I’ve worked as an editor or writer in audio publishing for over 30 years, and I’ve previously served as a consultant on speaker tuning and measurement for some of the world’s biggest tech companies. I also do a lot of audio production, including co-editing of the Audio Unleashed podcast, mixing the album Take2 , which rose as high as number three on the Roots Music Report jazz radio play chart, and engineering and co-producing the Audiophile Society’s Headphone Evaluation and Spatial Audio Test Album .

For this guide:

• In the past three years, I’ve spent more than 80 hours testing 25 computer speaker systems. We’ve tested more than 50 different systems throughout the history of this guide.
• I’ve sought the opinion of other audio experts, including senior staff writer Lauren Dragan and several musicians involved in audio production.
• I measured the frequency response—the evenness of the output through the bass, midrange, and treble—of all the top contenders using an Audiomatica Clio 13 audio analyzer and Audiomatica MIC-01 measurement microphone.
• I performed CTA-2010 bass-output measurements on all the top contenders to accurately gauge their bass output.

Powered computer speakers are a great option for anyone who enjoys using their computer to listen to music, watch movies, play video games, or produce music, podcasts, or videos. The tiny speakers built into laptops and monitors produce a thin sound with little to no bass and low volume, while a good set of computer speakers can play loud enough to fill a small room and low enough to reproduce all the notes on a standard electric bass.

Computer speakers are generally sold in pairs. The amplifiers and controls are built into one speaker, which connects to the other through a speaker cable. There’s no need to add an external amplifier or audio processor—you simply connect the speakers to your computer’s headphone jack or the output of a USB audio interface , and you’re ready to go.

With true professional studio monitors (like our upgrade pick ), each speaker has its own amp and may be sold individually.

Note that to get the best sound from conventional, box-shaped speakers on a desktop, you should point the speakers directly at your ears. You can accomplish this with angled stands or clamp-on stands .

We use the following criteria to decide which computer speakers to test and how to evaluate their quality.

• Sound quality: We seek a balanced sound that makes everything from music to conference calls pleasant to listen to. We also confirm whether the speakers can fill a typical bedroom with sound loud enough for focused listening—that is, not just background music.
• Cost: We focus our testing on home and pro systems priced from about $50 to $400. We’ve never heard any models priced below $50 per pair worth buying.
• Configuration: We test mostly 2.0 systems, which have a left speaker and a right speaker meant to sit on your desk. We’ve also tested a few 2.1 systems, which include a subwoofer that goes underneath your desk.
• User-friendliness: We prefer speakers with volume controls located on the front so that you don’t have to reach around the back to turn down the music while sitting at your desk. We also prefer models with multiple connection options.
• Wireless connectivity: Since these speakers are likely to remain connected to a computer, we don’t think built-in Bluetooth support is mandatory. But we do appreciate the inclusion of this feature.
• Styling: Speakers intended for use with computers or in audio production tend to have a more utilitarian or modern style, while bookshelf models typically are box-shaped speakers with glossy or wood-veneer finishes. Some of the powered speakers in our bookshelf speaker guide are also suitable for use as computer speakers.

I conduct brand-concealed listening tests in my acoustically treated listening room, using an active switcher built specifically for comparing audio devices. I hang a sheet of thin black fabric in front of the speakers, match the speakers’ levels using the channel-balancing test noise from a Dolby Digital receiver, and jumble up the cables for each testing round so that no one (including me) will know what model they’re hearing.

In my tests, I listen mostly for the following:

• Even response: Ideally, a speaker used for any type of audio production should have even response at all frequencies, without boosting or attenuating any frequency bands. If it’s lacking, say, lower midrange, you might boost that range in the mix to compensate, and then your recording will probably sound bloated in the low mids on most other speakers.
• Midrange clarity: The midrange is the most important part of the audio band, as it covers voices and most of the range of instruments such as guitar, piano, and saxophone.
• Imaging and spaciousness: Stereo speakers should produce focused sonic “images” of singers and instruments, and they should also produce an enveloping sound.
• Bass: I play Audrey Nuna’s “damn Right” (video) at loud volumes to see how the speakers handle bass-heavy tunes.

In addition, I use the most promising of the speakers for various audio-production projects.

To ensure that we don’t pick something that strays outside engineering norms, I run frequency-response measurements on all the contenders. Research shows (PDF) that listeners consistently prefer speakers that have a “flat” frequency response—which means they produce all frequencies of sound at approximately even levels—as well as speakers that maintain a similar frequency response whether the listener is sitting directly in front of them or slightly off to the side.

