Best speakers 2025: reviewed and recommended by our experts
Great hi-fi speakers for every budget

If you're in the market for a new pair of stereo speakers for your home system, you've come to the right place. Whether you have a strict budget or thousands to spare, we have the top speaker picks for every price point in this guide.
What Hi-Fi? has been reviewing all kinds of stereo speakers for nearly 50 years, so we know exactly what a great pair of speakers should deliver at every price point. Clarity and detail, engaging dynamics and rhythms, even tonal balance and accurate soundstaging are the sonic traits our experienced review team listens out for with every speaker, along with ensuring the build quality is of a good standard for the asking price.
This curated list of the best passive speakers we've tested and recommend should have something for everyone's needs and musical tastes, and we have options for small bookshelf and large floorstanding models below, so you can pick what fits your space the best. Every one of them is a currentWhat Hi-Fi? Award-winning model too, so you know you'll be getting the best recommendation and performance at each price range.
You'll even find some of the best prices from around the web for each model so you can compare with rival speakers, but be sure to check whether the figure quoted below is for just one speaker or a pair before buying. You can read more about how we test speakers, get the best tips on choosing the right speaker for your needs, or scroll down to see our top speaker recommendations.
The quick list
With innovative tech, exceptional performance, and unbeatable build quality, we'd recommend these to anybody.
These budget-friendly Diamonds are wonderfully composed, refined and controlled for their affordable price.
It’s tough to make a truly talented and affordable floorstander, but Wharfedale has cracked it. Ignore these terrific towers at your peril.
Open, refined, dynamically expressive and heaps of fun, new B&W's 607 S3 are the standmounters to beat at this price.
Insightful and entertaining, with clarity, detail and expressive flair in spades. Match them properly and they're truly brilliant.
Read more below
Petite premium speakers that are superb performers and are even optimised to be placed inside a bookshelf.
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One of the best sound-per-pound models, these plain-looking speakers deliver astonishingly refined and gorgeous sound.
I'm the Hi-Fi and Audio Editor of What Hi-Fi? and have been reviewing hi-fi speakers for over a decade. I have tested and listened to every pair of speakers listed below, and can genuinely recommend each model for their excellent build quality, superb sound and value for money at each price level. Regardless of your music preferences, I'm confident you'll be able to find a speaker that suits your needs and sonic tastes. Just remember to take care when matching with your source and amplifier and, if you're able to, always demo before buying.
Recent updates
29th January 2025: Updated our "coming soon" section with new speakers announced that we're excited to hear, as well as speakers we have in our test rooms that will be reviewed very soon.
Best speakers overall
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The original LS50 speakers were absolutely terrific in their own right, but KEF eventually decided that they could do better. Eight years on from the original LS50, the LS50 Meta were born, and they've proven to be a truly worthy upgrade. And with multiple Award wins to their name, the LS50 Meta continue to impress us with their incredibly subtle, transparent and entertaining performance.
KEF reworked the LS50’s Uni-Q driver array, where the tweeter sits in the throat of the mid/bass unit, taking in all the refinements that KEF has developed over the past eight years and adding something new in the form of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). MAT is KEF’s way of coping with the sound that comes off the back of the tweeter dome via a circular maze of tubes on the back which absorbs sound more effectively and results in cleaner, less distorted highs.
And this works brilliantly – treble performance is more refined and clearer than before, and it's been such a success that the MAT technology has been implemented in many other KEF speaker ranges since.
While the basic sonic character is instantly familiar, the LS50 Meta have gained serious new levels of clarity and finesse that the original speakers couldn't manage. The speakers sound clean and tight, but they still offer muscle and dynamics to give your music plenty of oomph, character and interest. We said in our review: "Large-scale dynamics are handled well and there’s a good amount of muscle for a speaker of this size. These are refined and composed performers that rarely sound stressed unless volume levels are high."
