This page ranks 5 small size powered bookshelf speakers. The Small Bookshelf class of speakers generally have woofers under 4”. These speakers will fit pretty easily on a desk but you will be trading off bass extension for the small size. The Bookshelf class have no battery, come in pairs and generally will sound better than most portable battery Bluetooth speakers. Bigger woofers will have deeper bass but the speaker will generally be larger and heavier. They all come with a built in amp so you can play directly from your phone or laptop.
For general listening I would not hesitate to recommend any of these speakers on this page except for the ones at the bottom labeled not recommended. Nearly all of these sound fantastic. Studio monitoring use is more critical and I would generally recommend something near the top with an added subwoofer.
For off grid use, check out a power bank
For running karaoke, check out Karaoke Setups
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#1 Genelec 8010A: $700 a pair
- Positives: An extremely neutral speaker for mastering and mixing recordings. Although for mastering, it’s highly recommended to use a larger speaker with deeper bass extension or add a subwoofer
- Negatives: Not as deep of bass as the iLoud. Probably not the best choice for general music listening due to the price and limited bass extension.
- Frequency Response: 67 Hz-25 kHz (-6dB)
- Weight: 3.3lbs / 1.5kg
- Dimensions: 7.7”H x 4.8”W x 4.5”D
- Watts: 50w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer Size: 3”
- Inputs: XLR
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#2 IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor: $350 a pair
- Positives: Much deeper bass than any other speaker this size.
- Negatives: Slightly boosted bass. Some treble rolloff up high. More hifi sounding than neutral
- Weight: 2.0lbs / 0.9kg
- Dimensions: 7.1”H x 3.5”W x 5.3”D
- Watts: 25w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer Size: 3”
- Inputs: RCA, Aux
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#3 Audioengine HD3: $350 a pair
- Negatives: Small woofer doesn’t have very deep bass. Slightly boosted treble. High priced
- Frequency Response: 65 Hz-20 kHz (-3dB)
- Weight: 7.2lbs / 3.3kg
- Dimensions: 9”H x 5.5”W x 6.5”D
- Watts: 15w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer Size: 2.75”
- Inputs: Bluetooth, Aux, RCA Input
- Outputs: RCA Output
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#4 Presonus Eris E3.5: $100 a pair
- Negatives: Thin sounding in the midrange, some lower treble boost. I’d still recommend the slightly bigger Edifier MR4 over these at the same price.
- Frequency Response: 80 Hz-20 kHz (-3dB)
- Dimensions: 8.3”H x 6.0”W x 5.5”D
- Weight: 8.5lbs / 3.9kg
- Watts: 25w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer Size: 3.5”
- Inputs: RCA, 1/4” Balanced
- Outputs: 1/8” headphone jack
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#5 Mackie CR3-X: $88 a pair
- Negatives: Muffled sounding midrange, not really recommended.
- Frequency Response: 80 Hz-20 kHz (-3dB)
- Dimensions: 8.1”H x 5.5”W x 7.1”D
- Weight: 7.8lbs / 3.5kg
- Watts: 25w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer Size: 3”
- Inputs: RCA, Aux
- Outputs: 1/8” headphone jack
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links