac Debut Reference DBR62 *schwarz*

www.elektrowelt24.eu

 

[zonk]

KEF LS50 Meta.. Don't know how much that is in the US.

Maybe the Ascilab is too big for a desk and listen distance of 4'.

 

[BookshelfBob]

The choice so far is between 4 speakers from a much larger set. Have these 4 been pre-selected by your own listening tests or by reviews (hearsay), or measurements? Your room will have a effect on how they all sound.

This is all true but I'm going to have to take a leap. I can always return.

If you have other obvious relatively neutral bookshelf speakers than can provide a little bass please add any others.

 

[BookshelfBob]

Of those four, I'd go Elac, pretty smooth spin overall and a bit of a bass bump that is probably welcome in your use case.

Measurements for speaker Elac Debut Reference DBR-62

www.spinorama.org

No on the Focal, no spin available.

The other two are also fine. Ascilab is also good if you can get it (I wouldn't wait).

Yea that ASCIlab seems like the obvious choice or the Revel but both are out of stock. I will talk to Power Pop and see what the timeline is and go from there.

 

[BookshelfBob]

KEF LS50 Meta.. Don't know how much that is in the US.

Maybe the Ascilab is too big for a desk and listen distance of 4'.

I do not like the look of these but agreed they measure extremely well. I have cut them off because I don't want to look at them more than I want to hear them

And I have a similar issue with my JBL Studio 530's. It is a concern but I have a very deep/oversized desk now so it might be fine

 

[BookshelfBob]

It's a shame the Elacs are this much more expensive in the US. In Germany they can be bought for 450$ and one can ask for shipping costs to the US, but I have no idea how tariffs come into play and warranty could become an issue...

Elac Debut Reference DBR62 *schwarz* - elektrowelt24.de

Elac Debut Reference DBR62 *schwarz*

www.elektrowelt24.eu

My best bet may be just flying over and putting them in a suitcase

Hahahahaha

Warranty I don't mind but imagine if they got damaged on the way

 

[Redacted]

This is all true but I'm going to have to take a leap. I can always return.

If you have other obvious relatively neutral bookshelf speakers than can provide a little bass please add any others.

A good returns policy is paramount - try at home until you are happy. I haven't heard any of the speakers on the list and have no recommendations!

 

[anotherhobby]

I would strongly consider the Philharmonic Ceramic Mini Monitor, although it's currently out of stock: https://philharmonicaudio.com/products/ceramic-mini-monitor

It should perform on par with something like the Revel M105 or better. If you aren't familiar with the brand, they are top notch value.

 

[BookshelfBob]

I would strongly consider the Philharmonic Ceramic Mini Monitor, although it's currently out of stock: https://philharmonicaudio.com/products/ceramic-mini-monitor

It should perform on par with something like the Revel M105 or better. If you aren't familiar with the brand, they are top notch value.

Those do look like they belong on the list.

My only concern is they are small and with no sub the bass response will not be enough.

 

[terryforsythe]

Hello Everyone. I'm in the market for a new pair of passive bookshelf speakers to pair with a Aiyima A80 I got as a gift. Budget for this is about 1k USD. I wanted the Revel M16's but it seems I'm not going to get them in my budget if it all. Added some obvious options in the poll. Feel free to let me know if there are other obvious contenders. For whatever reason I find Kef products to be aesthetically unappealing for the most part. And Klipsch are just too "loud" visually so they're out as well.

Some relevant context

Nearfield, about 4'
Desk
No sub planned
General use (movies/music)
No EQ (probably should get it, layout is poor for audio quality)

Here are the rankings from sweetchoas for bookshelf speakers under $1,000:

Bookshelves < US$1,000/pair:

Name	PS	PSwSub	LFX
Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 V2 (Erin)	6.7	8.4	42
Philharmonic Ceramic Mini (Erin)	5.9	7.9	42
Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 (Amir)(Erin)	5.2	7.4	46
Kef Q350 (Amir)	5.7	7.5	38
Revel M16 (Amir)	5.6	7.7	45
Kef Q150 (Erin)	4.9	7.0	45
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES20 (Amir)	4.8	6.7	39
Arendal Sound 1961 Bookshelf (Erin)	4.4	7.3	68

Here is the link:

Passive Speaker Recommendations for USA (by @sweetchaos)

I'm constantly asked which speakers to purchase...so, here you go! :D This guide is for PASSIVE speakers. For ACTIVE speakers go here. Click on the "Spoiler" buttons below to expand each section. Readme: Legend: Never Buy This Brand: Passive Bookshelf Speakers: Passive...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[BookshelfBob]

Here are the rankings from sweetchoas for bookshelf speakers under $1,000:

Bookshelves < US$1,000/pair:

Name	PS	PSwSub	LFX
Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 V2 (Erin)	6.7	8.4	42
Philharmonic Ceramic Mini (Erin)	5.9	7.9	42
Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 (Amir)(Erin)	5.2	7.4	46
Kef Q350 (Amir)	5.7	7.5	38
Revel M16 (Amir)	5.6	7.7	45
Kef Q150 (Erin)	4.9	7.0	45
Polk Audio Signature Elite ES20 (Amir)	4.8	6.7	39
Arendal Sound 1961 Bookshelf (Erin)	4.4	7.3	68

