How to Buy Computer Speakers

If you play graphics-oriented games or use multimedia CDs on your computer, good external stereo speakers can greatly enhance your experience.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer Speakers
• Computers

1. Buy inexpensive, magnetically shielded, powered speakers if you want basic speakers for speech and computer sounds.

2. Choose a three-piece system with a ported sub-woofer if you want lots of boom to accompany action games.

3. Buy a two-way, two-piece, powered speaker system in sealed enclosures with no port if you want to use your CD drive as a boom box.

4. Decide where you'll put speakers, especially a sub-woofer, to determine which size speakers to consider.

5. Decide which external controls you want, such as on/off, volume, tone, mute and balance.

6. Bring a favorite CD along when you audition the speakers. Make sure the CD includes a wide range of sounds, from bass to treble.

Tips & Warnings

• Speakers priced between $20 and $70 are usually about the same quality as the generic ones that come with computers.
• Plan to spend at least $100 if you want to upgrade from stock speakers.
• Avoid very inexpensive computer speakers that are battery powered.
• Early-model speakers made to connect to a USB port are inferior to speakers that connect to the analog output on your sound card.
• Your sound card, or the sound chip on your motherboard, will be a limiting factor for any speakers you buy. Check the specifications that came with your card or computer for its limitations.
• You must buy magnetically shielded speakers, as unshielded speakers will cause interference on your monitor.
• The inside of a computer is a very noisy environment with conflicting magnetic fields, which degrade sound quality.
• Power and frequency-response specifications are extremely misleading and inaccurate. For example, a powered speaker system rated at 30 watts may exhibit severe distortion beyond 10 watts.

on 8/18/2006 If you are used to high-end gear, there are few choices out there for speakers for your PC. First off:
Avoid fools gold such as Logitech, Bose, Altec, etc. These brands are highly marketed, cheaply produced, mediocre sounding junk. You should look at the Swans M200, generally recognized among audiophiles as one of the best powered computer speakers out there. You might also want to take a look at the Audioengine speakers. They are direct marketed and reportedly very good. Some discontinued models to look for are the LFT-11 flat panels and the Jamo Multimedia series.

I have personally owned the LFT-11's (Mini desktop Magneplaners), Swans, and Jamo's and I prefer the Jamo's.

on 2/28/2006 Logitech makes some of the best non-professional speakers that money can buy. My 680's almost make your ears bleed. The 5000 Series is even better, approaching studio monitor quality.

Let us not forget Klipsch. These are the real deal. Expensive and worth every penny.

Bottom line; listen to the speakers with your favorite type of music before buying. If you are a casual listener, you can save hundreds of dollars, or if you are an audiophile, you can spend hundreds of dollars!

on 11/22/2005 if your gonna buy speakers. get speakers buy MONSOON! they rock. if your looking pretty high end, go for these. if not, buy a pair of logitechs.