Tower Speakers

Note: These are my personal speaker recommendations, based on a combination of objective measurements, subjective listening impressions, and viewer feedback. Just because a speaker isn’t listed here doesn’t mean it isn’t excellent. I’ve reviewed plenty of great models, but this page is meant to highlight a short list of standout recommendations. Some very good speakers didn’t make the cut simply to keep things manageable. You can find all 250+ of my reviews via the main page. – Erin

Under $1500

Magnepan LRS+ thumbnail

Magnepan LRS+

💲 999

Wild speaker with really neat soundstage attributes. Good tonal balance if your head is at the exact right spot.

ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63 thumbnail

ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63

💲 1298

Low distortion and compression with pretty good response linearity. Might sound 'warm' without EQ but overall good.

Polk Audio Reserve R500 thumbnail

Polk Audio Reserve R500

💲 1299

Good bass extension and overall good linearity but a bit sibilant without EQ or sidewall absorption.

Klipsch RP-6000F II thumbnail

Klipsch RP-6000F II

💲 1499

Great directivity. High sensitivity. Toe-out about 30° to lessen treble brightness. Keep them about 0.50m from wall.

Under $2500

Klipsch RP-8000F II thumbnail

Klipsch RP-8000F II

💲 1499

Like the RP-6000F II, I recommend tailoring the HF down and pointing 30° out. High sensitivity. Keep them about 0.50m from wall.

Arendal Sound 1961 Tower thumbnail

Arendal Sound 1961 Tower

💲 1900

Slim design. Really good linearity, low distortion but needs a subwoofer. Somewhat narrow soundstage. Ideal for smaller home theater.

Morel Avyra 633 thumbnail

Morel Avyra 633

💲 1999

Great looking speaker with smooth midrange, though there is a slight uptick in the lower treble. Nice midbass thump thanks to mild 80Hz peak.

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Polk Audio Reserve R700

💲 2199

Big tower speaker that commands attention. Sounds best pointed at the listener thanks to the ring-radiator tweeter. Bass to about 30-40Hz in-room.

KEF Q11 Meta thumbnail

KEF Q11 Meta

💲 2499

Ideal for a smaller room. In a larger room it will likely sound 'dark' as it uses sidewalls for high frequency reinforcement.

Under $5000

KEF R5 Meta thumbnail

KEF R5 Meta

💲 4999

Designed for smaller rooms with near-wall placement bass design. Smooth directivity and takes well to EQ. Needs a subwoofer.

Under $10000

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MoFi SourcePoint 888

💲 5495

Low bass extension while maintaining smooth linearity. Wide horizontal AND vertical radiation. Low Distortion and Compression.

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KEF LS60 Wireless

💲 5999

Active speaker that offers a lot of the Blade features in a slim package: neutrality, bass extension and precision imaging.

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JBL HDI-3800

💲 6000

High sensitivity, wide dispersion and plenty of output. Work best aimed slightly off axis to tame upper high frequency bump.

Revel PerformaBe F226Be thumbnail

Revel PerformaBe F226Be

💲 7700

Wide soundstage, great detail in high frequency without fatigue. Needs a subwoofer where some others here do not due to rolloff around 50Hz.

Over $10000

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JBL 4367

💲 16500

Incredible dynamic range while maintaining great overall neutrality. Has a more narrow high frequency radiation than cone/dome drivers.

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KEF Blade 2 META

💲 28000

Best passive speaker I've reviewed. The pointsource imaging of this speaker is uncanny with deep bass extension and incredible neutrality.

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JBL M2

💲 30000

Active design with full bass extension, incredible directivity and crazy output. A go-to choice for music lovers and home theater fans alike.