Historically, loudspeakers have always been the sexy home electronics product that people have focused their audio desires.

Loudspeakers are the products that family and friends see when they walk into a room and over the past couple of decades manufacturers have placed a greater emphasis on how their products look in order for the products to better complement today’s home interior designs.

In addition to the attention that speaker companies have paid to how their products look, manufacturers have also put greater resources into how their products perform. While this may seem obvious at first, manufacturers should be given credit for not only the level of investment they’ve made into the development of their products, including proprietary technologies—there are many companies that have made substantial investments into the research of topics such as room acoustics and human hearing. The result is that through this level of research and development by loudspeaker companies are speakers that perform more accurately regardless of their environment.

Immersive Audio Foster the Development of New Loudspeakers

Since the introduction of Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound to the home audio market loudspeakers have undergone a rebirth. Homeowners interested in maximizing their streaming and legacy physical media experiences have overwhelmingly made the jump into immersive audio surround sound systems.

Immersive audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D have been widely adopted by streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, and Max to allow homeowners quick and easy access to their favorite content with sound that rivals commercial cinemas.

2024 Lighting Controls and Fixtures Report

Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.

Download your copy now!

More recently streaming music services led by Apple have introduced immersive audio or spatial audio content to their platforms. Apple for example offers immersive music content from artists that ranges from Cage the Elephant and The Struts—to Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, and Metallica.

Now with all the immersive content widely available to users, including TV shows, movies, and music, homeowners don’t have to put much effort into finding content that maximizes their home audio systems.

The impact of immersive audio content on the home audio market has been enormous. These formats have made it acceptable for homeowners to have more loudspeakers in their homes. Responding to the public’s increased appetite for loudspeakers, manufacturers have developed a range of products including traditional floorstanding speakers, on-wall surround speakers, in-room height speakers, and all-in-one powered smart speakers.

Looking at some of the latest products available, here are 38 loudspeakers that address a variety of home audio applications that includes stereo, surround sound, and immersive audio.

Quick List of Some of the Top Loudspeakers for 2024

• Aerial Acoustics 6T
• Artison Dual Center Loudspeaker
• Beale Street Audio BPS-80 Subwoofer
• Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3
• Bryston T10 Compact Point Source Loudspeakers
• DALI Opticon 6 MKII
• Definitive Technology Dymension DM40
• Dynaudio Focus 50
• Episode 300 (Snap One)
• Focal Kanta No.2
• GoldenEar Technology SuperCenter X
• Grimani Systems Rixos-S
• James Loudspeaker OW43 On-Wall
• JBL L52 Classic
• K-array Anakonda
• KEF LS50 Meta
• KLH Model 5
• Klipsch Jubilee
• L-Acoustics X4i
• Leon FrameBar
• MartinLogan Classic ESL 9
• McIntosh Labs RS250 Wireless Loudspeaker System
• Meridian Audio Special Edition DSP5200
• Meyer Sound Bluehorn Series
• Monitor Audio Bronze 100
• Origin Acoustics Marquee Collection M5500W
• OSD Audio S81 MK2
• Paradigm Monitor SE Atom
• Phase Technology dARTS System
• PSB Alpha iQ Streaming Powered Speakers
• Revel Voice2 Center Channel Speaker
• Sonos Era 300
• Sonus faber Sonetto Wall
• Sony SS-CSE Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers
• SVS Sound Ultra Evolution Titan
• Theory Audio Design sb25 Surface Mount Loudspeaker
• Totem Acoustic Bison Twin Tower
• Wisdom Audio Sage Series L75

Aerial Acoustics 6T

The 6T set of loudspeakers from the Massachusetts-based company is a smallish floorstanding model that’s offered in a gloss black or gloss rosenut finish. Aerial states the 4-ohm, 90dB efficient speaker delivers an open, natural sound, and a frequency response of 35Hz to 25kHz.

Artison Dual Center Loudspeaker

This product from the Cape Cod-based manufacturer Savant is designed to unobtrusively blend into home interiors.  The company explains the Dual Center Loudspeaker is engineered through just a pair of loudspeakers to create an invisible center-channel loudspeaker.

