The Philharmonic Ceramic Mini ranks #2 out of 22 total Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers for sound quality. See Top Recommended Speakers By Attribute for all the top speaker suggestions.
#2 Philharmonic Ceramic Mini: $900 Philharmonic Audio
Pros: Gorgeous looks and finish options for the price. Very low midrange distortion for the size, well under 1% above about 400-500Hz. Excellent on-axis linearity. Mild, pleasant bass bump around 100Hz that adds welcome warmth without being excessive. Wide soundstage and dispersion (~70-80 degrees horizontally). Clean cabinet and port with no measured resonances. A great value combination of looks and performance at this price.
Cons: Somewhat limited output capability for its size - audible woofer compression (“flopping”) around 95dB at 3 meters for a stereo pair, so keep to moderate levels or pair with a subwoofer for home theater use. A mild diffraction-related dip around 4-6kHz can cause occasional sibilance on some vocal tracks. Measured sensitivity (82.2dB average) runs a bit below the manufacturer’s claimed 84dB, so it needs more amp power than the spec alone suggests. Needs a subwoofer for real bass authority below about 40Hz.
How it compares: Just above it: Audiofirst Fidelia - 2Hz higher bass extension (-3dB). Just below it: Ascend Sierra 1 v2 - $100 more.
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 36Hz |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz |
| Crossover Frequency | 2kHz (Linkwitz-Riley 4th order) |
| Dimensions | 12" x 8.5" x 11.3" (305 x 216 x 286 mm) |
| Drivers | 5.25" ceramic woofer, 1" ceramic dome tweeter |
| Frequency Response | 55Hz - 20kHz (+1.5/-3dB, Manufacturer specified, ported) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms (3.2 ohms min, 15 ohms max) |
| Sensitivity | 82dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 17 lbs / 7.7 kg |
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Product prices and availability were last checked August 12, 2026 at 5:33 PM UTC and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.