BEST Hi-Fi SPEAKERS OF ALL TIME

The 6 BEST Hi-Fi SPEAKERS OF ALL TIME in 2022

What are the best hi-fi speakers of all time? Well as someone who loves his music and movies and has had so many sets of speakers over the years that his wife gets super made whenever a new set shows up. I feel that I can give my opinion on what some of the best speakers out there right now are as I have done tons of speaker reviews. Of course, saying that these are the “best of all time” is just a bit of fun as truth be told, technology is always advancing and just when I think things cannot get any better, they do. 

Today I am trying to help you guys out with your next hi-fi speaker purchase as I select what some of the best ones out there are in my opinion. 

Remember These Are Your Speakers!

One extra bit of advice that I want to give before we dive into this thing is that you need to remember these are your speakers. While I might think that a chestnut-colored set of speakers is super cool. That may not fit in with the rest of your setup! The point I am trying to make is that you have to be certain that you are happy with the way that the speakers look as well as the way the sound. This is especially true if they are large “showcase” style speakers. 

The Best Hi-Fi Speakers Of All Time Reviews!

I decided not to screw around with this and instead just focus on the speakers that are regarded as the best of the best. We will be looking at all kinds of speakers at all different ends of the pricing spectrum. The one thing that all these speakers have in common is that they are held in very high regard. In our quest to find the best hi-fi speakers of all time I have a selection of floor standing and bookshelf style speakers. 

1. Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers

2. Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker

3. Polk Audio T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker

4. ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers

5. Audioengine A5 Plus Classic 150W Powered Bookshelf Speakers

6. Klipsch R-26F Floorstanding Speaker

1. Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers

These Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers are really cool and a set of speakers that I have a lot of experience with. These are bookshelf style speakers so they are great if you want hi-fi speakers that are more compact in their size. The first thing that captures your attention with these is the awesome wood grain style that they have going on. It gives these an air of sophistication and a tad of old school that I really like. As I write this review these are currently being sold for just under 100 bucks on Amazon and that for a set of speakers like this is a freaking steal! It is also a huge reason as to why these have been some of the highest-rated speakers on Amazon for a few years now. 

While the 100 bucks price point may make you think these are too cheap to be considered the best hi-fi speakers of all time. To borrow a quote from my buddy Optimus Prime, these are more than meets the eye. These have some nice deep bass and you can tinker with it and the treble thanks to the dials. They are not the most powerful in terms of “wattage” however they offer far more kick and power, not to mention clarity than their small stature suggests. These have no Bluetooth connectivity so that might be something to keep in mind. 

Pros:

  • I love the kind of retro design they have
  • The sound quality is pretty incredible considering the price
  • Hooking these up to your hi-fi is very easy to do
  • They feel very solid and take up very little space
  • Dials let you tinker with the bass and treble 

Cons:

  • No Bluetooth connectivity 
  • Too many people see these as “low quality” instead of low budget 

What Other People Are Saying

The customer reviews on Amazon for these are amazing! As I write this there are over 5000 reviews and over 90 percent of them are for five and four stars! “I mean I really wasn’t expecting such full and rich sound from a $99 pair of speakers.” This review really sums up my feelings and pretty much everyone else I know who has used these speakers’ feelings perfectly well. 

The thing with these Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers is that the only reason I can see many people passing on them is that they appear to be too good to be true! The price tag for these is an absolute bargain, I really cannot overstate that highly enough. These speakers are what I would call “cheap”, but cheap only in terms of their price. They look great, are made very well and the sound quality is very impressive. 

2. Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker

Back in the 80s when it came to not just the best hi-fi speakers of all time, but the best audio equipment, Sony was always the company that was at the front of this stuff. This awesome looking Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker is amazing and to me captures what Sony audio equipment is all about. Now, this is for just ONE speaker so the asking price is going to be a tad under 400 bucks for a pair, but with Sony, you always know that you are getting real quality and that is the case here. So much so, that I have had these as the speakers in my home gym for a very long time. 

These are tower speakers so they are nice and tall, but this height has allowed Sony to cram in four high quality speakers that are going to rock any room they are in. The “tech” inside here is very high quality and designed with no distortion in mind. Sony wants your music to sound as authentic as possible and having used these for hundreds of hours I can say that even after all this time they still sound great. They did have a bit of breaking in at first, but that was part of the fun! The woofer they have used gives the bass this really low and deep thump that I just loved. 