Here is the link:

Passive Speaker Recommendations for USA (by @sweetchaos)

I'm constantly asked which speakers to purchase...so, here you go! :D This guide is for PASSIVE speakers. For ACTIVE speakers go here. Click on the "Spoiler" buttons below to expand each section. Readme: Legend: Never Buy This Brand: Passive Bookshelf Speakers: Passive...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I saw this a few days ago but could not find it. Thank you so much!! Perfect

 

[terryforsythe]

I saw this a few days ago but could not find it. Thank you so much!! Perfect

The names (e.g., Amir, Erin, etc.) in sweetchaos' list link to the reviews. I don't know when is the last time sweetchaos updated the list. There may be newer speakers that have been reviewed that should be in the list, but I don't know.

Since you are new to the forum, I'll share some insight that may be helpful in your decision making. Both Amir and Erin measure the speakers using a Klippel Near Field Scanner System (NFS). Their reviews contain a lot of valuable data - most other reviewers don't come even close.

If you read/see reviews without a full suite of data, you pretty much can ignore them - they are too influenced by the reviewer's personal preferences and biases. Your preferences may or may not be the same. With the data Amir and Erin provide, you have measuring sticks to use to compare speakers.

If you will be able to place the speakers so that the tweeters are around ear level, or otherwise pointing toward ear level at the listening position, that makes speaker selection easier. If the tweaters will not be at, or pointing at, ear level, be sure to look at the vertical contour plots to see how that will affect the sound at your listening position. Speakers using a concentric driver (tweeter inside the midrange/woofer) typically have much better vertical dispersion characteristics - they tend to sound the same over a much broader range of vertical angles as opposed to speakers with a separate tweeter.

Finally, both Amir and Erin provide on their respective YouTube channels guides to understand speaker measurements.

Understanding the Measurements

In this series I discuss the different data sets I provide in my reviews and explain what they each mean and how they are important to you.

youtube.com

 

[BookshelfBob]

The names (e.g., Amir, Erin, etc.) in sweetchaos' list link to the reviews. I don't know when is the last time sweetchaos updated the list. There may be newer speakers that have been reviewed that should be in the list, but I don't know.

Since you are new to the forum, I'll share some insight that may be helpful in your decision making. Both Amir and Erin measure the speakers using a Klippel Near Field Scanner System (NFS). Their reviews contain a lot of valuable data - most other reviewers don't come even close.

If you read/see reviews without a full suite of data, you pretty much can ignore them - they are too influenced by the reviewer's personal preferences and biases. Your preferences may or may not be the same. With the data Amir and Erin provide, you have measuring sticks to use to compare speakers.

If you will be able to place the speakers so that the tweeters are around ear level, or otherwise pointing toward ear level at the listening position, that makes speaker selection easier. If the tweaters will not be at, or pointing at, ear level, be sure to look at the vertical contour plots to see how that will affect the sound at your listening position. Speakers using a concentric driver (tweeter inside the midrange/woofer) typically have much better vertical dispersion characteristics - they tend to sound the same over a much broader range of vertical angles as opposed to speakers with a separate tweeter.

Finally, both Amir and Erin provide on their respective YouTube channels guides to understand speaker measurements.

Understanding the Measurements

In this series I discuss the different data sets I provide in my reviews and explain what they each mean and how they are important to you.

youtube.com

I am familiar with Amir, I don't think I ever participated in the forum but I listened to a talk on youtube once where he was sitting next to the NFS and explaining how it works. I am moved by the argument of measurement > taste.

But I do not really understand how to read anything but the basic response chart. Your concentric driver point is exactly the kind of info I lacked. I will keep that in mind when i choose. The Ascend Acoustics are definitely on top of the list now as well. In stock

 

[whazzup]

@BookshelfBob
You mentioned movies and music as your main audio diet. I will urge you to reconsider your stance on using subwoofer. If you look closer at sweetchaos' chart, under PSwSub, all the speakers score much better with a subwoofer, and there's a very real reason for that. A larger driver in general is just that much more capable of moving more air in the lower frequencies and emulate for example that kick drum thump in music or rumbling explosions in movies. You already have an amplifier that can connect to a subwoofer.

Like you, I have a desk set up and space is at a premium. But still my suggestion is: carve out a bit of budget and go for at least a Edifier T5s sub (though some will argue is more of a woofer than 'true 20-30hz' subwoofer). It's affordable enough, more upright and can thus be tucked away more easily. Should not be hard to find online stores with a good return policy for the sub, so you can just acquire one to test for a while before making a decision.

I've done some rough measurements of the sub here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-powered-active-subwoofer.68573/#post-2609438

And with at least an inexpensive sub, you actually don't need big bookshelf speakers to try to reach those 50hz frequencies and gain back a bit more desk space. 4 inchers bookshelves tend to be a good candidate for desktop use.