What Are The Best Sounding Vintage Bookshelf Speakers?

There are many different vintage bookshelf speakers available today. Which ones should you buy? Get the answers here!

Wall of vintage speakers

Bookshelf speakers can add a lot to a room’s aesthetics. Speakers with a futuristic design don’t fit well in any room but vintage design goes with everything. Here, we’ll go over a quick list of the best vintage bookshelf speakers. So, if you’re looking for speakers with a vintage design but also with good audio quality, you came to the right place. What are the best-sounding vintage bookshelf speakers?

Some of the best vintage bookshelf speakers with high audio quality are Edifier R1280T, Q Acoustics 3020i, Edifier S1000DB, and Klipsch Heritage Tabletop Stereo.

We’ll offer more speakers, further down the post I’ll add some real vintage speakers, these can’t be found on Amazon though.

Vintage Bookshelf Speakers – What You Need To Know

Before we start with the list, I’d like to tread water a bit. We should explain what we mean by “vintage bookshelf speakers”. I guess most of you are thinking about modern speakers with a vintage design. So, speakers can offer quality audio as a top-grade speaker does but the exterior should be vintage which usually is wood.

Some of you may be looking for actual vintage speakers. Old speakers from the 20th century still work. I’ll make sure to offer some of those but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to find them on Amazon. Usually, these speakers are bought second-hand. If you have a store that sells these types of stuff check it out, you may find some.

Wooden vintage speakers

Bookshelf Speakers With A Vintage Design

When it comes to speakers like these, we look for features that any good speaker should have, provided that the design is vintage. So, we’re looking for good frequency response, sensitivity, and high-quality audio. There may be some tech features like Bluetooth and remote control. I guess that won’t bother you as long as the exterior is made from polished wood.

Related article – How To Connect Chromecast To Bluetooth Speakers

20th Century Vintage Speakers

Now, old vintage speakers are more complicated. More so, I don’t know much about old speakers. I have done enough research to know which good old speakers are still out there. You should make sure the speakers are still working, and that you have something to use them with.

The Best Vintage Bookshelf Speakers

Here we are, time for the list. I believe you’ll find what you’re looking for. Some of these may be expensive but there will be budget options too.

Edifier S1000DB Audiophile Active Bookshelf Speakers

The Edifier S1000DB is my favorite item on this list. Good features all over, high audio quality. I would recommend these speakers to anyone, even those that aren’t looking for vintage style.

It features a wooden plus black design. There’s a Bluetooth option, the connection is not limited at that though. You can add these speakers to more than one source. Digital Sound Processing makes for great audio quality.

Not cheap but a reasonable price for what you getting. In my opinion, the best vintage bookshelf speakers.

Q Acoustics 3020i English Walnut Speakers

Q Acoustics has one of the coolest vintage speakers, the 3020i English walnut speakers. I really like the design of these speakers. Mostly, because they are not that big, I like it when things are just the right size.

Not only one of the coolest speakers but one of the best sounding speakers too. Featuring a High-Frequency Driver which provides one of the cleanest sounds. In case you want to connect them to a receiver, the impedance is 4 ohms.

To be honest, these speakers perform well in any kind of music genre. The bass is deep enough, loud as 89 decibels, and they give an almost flat response to any frequency.

Unfortunately, there are not many available online. You will have to wait a while to get them.

Klipsch Heritage Tabletop Stereo

Here’s an interesting product for you, the One II Tabletop Stereo Walnut. This screams “vintage”. If you like vintage style speakers, this will steal your attention. Not exactly a bookshelf speaker but I think you’ll be interested.

The One II is a Bluetooth speaker for your house. It’s meant to act as a tabletop, it goes great with vintage furniture. The exterior is made with walnut which makes this a vintage speaker.

Edifier R1280T Bookshelf Speakers

Now, the R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers is what most people buy. I understand why, this is a really reasonable vintage option. You get quality sound and vintage design for a cheap price.

One of the best-sounding bookshelf speakers for sure, at least at that price. The wood vinyl finish goes great with any room. This is the budget option I mentioned in the beginning.

Speakers Worth Mentioning

Finding Old Speakers

As promised, old vintage speakers. I don’t really know how you would go about buying speakers like this. I guess auctions or stores that sell retro things. It’s best if you “know a guy” that can hook you up.

Nonetheless, you should at least know what to look for. One of the most popular vintage speakers is the LS3/5A model. You can find models that are made by different companies, it’s essentially the same. Look for Rogers and Spendor models.

Bowers and Wilkins have been around for quite a while. And they mostly made quality speakers. If you can find some of their older models that work. This is all hypothetical though, don’t know how much it helps.

Conclusion

So, there you go guys, the best vintage bookshelf speakers. Choosing anything on this list guarantees good audio quality. You can decide for yourself which design is the best. I like the design of each one but not everyone will agree.

I would recommend the Edifier R1280T or the Acoustics Q 3020i. Also, check out speakers by Marshall, they usually go for the vintage design. These models are mostly expensive and most are not bookshelf speakers, so I didn’t include them in the list. Worth checking out though.

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