Looking for the best bookshelf speakers under 100? Budget bookshelf speakers are an attractive option because they will not empty you wallet, and yet, you will find yourself listening to some nice-quality music, or being really engaged in that movie because of how good the sound coming from your speakers is.
In fact, these speakers are very convenient for everyone that is not that much of a meticulous listener, but who would, however, enjoy a good sound punch, nice bass, and clean higher-frequency sounds. If what I’ve said describes you and your preferences when it comes to speakers, you could take a few minutes to read our reviews.
1. Dayton Audio B652
- Nice clarity of sound
- Good bass
- Good build quality
- Nice-looking
- It fails to fill a larger room the way it fills a smaller one
The Dayton Audio B652s will not let you down if you are looking for small-sized speakers with a good quality of sound that come at an affordable price. You can literally put these speakers anywhere you want, so worrying about an extra space is completely unnecessary. However, what’s even more important than their size is that the Dayton Audio B652s offer you a clear and detailed sound. The speakers produce a nice bass, and they also offer a decent output in the higher frequencies.
Furthermore, the Dayton Audio B652s come packed in a nice-looking cabinet that has a good build quality. The cabinet itself has a black ebony pica vinyl finish, and it definitely looks pretty stylish. There are also two removable speaker grilles that come with the speakers, and you can decide when to put them on and when to remove them.
You should, however, know that the Dayton Audio B652s work the best in smaller rooms in case you are interested in speakers that can fill a larger space.
2. Micca MB42X
- Good quality of sound
- Nice woofer
- Good-quality tweeter
- Great crossover
- The bass is a bit thin
The Micca MB42X is a pair of bookshelf speakers that sound good because of their good-quality components. The woofer provides for a clean bass with no distortion because it is made of carbon fiber, and it is enclosed with rubber. On the other hand, the silk dome tweeter offers you some nice, clean, and smooth higher-frequency sounds and eliminates the sound distortion. Furthermore, the speakers have a good crossover that makes sure the sounds are balanced and powerful.
With features like these, this passive speakers are destined to perform neatly and offer you some good sound punch at an affordable price. However, remember to not expect too much from them when it comes to the bass because it does sound a bit thin. Of course, this is just a minimal issue since you often won’t even notice it.
Micca MB42X come with a pair of magnetic grilles that can be easily taken off and put back on if needed. The design of these speakers is also very charming.
3. Polk Audio T15
- Good quality of sound
- The speakers are sonically matched
- They can be very loud
- Can be used with other speakers as front, back, left, right, or surround speakers
- The lower end is a bit lacking in terms of intensity
Besides from being the most beautiful speakers on the list in terms of the design, the Polk Audio T15 speakers have a good overall audio performance. One of the reasons behind this is that the speakers have been sonically matched so that they sound well together and escape any possible delays. Furthermore, the 5.25” dynamic balance woofer and the 0.75” silk and polymer tweeter make sure that the Polk Audio T15 sound good even if they are budget speakers. These components work very well together and the sounds that will come out of the speakers will be clear, detailed, and rich, especially when it comes to the midrange. Something work mentioning is that these speakers can blow you away with their loudness, so you can comfortably use them for your home theatre. This speaker can also be used with other speakers to create a surround sound system.
One tiny flaw that you’ll notice about the Polk Audio T15 is that the bass is less intense than the midrange and the higher frequencies once you turn the volume up too much. However, this passive bookshelf speakers sound okay when their volume is in the normal range.
4. Bose Companion 2 Series III
- Good audio quality
- Compatible with Windows and Macintosh
- An auxiliary port to connect them to different devices
- They come with a headphone jack
- The auxiliary cable that comes with the speakers is pretty short
If you are into black speakers that have a minimalistic design, but still look smart, you might want to go for the Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers. Of course, do this only if you like the features that they have to offer as well.
First of all, these speakers are very loud which is a Bose signature audio quality. Even if they are small-sized, they will really fill your room with some loud, fine-quality sounds. Speaking of the quality of sound, they do sound good and rich, and this is because of their ported enclosure and the way they process the digital signal.
The Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers are compatible with both Windows and Macintosh, and you can use the auxiliary port to connect them with almost every device that you have on your disposal. However, you should keep in mind that the auxiliary cable might be short in certain situations.
Also, in case you want to listen to some music privately, you can hook your headphones to the speakers’ headphone jack.
