SMSL Bookshelf Speakers Tabebuia, Studio Hi-Fi Speakers
SMSL Bookshelf Speakers Tabebuia, Studio Hi-Fi Speakers for Home Audio Wavecor Custom Drivers, 100 Watts Per Channel, Audiophile HIFI Two-Way Bookshelf Desktop Surround Passive Speaker, White(Pair)
- Featuring custom-designed woofers (11.4cm) and tweeters (2.5cm dome) from Wavecor Ltd., this speaker boasts a frequency response of 56Hz-32kHz ±3dB and a maximum power handling of 100W/channel.
- The custom-designed units accurately reproduce the full frequency range, delivering deep bass, strong treble resolution, and high power handling compatible with various amplifiers without significant distortion.
- HiFi enthusiasts can enjoy cinematic stereo sound, experiencing high fidelity and rich layering whether listening to bass-heavy classical music or delicate treble vocals.
| SKU: | B0G92PCQGB |
| Weight: | 18.7 pounds |
| Dimensions: | 8.5"D x 10.47"W x 5.51"H |
| Model: | SMSL Tabebuia Bookshelf Speakers |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 2 |
| Manufacture: | S.M.S.L |
| Colour: | White |
| Quantity: | 2 |
Product description
The only reason I docked 1 star is the speaker spike system they used on these. I bought two pairs of 1/4 inch speaker riser/isolation pucks and they work better than the little disks they include in the box for the spikes to rest on. Also, wasn’t quite sure which way the spikes were to be installed as the front and back are different sizes.
Are these worth the price of $260? No, not in my opinion. I’ve seen these on a promotional sale of $159.99 and that’s the price I recommend buying these at. There’s just better performers out there for the money.
Here’s the thing though, the level of detail, clarity and sound stage beat out my larger book shelf speakers from ELAC and Klipsch. These also require a subwoofer. The port system directed down toward the surface is ok but there’s nothing getting below 60 hz on these. And, they recommend setting them on the desk, no riser.
Overall, I was impressed by vocals. I mean, wow! These are definitely budget oriented audiophile speakers, but they shine brighter than anything that has blessed my desktop thus far.
One star deduction for complicated setup and the screens leaving black lines on the white surface. It’s honestly barely noticeable, but it’s also noticeable; know what I mean?
So, if you got a decent DAC, and a small bedroom, these are going to outperform most passive desktop speakers for the money but keep in mind you will need to reinforce the lower bass with a subwoofer.
Overall, my pair are a keeper. They sound that good.
As an Electronics Repair Tech that cut my teeth on audio repair I tend to have some pretty high standards. My main system is north of $12K of equipment, and NONE of that is overpriced ‘snake oil cables’ or ‘magnetic head holding devices’ LOL! Just saying – I’ve been in this field a LONG time and demand well made equipment.
So when I got offered these for review I was excited as SMSL is a name I know well.
Besides speakers, they are a supplier of many finely regarded audio products – like small amps, headphone amps, and high end High Resolution DAC and CD players – a VERY competitive market that will chew up a company that doesn’t make stellar products with attention to detail. They offer top spec equipment for a realistic price.
That’s the caliber of company you’re looking at here, real perfectionists.
These small speakers (going for $189 at time of review) are well worth the price, quite competitive with other less well made units in this category.
They look great (I got the red ones, they’re quite distinctive!). They’re on the smaller end of bookshelf speakers, and the manual suggests they be separated between 25.6″ to 59″ and set from 2″ to 25″ from the wall for best bass response.
The components are top notch, they have excellent binding posts and the finish on the cabinets is great. They’re heavy for their size and displayed no cabinet resonances even when pushed.
The feet – lets talk about feet. 😉 I was thrown at first as they come with SPIKE style feet, a foot type usually used for large floor mounted speakers to prevent vibration transmission to the floor.
I. Was. Puzzled. at the choice. I thought “I don’t want to ruin my nice cherry wood shelves by digging holes in them!”
Well … they DID think about that. When you get them be SURE you’re careful in opening the bag with the feet – They put small discs with a dimple for the spikes and nice silicone non slip rubber discs to protect your desk or shelves!
Another note while on this topic – the “spikes” are in two sizes, the LARGER ones go in back. It makes a difference in bass reproduction as there’s a bass port on the bottom of the speaker and it’s sonically tuned to the spacing of the feet, so it’s IMPORTANT.
The manual. Well. The ONLY weak spot in the experience. They give the NEEDED info but it’s like that Uncle you have where you speak a paragraph asking his opinion and you get a “Yes” or “No” in response!
HEY SMSL – IF YOU’RE LISTENING – WRITE A DECENT MANUAL! IT’S NOT THAT HARD! A PRODUCT IN THIS PRICE RANGE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD MANUAL.
Now, the product is just so good I can’t deduct a star for it, but really … 🙁
SOUND – OK, thanks for reading this far, but what do they SOUND LIKE? In a word – excellent.
