Best computer speakers

A good pair of headphones can help you ignore your coworkers while at work or get into the game if you want to plug into your PC. But why bother with headphones if you’re at home? Plenty of people just let their computer speakers do all the work, and a good pair of computer speakers can drastically improve your audio experience in a room to yourself. Whether you want background music or better sound quality for all those YouTube videos or podcasts, any of these will get the job done. These are the best computer speakers you can get right now.

The best computer speakers for most people are the Audioengine HD3

When it comes to what the best option is, it’s hard to argue against the Audioengine HD3. The speakers are slim enough to fit on even the smallest desk and won’t look out of place in a home office or a student dorm. The design isn’t going to blow you away as they’re just small boxes that sit on your desk, but they do look pretty sleek with or without the grill that magnetically snaps onto the front of the speaker.

The Audioengine HD3 speakers emphasize lower notes, but the mids sound fantastic. If you want to sing along to your favorite songs while cleaning the house, these are for you. The speakers sound good, but they fall short when compared to some other high-end studio monitors. So, why is it our top pick? Well, besides being able to hardwire these directly into your computer, these come with Bluetooth connectivity with aptX for higher-quality streaming (or AAC if you’re on an iOS device). Switching between your computer and a friend’s smartphone is seamless and makes using them for fun that much easier.

The downside to these speakers is pretty obvious, and it comes in the form of the price tag. But if you have money to invest, these won’t let you down. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a step up from here, the Audioengine A5 offers a similar experience, just cranked up to 11. larger drivers, more features, and even a bamboo casing option all make for a more credible—and more expensive—step up to our pick.

If you’re a student, you should probably get the Creative Pebble Pro

When students are looking for something like a new set of speakers, price is usually the main consideration, but it’s not the only consideration. It’s important to get something that’s compact, easy to throw in a backpack, or fit in a dorm room—that’s why the Creative Pebble Pro speakers are worth a look.

These small speakers measure just 4.6 inches wide and connect with a single USB-C cord—no additional power cord is required. These aren’t audiophile-grade speakers by any means, but for the price and convenience, they sound pretty good.

The Creative Pebble Pro costs around $50 and brings 50% loud audio compared to its predecessor, which was a little on the quiet side. It supports Bluetooth 5.3 and 3.5mm input connections. However, if you can do without the microphone port and the RGB lighting, the Creative Pebble V3 has most of the same features and will save you some money.

If you do want the best sound, then step it up a notch with the PreSonus Eris 3.5

Where most speakers are either cheap or absurdly expensive, the PreSonus Eris 3.5 toes the line right in the middle perfectly. At around $99 for the base 3.5″ model, you get a great set of studio monitors that are perfect for work or play.

Overall, these speakers sound better than you’d expect. Though higher frequencies could be more detailed, and the bass a little over-emphasized out-of-the-box, acoustic tuning controls allow you to adjust the sound of these speakers according to your listening environment. Connecting to these speakers can be done through the 3.5mm aux input or using the two 1/4″ TRS inputs at the back of the left speaker. For less than a hundred dollars, these speakers are a great option for the casual media consumer or for an aspiring bedroom producer.

The best speakers for gamers are the Logitech G560

Gaming is a huge industry, and one company that is known for making gear specifically for gamers is Logitech. The company makes everything from headsets to keyboards and controllers, but it also has some really good speaker options. The Logitech G560 LIGHTSYNC brings a lot of different features aimed at gaming needs, offering a platform for even more speakers.

The speakers sound good, with two satellite speakers and one subwoofer. When connected to a PC, they also support surround sound using DST: X and offer RGB lighting that reacts to what’s happening in the game. The Logitech G560 works with just about everything, supporting 3.5mm, USB, and Bluetooth connections, though surround sound won’t work on MacOS. They may be a little pricey, but these speakers offer a truly comprehensive suite of features for gamers.

If you’re really trying to save some cash, go with the Cyber Acoustics 2.1 Subwoofer Speaker System

The Cyber Acoustics 2.1 speaker system is nothing fancy, just a simple setup with two satellite speakers and a decent subwoofer. Still, it gets the job done for around $30. There’s not a lot to them, but if you’re looking for something in this price range, you probably don’t want much.

This speaker setup comes equipped with a handy control pod that allows for volume control and lets you plug an input in via the 3.5mm jack. The control pod also features a headphone jack. These are pretty large speakers, and they look basically like big black boxes, but for the price, they sound decent, and they’re easy to use.

What you should know about the best computer speakers

Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive, nor is it going to satisfy anyone looking to shovel out some cash on the last speakers they’ll ever buy. However, we felt it was more important to meet the needs of most people rather than merely list the absolute best of the best. Truth is, these options will get you most of the way there, and there are plenty of alternatives to satisfy those looking for something a little more expensive.

Do you need an amp?

You’ll be happy to know that if you buy one of these speakers, you probably won’t need to spend any more on a dedicated amp. You can learn way more about amps by reading our explainer piece. In short, amps are used when the source device (in this case, your computer) can’t provide enough power to the headphones or speakers that you’re listening with. After all, these are electronics and require a sufficient amount of power to drive them in order to work properly.

Luckily, all of these speakers need to be plugged in anyway, meaning they have their own amplifiers inside—so you don’t have to rely on anything but the sound from your source device. However, it’s worth mentioning that the Audioengine HD3 speakers we mentioned do have a built-in 24-bit DAC and a pretty decent amp. So, if you do have a high-end pair of headphones that need a little more juice to power them, you can just plug them into the speakers.

Do you need to buy new cables?