As far as we're concerned, the LS50 Meta are some of the finest sound-per-pound (or dollar) speakers around and is compatible with a wide variety of partnering products. They continue to set the standard at this level to which others should aspire.
Read our full KEF LS50 Meta review
Best budget bookshelf speakers
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Wharfedale's Diamond range of speakers has always had one mission: to offer top class sound at an affordable price. Over 40 years on, it continues to succeed in its mission. The current Diamond 12.1 standmount/bookshelf speakers have updated drive units and better cabinet construction, but these speakers remain as recommendable as when we first reviewed them in 2020.
The Diamond 12.1 have a bold, full-bodied presentation with plenty of detail. The speakers sound composed and refined, qualities that are rather unusual at this budget price point. They deliver more authority and scale than their modest price and size suggest, too, and while we don't expect bone-shaking bass from such small boxes, low-end notes sound full and dig deep enough to satisfy at this level.
Overall these speakers have a smooth tonal balance and a forgiving nature, but they have just enough bite and convincingly communicate the shifts in dynamics to keep you drawn to the music. There's ample rhythmic punch and subtleties in detail are admirable revealed at this level, too.
At this price, the Diamonds have faced serious competition from some excellent affordable speakers. We're still big fans of the expressive and agile Dali Spektor 2, while the multi-Award-winning Elac Debut B5.2 offer just a bit more rhythmic prowess and transparency. This Elac model has been discontinued, however, leaving the door open for the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 to emerge as current budget favourites with their easy-going nature that will partner well with most components. You won't get a more crowd-pleasing performance at this level.
Read the full Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 review
Best budget floorstanding speakers
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Wharfedale's Diamond range now features a truly outstanding (and affordable) floorstander. Indeed, we're so impressed by the Wharfedale Diamond 12.3's musical performance that it's a multiple and current What Hi-Fi? Award winner.
At 98cm tall, the Diamond 12.3 aren't a particularly imposing pair of floorstanders, so they'll fit into most spaces. Sonically, they're smooth, even-handed and wonderfully refined for the money. Feed them a poor signal and they’ll round off rough edges and downplay unwanted aggression without sounding like they’re smothering the life out of the music.
In our original review, we said: "Play them louder and these speakers don’t complain. They deliver Hans Zimmer’s raucous The Battle from the Gladiator OST with verve, tracking the brutal dynamics well. There’s punch and power when required, but also a level of subtlety that’s rare to find in a floorstander at this price."
The build quality is top-notch for the relatively modest price tag. The cabinets are crafted with a traditional straight-edge design and have a tidy feet arrangement for stability. These speakers are available in four finishes – black, walnut, white and a classy light oak – which is plenty of choice for most interiors.
If you're looking for reasonably-priced hi-fi floorstanders, the talented Wharfdale 12.3 are a superb buy.
Read the full Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 review
Best mid-price standmount speakers
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B&W's entry-level 607 S3 speakers are the British brand enjoying a real hot streak. The smallest and most affordable stereo speaker that B&W makes, the 607 S3 have replaced the previous Award-winning 607 S2 Anniversary Edition speakers, amping up the levels of performance in the process.
The 607 S3 standmounters have been updated throughout, boasting a new 25mm titanium decoupled double-dome tweeter, a new elongated tube loading system, a revised motor assembly for the 13cm Continuum mid/bass driver and higher-quality crossover components. The two drivers overlap to improve integration, while B&W claims the use of titanium should result in more refined and detailed high frequencies. All of that has led to some serious gains in terms of sonic performance.
You will need to be careful about partnering, though, as that rather forward, excitable treble does need some balancing out. Get it right and you'll be handsomely rewarded with a detailed, cohesive, agile and energetic sound. The overall presentation is more open-sounding than the previous iteration, while the higher sonic reaches are sweet and refined as each note lands with precision are genuine verve. Basslines are taut and firm, and while they don’t go as bone-shatteringly deep as bigger speakers (or even as big as the bigger, step-up 606 S3), they certainly land with impact.