The chart below shows how the speakers’ performance in this test correlates with their prices. (For more information, see our detailed frequency-response charts for our picks.)

Frequency response deviation (smoothness) vs. price

The Pioneer DJ DM-50D-BT set combines sound quality approaching that of professional monitors with the convenience and low cost of a home system. It offers compact size, a variety of inputs, and many convenient features.

It sounds good enough to use for serious audio production. A switch on the left speaker’s back selects Production or DJ mode. The DJ mode boosts the bass, which we thought made the system sound better with hip-hop, heavy pop, R&B, and movies; we preferred the more natural sound of the Production mode for jazz and classical, as well as for audio production.

In fact, the Production mode put out the most neutral, accurate sound we’ve heard from a consumer-level computer speaker system, making it great for audio production and entertainment alike. In our tests, through most of the audio range, its response was nearly as smooth and natural as that of the larger, more expensive JBL Professional 305P MkII monitor.

I used the DM-50D-BT system several times for editing my podcast, as well as for mixing original bumper music for it. I found the results similar to what I achieved using the 305P MkII, so I’d be comfortable using this set for serious production—with one caveat we’ll discuss below.

It has plenty of inputs. Besides built-in Bluetooth support, the DM-50D-BT has three types of analog inputs on the back of the left speaker to accommodate a variety of sources. These inputs are always live, so you have no way to switch among them—if you have sources playing on multiple inputs, you’ll hear them all simultaneously. (This is common on computer speakers.)

The system also has a signal-sensing feature, which powers it up automatically when it receives a signal from one of your source devices. Thanks to this feature, if you connect an Amazon Echo Dot , the DM-50D-BT will work much like an Alexa speaker—except that it will cut off the first couple of seconds of Alexa’s response, which is potentially annoying if you’re asking Alexa for information, such as what time it is.

This set includes several features that are convenient for desktop use. The left speaker has a front volume knob that shuts off the power when you turn it fully counterclockwise; also present is a front headphone jack that shuts off the speaker’s output.

The speakers measure well. In our measurements, the DM-50D-BT had an impressively flat frequency response in the midrange (where voices and most instruments reside), but the treble response was somewhat weak. However, none of our listeners complained about a lack of treble, which would, for example, make cymbals sound dull. The DJ mode boosted the bass a lot—by about 7 decibels—and added a mild treble boost of about 2 decibels.

We measured the bass output at 111.2 dB from 40 Hz to 63 Hz, more than we got from any of the other home-oriented computer speakers we tested, and even more than from a pair of JBL’s 305P MkII monitors (though the JBL monitors produced 5 decibels more sound at the lower frequency of 32 Hz).

The DM-50D-BT system is available in black or white. A non-Bluetooth version, the DM-50D, is also available.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It might not be great for mixing music with lots of acoustic instruments. If you’re recording music with a lot of trebly instruments, such as cymbals and acoustic guitars, you might not want to trust the DM-50D-BT system for production. Our measurements showed a dip above 7 kHz or so that maxed out at about -10 decibels. This effect might persuade you to crank up the acoustic guitar in a mix, only to find it too boosted when you listen through other speakers or headphones.

This isn’t an issue if you’re editing podcasts or videos, but if you’re doing serious music production, you’re better off spending more for a pro speaker with flatter response, such as the JBL Professional 305P MkII .

It lacks tone adjustments. Most pro and semi-pro monitor speakers have some sort of tone controls that let you tune the sound to your liking or to compensate for the acoustical effects of nearby walls and other objects. The DM-50D-BT doesn’t, so if you want to tune its sound, you have to do so through an app on your phone or computer.

If you don’t want to get into a three-figure purchase, the Creative Pebble Pro set is your best bet. These grapefruit-sized globes require very little space on a desktop, but they sound much clearer and play much louder than the speakers built into laptops. Their angled design points the sound right at your ears and provides convenient access to the front-mounted controls. This set comes with a lot of helpful connections, too.

For the price, this system sounds excellent. The Pebble Pro pair was our clear favorite in the mid-two-figures price range. Voices and most instruments sounded clear, without the boominess, harshness, and distortion we heard from many other affordable models. The speakers didn’t produce as spacious a sound as our other picks did, but we still got a nice stereo effect with them flanking a laptop while we were working.

These Creative speakers don’t have much bass, but they somehow managed to produce a full sound, and they didn’t distort or boom when we played bass-intensive tunes like Audrey Nuna’s “damn Right” (video) .

