We’ve tested over two dozen pairs of speaker for this guide over the course of several updates. Here are some competitors that are still available:

The Dayton Audio B652-AIR set had good upper-octave clarity thanks to a ribbon tweeter but offered virtually no bass. Listening to the opening of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” we almost couldn’t hear the bassline. This is also the only speaker set we reviewed that used the cheaper spring clips that don’t accept banana-plug connectors.

The ELAC Debut B6 is a former runner-up pick that has now been replaced by the Debut 2.0 B6.2, so its availability is limited.

The ELAC Uni-fi UB5 pair offered very good bass response and detail but with a smaller soundstage. These speakers also had a less attractive finish and were harder to drive than some other models.

The Fluance XL7S pair produced a good soundstage but lacked bass, and the treble might be too bright for some listeners.

We used KEF’s LS50 mini-monitor speakers as a reference for our tests. These speakers are more widely acclaimed than any other bookshelf speakers released in the past decade—and we think they live up to the hype. From the construction to the sound reproduction, the LS50 set easily outclassed every competitor we tested. The soundstage was larger and more detailed, and the bass was deeper and better defined. The LS50 model ranks far beyond other speakers in build quality, as it’s very heavy and more solid, with virtually no resonance when you knock on the cabinet. The LS50 pair is the best bookshelf speaker set we listened to. It’s expensive, but it offers an audible difference. It’s also available in a powered wireless version, the LS50W.

Micca’s MB42X set is small and compact, but this pair sounded poor next to all of the other contenders. The bass was lacking because of the small woofer, and the treble had a harsh, metallic sound. Beck’s voice during “Lost Cause” sounded different here than on everything else, as if the tonal balance of the speakers was wrong.

The Monitor Audio Bronze 1 pair offered good bass response and a large soundstage, but the treble was muted next to that of other speakers, which made recordings sound dull.

The Monoprice Monolith Air Motion Cinema 5 set uses a ribbon tweeter instead of a dome, but this pair lacked the bass response of the other speakers.

Monoprice’s Monolith K-BAS speakers use a bass port design that allows for extended response. They’re fairly tall black boxes that aren’t attractive, and while the bass was present, it wasn’t tight or detailed. Recordings sometimes sounded hollow, as if recorded inside a box.

Polk Audio’s RTI A1 speakers produced a large soundstage and lots of detail, but they had a particularly bright, forward treble that over time became hard to tolerate.

We liked the performance of the Polk Audio TSi100 a lot. This pair’s soundstage was more open than that of the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR, with more clarity and very good bass, but its original asking price of $219 a pair was notably higher. Polk has now technically discontinued this speaker, so it sells for a lot less, but its availability is limited. If you can find the TSi100 speakers for a good price, we recommend them.

The Q Acoustics Concept 20 speakers had bright, clear treble but lacked authority in the bass department. The build quality is great, but we don’t see much need for bi-wiring speakers in this price range, and the included binding post connectors made it hard for us to use some banana plugs we had.

The Q Acoustics 3020 is a former top pick that has been replaced by the 3020i, so its availability is limited. The new model offers some clear performance improvements and more finish options, but the 3020 is still a great speaker.

The SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers’ extra-large, 6½-inch woofers produced a room-filling bass that the other speakers simply could not touch. This SVS pair’s bass went deeper, had better definition, and helped the speakers create a larger soundstage than their rivals mustered. If your tastes run more toward rock or hip-hop and less toward jazz or other acoustic music, or if you want impact from movie soundtracks without a subwoofer, the SVS set might be your best option. But most listeners will get more out of the KEF Q150’s superior midrange and treble performance.

Wharfedale’s Diamond 220 set had good detail and nice bass but sounded boxed in. These speakers produced a soundstage that was narrow and confined to the center of the room, while other speakers created a more expansive stereo image. Aside from the soundstage, the quality of the sound was good, and we liked the build of the speakers, but we all preferred a sound that was more open.

Other speaker models failed to make the cut early on:

Audioengine’s P4 pair is attractive and based on the company’s popular A5 set, but reviews say this passive pair works better for near-field listening (such as at a computer) than in a living room as bookshelf speakers. People recommend the active A5 speakers instead.

The Bose 301 Series V design has a rear-facing driver that creates a large but diffuse sound. Reviews say this design generates a large soundstage but produces muddy results, so we weren’t interested.

Cambridge Audio’s SX-50 speakers have good customer reviews, but professional reviews describe this set as “more functional than special.” In a category crowded with well-reviewed products, that assessment wasn’t enough to make us want to evaluate this pair.

We thought that the Dayton Audio B652 set, which had no ribbon tweeter, was worse than the more recent version with the ribbon tweeter, so we excluded it.

Reviews note that Sony’s SS-CS5 is better than the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR but not up to the level of other models. At the time of our research, this set was too expensive relative to the Pioneer pair to compete as a budget pick, and the reviews we saw were not good enough for us to include it as a finalist.