What are the best surround sound tower speakers for home cinema? How to choose the top floor standing speakers? Where to find great deals when buying sound quality tower speakers?
The music tower speakers with surround sound have been the cornerstone of audio systems for the home for decades. They are not only sound systems that provide audio difficult to match but also a luxurious decorative element. They are designed to be placed in the living room – along with bookshelves or TV – and represent the column of music that underpins the audio systems of many homes.
A music tower is an element that gives a lot of play: not only is it perfect for listening to music, but also for playing the front channels in home cinema systems. Its vertical design allows it to integrate a larger number of drivers and emit a more extensive sound range. They also get more power than most speakers that exist.
We’ve been tracking the loudspeaker sector for a couple of weeks. In this article, we present our selection of the best sound towers, separated by the range and suitable for any budget. But before getting into flour, as always, we want to give you some tips to understand the market and to buy not only the best quality sound tower price but the one that best suits your needs.
Also, read our other guides on the best spy cameras, home alarm systems, smart door lock systems, smart thermostats.
Why trust us?
Our editorial team spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and comparing products to find the best value for money.
We do not publish any sponsored articles. We sometimes receive a commission from Amazon when you buy a product via our links. It allows us to finance our work while remaining completely impartial. Read more
Types of sound tower
The sound towers are classified according to the number of drivers they contain. There are three main ones and they are known as:
2-way column speakers (Two-Way Speakers):
The 2-way column loudspeakers incorporate at least one woofer and one tweeter. The speaker has two filters that divide the high tweeter signals and the low-mid woofer signals.
2 ½ way column speakers (Two and a Half-Way Speaker):
A two-way sound tower integrates a driver for mid-tones, in addition to the woofer and the tweeter. The tweeter handles the high frequencies, while the midrange driver and the woofer share the work of certain mid frequencies.
3-way column speakers (Three-Way Speakers):
The three-way foot speakers contain a tweeter for high tones, a mid-range driver and a bass woofer. Each driver is responsible for their frequency range, so they can provide a higher level of detail.
A sound column can also have four tracks. This type of speaker integrates the three drivers for the different frequencies but also adds an additional one that is known as “super-tweeter”, which is designed to improve the details at high frequencies. Many audiophiles argue over the subtle details of a four-way foot speaker compared to a three-way speaker, but honestly, for us, the differences are not very noticeable.
What are the drivers?
Vulgarly and for us to understand: they are the speakers; more completely and correctly: they are the devices that are responsible for reproducing the sound. The drivers are combined with electrical components, such as DACs, to convert the audio signal into sound. The human ear can perceive sound frequencies ranging from 20 to 20kHz, approx. Therefore, there are four types of drivers (tweeters, midrange drivers, woofers and subwoofers) that are responsible for reproducing the different frequency ranges:
Tweeters
They are small drivers that are usually found on top of the column speakers. They are responsible for reproducing high frequencies – higher sounds – between 2,000 and 30,000Hz.
Mid-range drivers
They are responsible for reproducing frequencies ranging from 500 to 2,000 Hz. It is the range in which we perceive human voices and many instruments, so they are among the most important devices within a music tower.
Woofers
These drivers are named after the serious barking dogs emit (woof, woof). They work with low frequencies ranging from 40 to 1000Hz. A good woofer provides powerful and deep bass and is a compelling reason to choose a sound tower instead of a smaller speaker.
Subwoofer
The subwoofers magnify the lowest, of 20 to 200 Hz. Sound towers do not usually integrate subwoofers; as large woofers provide a great bass response. The subwoofers are responsible for reproducing the low-frequency effects channel known as LFE (Low-Frequency Effects), which today is very important in surround sound mixes.
Power of a music tower
The power of a music column is measured in watts and indicates how loud it can sound. There are two power measurements in watts that can be found in the specifications of any music tower:
- Peak Power or PMP (Peak Music Power Output): indicates the maximum amount of punch a device achieves.
- Nominal power or RMS (Root Mean Square): refers to the average power voltage. The RMS measurement tells you the maximum power a speaker supports before it can start to distort.
RMS power measurement is the only relevant one. Beyond noting the ability to fill a room with sound, it also tells you how much power your amplifier or AV receiver needs to send to the music tower to work properly. If a loudspeaker works above its nominal capacity it can be damaged, since it will not be able to effectively dissipate the heat produced by the electric current. The peak power is more a commercial fact that is not worth taking into account. To obtain the best sound quality we must always use the nominal capacity of the speakers.
Speaker tower sensitivity
The sensitivity – also called efficiency – is a measure that indicates how loud a sound tower can sound when it is fed with a certain amount of power (usually a millivolt). This measure is not so important and companies do not have a standardized test to ensure sensitivity capacity. However, for a large room, we recommend opting for standing speakers with sensitivities greater than 92 dB. If you plan to use a sound tower in a small or medium room, a sensitivity of 86 dB may be more than enough.
