Dayton Audio Classic B65 Bookshelf Speaker Pair (Black)

The good:Easily the best sounding bookshelf speakers I've heard in a long time that were not hugely expensive. I tested a set out running a Fosi Audio BT30D and found them to be much more lively than I had expected. Great sound for a budget friendly 2.1 channel home stereo system that provided room filling mids and highs as well as a decent amount of bass kick from the 6.5 woofer. Vocals and instruments were represented very well in my opinion.The bad:I purchased a set with every intention of placing them on their respective bookshelves to avoid the cost of buying or building speaker stands for them. Unfortunately, without the open air to breathe, the whole range of sound suffered, but especially those previously room filling mids and about 90% of bass response.So, if you have the space and the budget to make the proper accommodations for a set of these bookshelf speakers, they are fantastic and I would not hesitate to rely on them for the bulk of my music listening outside of the car. But without a more open environment to place the speakers where they seem to really shine, they are a pass.

I have the entire Dayton Classic 5 speaker surround system. Big Fan of them.

Outstanding value for the money in stock form. Nice-looking textured wood-grain vinyl. However, there's a slight but annoying buzz in the high midrange at anything more than medium volume, most noticeable any raspy sound, like gravelly voices, or guitars with any degree of distortion. And cymbals sound like sandpaper. It doesn't seem to have bothered most reviewers, but it's fixable if it bothers you.The required mod is simple, but it's complicated by some really tenacious glue. It probably also voids the speakers' 5-year limited warranty, which I was willing to risk, given their low cost.For the technically inclined, the full two-way crossover -- Really? At this price? Yes. -- uses a 3rd order Butterworth filter on the tweeter (two capacitors in series on either side of one inductor to ground), and a first order on the woofer (one series inductor). The tweeter is connected in reverse phase from the woofer.Replacing the two cheap electrolytic capacitors (4uf and 8uf) with better ~ same-value film capacitors from Parts Express eliminated the buzz and made the sound smoother, wider, and deeper. Cymbals became recognizable as cymbals. Parts Express retails Jantzen 8050 (3.9uf) and 8090 (8.2uf) Compact MKT Metalized Polyester Film Capacitors that fit in the space for the original cheap electrolytics. As of February 2025, two of each for a pair of B65's cost $9.24, plus tax and shipping.The speaker's two resistors and two inductors are easily accessible on a circuit board screwed to the inside of the rear binding-post panel. They're attached to the board by their soldered leads and some very hard-to-cut clear glue, not silicone, that I couldn't detach with a razor blade. I eventually sawed through it using a miniature flush-cut saw inserted between the resistors and the board. The component values are printed on the circuit board. Daunted by the glue, I decided to leave the iron-core inductors alone instead of trying to replace them with air-core upgrades. I couldn't see, and didn't check, the inductor values.While I was at it, I unscrewed the woofer from the front panel, and glued 1.5" of rock wool to the 5 panels other than the front panel. I used water-based contact cement to avoid the risk of solvent fumes damaging speaker surrounds or other components in the sealed cabinet. The additional damping tightened the bloom-y sounding woofer from the midrange on down and further improved the speaker's clarity and imaging.

Bought 2 pairs for my surround sound system. Was actually looking at another speaker type and kept running across mentions of these Dayton speakers. Mentioned that for the price point they were better than others that were two to three times the cost. The only complaint was that the looks were not that good. Just a box with a grill. The sound however is fantastic. These replaced some Bose 141 speakers that I had for some time. Watching a 4k copy of My Fair Lady, really made the soundtrack stand out. These are far superior to the Bose that I had used to have.

These are great sounding speakers! I love them.

So, for the price these sound just fine. These are being used in our work gym, and do a great job and sound good.These are not for critical listening, but for the money, one shouldn't expect that. Factoring in price, these are solid and balanced and a god value. I have high end gear for my serious listening, these are perfect for bring sound to those other places where you just want to bump a little.

I bought a set from Parts Express. They aren't terrible by any means, but they also don't sound great. There is something missing in the midrange. Frankly, I like their MK series better, and the small one is less expensive than these are. I'll probably end up giving them away to someone who needs them.

I was skeptical buying these as I haven't seen much on the product, but let me tell you I am so glad I did. These are some of the best speakers i’ve purchased for this price in my life. I paired these with a Sonos Amp that’s connected to a stereo pair of Sonos One’s and a Sonos Sub Mini, and it’s quite breathtaking when everything is working together. The sound quality is very clear and has depth and the soundstage when all speakers are going is unbelievable actually. Dayton Audio can take my money any day with this deal !