For shelf placement, only acoustic suspension/sealed box or front ported monitors will work best ... you can't change physics, though marketing spiels may try. Question seriously any manufacturer that will claim that a rear ported or a "plugged" rear ported speaker will work well in your situation, unless it can be demonstarted that the speakers work well with near rear wall (less than 3 inches) placement. Fortunately, speakers on an open shelf fare better than speakers on a shelf inside of a bookcase (you ultimately wind up with a box inside of a box). I speak with a lot of experience, as I have had speakers on shelves in numerous systems for the last 15 years (mischievous, high-flying cats).
Hell if I know which are the "best" speakers for anything. Speakers that I have owned which excelled at shelf placement are: NHT SB2 (depending on your shelf width though, I would go with the SB3 ... a very underrated performer that with the right equipment would shock most people with its nuanced musical performance); Omega Super 3 (a single driver speaker that is magic with tubes); and EPOS 11 (the new version would be M12.2). What didn't work were Wharfedale Diamonds; B&W 300 series; and KEF Uni-Q's.
Regards, Rich