Shorter bookshelf speakers are significantly more compact (and portable) compared to tall floor standing tower speakers, but offer most of the same audio performance of larger speakers at a lower price. Often times, a bookshelf speaker features the exact same tweeter as a floor speaker of the same brand, and the woofer driver on a 2-way bookshelf speaker might be identical to the midrange driver on a voice-matched 3-way floor speaker. Bookshelf speakers work well as the front left and front right speakers and as the matching side/rear surround sound speakers in a 5.1 surround sound speaker system. Bookshelf speakers don't produce as deep of bass response as floor speakers, so you'll want to set the crossover frequency higher on your subwoofer. Many people choose to place bookshelf speakers on shelves to the left and right of their television inside or on top of an entertainment center or TV stand. Depending on exactly where you decide to locate your bookshelf speakers, you may need to buy floor stands and/or wall/ceiling mounting brackets.