Best Bookshelf Speakers Under 200

The cheapest speakers are encouraged by their price but often disappoint with the sound quality. If you are ready to spend a little more money to get much more immersive and surround sound, pay attention to our list of the best bookshelf speakers under 200. They are on top of sales among other bookshelf speakers due to their price/quality ratio. However, if you are still doubting about the budget you’d like to spend, welcome to our general best bookshelf speakers review.

There are 2 types of speakers – powered and passive ones that have diverse types of crossover systems. Besides, powered speakers demand a power amp for each frequency band (that implies an AV receiver) while passive models come with a built-in power amp.

Powered speakers require an electrical outlet or a battery to be switched on and can be connected directly to the sound source. That means it is known beforehand about the sound quality and characteristics. However, the basic improvements are possible with the aid of built-in mixers, EQ settings, and microphone pre-amps. There is no need to use cables and the additional equipment to make all the necessary settings. Powered bookshelf speakers under 200 are indispensable when connecting a single sound source in order to improve its sound.

Passive bookshelf speakers under 200 are usually installed as the components of advanced acoustic and home theatre systems. Passive units need external power amps and adjustments to reach the ideal balance between all the components of the acoustic system. It requires some time and effort, but one can easily set up the sound performance according to his/her liking. Besides, it is important to monitor their compatibility in terms of impedance and power ratings.

The Best Bookshelf Speakers under 200 Reviews

There is a list of the best bookshelf speakers under 200 that discovers all advantages and disadvantages of each item below.

The best powered bookshelf speakers

Edifier R1700BT — Distortions and Interferences

This model is a powered speaker in a walnut vinyl and black cabinet. Its 10-degree slant makes the sound go straight to the listener when the speakers are placed on the shelves overhead. All the control buttons are in the same section on the side of the unit. The speaker can be plugged into a CD player or even TV (non-Bluetooth devices) via 4 RCA analog inputs. It has Bluetooth as well to stream music from mobile devices wirelessly. It does this job well with a very little lag of interferences.

This bookshelf speaker under 200 delivers bright and distortion free sound with decent stable bass. Just leave it on default and turn treble on 900 to the right to make bass perfect. The sound is clean no matter the music genre and volume levels. The highs are crisp and the lows are thundering.

Micca PB42X — Warm Sound, Clear Bass

Micca PB42x is one of the best budget bookshelf speakers – a powered back-ported unit with RCA connectors to pair the speaker with any source you need. Besides, it is compatible with 3.5mm input ports. The device comes with a removable cloth grille with 4-inch strong and durable carbon woofers behind it.

The unit produces crisp trebles, warm, and overall sound at mid-levels. Its power adapters are able to remove the distortion in the low-frequency signals largely. It has a great response floor without too booming bass. The opportunity to enhance bass via tweeter is added, but it already has the lowest degree of distortion by default. The frequency response tends to roll off over 16kHz, but one can use EQ to adjust it.

Edifier R1280DB — Versatile Unit with Clear Sound

This model is a powered speaker developed primarily to connect to a PC. However, it is compatible with other acoustic equipment and TVs. The product is rather versatile due to its digital and analog inputs, as well as the great power of 42W. It has reliable MDF construction with a vinyl wrap that resembles Hi-Fi speakers. A single bass port is located on the front panel to place the unit into limited space without losing bass. The speaker has Bluetooth to connect wirelessly various devices, including something like Alexa Echo or Google Chromecast Audio.

The speaker produces even, full, and powerful sound without bass and treble surplus. The sound is deep and warm but starts tailing off a little at highs. If somebody wants to make higher-range details brighter and more expressive without cranking the volume up, he/she should just dial down the bass and boost the treble (they are adjustable).

The best passive bookshelf speakers

Klipsch R-14M — Plenty of Techs for High-End Sound

This passive speaker is noted for its brand horn-loaded tweeter (Tractrix Horn technology) and the copper woofers to provide perfect mid-range and bass response. The unit also delivers detailed and clear highs with broader coverage. Its frequency range is rather impressive and the sound has no audible distortions due to the Linear Travel Suspension tweeter. The lacks are on the rear panel and getting to them can be a bit tricky, but they are positioned to nullify the turbulence at frequencies of any level.

The model can be used to set a kitchen stereo or a 2-channel system in a bedroom and other rooms where it is crucial to save space. It is a great solution for setting a basic home theater system due to their compatibility to other techs.

Polk Audio TSi100 — Looks and Performs Flawlessly

Polk Audio TSi100 is one of the cheap but high-quality bookshelf speakers. It looks fashionable in its sleek black or woody cherry design. This passive speaker is equipped with a flared port venting system to reduce interferences.

It has 2 Dynamic Balance drivers to cover the entire range of frequencies that leads to better bass response and more coherent sound. Besides, they are more durable and less expensive in manufacture. The unit is compatible enough to use it with any decent amp or receiver.

The speaker delivers deep, wide, and well-balanced sound regardless of music material. However, it is a bit hollow at mid-frequencies. Its bass has no earth-shattering bass, but it can be hardly expected from such a compact device. Besides, the clarity and accuracy of the treble response offset this small issue. It should be installed at the rear wall to get the optimal sound.

Sony SSCS5 — High-quality Sound, Advanced Format Support

This passive speaker has tweeters that are great for listening to high-resolution audio. The unit comes with the foamed mica woofer cone that is not typical for speakers. It is light and harsh at the same time. The speaker’s grill is removable; it has old-fashioned grommets but not modern magnets to attach the grill.

Sony SSCS5 is one of the best bookshelf speakers under 200 due to its tweeters that have dedicated crossovers and very high response of 50kHz. Its Hi-Res audio codec provides accurate reproduction as the musicians intended and can encode music utilizing higher sample rates. This codec supports 6 formats, including formats for compressing files without losing sound quality and a specific one for Macintosh comps. The speaker allows using headphones while listening audio from the mobile device.

In general, its sound reproduction is flawless and warm, but the lack of bass is a gripe. Besides, the treble would be clearer. The unit delivers smooth and full midranges. This model fits near-field listening more because it is a bit under-powered.