This page ranks 7 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.
Also check out Medium Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers, Large Size Powered Bookshelf Speakers, Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers and Large Size Bookshelf Speakers
For running karaoke, check out Karaoke Setups
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#1 Genelec 8010A [Guitar-center] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $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: 3”
- Inputs: XLR
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- DSAUDIO.review: Genelec 8010A (Genelec G One) vs iLoud Micro Monitor Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- DSAUDIO.review: Genelec 8010A (Genelec G One) vs Presonus Eris E4.5 Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- DSAUDIO.review: Genelec 8010A (G One) vs JBL LSR305 Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- DSAUDIO.review: Genelec 8010A (Genelec G One) vs Audioengine A2+ Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- DSAUDIO.review: Genelec 8010A (Genelec G One) vs Yamaha HS5 Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- Links
#2 IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $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: 3”
- Inputs: RCA, Aux
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#3 Adam Audio D3v [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $350
- Positives: Really flat frequency response, decent bass for the size
- Negatives: Vertical off axis is just okay
- Bass Extension (-3dB): 50hz
- Bass Extension (-10dB): 45hz
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#4 Audioengine HD3 [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $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: 2.75”
- Inputs: Bluetooth, Aux, RCA Input
- Outputs: RCA Output
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#5 Edifier MR3 [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $120
- Positives: Pretty linear on axis, a very good value especially when you want Bluetooth included. Better than the MR4 all around.
- Negatives: Small woofer doesn’t have very deep bass like others in this size class.
- Weight: 8.5lbs / 3.85kg
- Dimensions: 8.7”H x 4.9”W x 7.3”D
- Watts: 18w RMS Per Speaker
- Woofer: 3.5”
- Inputs: Bluetooth, Balanced 1/4” TRS, RCA, 3.5mm AUX
- App: Yes
- EQ: Yes
- Frequency Response: 67-20 kHz (-3dB)
- Inputs: Bluetooth, Aux, RCA Input
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links
#6 Presonus Eris E3.5 [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $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: 3.5”
- Inputs: RCA, 1/4” Balanced
- Outputs: 1/8” headphone jack
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- DSAUDIO.review: DSAUDIO.review Edifier MR4 vs Presonus Eris E3.5 sound.DEMO
- DSAUDIO.review: Presonus Eris E3.5 vs Edifier R1280T Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- DSAUDIO.review: Presonus Eris E3.5 vs Mackie CR3 Sound Demo w/ Bass Test
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Mackie CR3-X vs PreSonus E3.5 Budget Monitor Showdown!
- Erin’s Audio Corner: 10 Great (and Terrible) Speakers Under $300!
- Links
#7 Mackie CR3-X [Amazon] [Ebay] [Used Listings]: $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: 3”
- Inputs: RCA, Aux
- Outputs: 1/8” headphone jack
- Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Links