Frequency response in the sound columns
The frequency response – measured in Hertz – indicates the range of tones that a sound tower can reproduce. Most models work in ranges from 40 to 20,000 Hz. As a general rule, the wider the range, the better they tend to perform in terms of sound clarity. The highest frequency range of a sound tower normally exceeds the capacity of the human ear. However, it is very likely that the integrated woofers of a sound tower do not reach the necessary levels so that you can enjoy certain sound effects when you are watching movies.
The surround sound mixes use a channel dedicated to the effects of low frequencies, LFE, which cannot be reproduced even by the larger sounding towers. Many of the effects cannot be perceived by the human ear, but they do feel. For most occasions, the integrated woofer of a good sound tower may be sufficient, but to enjoy the movies with the utmost realism, or to obtain a greater impact of bass, we recommend purchasing a quality subwoofer. A subwoofer significantly improves the sound richness of any equipment.
How to place a tower type speaker with surround sound?
Achieving the correct placement of a music tower is not as important as that of a subwoofer, but there are certain guidelines that can be followed. First of all, it is necessary to avoid placing a loudspeaker tower in the corners, since it considerably worsens the quality of the bass. Ideally, place the speaker tower slightly away from the walls, at least 15 centimeters, although if you can increase this distance it would be even better. The most common is to place it on the sides of your TV or sound system, we should only remember to leave some space between the wall and the equipment and not put them together.
Another aspect to take into account is the direction to which the different loudspeakers that make up a sound tower point. The main thing to keep in mind is to try not to obstruct them with any nearby object. This can be difficult in limited spaces. However, a sound tower, although heavy, can move easily.
Sound towers vs Home Theater
In this section, the million-dollar question always arises: is it more appropriate to use sound towers as part of a home cinema system or to listen to music? The truth is that they work very well in both cases. Column speakers can be great speakers in any home cinema, but also, if you connect them to a quality AV receiver they can also play blu-rays on projectors or listen to music with high definition, for example.
A sound tower offers a very complete sound, so in many cases, it is not vital to have an external subwoofer. For audiophiles in love with the most serious sounds we recommend purchasing a subwoofer to handle the low frequencies, but if you do not want to spend a lot of money and you just want a pair of speakers that handle the bass well, a music tower is a great option. To summarize, a good sound tower is very versatile and offers excellent performance in any situation.
The 5 best surround sound tower speakers with great deals at Amazon
In Dissection Table, we have made a selection of the best sound towers or columns of sound (formerly known as floor speakers) so you can find the best in quality price. We all know that the sound of today’s ultra-flat televisions leaves much to be desired. The brands must sacrifice loudspeakers of some consideration to keep the profile flat and also project the sound backward. But luckily we can have a good audiovisual experience thanks to the floor speakers.
These teams have moved the old home cinema to a corner since it is not necessary to fill the room with cables and they have also provided a multitude of functionalities. Perhaps the most interesting is its good ability to play music and its good value for money. With the technology they incorporate today, they fulfill many functions at the same time, which makes it a good idea to buy a tower music system. They are even able to recreate surround sound. To make this selection of best floor-standing sound systems our main parameter has been the price-quality ratio.
KEF Q500
The KEF Q500 is one of the best stand-up speakers you can find in the market. This sound tower has an elegant design. The construction quality is impressive. In addition, to ensure that the sound is not affected by unwanted resonances, it is reinforced with aluminum plates and has adjustable legs that allow you to optimize the height of the music tower with ease.
The soul of this sound column is a unique KEF technology: Uni-Q formation. The Uni-Q formation places two aluminum drivers for the high and medium frequencies, a 2.5 cm dome tweeter and a 13.33 cm medium tone driver, in the same mechanical structure.
The Uni-Q training offers remarkable distortion-free performance. It also improves the tonal balance of mid and high tones and offers greater coherence in terms of the position and direction of these frequencies. Below the Uni-Q formation are three 13.3 cm woofers that work together to produce clear and powerful bass.
The performance in the sound section is great. This sound tower is ideal for use in a home cinema system. A couple of these stand-up speakers are enough to fill very large rooms. They can sound very loud without any distortion being perceived. The Q500 music tower offers a very rich, expansive and well-defined sound at all frequencies.
Discover more and the price here
ELAC Debut F6
Functional and attractive. The music tower ELAC Debut F6 is made to be well at home. The cabinet is made of an MDF motherboard and has an elegant black finish. It comes with metal legs in the corners and the meshes that protect the drivers can be easily removed. ELAC recommends removing the front meshes to obtain a cleaner sound, and the truth is that in this way it looks pretty good aesthetically.
