We prepared for you Top 5 best bookshelf speakers under 100 review. These units are the best choice for those, who look for an average speaker for home without special bells and whistles. Take a look at them and pick the best bookshelf speakers under 100. However, if you are still doubting about the budget you’d like to spend, welcome to our general best bookshelf speakers review.

There are two types of bookshelf speakers: powered and passive, you can also know them as active and passive. The difference between those is little – powered speaker has an amplifier or av receiver and passive doesn’t. That is why they vary in price. The first one mentioned above is more expensive but also heavier in comparison with passive.

We chose mostly passive bookshelf speakers as they are quality and have an affordable price because of the lack of a built-in amplifier. This feature makes cheap unpowered bookshelf speakers light in weight and more transportable, so you can put it in any part of a house despite on the fragility of a bookshelf.

These powered and passive bookshelf speakers under 100 won’t shake your room, but you can feel the rumble in your body and feet, which is very impressive for the size of these. Some speakers will pierce your ears with the highs and it can hurt a bit, these are clear and mellow on the ears. Powered speaker systems have an advantage of being a bit more streamlined, compact, and portable — most speaker systems designed for desktop home computers, laptops, single-room application, wireless multi-room application, and easy all-in-one iPod-docking-and-speaker-solution fall into the “powered” speaker category.

But inexperienced consumers can get fooled into thinking that a powered speaker is better than a passive speaker. In truth, a powered speaker still can have the “amp-passive crossover-driver” chain characteristic of any passive speaker scenario.

Best Bookshelf Speakers under 100 Reviews

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Powered bookshelf speakers

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Edifier R1280T: sensitive speakers of good quality

Edifier R1280T
Edifier R1280T has clean and solid bass notes. The specs of these best bookshelf speakers under 100 say 75 to 18k frequency response but it sounds like a much bigger range than that. The vocals are clear, the guitar breaks will give you chills. The audience cheering makes you think you are there. I would 100% recommend these to anyone with the same budget and needs.

The build quality is top notch, the wood grain looks and feels of good quality. As for the highs, they are very clear yet non-fatiguing to the ears. The design of the Edifier R1280T audio system can be described as classic. Rectangular satellites with relatively small dimensions. The corners are slightly rounded, which makes a variety of appearance.

Pros
  • Good build quality, carbon fiber woofer.
  • Advanced crossover design, silk dome tweeter.
  • Powerful picture projection, magnetic grill system.
Cons
  • Sensitivity to speaker positioning.

Micca ON3: fits spaces of any size, from very small to big ones

Micca ON3
Micca ON3 is very easy to hook up. These are great little speakers for the price that is capable of a lot more than one would expect. Just make sure to feed them a good audio signal before judging them. The sound is great and even has a fair amount of low end (bass) on setting number 2 via the remote. The speaker covers are removable and magnetically attached, so when you remove them you don’t have any holes showing besides the speakers themselves. Modern look and feel, awesome remote that magnetically attaches to the side of the right unit, nice sound for highs, mids, and lows.

Pros
  • Ideal for small and medium-sized spaces.
  • Tractrix horn for anywhere placement.
  • Minimizes front-baffle distortion.
Cons
  • Only received one cloth cover instead of one for each speaker.
  • The bass in these isn’t huge.

Passive bookshelf speakers

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Micca MB42X: modern, exquisite speakers of a dedicated sound

Micca MB42X
The ebony laminated wood grain cabinets of Micca MB42X complements any computer system nonetheless. The laminate is attached on all sides; even the back edges of the cabinets are silky smooth (many low-cost speakers leave the rear edges rough). The front covers are held in place via friction fitted metal pegs (not plastic pegs like some speakers).

The silk dome tweeter and carbon fiber woofer of these speakers give them a classic, high-tech appearance that says “expensive”, even though they cost less than a dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant. I haven’t looked inside the cabinets to see if there is any poly-fill; for such a low-cost speaker, I wouldn’t expect it – but these have already surprised me.

The sound is gorgeous. While the bass from these aren’t bone rattling, which I would never recommend to expect from speakers this small, low-end reproduction was there. Where these speakers really shine are in the mid-range and high sections; both areas are clear and bright.

Pros
  • Great performance for the price.
  • Good build quality, carbon fiber woofer.
  • Advanced crossover design, silk dome tweeter.
Cons
  • Sensitivity to speaker positioning.
  • It isn’t self-powered and requires an amplifier or receiver to play music.

Polk Audio T15: make some noise in your neighborhood

Polk Audio T15
Polk Audio T15 has super-clear sound with accurate full-range reproduction and even a bit of bass. Sound quality is excellent, and speakers handle transitions between complex passages to more isolated ones faithfully. They also do well with both acoustic and electronic musical elements. They are a little on the crisp side but not shrill, in terms of tonality, though that will also depend on what music you play through them. Performance of speakers with music raises no expectation that they wouldn’t handle typical movie audio as well.

Pros
  • Magnetically shielded enclosures.
  • Keyhole slot for wall mounting.
  • Front mounted bass port for deep, punchy bass.
Cons
  • Indoor use only.
  • Obvious conflict between the driver and the tweeter.

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR: designed for those who appreciate the combination of small size and high productivity

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR are outstanding speakers for the price and I doubt you’ll find much better cheap bookshelf speakers under $100. Fine clarity and surprising bass. These speakers dedicated purely to music and have plenty of a volume. They fill the room so anyone will be happy. Some live jazz recordings make you feel like you’re in the room with the musicians. They sound like the quality of speakers you’d expect at a much higher price point. The immediate difference when 1st installed. The sound is full, deep and clear. For the price, they are a steal.

Pros
  • Power and versatility in a small package.
  • Ideal for small to medium-sized spaces.
  • Tractrix horn for anywhere placement.
Cons
  • Only received one cloth cover instead of one for each speaker.
  • The bass in these isn’t huge.