After extensively testing new models, we’ve selected the Mackie CR5-XBT pair as our favorite set of computer speakers because it sounds great, fits on most desktops, and can play bass-heavy music without threatening to self-destruct. Voices and instruments sounded more natural than they did through the smaller computer speakers we tested, and the CR5-XBT was the only set that didn’t produce distracting port noise (aka chuffing) or distortion when we played deep-bass hip-hop tunes. If you watch a lot of movies or play cinematic video games at your desk, you might prefer a computer speaker system that includes a subwoofer to reproduce deep bass notes.
Audio
Annual subscribers with a Vermont billing address will be asked by email to consent to renewal. The print edition of The New York Times, digital news content, Cooking or Games are not included.
The best computer speakers
Plus, these speakers won’t take up too much space on your desk and they pair easily with your mobile devices via Bluetooth. We recommend the Mackie CR4BT computer speakers because they deliver a full, balanced sound, whether you’re listening to bass-heavy rap music, ambient soundscapes, or conference calls.
Intuitive design choices—like placing the volume wheel on the front and allowing either the left or right speaker to connect to the power source—make this system easy to set up and use throughout your day. We aren’t crazy about the neon green accents on the speaker’s face, though; we would prefer different color options. If you’re willing to compromise a bit on sound quality and connection options to save money, consider the Mackie CR3 set. If you watch a lot of movies or play cinematic video games at your desk, you might prefer a computer speaker system that includes a subwoofer to reproduce deep bass notes.
Of all of the 2.1-channel systems we tested, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX set had the best sound quality, about as full and balanced as the Mackie CR4BT but with more potential bass response. Dialogue and acoustic instruments sounded clear and crisp, and the subwoofer effectively filled in the low end. The speakers have a very small on-desk footprint and sport a subdued but stylish design, but the connection options are limited.
Daniel Varghese is a Wirecutter associate staff writer who covers the AV and smart-home categories. If you want even more bass to handle the lowest frequencies in music, movies, and games, you can add a separate subwoofer. Our picks in this guide have a relatively low footprint, so they won’t look ridiculous next to your laptop or monitor.
We wanted to find speakers that have a balanced sound that will make everything from music to conference calls pleasant to listen to. We wanted to find speakers that have a balanced sound that will make everything from music to conference calls pleasant to listen to. User-friendliness: We preferred speakers with volume controls located on the front so that you don’t have to reach around the back or rummage for a loose remote just to turn down your music while sitting at your desk. We preferred speakers with volume controls located on the front so that you don’t have to reach around the back or rummage for a loose remote just to turn down your music while sitting at your desk.
Since these speakers will likely remain connected to a computer through the workday, we don’t think that built-in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is mandatory. We culled this list further with input from Wirecutter’s other audio experts and ended up with 12 systems to test for this update, including our existing picks (the Mackie CR3, Mackie CR4BT, and the Edifier R2000DB) and several new options (Audioengine HD3, Bose Companion 2 Series III, Creative Pebble, Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S3, Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S5, Edifier R980T, Edifier R1700BT, Harmon Kardon Soundsticks III, and Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX).
Daniel then listened to each system individually, determining its max volume and getting an initial impression of its audio quality. Wirecutter writer Jordan Bowman, musician and producer Will Marshall, and filmmaker Lauren Nolan joined Daniel on the listening panel.
Using an iPhone connected via an RCA splitter box as the audio source, Daniel played each system for the group.
Each panelist ranked the systems in terms of performance, then we factored in features and price in order to make final judgements. The Mackie CR4BT speakers sound better than anything else in their price range, have an easy-to-use design that doesn’t take up too much space, and include Bluetooth to conveniently pair with mobile devices. Achieving this balance is difficult for computer speakers, which often have very small woofers that are incapable of producing a lot of bass.
The Mackie CR4BT model’s 4-inch woofers help it perform better in the bass department but also make the speaker a little bit bigger than many of its competitors—but not so big that it takes up too much desk space. The logical placement of all of these inputs and outputs, as well as the volume knob on the front, make this system much easier to use throughout the day.
We could hear a slight degradation in sound quality caused by the data compression used in Bluetooth, but it wasn’t much of a distraction.
Being able to connect to two devices simultaneously is a nice feature, but we wish the system didn’t do this automatically—if you forget to manually unpair the speakers from your phone, your ambient work music might be interrupted by the sound of a push notification.
However, our panel felt that although the CR3 speakers created nice open highs, their smaller woofer size limited the low end a little more than we preferred. You’ll notice this most when listening to bass-heavy music like Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown,” which the speakers struggled to render accurately.
We found the green trim on our review sample to be distracting, but luckily the CR3 is available with more gentle accent colors, including light blue and silver. If you want a clear upgrade in performance and design, the Audioengine HD3 set has substantially better sound quality and a more elegant aesthetic than any speaker pair we tested—but it also costs a lot more.
The HD3 has a petite footprint and includes connection options like USB and a subwoofer output that you won’t find on many lower-priced computer speaker systems.
It lacks a couple of the convenience features that the Mackie CR4BT offers, like the front-panel aux input and speaker-selector switch. Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”—which has a lot of little details that can get lost in less powerful, less balanced speakers—sounded as exciting through the HD3 as it did through the larger systems we considered. It also has a stereo RCA output and bass reduction switch that makes it easy to connect an optional subwoofer.