The cabinet feels very solid and resistant and has dimensions of 109 x 21 x 25 cm. The F6 speaker tower has a three-way design that offers a very complete sound. It integrates a dome tweeter of 25 mm, a driver of the medium tone of aramid fiber of 165 mm, and two woofers of 165 mm of the same material.
The music tower ELAC Debut F6 offers a full and powerful sound. It has a sensitivity of 87 dB, 150 W of RMS power, and can fill medium rooms with ease. The sound profile offers a very nice warmth and emphasizes a little the bass, which is perceived as very deep. This is something that most users will appreciate, although not so much those who seek the highest possible fidelity. They do not need an external subwoofer if they are only used to listen to Hi-fi music in a stereo system, although in a home cinema if we believe it necessary. The vowels sound faithful and very balanced while the
Discover more and the price here
Onkyo SKF-4800
The Onkyo SKF-4800 music tower has a cabinet made of natural wood and is presented in a very attractive black. It is a large loudspeaker tower, measures 101 x 28 x 30, weighs 13 kg, and looks solid and resistant outside. The front part consists of two 160mm woofers and a 25mm dome tweeter. At the back, there is a port to improve the output of the bass and all the necessary connectors to connect it to any sound equipment. The speaker tower comes with a 3.5m cable.
The dual woofers plus the dome tweeter produce a rich and very clear sound at all frequencies. It offers 130 W of RMS power which is more than enough for medium rooms. The highs are perceived as very clear, while medium tones offer good dynamism, have a good presence, and are perceived as very faithful. The bass, on the other hand, feels controlled. To listen to music on a stereo you do not need an external subwoofer, although to watch movies with surround mixes better to have one, such as the Yamaha NS-SW300, since the basses do not feel so deep and the tower does not reach the low frequencies of the LFE channel effectively.
In general, it does not matter if you use high, maximum, or minimum volumes, the sound it emits is very clear in all the tonalities and never distorts.
Discover more and the price here
Klipsch R-24F Floorstanding Speaker
The cabinet of the Klipsch R-24F music tower is made of MDF wood and has a varnished polymer finish that gives it a contemporary look perfect to fit any style of decoration. The construction is solid and very resistant. It has a flexible and removable mesh for the drivers that do not affect the quality of the sound at all and also gives a refined touch to the sound column. The design of this music tower also has an internal acoustic chamber that helps propagate sound optimally.
The R-24F music tower has Klipsch’s own technology called Tractrix, which improves the response of high frequencies, provides a strong dynamism, and improves the sound image. The distortion is imperceptible: even at maximum volumes, you do not get to perceive any type of failure in the sound. The sound profile is quite natural, clean, and clear. Klipsch speakers are very popular with audiophiles and rightly so. The most impressive thing about these stand-up speakers is the sound quality they offer at all frequencies. The sound spatiality is very good, all the notes can be easily located in the sound space. The Tractrix design allows most of the mid and high tones to be handled by the tweeter, which has a remarkable performance, while the low and low mid-tones, managed by the woofers, maintain an important presence.
Discover more and the price here
Polk T50 Home Theater Floor Standing Tower Speaker
The cabinet of the Polk Audio T50 music tower is made of MDF and has an attractive finish in vinyl and black ash. It has a removable mesh that protects the drivers and a flat rectangular base. The construction does not feel as solid as that of more expensive models, but it is still resilient. It has dimensions of 92 x 19 x 20 cm. This sound column integrates a 25mm dome tweeter, a 165mm midrange driver, and two passive bass radiators of the same size that look identical to the woofer.
The T50 speaker tower generates a very good first impression due to its brightness and sound clarity. It is very powerful and also presents well-defined bass that maintains well controlled presence.
We tested it by watching several action movies with a very satisfactory result. The different frequencies are easily identifiable and the music of the soundtracks is perceived with great dynamism. Percussions,
We also tested the Polk T50 speaker tower with music, but its performance was not as impressive. We listened to the trumpet of Miles Davis with good details and all the instruments of the band felt with a good presence. However, when playing a Norah Jones album, we note that some treble sounds are somewhat poor. The sound of Jones’ voice does not sound as alive as with the best models on this list.
Discover more and the price here
Conclusion
These sound towers are the best you can get at their respective prices. The KEF Q500 offers sublime sound details and it is a real joy to hear it. It is the best sound tower in its price range. The ELAC Debut F6 is another excellent model. It has the hallmark of the renowned Andrew Jones and offers a warm sound profile and strong and pleasant bass.
For a little less you can choose between the Onkyo SKF-4800, which has a very attractive wood cabinet and the best sound in its price range, and the Klipsch R-24F, which offers remarkable performance in the mid and high frequencies. If you are looking for a cheap tower, you can choose the Polk Audio T50, which provides good performance at a low price.
If you want to know about speakers, mini systems, microsystems or equipment quality sound, you can visit our Entertainment page. You will find comparisons and deep reviews on the best equipment for audiophiles in the market.