Speaker & monitor reviews

Studio monitors, bookshelf speakers and powered pairs — how they sound, where they work, and where reviewers disagree. Prices are per pair.

Hi-Fi Speaker$458 / pair

Polk Audio Monitor XT60

The smaller Monitor XT tower: real bass for a budget floorstander, strain when pushed, and no agreement on whether it's bright or neutral.

27 sources5 divided topics

Studio Monitor$380 / pair

Mackie MR524

The quiet budget monitor with a long-running treble argument, and a −2 dB switch that measures flatter.

27 sources3 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$409 / pair

Triangle Borea BR03

The budget standmount that wins a blind panel and five-star reviews, while two Klippel labs ask what everyone is hearing.

48 sources6 divided topics

Studio Monitor$240 / pair

PreSonus Eris E5 XT

The budget monitor magazines crowned and the Klippel scanner didn't — with a waveguide both sides admire.

24 sources8 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$120 / pair

Micca MB42X G2

A $120 pair that measures far better than its price — if you can live with small-speaker limits and a hit-or-miss box.

33 sources5 divided topics

Studio Monitor$1,080 / pair

ADAM Audio A4V

ADAM's smallest DSP monitor: a revealing ribbon top end, a lot of software and surprising punch for a 4-inch — with a measured port dip at 1 kHz and arguments over its treble, its bass and its price.

35 sources8 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$279 / pair

Polk Audio Monitor XT20

Polk's cheapest big-woofer bookshelf: generous bass and an easy recommendation on sale — but no one quite agrees on how it's voiced.

29 sources5 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$599 / pair

Q Acoustics M20 HD

Q Acoustics' 3020i with an amplifier inside: big-sounding, wide and well made for the money — smooth to most ears, sharp to a few, and it won't play truly loud.

26 sources2 divided topics

Studio Monitor$898 / pair

Kali Audio IN-5

A three-way coaxial monitor in a five-inch box — near-unanimous on imaging and value, split on its lower midrange.

30 sources2 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$1,699 / pair

Wharfedale Linton

The big retro three-way that measures far better than it looks — and splits listeners on whether 'easy' means natural or a little too polite.

38 sources7 divided topics

Studio Monitor$598 / pair

Kali Audio LP-8 V2

The big-woofer Kali: deeper and louder than the LP-6, with a midrange bump the data shows and some ears hear.

25 sources4 divided topics

Hi-Fi Speaker$1,300 / pair

ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62

Andrew Jones's farewell to ELAC: a three-way coaxial standmount with a huge, disappearing soundstage — and a long argument about whether its polite, neutral sound is refined or just dull.