In our frequency-response measurements, the Pebble Pro system produced a flatter response in the human vocal range than any of our other picks. However, outside of that range, its response was uneven. It sounded better with more treble-focused music, which is okay for folk music and light classical, but hip-hop and rock fans are likely to want something with more bottom-end oomph.

It has all the features most casual listeners need. In addition to Bluetooth support, the Pebble Pro system offers a variety of audio inputs to suit different sources. Plus, it has built-in multicolored LED lights, which you can turn off.

It’s ideal for small desktops. Each of the roughly orb-shaped speakers measures just 4.5 inches in diameter. The right speaker has a volume control, an input selector button, and a button to control the lighting, all positioned within easy reach.

Unfortunately, the Pebble Pro system is available only in a dark green color; black and white options would have been nice. Creative also offers the slightly larger Pebble X system, which we preferred for its fuller sound—but it’s typically about 33% more expensive.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

This system falls short on bass. The speaker drivers measure only about 2 inches in diameter, so they are physically incapable of producing much bass. In our tests, this set’s average bass output from 40 Hz to 63 Hz was just 77.1 dB, similar to the faint rumble of a car passing by outside.

The dedicated USB power input didn’t improve performance. In normal use, this system gets its power from your computer’s USB connection. But the right speaker has an extra USB-C jack for use with an external power supply, which Creative says can boost the power. I tried using a 30-watt adapter and got a mild boost of about 3 decibels—for only about three seconds, after which the speakers returned to their original volume.

The JBL Professional 305P MkII monitor is the best value for aspiring or professional music and video producers, or for audiophiles who demand clear, full-range sound. Its sound quality was the best overall of the speakers we tested, but it’s too large for many desktops, and it lacks Bluetooth support and the other convenience features that many people want.

Content creators will appreciate its nearly perfect performance. The 305P MkII offers perhaps the clearest, most natural sound we’ve heard from a powered speaker under $300. The less-expensive computer speakers we tried sounded a bit sibilant in comparison. Our panelists also praised the 305P MkII’s big, spacious sound, something not easily achieved in a desktop environment.

In addition, it delivered an almost perfectly flat response in our measurements. I mixed a recent album using a pair of 305P MkII units, and the veteran engineer who mastered it made only subtle equalization changes; this suggests that my monitoring system was doing its job properly.

If you’re producing or listening to R&B, hip-hop, or heavy rock, you’re likely to prefer a monitor with more bass—otherwise, you’d probably find yourself cranking up the bass too much in the mix to make up for this speaker’s weak bottom end.

It has the features pros need—but lacks features everyone else wants. This speaker includes only pro-style inputs, so you need to add some inexpensive adapters if you want to connect a source device with standard RCA cables. It has no Bluetooth support.

Pro monitors are sold individually, so you have to buy two separately and deal with two power cords and two sets of controls. The volume and power controls are on the back, which is inconvenient if you want to connect your 305P MkII straight to a computer, but content creators are likely to use a USB interface with its own volume control.

The 305P MkII has a 0/-1.5/-3 dB switch for bass adjustment and a +2/0/-2 dB switch for treble adjustment. The bass switch comes in handy if you need to place the speakers close to a wall.

At 11.75 by 7.38 by 10 inches (HWD), the 305P MkII is bigger than our other picks, though much smaller than the JBL Professional 306P MkII and the Kali LP-6 v2. If you can’t fit two of these speakers on your desk, you can always put them on stands . This speaker is available in black or white.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Some listeners are likely to want more bass. The 305P MkII can’t match the bass performance of larger, more expensive pro models such as the JBL Professional 306P MkII and the Kali Audio LP-6 v2 . It even falls a few decibels short of our top pick, the Pioneer DJ DM-50D-BT set. I’ve found this speaker’s bass response adequate for all of my musical productions, though.

If you want to dabble in audio production but space is tight on your desk—or you just want to save a few bucks—the Edifier MR3 pair is smaller and more affordable than our top pick but offers similarly superb performance. All it really lacks is bass.

The MR3 is only 42% as large by volume as the Pioneer DJ DM-50D-BT set, but it has an even better array of features. Although its small size prevents it from playing deep bass, its midrange and treble clarity are outstanding.

It’s a dependable production partner. For desktop audio production, what’s most important in a speaker is that it adds no sonic quirks of its own. In my tests, the MR3 produced some of the most technically perfect performance results I’ve ever measured in a speaker, with a deviation of just ±1.9 decibels throughout the most important parts of the audio range.

In a brand-concealed test against similar-size speakers, the MR3 was the clear favorite on all the tunes we played.

