Bookshelf Speaker Reviews

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent clarity and detail
Three-dimensional soundstage
Supports HDMI ARC and CEC control
Full-featured remote
Attractive and compact
Minus
Modest maximum volume when used without a sub
No phono input

The Verdict
If you’ve ever been burned by a soundbar that looked sleek but sounded like a tin can, the REN might just restore your faith in compact all-in-one systems.

I’ve spent a little over a month with a pair of Kanto REN active speakers in my living room setup, and I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it.

Performance
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Best speaker of any size, shape or configuration I've heard for the money
Small, easy to place

Minus
Needs wall power and a signal wire feed

THE VERDICT
My ears and wallet give the OSD Nero AB5 two big thumbs up.

Have you ever wondered why something good usually costs so much? Of course, we all have.

Outdoor Speaker Depot is a little-known—but celebrating a 20-year anniversary—Internet Direct site based out of Brea, CA, with quite a large array of goods to offer at prices that will make your jaw drop. The OSD Nero AB 5 is a case in point, utilizing active crossovers, bi-amped Class D amplifiers, digital signal processing, and quality drivers that rise above those typically seen at this price point. That's just scratching the surface of what is to be found.

Performance
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Tight, crisp bass
Detailed, dynamic sound
Price
Minus
Looks suffer with grilles removed
Needs a subwoofer for bass-heavy films
Vintage style might not appeal to all

THE VERDICT
It might not be at its best in a large room without a subwoofer or two, but the dynamic, open, and detailed sound of the KLH Model 3s can otherwise equal or exceed the performance of many far more expensive loudspeakers.

In the early 1950s Edgar Villchur, Henry Kloss, Malcolm S. Low, and Josef Anton Hofmann founded the Acoustic Research and Development Corporation. Of the four founders, Henry Kloss may be the name best recognized by audiophiles with a bit of mileage on their wheels. Kloss later left AR (along with Low and Hoffman) and founded KLH. Kloss later founded two other loudspeaker companies, Advent and Cambridge Audio.

Performance
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Accurate response and tonal balance
Spacious imaging with impressive off-axis performance
Unique looks and fine finish
Minus
Peak level may fall short for very large rooms
Ergonomics of physical controls and indicators

THE VERDICT
The Q Active 200 is a lifestyle-friendly system with serious chops, delivering impressive accuracy and range from a compact wireless design.

If there were any doubts that we are well into the Age of Stream, the recent proliferation of "just add music" audio systems should lay them to rest. Whether toaster-sized Bluetooth portables or full floor-standing systems, wireless all-in-one speakers conceived around high-quality streaming are definitely a thing, and one of the latest examples comes from Q Acoustics.

Performance
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Clean, uncolored sound with solid bass
Cool vintage looks
Three-way switch to modify mid- and high-frequency output
Minus
Best sound with grilles off

THE VERDICT
The new, re-imagined KLH Model Five represents an exceptional update to an iconic speaker design.

KLH was originally founded in 1957 as the KLH Research and Development Corporation by three partners: Henry Kloss, Malcolm S. Low, and Josef Anton Hofmann. Today, the best-known of that trio is the late Henry Kloss. A true A/V renaissance man, Kloss was instrumental in establishing four loudspeaker companies: Acoustic Research, KLH, Advent, and Cambridge SoundWorks. In the mid-1970s, he also founded a short-lived company to market his then-revolutionary Advent VideoBeam projection system. Kloss further worked to improve FM radio and brought Dolby B noise-reduction to the consumer audio cassette.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superbly accurate tonal balance
Remarkable bass extension
Highly adaptable onboard EQ options
Onboard auto room correction
Minus
Finite output may not suit far-field listening
No auto on/off
No built-in sub integration option

THE VERDICT
IK Multimedia’s powered monitor is a great desktop audio option, and it also delivers sufficient output for far-field listening in small-size rooms.

With few of us straying far from home these days, or from our computer with its constant stream of information, entertainment, hope, and fear, desktop audio is having a moment.

For this reason, many are discovering a need for some- thing better than the crappy 2.1-channel "computer speaker" systems we bought back in the early 'aughts. What we need is an ultra-compact active monitor—like IK Multimedia's iLoud MTM.

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Versatile
Easy to set up
Solid construction
Good sound with powerful bass

Minus
No tone controls

THE VERDICT
The Fives accommodate a variety of audio setups without the need for an outboard amp or receiver and deliver pleasing sound with rich, powerful bass.

I’m all about simplicity so I welcomed The Fives with open arms. A follow-up to The Sixes Klipsch introduced a couple years ago, the new speakers are smaller and take connectivity to the next level with the addition of an ARC (audio return channel)-enabled HDMI port. If I had to pick one word to describe this system, it would be versatile.