Are bookshelf speakers or satellites just as good as larger tower models?
It all depends. A loudspeaker must move a lot of air in order to sound good. The larger the cabinet, the more air the speaker can move. But sound quality is also affected by the speaker’s quality the cabinet’s composition and construction, and the speaker’s components. Even the speaker’s location, the room it is in and the room’s other furnishings will affect the sound quality. If the room is sufficiently large and you have no objection to prominent loudspeakers, they will undoubtedly sound very good. But smaller speakers are more appropriate to a more limited space and, because of their smaller size, they can usually be more easily maneuvered until you have a fully satisfactory sound picture. Small satellites cannot be played as loud as bigger speakers, and they often are unable to perfectly reproduce the lower bass tones. For this reason, a subwoofer is a worthwhile addition to a satellite system, as it will help ’round out’ the sound picture with a strong lower register.