These speakers had the best sound quality of all of the 2.1 systems we tested, they have a very small on-desk footprint, and they don’t feature any garish design elements. Klipsch wisely chose to put a subwoofer level control on the front of the left speaker, so you don’t have to crawl underneath your desk to adjust the balance if it feels off. Once you’ve figured out that balance, the system sounds as good as the Mackie CR4BT and CR3 but it might take you a little time to dial in correctly.
The ProMedia 2.1 system doesn’t have as many connection options as we’d like; in fact, it offers only a 3.5 mm mini-jack input and a headphone output, located on the side of the left speaker, and no Bluetooth.
We also found that this speaker’s design (which puts the volume and EQ control knobs around back) and size (about twice as big as the CR3) make it a worse option for everyday use at your desk. Bose Companion 2 Series III: These speakers look like the platonic ideal of computer speakers—they’re small, with a clean design and a front-panel volume control and aux input.
The speakers struggle to produce really low frequencies, making bass-heavy songs like Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” sound less powerful. Creative Pebble: We were curious as to whether these tiny speakers could produce enough bass to make them worth considering.
Harman Kardon Soundsticks III: These speakers have a design that makes them worthy of inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s collection, but all of our panelists felt they sounded unbalanced compared with the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, although it was close.
We liked the sound for the price, as long as the volume wasn’t up too high—otherwise the bass fluttered, and the highs were tizzy.
These are the computer speakers I use – The Sweet Setup
The Audysseys are bigger than they look in the pictures, and they sound absolutely fantastic — very full, rich, and crisp. My downstairs office is a bit smaller than my previous one, and so in the move I got rid of my old, bulky Sony stereo which has been plugged into every computer or laptop I’ve owned since college.
They’re about $150, which is a great price for good computer speakers, but I’ve never liked their black and red design.
They sound the same as the East Side Medias, but sport a gorgeous, simple, white case with black accents.
Wirecutter Best Computer Speakers
Besides article about trendy topic like Wirecutter Best Computer Speakers, we are currently focusing on many other topics including: Beauty & Health, Reviews, Fashion, Life Style, Home, Equipment, and Technology. Our support team will work hard to add any ideal result for Wirecutter Best Computer Speakers if it is of benefit for consumer.
Wirecutter Best Desktop Speakers
We are researching products, conducting hands-on tests, studying market research, reviewing consumer feedback, and writing up all our findings into digestible yet comprehensive reviews our audience will find helpful. On our side, in addition to self-searching data or resources, we also refer to reviews from other sites about Wirecutter Best Desktop Speakers in order to give out the own result.
From The Wirecutter: The best portable Bluetooth speaker
After listening to 48 of the market’s top-rated portable Bluetooth speakers and running the best ones through a demanding blind test with a panel of audio professionals, we recommend the $99 UE Mini Boom for most people. The $130 Bose SoundLink Color sounds fuller than the BTV1 and Mini Boom, but it’s relatively large and lacks a speakerphone function. You can stream whatever sound is being played on the source device (a smartphone, tablet, or Bluetooth-equipped laptop) through the Bluetooth speaker.
While Bluetooth does degrade sound quality slightly, there’s little chance you’ll hear the effects through relatively low-quality speakers such as the ones discussed in this guide.
Wi-Fi-based systems such as Sonos and Apple AirPlay offer better sound quality, but whether you could perceive it through a small, inexpensive speaker is very debatable. I started by listening to all 48 models and measuring the maximum output of each speaker using an audio analyzer and test microphone.
Besides the models cited above, the others we blind-tested were the Bose SoundLink Mini and SoundLink III, Cambridge SoundWorks Oontz XL, Creative SoundBlaster Roar, Edifier Extreme Connect, Jawbone Mini Jambox, JBL Pulse, Klipsch KMC 1, Logitech UE Boom, Nude Audio Move M, Sharkk Bluetooth BoomBox, Soen Transit XS, Sony SRS-X2, Soundfreaq Pocket Kick, and Soundmatters FoxL Platinum v2 After our listening panel, our panelists universally recommended the UE Mini Boom as their top pick without hesitation, even against larger and more expensive competition.
Even though the UE Mini Boom is just a little speaker, it lets you hear the youthful sibilance in Taylor Swift’s voice and the breath in Miles Davis’s trumpet.
The UE Mini Boom includes a speakerphone function and can be used in pairs for stereo or sound in two adjacent rooms. Ryan Waniata of DigitalTrends said, “At this size and price point, you’ll have a very difficult time finding a speaker that can outperform the UE Mini Boom.” PC World calls it “probably the best Bluetooth speaker you could buy for less than $100.” The black version of the UE Mini Boom has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars across 624 Amazon.com user reviews at last count. The UE Mini Boom’s treble doesn’t have a lot of detail, so you lose some of the crispness in cymbals, snare drums, acoustic guitars, flutes, and violins.
The AmazonBasics BTV1 doesn’t sound as smooth as the UE Mini Boom, but it costs about half as much and plays slightly louder. Because we got only 7.5 hours of battery life, and it’s twice the size of the UE Mini Boom, so it’s harder to fit in a suitcase and way too big for a purse or computer bag. The Color has no speakerphone function and is about twice as large as and 50 percent heavier than the UE Mini Boom, so it’s more than you’d want to carry in a purse or computer bag. If you just want to listen to talk radio or background music, the Cambridge SoundWorks Oontz Curve is a great choice at just $30.
The Oontz Curve includes a speakerphone function that sounds almost as good as the one in the UE Mini Boom, although slightly thinner. The UE Mini Boom delivers an unbeatable blend of sound quality, affordability, compactness, and style.
Be First to Comment