Beale Street Audio BPS-80 Subwoofer

This Vanco brand’s small-footprint BPS-80 8-inch subwoofer can be used in rooms with limited space. Externally the sub features a matte-black finish, and internally the BPS-80 employs a 200-watt amplifier.

Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3

This series of loudspeakers combine elegance and performance. The 702 S3 loudspeakers incorporate a carbon-dome tweeter housed in a solid-body assembly. The speaker also utilizes the company’s Continuum cone, and together these drivers help the speaker to reproduce a frequency response of 46Hz to 28kHz.

Bryston T10 Compact Point Source Loudspeakers

Bryston, a Canadian company is known for its high-performance amplifiers, but the company also manufactures loudspeakers. The T10 Compact Point Source Speaker is an approximately 20-inch-tall speaker that incorporates a 1-inch Titanium dome tweeter, a 5.25-inch midrange driver, and a 6.5-inch woofer.

DALI Opticon 6 MKII

The slim, room friendly Opticon 6 MKII is made in the company’s facilities in Denmark, and it features DALI proprietary technologies. The speaker utilizes a 2.5-way design that helps the product to produce a frequency response of 49Hz to 30kHz, and SPL levels as high as 110dB.

Definitive Technology Dymension DM40

The Dymension DM40 is an affordable floorstanding loudspeaker that offers homeowners the company’s bipolar technologies. The slim-profile speaker employs four 4.5-inch midrange drivers, as well as a pair of 1-inch tweeters that reside in a ported enclosure. Definitive Technology specifies the speaker to deliver 20Hz to 20kHz.

Dynaudio Focus 50

The wireless floorstanding loudspeakers allow users to connect to the speakers via Apple AirPlay 2, as well as Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Roon or Bluetooth. The Focus 50 also offers WiSA compatibility, and a choice of coaxial, digital optical or analog physical inputs.

Episode 300 (Snap One)

Designed as an affordable alternative to the brand’s 500 series products, the Episode 300 Series SAT loudspeaker incorporates a 3-inch Polypropylene woofer and a ¾-inch ferro-cooled silk-dome tweeter. The speaker also features an ½-inch MDF cabinet, Snap One supports the speaker with its optional ES-BRKT-BALL swivel bracket for wall-mounting applications.

Focal Kanta No.2

The company says it took three years of R&D to produce the Kanta line of loudspeakers. The three-way design floorstanding speaker includes the company’s IAL3 tweeter, along with a 6.5-inch midrange driver, and a pair of 6.5-inch woofers. The 8-ohm, 91dB sensitive speaker delivers a frequency response of 35Hz to 40kHz.

GoldenEar Technology SuperCenter X

This is the smallest center-channel speaker from the company. The speaker utilizes a 7-inch x 10-inch quadratic-planar low-frequency radiator that augments a pair of 5.25-inch midrange drivers that flank a high-velocity folded ribbon AMT driver. The 4-ohm, 90dB sensitive speaker offers a frequency response of 39Hz to 25kHz.

Grimani Systems Rixos-S

The two-way active, bi-amplified DSP shallow-depth speaker can be used as a surface or flush mount solution, and Grimani Systems backs its loudspeakers with calibration, diagnostics, and 24/7 remote monitoring. The speaker features a 6.5-inch woofer and 1-inch dome tweeter housed in the company’s CSA waveguide.

James Loudspeaker OW43 On-Wall

With a depth of just 1.7-inches, the OW43 employs a 4-inch woofer and a companion 4-inch passive radiator. The speaker also utilizes a 1-inch aluminum, soft-dome tweeter. James states the speaker’s enclosure is made from aircraft aluminum, and it also includes an aluminum perforated grille.

JBL L52 Classic

One of the best values in the home audio market, the L52 Classic combines retro looks and modern technologies. Internally the speaker uses a ¾-inch titanium dome tweeter, along with a waveguide, and a 5.25-inch pulp cone woofer. The 85dB sensitive speaker offers a frequency response of 47Hz to 24kHz.

