There are tons of computer speakers on the market and many of the ones we tested are perfectly fine, but they don’t deserve a spot at the top for one reason or another.
House of Marley Get Together Duo for $130: Featuring an attractive, eco-friendly blend of bamboo and fabric, House of Marley’s Get Together Duo is affordable. They connect via Bluetooth 5.0, RCA or 3.5mm auxiliary. There is no subwoofer, the mids dominate and the treble is missing something. The battery powered right speaker can also work as a portable speaker and you can use them as bookshelf speakers or pair them with House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable ($150) (8/10, WIRED review), but as computer speakers, they’re fine.
SteelSeries Arena 3 for $130: With a nice pear-shaped design with tilting speakers and subtle branding, SteelSeries’ entry-level Arena 3 can be loud. But they lack bass, lose detail in the treble, and sound a little muddy for music. Even for SteelSeries fans, there isn’t much reason to choose them over some of our previous picks. They do not have lighting, USB or any other extra.
Razer Nommo V2 X for $145: The sound quality of Razer’s entry-level speakers is solid for music, though it lacks bass, and good for movies and games (there’s THX Spatial support). These simple speakers look great, but they lack a subwoofer, RGB lighting, and remote control. They offer USB and Bluetooth connectivity and can be customized in Razer’s Synapse software.
Logitech Z407 for $115: A complete 2.1 system at this price is no easy task. These speakers connect via USB, 3.5mm aux, or Bluetooth, and there’s a wireless remote volume control. The build is cheap and the sound lacks definition, but there is a good bass punch from the subwoofer, and the mids and highs are reasonably crisp, as long as you don’t turn the volume up too much. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu says he used a variation of the Logitech Z series for nearly a decade and recently donated it to someone else.
Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System for $396: This 5.1 system is THX certified and comes with a huge subwoofer, five speakers, and a central control unit. The design looks dated, maybe even a little ugly, and cables need to be run around the room. The surround sound effect is solid and you can even convert stereo with the 3D mode, but overall, it’s a bass-heavy system.
Creative Stage V2 for $90: This affordable sound bar offers excellent connectivity with HDMI ARC, optical, USB, 3.5mm aux and Bluetooth 5.0. But it’s not especially powerful, can sound muddy and flat, and has a short cable (not good for sit-stand desks). The subwoofer offers decent bass, there’s a remote control and I like the Clear Dialog option for sharpening vocals, but you can do better.