Although the MR3’s 3.5-inch woofers can’t produce much deep bass, the sound was still satisfying with almost all of the music I played. And even when I tried bass-intensive tracks such as Audrey Nuna’s “damnRight,” the speakers didn’t distort, and the speakers’ rear ports didn’t chuff.

This small set packs in professional-level features. Despite its low price and tiny size, the MR3 system has more features than most of the speakers I’ve tested. The back panel has bass and treble controls that include center detents that make it easy to return them to the center position.

The Edifier ConneX app (available for iOS and Android) adds a six-band equalizer, a bass-attenuation function for using the MR3 system with a subwoofer, and the ability to adjust boundary compensation so the speakers won’t sound boomy if you back them up against a wall.

The right-channel speaker has RCA unbalanced and pro-style quarter-inch TRS balanced/unbalanced inputs. An additional 3.5 mm input resides on the front. It supports Bluetooth, too.

The design is ideal for desktop use. Not only is this speaker system compact—measuring just under 5 inches wide—but it also puts many of the functions within arm’s reach. The front knob controls volume, power, and sound mode. The front headphone and input jacks practically eliminate the need to mess with rear-panel connections after you set up the speakers.

The system is available in white or black. Conveniently, it connects to AC power directly instead of having a separate power supply.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

There’s not much deep bass. If you’re planning on producing bass-heavy music, you should add a subwoofer or get bigger speakers.

The sound modes are puzzling. Pushing the volume knob switches between three sound modes: monitor, music, and custom. The custom mode accesses the six-band EQ, which is great. But I couldn’t hear any difference between the monitor and music modes, nor does the simplistic manual explain it.

The Creative Pebble X Plus set is ideal if you want extra bass when you’re playing games or watching movies but don’t have the desk space for large speakers. This system’s tiny subwoofer gives it a fuller sound than most small computer speaker systems can muster, and it’s just as user-friendly as our budget pick, the Creative Pebble Pro .

It’s small, but it sounds huge. This system’s big, full sound gives it an obvious advantage over Creative’s subwoofer-less systems. Every tune we played sounded better, even light acoustic music you might not expect to benefit from a subwoofer. The extra bass made the guitars and voices sound fuller, clearer, and more natural.

The subwoofer—a cube measuring slightly more than 6 inches on each side—sounds better than the flimsy plastic subwoofers included in many computer speaker systems. When we played bass-intensive tunes such as Audrey Nuna’s “damnRight,” the bass notes weren’t as well defined as they would be with a high-quality subwoofer , but the bass sounded strong and didn’t distort, and it blended well with the sound of the main speakers.

The system offers no level control for the subwoofer, but we found that we could adjust the level by moving the sub closer to the wall for more bass or away from the wall for less.

Though the Pebble X Plus set can get its power from a computer’s USB connection, in our tests it sounded better when powered by a 30-watt adapter . Without the adapter, the sound distorted subtly at loud volumes, and the bass was weaker.

The measured frequency response was fairly flat through most of the audio range. The subwoofer’s response was deep enough to handle the lowest note on a standard electric bass. Played at the moderate volumes typical for desktop use, the Pebble X Plus had a bigger, fuller sound than the subwoofer’s small size suggests.

The design is ideal for desktop use. The subwoofer is small enough that it can probably slip under your desk without getting in the way of your feet.

Each speaker is a little more than 5 inches in diameter, and the drivers are angled at 45 degrees so that they point at your ears.

It offers lots of connections. The Pebble X Plus system has all the connections necessary for use with a computer, plus jacks for headphones and a microphone.

The speakers are available only in a dark green color; we would’ve liked to see black and white options too. Creative also offers the Pebble X system, which lacks the subwoofer but adds passive radiators to the backs of the speakers to increase the bass output. We preferred the fuller sound of the Pebble X Pro set, though.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It doesn’t have the flexibility of some other picks. For about the same price, the Edifier MR3 offers pro-style inputs, more tonal and EQ adjustments, and more easily accessible headphone and aux-input jacks. However, the Edifier MR3 doesn’t have the full, fun sound of the Pebble X Pro.

If you want a pro-quality speaker that’s more convenient to use: The Kali Audio LP-UNF system is usually priced in the same range as the JBL Professional 305P MkII, and for the most part it offers similarly excellent clarity, plus numerous tuning options for different acoustical environments. It’s only about 70% as large by volume as the 305P MkII, and it includes Bluetooth connectivity and a front volume control, in addition to quarter-inch and RCA inputs. But the 305P MkII’s bass output is considerably stronger, and the short speaker cable that connects the two speakers limits the distance between them to about 3.5 feet (although you could make a longer one using Phoenix-type connectors ).