Keep in mind that they only have a 4.5″ woofer, so expecting a bunch of bass is being unrealistic. Physics and all.
The midrange and highs are the star here – they were well balance and quite detailed. Overall a ~bit~ bright but the imaging was great and they are VERY detailed.
However, I have to say it’s the BEST sounding speaker of this size I’ve listened to. It DOES need a good amp to drive it as they’re fairly inefficient; they claim an 88dB rating and in testing that sounded about right. Since they can handle 100W per channel you can turn them up and you’ll get a great sound.
I tested them on a Yamaha RX-A3020 (used to be 1 step down from “flagship”) and a bit older and lower end Denon AVR-X3400h (105W/ch) and both worked quite well. There’s lots of “smaller” 100W/channel amps around that they would pair well with including from SMSL themselves like the S.M.S.L. DL100 – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D6B1X58Y
I would suggest if you want to use them for gaming or movies that you pair them with a subwoofer to get that real low end. Again, physics – deep bass = large speaker.
Lets see … oh yeah. The BOX. OMG. We laughed so hard. I always request Amazon ship in their box to add a layer of protection to the manufacturers. We opened it and found this HEAVY SMSL box (double walled WITH corner protection) inside. We opened it to find … ANOTHER SMSL box! EQUALLY padded and double walled. You could drop this out an airplane an it would probably survive! Details. Nice job SMSL!
Well, I certainly thank you for hanging in there and I hope this helped. 🙂
Wow! These speakers are just awesome! I don’t know why more people aren’t buying these things, especially for the price.
I have them set up on my desktop with a WiiM amp and they sound so good. Very clean with just the right amount of bass. My previous speakers were AudioEngine A2+ and these SMSL speakers blow the doors off the AudioEngines. Of course, the SMSLs are a bit bigger.
The SMSLs fill my small office with lovely sound. Just buy ’em, you will not be disappointed!
These speakers are great. They’re perfect for my bookshelf. They have a cool vibe. They make me happy. They work really well. The sound is exceptional. It brings a whole new vibe to my room. They work reliably. They were easy to set up and hook up but I’m used to stereo equipment hookups so I could be impartial. The volume is exceptional for the porch that I sit in. They function exactly as I had hoped, which is an excellent thing to witness. Very worth the money!
I am surprised that there are not more reviews for these speakers. I found them after looking for a sub-$200 speaker and came across reviews of this speaker by Thomas & Stereo and Tharbamar on YouTube, both audio product reviewers.
I compared the SMSL Tabebuia to my Neumi BS5 (with a Burson Audio amp and preamp, with Sparkos Labs op-amps) and to my Q Acoustics 3020 speakers (with the SMSL AO200 and DO200 stack). With both the Q Acoustics and the SMSL Tabebuia, I had my Q Acoustics 3070 subwoofer connected to the subwoofer output of the SMSL AO200 amp.
The SMSL Tabebuia can be summarized as being clean, slightly forward, and detailed.
Compared to the Neumi BS5: the SMSL Tabebuia is noticeably cleaner, more detailed, and more forward. There is more stage presence, and it is a clear audio upgrade in detail and bass response compared to the Neumi. The bass response on the SMSL Tabebuia is much better than on the Neumi BS5. Where the Neumi can become overpowered by the bass and start to distort, the SMSL Tabebuia is able to accurately reproduce the bass without distorting—quite remarkable for a small speaker. However, if I were looking for speakers to play background music in the living room, the more relaxed Neumi BS5 would be my choice. It is warm, inoffensive, and good enough. For active listening to music, the SMSL Tabebuia is a much better speaker. There is no comparison between these two when it comes to technical abilities.
Compared to my Q Acoustics 3020: this is more complicated. The Q Acoustics is a larger speaker and is not as forward as the SMSL Tabebuia. Where the SMSL Tabebuia projects sound outward, the Q Acoustics allows for more depth in the sound away from you. The Q Acoustics is also warmer sounding. So for a desktop setting, where you would listen to both music and podcasts, the SMSL Tabebuia makes the human voice sound clearer, but sometimes a bit forward. Badly recorded Youtube videos will sound a bit uncomfortable. The Q Acoustics makes the human voice sound warmer and more relaxed. I am still using the SMSL Tabebuia on my desktop setup, but I might go back to my fuller -bigger sounding- Q Acoustics 3020 for this setup.
All in all, I am extremely happy with my SMSL Tabebuia. They are clear, detailed, and fun for listening to music. If you have a small bedroom, or you are looking for small, affordable speakers for your desktop that are able to reproduce bass, you will not be disappointed. But, as always, take into consideration that these are small speakers with a 4.5-inch woofer. They will not sound massive, but they will give you a level of detail in your music that I did not expect. As such, these are a great addition to my current setup.
One last thing to consider: These speakers were designed to be placed on a desk, below ear level. If you place them on a stand on ear level they will sound thin.