Pros:

  • They look freaking cool
  • Have that Sony quality all throughout
  • They have a real solid feel to them
  • The asking price is more than fair

Cons:

  • Why do companies sell single speakers?
  • The design might be a tad “80s” for some people 

What Other People Are Saying 

These speakers are very, very popular and on Amazon, they have tons of positive customer reviews for you to read through. I also found this video review which showcases these very well. You get a good sense of the size of them, but the dude also breaks down why the sound is so good which is awesome. If you are on the fence with these, this video will help you get over it I am sure. 

I will never apologize for being a Sony fanboy. As a kid of the 80’s I grew up with Sony being the brand to have and, in many ways, I still feel that this is the case now. I know it is annoying that these are not sold in a pair. However, even at close to 400 bucks for a pair, I feel that these Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speakers are more than worth the money. 

3. Polk Audio T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker

When I started this list of the best hi-fi speakers of all time I knew that we had to have Polk Audio on it! This Polk Audio T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker  offers great value for money as for a pair you are looking at under 300 bucks. These have a style similar to the Sony speaker we just looked at and that is cool with me. I love tall black tower speakers and this one here has a very elegant look to it. Standing at 36 and a half inches high, it will be something of a showcase speaker which I always like. They have made this look cool and elegant at the same time. While the Sony one may look a tad “80s” which I love, I feel Polk has managed to get a more modern design. 

I like how Polk breaks down what their speakers have to offer. To get “technical” these have a 6.5-inch driver and two 6.5-inch bass radiators along with a 1-inch tweeter to really make these rock. I will always be a metalhead and I love to play my music loud (when my wife is not home of course) and I can tell you, hand on heart that even before these were fully broken in the sound truly rocked my house. Polk manages to use really high-end components without asking for an obscene amount of money. 

Pros:

  • These have a really elegant design to them
  • The connectors are gold plated for a more “secure” connection
  • At under 300 bucks for a pair, these are great value for money
  • As well as being great for music, I am sure movies sound awesome too

Cons:

  • They might stand out a bit too much for some people
  • Why are these sold as just one unit and not a pair?

What Other People Are Saying 

The positive customer reviews are very impressive. Over 2 and a half thousand reviews are on Amazon and over 90 percent of those are four- and five-star reviews. I had a good look over most of them and it was great to see so many people were as happy with these as I was. “Great bass response, clear mids, and highs. I think these are great for movies/TV (probably because I don’t care about surround sound) and they are perfect for music” You do not get much more of a ringing endorsement than that. 

I have never been let down by the good folks at Polk (hey that rhymes) and these Polk Audio T50 150 Watt Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speakers had to be on our best hi-fi speakers of all time list. This sounds great and I was very impressed with how loud I could crank my music up with no decline in the sound quality. The fact that they look great too is just the icing on an already delicious cake. 

4. ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers

Next up we have these very cool looking ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers from ELAC. These are more “higher end” bookshelf speakers which is why they are priced at 350 bucks. These are made to be able to blend into any bookshelf or entertainment unit, but at the same time grab your attention when you do notice them. ELAC uses super thick wood for most of their speakers and it gives these things some real weight and high-quality feeling to them. I know the asking price may seem high for a set of bookshelf speakers, but you are getting a lot of bang for your back here. Also, it is worth noting that on Amazon for an extra 12-15 bucks you can get 100 meters of speaker cable thrown in! These are also a tad taller than I was expecting so that might be something to consider. 

I can tell you off the bat that these sound great, but when I dug a little deeper to see what ELAC had done here I was very interested in what I fond out. NEW is the keyword that they use for these as they say that they have used a newly developed tweeter and woofer along with some clever internal bracing to ensure that you are getting a truly rich sound. These have some major kick for a set of bookshelf speakers so those who like to listen to music and watch movies loud will be happy with what these are offering I am sure of that. 

Pros:

  • I really like the classy look of them
  • They have some impressive and supposedly new tech in them
  • Music really rocks when played at louder volumes
  • They look pretty badass for bookshelf speakers

Cons:

  • The asking price might be a tad expensive for some
  • Might be a bit too big for bookshelf speakers 

What Other People Are Saying

If you drive these speakers with decent power you are going to get incredible sound is something I took from this awesome video review. That video is short and sweet, but in it, you can see how cool these look and also find out why the sound kicks so much ass. Over at Amazon, these have a ton of positive reviews with over 90 percent of them being positive reviews. So, it is fair to say that these have one hell of a positive reputation online! 

