Bookshelf versus Floor Standing Speakers: Which is Right?

Choosing the right speakers is one of the most critical decisions when buying a stereo or home theater system. While subwoofers and center channel speakers have specific roles to play, the majority of the sound quality, the sonic heavy lifting is done by the main speakers. These may take the form of a pair of big floor standing speakers or a couple of smaller but very capable bookshelf speakers. So what are the relative merits of the two choices?

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Budget

Very few of us have the luxury of deciding which product to buy without considering its cost. The most expensive loudspeakers, whether bookshelf or floor standing, can cost thousands of dollars. In the real world, where most of us operate, there are some pretty good bookshelf speakers for not much more than $100 per pair. There are even models that cost less than that but their quality and durability can be questionable.

By comparison, it’s hard to find good floor standing speakers for much less than about $300 a pair. More typically, even entry level towers in this category are likely to set you back $500 to $700.

Whether we like it or not, size matters when it comes to audio speakers. But that isn’t to say that small is better than big or vice versa. We can generalize by saying that, everything else being equal, a pair of floor standing speakers will likely produce overall better sound than a pair of bookshelf speakers. It’s based on the physics of sound, or acoustics, and comes down to the notion that producing sound requires moving air in pressure waves. Floor standing speakers usually accommodate larger drivers to move the air. Even when larger drivers aren’t used there are at least more of them. The result is essentially the same – more air is moved.

Conversely, many people simply don’t have space for floor standing speakers. They usually have a larger footprint than bookshelf speakers even though some modern models are slim and shallow compared to older types. Even with the same width and depth dimensions, they’re certainly taller and don’t lend themselves to mounting on shelves or walls.

Frequency Response

The same size characteristics noted above have an effect on a speaker’s frequency response, or dynamic range, especially in terms of low bass. By their physical nature, bigger speakers generally include both larger and additional drivers. That means that more air can be moved at lower frequencies. For many people, large speakers may eliminate the need for a subwoofer, though overall sound can still usually benefit from having one. High frequency sounds are affected far less by the speaker’s size because high-frequency drivers, or tweeters, are small and require relatively little power to drive them regardless of the cabinet configuration. Bookshelf speakers will have a smaller sound than floor standing speakers.

Sound Quality

While frequency response has a lot to do with the overall quality of sound reproduction, there are other, often less tangible forces at work as well. Many experts consider bookshelf speakers to be generally better at creating an accurate sound stage. That is to say they’re very good at creating an atmosphere in which specific sounds can be localized as if listening to an orchestra while seeing where a certain musician is sitting. Also, floor standing speakers tend to lend their own personality to sound rather than remaining transparent as they should. Bookshelf speakers tend to color the sound less than their larger counterparts.

There are a number of compelling reasons for choosing both bookshelf and floor standing speakers. For our favorite entry level bookshelf speakers, we invite you to read our reviews of the Klipsch B-20, the Infinity Primus P162 and the Boston Acoustics CS 26. For top contenders among larger speakers, see our Floor Standing Speakers review site.