Best computer speakers 2024

This 2.1 speaker set from Razer is a great choice if you’re looking for quality audio to play games, watch movies, and pump up your favorite jams. Not only does its stylish design look great whether you keep it, but everything sounds absolutely amazing through it (except certain high frequencies).

It improves over the V1 in a lot of ways (namely aesthetics and sound quality) and still manages to carry a smaller price tag. Unfortunately, that does not mean that this is a cheap speaker by any means. If you need something more affordable, check out the Creative Pebble below.

But for those who can afford it, this is probably the best one to go for. The speakers are both great and the subwoofer brings the bass for a fantastic audio experience. Shame it only has a couple of inputs (USB and Bluetooth) but that’s a small crack in the armour.

Read our Razer Nommo V2 Pro review.

With their fantastic sound quality, classic design, and low cost, the Edifier R1280DB (and their Bluetooth-less cousins, the R1280T) are by far the best value overall 2.0 speaker set you can buy at the moment. They’re not packed with gaming extras but just deliver superb sound, no matter what you throw at them.

They’re on the larger side, with each speaker measuring 146 x 196 x 234mm, but use that size to full effect with powerful, wide-ranging sound. If you want a truly huge bass rumble, you’ll want a 2.1 speaker set with a subwoofer but for most practical desktop listening these deliver the goods.

With optical digital, analog, and Bluetooth inputs, and with a handy remote control, they’re versatile and convenient, though without a USB input, you’ll need some sort of sound output already in your system, just about any motherboard includes a basic audio interface that will hook up to these.

Read our full Edifier R1280DB review.

With a simple, stylish look, a useful set of features – including a remote control – and solid sound quality, the Creative T100 is a great choice of speaker for those seeking a set for just under $100.

The main caveat is the lack of a USB input to connect these directly to your computer. They have a USB port but it’s for plugging in USB sticks and playing back MP3 files, which is a strangely old-school feature.

Read our full Creative T100 review.

Looking for a cheap set of PC speakers that’ll still be a massive improvement over built-in monitor speakers? Look no further than the Creative Pebble V3. Despite being the cheapest option, they’re pretty stylish stereo speakers that look right at home when sharing the same setup as the best gaming PC.

Connecting to your system via USB, these little fellas have a peak power of 16W. That compares to typical monitor speaker power ratings of just 2x5W. Don’t expect audio that’s going to take your breath away, but for a cheap option, Creative’s Pebble V3 offers great quality for its size. You can also stream to them from another device, such as a smartphone, via Bluetooth 5.0.

Read our full Creative Pebble V3 review.

These are the best-sounding 2.0 computer speakers on this list, with a quality built-in DAC and generally top-tier build quality. They’re not lacking in features either, though, as they include Bluetooth to connect wirelessly.

Color-wise, you can choose from white, black, or a snazzy bamboo effect. Note that these are quite large speakers, though, with dimensions of 18 x 27 x 23 cm. Their premium sound is reflected in their premium price, too, but it’s one worth paying if you’re looking to step up to truly Hi-Fi level listening.

This quite large and powerful set of 2.1 speakers delivers a truly colossal level of sound power, with a combined 150W RMS. With that power, this set can turn its hand to anything you ask of it, easily doubling as a home cinema setup or for use in house parties.

It’s not just power and massive bass presence that you get here, though, as this set delivers one of the key things that so many 2.1 speakers systems lack, which is a good mid-range presence with a smooth transition in sound from the satellite speakers to the subwoofer. As such, it’s not just able to blast EDM and hip-hop beats or deliver a pummelling movie soundtrack, but it also sounds amazing in all genres of music too.

You don’t get a lot in terms of gaming features, though. There’s no RGB, none of the game-specific audio enhancements of some options, and perhaps most crucially, you can’t just plug these straight into your system via USB. Otherwise, they come highly recommended for their $399 price.

Read our full Edifier S350DB review.

Providing a great middle ground between the premium price and features of the Razer Nommo V2 Pro and Edifier S350DB and cheaper 2.1 speaker sets, the SteelSeries Arena 7 is a great mid-range 2.1 speaker system.

Balancing a sleek design with punchy sound, with its sub providing plenty of power and the dual-driver setup of its satellites providing a wide frequency range. The combo means the Arena 7 is equally at home cranking out loud drum and bass tracks, as it is playing games such as Doom Eternal.

You also get some gaming extra here, with the RGB lighting from these speakers casting a subtle glow behind the satellites. This is all controllable using SteelSeries’ GG software, and we particularly enjoyed the Audio Visualizer setting when listening to music.

To top it all off, there’s an enormously versatile set of connection options, including USB-C for your PC, but also Bluetooth, and optical inputs and outputs. This isn’t a cheap speaker set but it’s a nicely balanced option for its price.

Read our full SteelSeries Arena 7 review.

The Logitech Z407 may not be the most potent speaker system here, but it offers a sublime combination of form and function at a fraction of the price of larger systems. It’s a 2.1 stereo system with no bells or whistles beyond a neat circular remote and Bluetooth wireless functionality.

At 80w peak power, the system provides a decent output that’ll fill offices and smaller bedrooms but would struggle as part of a larger home entertainment system. The 20 x 9.4 x 8.5 cm satellites are given a welcome leg up by a 24 x 23.4 x 18 cm subwoofer that delivers some decent low-end response at low to mid volumes without overwhelming the modestly detailed output of the desktop speakers. Push the volume dial to its limits, and the system loses its way, with flabby bass and distorted top end, but there’s plenty enough volume here for normal office use.

All things considered, the Z407 is a versatile set of 2.1 speakers that deliver a welcome grunt to any home system with detailed mids and highs and a generous helping of low-end courtesy of the system’s subwoofer.

Originally the Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2 occupied this spot, and the V2X is even better than its predecessor. Its compact soundbar design means that it can find a home even in the tiniest of gaming spaces – subwoofer aside – which sets it apart from many bulkier speakers.

On its own, the soundbar isn’t super powerful, but that’s where the subwoofer comes in. The bass sounds great and we think its especially adept when used for gaming – however, if you were using it for music, for example, you might find that it struggles to fill larger rooms with sound. Still, when you’re gaming and it’s sitting right in front of you, that’s really not going to be an issue.

For $35, the Trust GXT 1619 (also sold as the Redragon GS560) is a decent value buy if you’re just looking to get a loudspeaker upgrade from your monitor or laptop’s in-built speakers. You get a deeper, louder audio signal that’s enough to make music listenable at low volumes, and it means you can play games without headphones.

It also very compact, looks reasonably smart and includes RGB lighting, with the option of an audio signal-matching effect, all for under $35. There are no special features here, and the stereo image is quite poor, so you don’t get a great sense of directionality in games. For its price, though, these a fair compromises.

Read our full Trust GXT 1619 / Redragon GS560 review

If you want a fully-fledged surround system, your options these days are very limited. However, Logitech is still doing its bit with the Z906 system. This 5.1 set has rightly earned its legendary status in the 10+ years it has been available. It has an impressive 500W RMS of power, with its subwoofer providing thunderous bass and its five satellite speakers scattering crystal sonic detail all around you.

With THX certification, the Logitech Z906 also makes for a great movie-watching experience, bringing cinema-quality sound into your home. Plus, you can take advantage of that 5.1 surround sound in many of the best PC games. The ability to switch between multiple inputs means you can easily change between your PC, phone, or console. For even more versatility, you can add Logitech’s Bluetooth adapter to play sound through the system wirelessly.