K-array Anakonda

One of the most unique loudspeakers available to homeowners, the Anakonda from the Italian company is a 2-meter long, application-friendly loudspeaker. The speaker incorporates the company’s proprietary Pure Array Technology to provide high dispersion characteristics, and the speaker is available in white or black.

KEF LS50 Meta

KEF manufactures some of the most stylish and high performing speakers in the consumer audio landscape. Available in a choice of four finishes the LS50 Meta speaker utilizes Uni-Q with MAT driver array. The 8-ohm, 85dB sensitive speaker produces a frequency response of 47Hz to 45kHz.

KLH Model 5

Utilizing a mid-century industrial design, the Model 5 is offered in a choice of walnut, mahogany, and Nordic noir finishes, and it is supported with optional grille choices. KLH states the 6-ohm speaker is 90dB sensitive and it produces a frequency response of 42Hz to 20kHz.

Klipsch Jubilee

Klipsch is one of the oldest brands in home audio, and the Jubilee loudspeaker is the final product Paul W. Klipsch had worked on. Klipsch emphasizes the speaker features an active crossover to control the loudspeaker’s two-way design. Available in a choice of two finishes, the loudspeakers employ Klipsch’s horn-loaded compression driver and a vented enclosure.

L-Acoustics X4i

The French company L-Acoustics developed a reputation in the live sound market as a go-to audio manufacturer for front-of-house engineers. Moving into the home market the company’s small-footprint, two-way 4-inch X4i employs a 4-inch driver, along with a 1.4-inch high-frequency driver.

Leon FrameBar

Available in a choice of styles, the FrameBar from Leon is designed as a complement to modern home interiors, as well as Samsung’s The Frame series of televisions. Because Leon offers customizable products, homeowners can specify any number of design elements to the FrameBar.

MartinLogan Classic ESL 9

MartinLogan has designed electrostatic loudspeakers for decades. The ESL 9 features the company’s 9.2-inch CLS electrostatic panel, along with a pair of traditional 8-inch aluminum-cone woofers. MartinLogan specifies the speaker delivers a frequency response of 34Hz to 23kHz.

McIntosh Labs RS250 Wireless Loudspeaker System

The RS250 provides a turnkey way to deliver audio to any room. The speaker system features McIntosh’s classic output level meters, and inputs that include HDMI, phono, and subwoofer out. The unit also supports Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Bluetooth, and Roon ready capabilities.

Meridian Audio Special Edition DSP5200

The Special Edition DSP5200 loudspeakers are driven by a pair of DSP processing engines that render all content to 176.4/192kHz. The speaker also utilizes Meridian technologies such as Bespoke Signal Mapping, Q-Sync, E3 Bass, True Time, Free-Q, and FFA.

Meyer Sound Bluehorn Series

San Francisco-based Meyer Sound is famous for its commercial loudspeakers. The Bluehorn system is described as a full-bandwidth, phase accurate monitoring system. The Bluehorn system is used in post-production studio, screening rooms, and high-performance home theaters.

Monitor Audio Bronze 100

The reasonably priced, bookshelf loudspeakers are available in a choice of three colors. Monitor Audio explains the speaker uses its C-CAM technologies in the product’s 8-inch woofer and Gold-Dome Tweeter that reside in a ported enclosure. Monitor Audio adds the speaker is 87dB sensitive and it delivers a frequency response of 37Hz to 30kHz.

Origin Acoustics Marquee Collection M5500W

Part of the company’s Marquee Collection, the M5500W is an on-wall speaker that can be used as main left, right, or center loudspeaker in a home theater. The speaker incorporates a pair of 8-inch woofers, along with a pair of 4-inch midrange drivers that flank a 1-inch Titanium horn driver. The 99dB sensitive speaker offers a frequency response of 70Hz to 20kHz.

OSD Audio S81 MK2

The S81 MK II is a proprietary OSD on-wall speaker design that meets or exceeds Dolby and THX reference levels. The speaker can produce peak SPL levels up to 116dB, and it incorporates a trio of silk-dome tweeters, along with an 8-inch woofer that sit in a cabinet that is just over six-inches deep.

