The Best Affordable Floorstanding Speakers to Elevate Your Next Movie Night

Size matters when it comes to high-end audio, making tower speakers the best choice for people who take their music or their movies seriously.

By Tucker Bowe

Published April 28, 2024

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Floorstanding speakers can be intimidating for the person new to high-end audio. Also called “tower speakers,” they take up more space than bookshelf speakers, and they’re typically more expensive, too.

But size really does matter in the audio department. When compared to bookshelf speakers, floorstanding speakers delivery a wider frequency range and loudness, as well as deeper bass thanks to their larger woofer and cabinet. All this makes floorstanding speakers the best option for people who take their movies and music seriously.

How We Tested

Over the past decade, we’ve tested numerous bookshelf, standmount and floorstanding speakers both at home and in dedicated listening rooms. We’ve explored how the speakers respond to different audio sources, their fidelity and ease of use.

Learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products.

Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $500

Polk Audio Monitor XT60 (Single)

$249 at Polk Audio

The XT60s are excellent and affordable floorstanding speakers that belong to Polk Audio’s Dolby Atmos-certified XT Series.

Each speaker has a Terylene-dome tweeter and 6.5-inch woofer to deliver detailed highs, punchy lows and a wide soundstage. Though looks aren’t the speaker’s selling point, its furniture-grade MDF cabinets look pretty good.

Another Superb Budget Option

Elac Debut 2.0 F5.2 (Single)

$280 at Amazon

$400 (30% off)

The Debut 2.0 F5.2s are three-way floorstanding speakers that work as a stereo pair or integrated with the rest of Elac’s entry-level Debut series.

Each speaker has a dedicated tweeter and midrange driver, as well as two bass drivers. The Debut 2.0 F5.2s are easy to drive and work with most stereo or AV receivers.

Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $1,000

Q Acoustics 3050i (Single)

The Q Acoustics 3050i flirt with the $1,000 price cap (you need to order direct from Q Acoustics to get them for less) but the British hi-fi maker’s loudspeakers deserve a shout, no matter the price.

The 3050is have a distinct two-way design with a single tweeter that is sandwiched between dual woofers (which handle the midrange and bass). The result is a uniquely designed speaker that is able to deliver an extremely wide soundstage. The speakers are available in several different finishes.

Best Budget Floorstanding Speakers for a Klipsch System

Klipsch Reference R-600F (Single)

Klipsch makes a wide variety of floorstanding speakers and the R-600Fs are part of its mid-range Reference line. They’re very affordable and designed to be integrated in Klipsch’s larger multi-channel home theater systems. Each speaker packs Klipsch’s signature horn-loaded tweeter and dual 6.5-inch woofers for deep and smooth bass.

Most Attractive Budget Floorstanding Speakers

Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 Floorstanding Speakers

$998 at Wharefdale

Wharfedale is a legacy hi-fi company well known for audiophile-grade loudspeakers at attainable prices — and the Diamond 12 is its most affordable line.

The Diamond 12.3s are essentially floorstanding versions of the well-known Diamond 12.1 stand-mounted speakers. They have a similar refined design with sharp edges and use the same tweeter found in all Diamond series speakers.

The big difference is that the 12.3s have a 2.5-way design with an extra midrange/bass driver, which helps them deliver even deeper lows without sacrificing any of the midrange. They’re available in four different finishes: black, white, light oak and walnut.