Best of all, the 607 S3 will appeal to anyone who likes their music to take them on something of a metaphorical journey. The British-made towers are immensely fun to listen to, offering clarity and refinement running parallel with a zippy, deeply musical core. So many manufacturers prioritise analytical detail to the detriment of dynamics and musical interest, but B&W S3 haven't fallen into that trap: they're a delight from top to bottom.
Read our full Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 review
Best mid-price floorstanding speakers
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Q Acoustics' new 5000 series sits in between the budget 3000 series and the premium Concept range. The 5040 is the smaller of the two floorstanders in the range (the step-up and more mature 5050 are also five stars and current Award-winners) and should fit neatly into most rooms, with a solid and well-made build quality and an unassuming, uncomplicated design.
New to the range is the Continuous Curved Cone design for the mid/bass drivers. This new driver has a geometry that Q Acoustics claims to combine the rigidity advantages of a standard conical cone profile with the high-frequency break-up characteristics of a more flared design.
Q Acoustics' previous efforts have tended to be unfussy, but these 5040s need a bit more care with positioning and partnering equipment to get the best out of them. Pair them up with more refined partnering electronics and the 5040 sound wonderfully clear and precise, with ample grip and agility to deliver an intoxicating sense of fun. We're keen on the way these towers sound composed and controlled, and that sense of organisation doesn’t fade when the music becomes demanding or complex - they're spacious, well-focused sound with impressive stereo imaging. Tonally, these floorstanders sit just on the lean side of neutral, but not so far as to cause issues or fatigue.
While the more expensive Wharfedale Evo 4.4 provide a sophisticated alternative, Q Acoustics 5040 are even-handed performers that simply step out of the way of the music and let songs shine. Partner these floorstanders with some care, and you'll be rewarded with a wonderfully expressive and insightful performance that's unbeatable at this price level.
Read our full Q Acoustics 5040 review
Best premium standmount speakers
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While we (and most manufacturers) would advise you to place standmounter or bookshelf speakers on dedicated stands, Epos has made things a little more flexible. Recognising that it's not always viable for people to accommodate stands in their space, Epos has optimised its ES-7N small speakers so they sound their best even when placed inside a bookshelf.
Flip a switch at the back of these petite speakers and the speakers will adjust their performance accordingly when placed up against a wall or corner to remain evenly balanced. It's impressive just how close to the free-standing (away from wall, on stands) performance these speakers get when placed inside our IKEA Kallax bookshelf, and while there is a slight drop in clarity and stereo imaging, it remains a fantastic presentation overall.
In fact, even though these are small boxes that won't compete with larger designs – such as KEF's R3 Meta, which offer deeper bass, bigger and more dynamic sound – what these Epos speakers do so well with music gets us smiling with joy and our feet tapping. They're incredibly talented.
As we said in our review: "The ES-7N are bold and confident performers that resolve high levels of detail and organise it in a cohesive and musical way. Play Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us and the Epos kick like a mule. They sound taut and punchy with music such as this, delivering the song’s jumpy rhythm track in a wonderfully surefooted manner. There is plenty of drive here and the speakers are great at conveying the music’s varying momentum."
Voices are delivered with impassioned nuance and clarity, and bass notes are – for such small cabinets – taut, solid and grippy. We love the similarly-priced Neat Petite Classic's fun, peppy presentation, but the Epos are even more precise and controlled when it comes to rhythmic agility. They are just as considerate with more classical or intimate recordings, and they pair well with a variety of amplifier partners, from the budget Rotel A8 to the premium Naim Nait XS3.
The Epos ES-7N are charming performers. They are small, hugely capable and surprisingly unfussy in use. That they recognise not everyone will be able to position their speakers perfectly and sound just as good when placed inside bookshelves is a rare talent that should be celebrated. If your budget can stretch this high and you have a small space to work with, these are highly recommended.
Read the full Epos ES-7N review