ELAC always brings it with their speakers and these ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers are some very impressive bookshelf speakers. While I feel that the asking price is more than fair for a pair of speakers of this quality. I do get why some would look at these and then those first speakers we looked at and ask if these are worth the extra couple hundred bucks. Still, these sound great and are incredibly well made. 

5. Audioengine A5 Plus Classic 150W Powered Bookshelf Speakers

While I have not personally used the Audioengine A5 Plus Classic 150W Powered Bookshelf Speakers their reputation online more than warrants them making an appearance on our best hi-fi speakers of all time list. What first caught my eye with these was the style. While the ones that I gravitated towards were those super sleek and sexy bamboo speakers. These also come in white and black as well. Unfortunately, that cool bamboo style does come in at 70 extra bucks, putting these at $469 over the white and black’s $399. I know that this asking price is high for a set of bookshelf speakers, but with these, you are paying for the “style” as much as you are the sound. 

Speaking of the sound, they are made with Audioengine’s “custom components” that allows them to give these a really rich sound quality right out of the box. On the back of these things is more ports than I would know what to do with! It is worth noting that for a few extra bucks, you can get these in a wireless form so you can connect your phone as well as your hi-fi to these speakers which I think is kind of cool. I really like how they have used, silk tweeters and aramid fiber woofers, but I am sure that and the high-quality wood casing is why these are so expensive. 

Pros:

  • They come in three different colors
  • You can pay a bit extra and get Bluetooth
  • The sound quality is said to be both clear and loud!
  • I like how they have so many ports and knickknacks on the back

Cons:

  • The asking price is a tad high
  • Why are the white and black one so much cheaper? 

What Other People Are Saying

Apart from the sexy bamboo look that I liked. It was the near 1000 customer reviews that caught my eye. Currently, these are sitting at just under 90 percent when it comes to five- and four-star reviews. Someone who sounds like a real audiophile had this to say, “I am now picking up sounds and even imperfections in audio recordings that I never heard before with my old set of speakers, there’s a lot more warmth and detail than before”.

I would love to try these Audioengine A5 Plus Classic 150W Powered Bookshelf Speakers out for myself. While I am sure the sound quality is going to be fantastic as they are made with some very impressive sounding components. I would certainly make sure I had these out on display as they have a really cool and unique kind of vibe to them that I think is pretty damn neat. 

6. Klipsch R-26F Floorstanding Speaker

Ahh, the good brothers at Klipsch. I felt we had to have something from these guys on here and I have always liked the look of their Klipsch R-26F Floorstanding Speaker. The reason I like it is that it just screams cool when you look at it. It is the kind of speaker that would fit in well with a home theatre system or just as something that lets you rock out to some Bon Jovi when they are plugged into your hi-fi. I love how clean looking these are, all the way down to those interesting looking feet. It is worth noting that these are sold singularly so you are looking at around 700 bucks for a pair. 

As I have not managed to get my grubby devil horn throwing hands on these yet I cannot say from personal experience what the sound is like with these. However, the reason that I felt they were worthy of being in the discussion of the best hi-fi speakers of all time was their reputation and the way they are made. The two 6.5-inch copper woofers I am sure really will rock the house! To put it plain and simple, Klipsch does not make bad sounding speakers!

Pros:

  • They just scream cool!
  • I like how big and in your face, they are
  • The sound quality is said to be very full and rich
  • They have a solid reputation online

Cons:

  • Why not sell them as a pair?
  • Might be a tad too big for some people’s rooms 

What Other People Are Saying 

To start with over at our buddies Amazon, these currently have a 94 percent positive rating from over 200 reviews! I also found a very complimentary video review that showcases these speakers very nicely. Not only can you see how great they look, but you also get to hear them in action and the reviewer also breaks down what makes these so great. 

I have looked at many Klipsch speakers over the years and I see no reason at all why these would not be great. I know that they are a tad on the large side, but that is part of what makes them cool in my opinion. If you want a set of showcase speakers that are really going to rock your world, take a much closer look at these. They have a very positive reputation online which is always something that I like to read.

What Are The Best Hi-Fi Speakers Of All Time? 

I am going to take the cowards way out here today and say that you cannot go wrong with any of these. I love the Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers and feel that if you are on a budget, or short on space you cannot go wrong with them. However, if I had to pick a personal favorite out of the bunch my choice would be the Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker. I have used this for a while now and it always blows me away!

While we have been looking for the best hi-fi speakers of all time today, here at the site we have tons of speaker reviews for you to check out. Speakers of all shapes, sizes, and price ranges! 

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