If you want something very simple or very inexpensive: The Cyber Acoustics CA-2890BT computer soundbar plays about 10 decibels louder than (or about twice as loud as) a typical set of speakers built into a laptop computer. A spring-loaded clip attaches it to the top of a laptop or to the top or bottom of a desktop monitor. It offers Bluetooth, a USB connection, and an integrated microphone. A non-Bluetooth version is available for about $5 less.

If you’re recording R&B, hip-hop, or heavy rock: Spending an extra $100 or so for a pair of the JBL Professional 306P MkII or Kali Audio LP-6 v2 speakers instead of the 305P MkII is a smart decision. They’re both more than 50% larger by volume, so you’ll probably have to use speaker stands, but both options offer several decibels of extra bass output—which you need when producing any kind of bass-heavy music. The 306P MkII sounded clearer in the midrange during our tests, but the LP-6 v2 seemed to have a little extra bass oomph.

If you want a subwoofer to use with powered speakers: The PreSonus Eris Sub 8BT is an 8-inch subwoofer with a built-in subwoofer crossover that filters bass below 80 Hz out of the main speakers. This design allows the powered speakers to play louder without distortion or concern about damage to the speaker from excess bass. This sub also has a built-in Bluetooth receiver, which will feed the subwoofer and any speakers connected to its line outputs, effectively giving you a 2.1-channel Bluetooth speaker system. The Eris Sub 8BT has RCA and pro-style 0.25-inch stereo phono inputs and outputs, so it interfaces easily with almost any powered speakers. With CTA-2010 mid-bass output of 110.9 dB and low-bass output of 94 dB, it’s a good match for powered speaker systems with 5.25-inch or smaller woofers.

We’ve reviewed more than 50 computer speaker systems for this guide. Below are capsule descriptions of some of the systems that might be of most interest to Wirecutter readers. If you don’t see a certain model you’re interested in, check out our running list of computer speakers we’ve tested .

The Adam Audio T5V is an excellent pro monitor, but in our brand-concealed tests, it didn’t really sound any better—or produce significantly more bass—than our less-expensive upgrade pick.

Although the Audioengine A2+ , a previous pick, is a good-sounding pair of speakers, it isn’t really tuned to compensate for its lack of bass. The same is true of the Audioengine A1 . We cover the Audioengine HD3 in our guide to the best bookshelf speakers .

The BlueAnt Soundblade is a soundbase-style speaker that fits under a computer monitor. In our tests, it sounded unnatural and produced weak bass.

The Creative Pebble Nova 2.0 is a more expensive, two-way (woofer plus tweeter) version of the Pebble X . It sounds even clearer and more vivid, but considering the limited amount of bass it offers, it’s quite pricey.

The Edifier M60 sounds excellent, but it doesn’t play very loud and produces little bass. If you need an especially small system, though, it’s a good choice. We also tested Edifier’s R19BT , which for its size and price sounds very good, but the Creative Pebble Pro has better performance and features for about the same price.

The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX subwoofer-and-satellite system is a former pick. In our tests, it emitted considerably more bass output from its subwoofer than the Creative Pebble X Plus did, but the overall frequency response wasn’t as smooth. This system also lacks Bluetooth support. We pulled it as a pick because we saw too many complaints about the reliability of its subwoofer.

We loved the portable design of the KRK GoAux 3 system, which includes two tiny speakers and a cool carrying case. Although the system sounded clean in the midrange and treble in our tests, the tiny speakers couldn’t produce enough bottom end for music with even moderately deep bass.

The M-Audio BX3 and M-Audio BX4 tended to produce port noise on deep bass notes in our tests, and neither pair had a clear-sounding midrange.

The Mackie CR3.5BT sounded pretty good, but somewhat thin.

We like the styling of the Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB speaker system, but it didn’t sound any better than the Edifier MR3, and it’s much more expensive. Plus, it has an inconvenient rear-panel volume control. The larger Creator Series GX-30ARC sounded more colored and didn’t seem to focus the sonic image as well as our picks did.

The PreSonus Eris 3.5BT Gen 2 is a previous pick for smaller desks. It sounds very good for casual listening, but it lacks the neutral, natural sound necessary for low-cost production tasks.

The PreSonus Eris 4.5BT Gen 2 sounds pretty good, but for just a little more money, our top pick from Pioneer offers similar sound quality with more bass.

In our tests, the SteelSeries Arena 7 subwoofer-and-speaker system delivered very good sound overall, but the treble was a little bright—and this set is pricey.