A Guide to Selecting Amazing PC Speakers
If you own a PC, you’ll want quality audio equipment to enjoy the sound. And if you’ve invested a lot of money in a gaming computer, you’d like the sound to also be up to par with the rest of your computer’s amazing specs. There are some PC speakers available that provide stereo sound, as well as a subwoofer for the bass, and even tweeters for the high notes.
But there’s a lot of variation among PC speakers. You can get a basic, barebones pair of stereo speakers. But nowadays, you can also get speakers that feature Bluetooth connectivity, that allow you to play content from a number of devices. And there are different configurations among speaker placement, to add to the “boom” effect of the bass notes.
We’ll go through some features of the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list of the best PC speakers. You’re sure to find something that will fit your computer hardware, your budget, and your taste in music!
Types of Pc Speakers
Looking at the products in the Best Reviews Guide list, we see that the most popular PC speakers are two-channel sets, or two-channel sets with a subwoofer:
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Two-speaker system: This will have two speakers, a left and rightspeaker, for stereo sound. An example is the Creative Pebble V2 Minimalistic Desktop Speakers. They have a 3.5 mm jack for audio playback, and a USB-C jack to get power from your computer. (If you have an older computer, it comes with a USB-C to USB-A converter.) The speakers are tilted at 45° so that you can aim the sound so that it’s projected towards you.
Creative Pebble V2 Minimalistic Desktop Speakers
Another Creative product, their Creative Pebble V3 Desktop Speakers, is also a two-channel set of speakers, with two notable improvements.
Creative Pebble V3 Desktop Speakers
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USB-C for power and sound: It uses a USB-C jack both for power as well as for sound. This way, there is less clutter, since it can pick up the sound without a 3.5 mm audio jack. (There is still a 3.5 mm AUX-in jack on the speakers themselves, to hook up an MP3 player or cellphone.)
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Bluetooth connectivity: Also, it has Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity, so that you can also stream the sound from a cellphone or tablet.
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Two speaker system with subwoofer: This will have the notation “2.1”, indicating 2 speakers and 1 subwoofer. An example is the Creative Pebble Plus 2.1 Desktop Speakers. The two spherical speakers are referred to as “satellite speakers”, while the speaker housed in a box is the subwoofer (which produces the bass and sub-bass sounds). The system is powered by a USB connection, yet can produce 8 Watts of power.
Creative Pebble Plus 2.1 Desktop Speakers
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Powered speaker systems: The speakers that we’ve seen until now get their power from the computer’s USB port. But there are also powered speaker systems that get their power from wall current. That’s the configuration offered by the Audioengine A2+ Wireless Speakers. Besides being able to amplify sound from your PC, phone, or tablet from a 3.5 mm jack, they can also amplify analog input from a turntable or tape deck.
Audioengine A2+ Wireless Speakers
What reviewers say
Here are some pointers that customers offered about their choice of PC speakers:
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Placement of the speakers: A customer who bought the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Channel THX Computer Speaker System said that the two satellite speakers have very long wires. You should space them as far apart as possible, and then slowly move them closer to each other until someone sitting in the middle hears all of the details of the music. You then place the subwoofer speaker against a wall, or on your desk. Some prefer having the speaker cone of the subwoofer facing down so that your desk vibrates together with the music!
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Good even for laptops: A laptop or Macbook have their own internal speakers. But customers were pleased to enhance their listening experience by installing computer speakers, either via a USB port or a 3.5 mm socket.
Important Features
Here are some features of some PC speakers, that might help you select one over another:
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Lights: The Logitech G560 PC Gaming Speaker System features 3D positional surround sound audio and RGB lighting that is activated by the sound! This is a nice touch, especially when dealing with gaming peripherals that already light up in different colors.
Logitech G560 PC Gaming Speaker System
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Separate controls for bass and volume: All PC speakers have a knob to control the volume, and it’s important that it’s easily accessible. But there also are speaker systems with separate control of the volume and bass. That’s the setup in the Razer Nommo Chroma PC Gaming Speakers. The bass ports also allow hooking up a pair of headphones, if you want.
Razer Nommo Chroma PC Gaming Speaker
Final Verdict
We went through the specs of some of the best PC speakers, looking at models with subwoofers, tweeters, and Bluetooth connectivity. Some have the speakers positioned so that you derive the maximum enjoyment from the stereo sound, while others allow you to fiddle with the positioning yourself. Check out the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list. You’re sure to be able to find something to your liking!