Paradigm Monitor SE Atom

One of the best values in home audio, the Monitor SE Atom is a two-way loudspeaker that utilizes a bass-reflex design. Internally the Atom uses a 1-inch X-PAL dome tweeter and 5.5-inch polypropylene midrange driver that’s controlled by a 2^nd-order crossover network. The speaker delivers a frequency response of 55Hz and 17kHz.

Phase Technology dARTS System

The dARTS series provides homeowners with an active speaker system that includes DSP-based crossovers, equalization, and time correction. PhaseTechnology points out the loudspeakers provide a choice on-wall, architectural and in-room products. Custom options are also available through the company for specific applications.

PSB Alpha iQ Streaming Powered Speakers

PSB offers the Alpha iQ speakers in a choice of several colors. The smart speakers incorporate the BluOS streaming platform to support streaming media and whole-house audio. The ¾-inch tweeter is powered by a 30-watt amplifier, and the 4-inch woofer is powered by a 60-watt amplifier. The Alpha iQ provides an HDMI with eARC input, as well as digital optical, and 3.5mm. Additionally the BluOS-enabled speaker set provides Bluetooth.

Revel Voice2 Center Channel Speaker

Revel points out that center-channel speakers could be tasked with reproducing as much as 75% of a movie’s soundtrack. Designed to handle these tasks, the Voice2 features a pair of 8-inch woofers, a 5.25-inch midrange driver, and a beryllium-dome tweeter. The 6-ohm, 89dB sensitive speaker plays down to 60Hz at -3dB and its top end extends to 45kHz.

Sonos Era 300

The Era 300 provides an easy way to add spatial audio to a home that includes a Sonos whole-house audio system. The Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker can be used to reproduce Dolby Atmos encoded music from Apple Music, and the speaker also provides Apple AirPlay 2 options, and Sonos’ proprietary Trueplay equalization technologies.

Sonus faber Sonetto Wall

This on-wall speaker from the Italian audio company combines the elegance of the company’s well-known industrial designs with high levels of acoustic engineering. The Sonetto Wall product can be used with other products from the Sonetto line of loudspeakers to create surround sound and immersive audio systems that complement a range of home spaces.

Sony SS-CSE Dolby Atmos Enabled Speakers

Ideally in home environments, homeowners would have in-ceiling speakers to reproduce the height channels in an immersive audio system. The SS-CSE speaker provides a means of affordably reproducing height channels in homes that cannot handle the installation of in-ceiling loudspeakers.

SVS Sound Ultra Evolution Titan

Available in a choice of three finishes, and the three-way floorstanding speaker utilizes a time-aligned quad array of 6.5-inch woofers, along with dual 4.5-inch midrange drivers, and a 1-inch tweeter. SVS specifies the speaker to deliver a frequency response of 27Hz to 40kHz.

Theory Audio Design sb25 Surface Mount Loudspeaker

The sb25 is a high performance, multipurpose loudspeaker that features two 5-inch low-frequency drivers, and a single 1.4-inch Polymer Compression Driver. The speaker delivers 120-degrees of conical dispersion and a frequency response of 58Hz to 23kHz.

Totem Acoustic Bison Twin Tower

The Latest loudspeakers from the Canadian company includes its flagship Bison Twin Tower. Totem explains the Bison Twin Tower utilizes customized 5.25-inch drivers, along with a custom-engineered 1.3-inch tweeter. The ported design is available in a choice of finishes, and the 90db sensitive, 4-ohm speaker is rated to produce a frequency response of 31Hz to approximately 30kHz.

Wisdom Audio Sage Series L75

The L75 is designed as an audiophile solution that complements home theater and multipurpose home AV applications. The floorstanding speaker incorporates a 48-inch line source planar magnetic driver, and four 6-inch woofers. The more than 90dB sensitive speaker offers a frequency response of 40Hz to 20kHz.

• Page 1