You do not need to buy replacement or “better” cables for your speakers unless you don’t like the way they look. Really, the only reason you’d ever need to buy cables beyond the ones included in the box would be if they broke or weren’t included. Beyond that, you could even use a coathanger if you wanted.

In general, as long as the analog cables can satisfy the power requirements and the USB cables aren’t broken, you’ll enjoy the best sound you could possibly get out of that system. You don’t have to overthink it.

What’s the deal with Bluetooth codecs?

A few of these speakers support Bluetooth so that you can connect to other devices like a smartphone or tablet. Now, it’s worth mentioning that Bluetooth has a bad reputation. There are plenty of pros and cons to it, but it’s still an option that plenty of people would find useful. The problem is that sound quality over Bluetooth isn’t the greatest. One way to find out if your audio is going to sound good over a wireless connection is to check the Bluetooth codec.

This can get a little complicated, so for a full explanation, make sure to read our full codec breakdown, but if you’re pressed for time, here’s the gist of it. A codec encodes and then decodes digital audio. This means that both the source device and the audio device need to have compatible codecs.

Think of it as a language. If the speakers can’t understand what the source device is sending it, they aren’t going to decode it properly. All Bluetooth speakers or headphones have a standard codec that they can understand called SBC. You can think of it like hand gestures. If you’re visiting another country and don’t know the language, you can probably still find a way to ask a store owner where the bathroom is just by using hand gestures. It isn’t the most nuanced form of communication, but you’ll get the point across.

It’s the same with SBC. It isn’t the greatest quality, but all devices understand it, and you’ll still hear your music. If you know the language, you could probably ask where the bathroom is and order your favorite coffee and a snack while you’re at it. That’s basically what the better codecs do. They allow two devices to send more information to each other, resulting in better sound quality.

What about streaming services?

Unless you’re going to be plugging in your record player and have a damn near perfect collection or playing high-quality files that you have stored on your computer, chances are you’re going to be listening to music via streaming services. There is a good amount to choose from, but they’re not all created equal. Some are better than others, and depending on what you’re looking for, it might be worth looking into what some of the perks of each are. We have that breakdown for you here, but hopefully, this chart will help you out if all you care about is pricing (and who could blame you?)

What you should know about Bluetooth

When it comes to Bluetooth streaming, it’s not all good news. While it’s come a long way since it was first introduced in audio products, it’s still not as good as wired is when it comes to sound quality. We did some of our own tests and found that quite a few Bluetooth codecs just don’t live up to the standard of high-res (including LDAC). That said, if you have an iOS device, you will find that AAC does a pretty good job with streaming music wirelessly, but that’s only if you have iOS. When streaming on Android devices, data that would otherwise increase quality in the high-end gets lost. Of course, if you prefer to connect wirelessly and want the convenience of being able to pick up your speaker and bring it with you wherever you go, make sure to check out our list of some of the best Bluetooth speakers around.

Notable mentions

• Bose Companion 2 Series III:  For a hundred dollars, you’re getting Bose’s premium sound signature at an affordable price. This features a frequency response that’s more balanced than found on most computer speakers, wrapped in a desk-friendly enclosure that will suit any user’s workspace.
• Fluance Ai40: These bookshelf speakers deliver a neutral frequency response that will suit music listeners and movie-goers of any genre, complete with Bluetooth connectivity and aptX support.
• Gogroove Basspulse Wireless: If you don’t want to spend too much but still want something eye-catching and unique, check out the Gogroove Basspulse Wireless because who doesn’t like LEDs?
• Grovemade Wood Speakers: We loved these speakers when we got a chance to check them out. They sound good, and the build quality is amazing. The reason they didn’t make this list is mainly because of the high price tag, but if you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed by this work of art by Grovemade.
• Harman Kardon SoundSticks III: This speaker is both eye candy and ear candy, combining industrial design with powerful drivers to deliver impressive sound—all from the comfort of your desk.
• Mackie CRX-3: Mackie’s offering has been considered a worthy adversary in the realm of sub-$100 studio monitors, offering decent sound quality at an accessible price.
• PreSonus Eris 3.5 BT: This speaker offers all the features of the Eris 3.5, equipped with Bluetooth capabilities.
• Razer Leviathan V2: Soundbars are an interesting prospect for computer speakers, and Razer’s Leviathan has a lot of cool things like spatial audio added in. While we don’t usually recommend this form factor for a computer, Razer knows PC gamers.

Why you should trust SoundGuys

In addition to the fact that this site is all of our day jobs, both Adam and Chris have several years of reviewing consumer audio products under their belts individually. Having kept a finger on the pulse of Bluetooth speakers for several years allows us to be able to figure out what’s good and what’s best avoided. Considering Chris’ burning hatred for all things Bluetooth, if he approves of something, it’s damned special. In a similar vein, Adam has reviewed tons of these speakers over the course of almost three years, so he’s heard the best (and worst) of what the category has to offer.

We should also state that we regularly update these lists as items become available. However, we only add them if there’s a really solid reason for doing so. Usually, we have to use it first—unless there’s some mind-meltingly awesome feature or price change that would deem a test or re-test unnecessary. As you can imagine, that doesn’t happen often.

These best lists may not always reflect your experiences, but they are our earnest attempt to get the right product onto your wish list. We do this because we genuinely want you to be happy with your purchases—none of our writers see a dime from partnership deals or referral purchases—and nobody here is allowed to benefit from steering you towards one product or another. While this site does make money from referrals, the individual writers are paid based on their work regardless of whether or not people click that “buy” icon. They’ll never even know if anyone did, though I suppose the site going under might be a good hint.

Frequently asked questions about computer speakers