5. Edifer R1280T
- Good sound quality
- Beautifully designed
- Equipped with a bass reflex
- You can connect them with multiple devices
- The quality of the cables that come with the speakers is not that good
The Edifier R1280T pair of bookshelf speakers will take your breath away when you see them. Their cabinets have a wooden finish which will warm up every home.
Another thing that’s warm about these active speaker is their rich and detailed sound. The speakers sound good because of their 13 mm silk dome and tweeter and the 101.6 mm woofer that keeps the bass present at just the right amount. There is also a well-calibrated bass reflex that allows the bass to sound rich and robust. You can adjust the bass and the treble to your preference with the dial buttons located on the side of the right speaker.
You connect your Edifier R1280T speakers to various devices via the RCA inputs or the AUX inputs that they have. The speakers also come with a remote control that you can use to adjust their volume.
However, be careful with the cables that the Edifier R1280T come equipped with since they are not of such a good quality like the speakers. Do not pull them or expose them to any sharp objects or surfaces since they might easily break. You may also want to check out our Edifier R1700BT review.
6. Edifier R980T
- Nice quality of sound
- Enclosed in a wooden cabin that has a sophisticated design
- Great bass output
- Have tone and volume controls
- They are the most suitable with computers
The Edifier R980T is a pair of compact and sturdy speakers. They have a nice tweeter and woofer. The bass reflex makes the bass more profound, rich, and present. Of course, the tweeter takes good care of the upper frequencies which beautifully mix with the bass sounds. The speakers also come with a 24W RMS power output which is a pretty good quality for affordable stereo speakers to have.
Furthermore, the Edifier R980T speakers are enclosed in a wooden cabinet. Wood is definitely a better enclosure option than plastic, so you could say that Edifier knew what they were doing with these speakers. The wood not only looks great as a finish, but it also improves the quality of sounds of the speakers.
If you were to find one issue of concern with the Edifier R980T speakers, that would probably be that they are most suitable with computers. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t connect them to other devices since they do have RCA and auxiliary ports on the back.
7. Mackie CR3
- Designed for creating multimedia and for regular use
- Fun-looking
- Nice quality of the components
- They offer you the option to place the speakers the way you want
- Their power cable is fixated
The Mackie CR3 look really fun, friendly, and they have some interesting aspects to themselves. There are two ports on the front of one of the speakers which you can use to plug in many different devices.
However, what most interesting about these speakers is that you can use them to create music or edit the sound in a video. Now, that’s an interesting feature to have when it comes to a good value for money speaker. When you want to use the speakers to listen to music or something else, they will get the job done
These speakers have a wide frequency response that ranges from 80Hz to 20kHz. There are many ports on the back of the powered speakers to connect it with other devices.
Something that might disturb you a bit is the power cable which is fixated to the power speaker. However, I think we can all forgive this bookshelf speaker pair for that because of how cheap they are.
What to expect from bookshelf speakers under $100
Bookshelf speakers that cost under $100 should not be overlooked. These speakers do have some nice features to offer, and even though they might not be with the same quality of some of their higher-end companions, they will still deliver a nice sound to your ears.
What you should expect from your speakers under $100 are nice higher-frequency sounds, as well as proper bass presence. Some speakers might have the first one while others will have the second thing emphasized. However, you should be able to have a speaker that is at least decent in both the high and low frequencies and that can sound accurately in the midrange.
Most of the bookshelf speakers under $100 will have a warm and pretty clear sound to them. They will have nice-quality woofers and tweeters that will eliminate a lot of the distortion throughout the sounds that they themselves can produce. Of course, you will still be able to hear some distortion here and there, but this is the deal that you get for buying a budget bookshelf speaker, and the deal is good.
When it comes to their cabinets, you will see different companies use different materials. However, the materials will be sturdy and impact resistant. Furthermore, you should also expect a good build quality from their sound components as well.
You will also see that there are certain differences between the bookshelf under 100 when it comes to their design, build quality, and between their features. However, most of these speakers will offer you the features that I’ve mentioned earlier.
Ultimately, you should expect that a speaker for under $100 should perform well, last long, and keep its quality of sound for a long time. After all, these cheap bookshelf speakers are simplified versions of the higher-end and more expensive speakers available on the market.
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed reading about the best bookshelf speakers under $100, and I hope that you are now more familiar with the models that I wrote about. I know that making a decision on which pair of bookshelf speakers to buy might be a bit hard, but I hope that my list will bring some clarity on what each of these pairs has to offer.
I tried to include speakers with decent features and minimal cons. Need more info? Let us know!
