Club Benefits
The best desk speakers are one of the best ways to get excellent sound for your music, movies and games when you're sitting at your computer. They come in all shapes and sizes with various connection methods.
We've tested plenty of options to find the best fit for you, whether you're looking for a budget hero or a sonic masterpiece. These six options are the best we've seen, ranked so you can determine exactly what you need from a pair of desk speakers. The Edifier M60 are the best overall, balancing price, performance and size into the perfect desktop package.
About the author
Hi, I'm Tammy, one of Tom's Guide's buying guide team. I look after all the Audio buying guides on the site, working closely with our rigoruous reviews team to make sure that you're getting the best advice possible about what kit you should add to your sonic arsenal. I used to be the Audio Editor on site, and I use my experience testing speakers to craft a specialised list to help you work out exactly what you need.
The best computer speakers you can buy right now
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Best desk speakers overall
The Edifier M60 are the best computer speakers for most people for three main reasons: one, they look sleek; two, they are teeny-weeny; three, they sound utterly phenomenal. Seeing as sound is the most important aspect of a pair of speakers, let's discuss that first, shall we?
Despite their uber-compact 6.6-inch height, the M60 are pocket-rocket oblongs of pure power. Tucked away in their miniature exterior are two powerful drivers capable of 66W of power. And boy, does this make for an enjoyable listening session. When I was testing the M60, I adored the surprisingly loud bass and the deft handling of treble. The M60 sounded confident with electronic, rock, pop, indie, and everything else I threw at it. Although they're not as room-filling as larger desktop speakers, they are both 6 inches tall and just $199. You can't buy a cow then ask it why it's not laying eggs.
Last but not least, I'll discuss size and design. As you might be able to see from the photo above, the M60 are gorgeous. Edifier has been knocking it out of the park recently with its budget speakers, somehow making them look and sound like premium models you'd expect from Kanto, KEF, and Dali. The clean, white or black design looks right at home on my walnut wood desk, and the tiny size means I can use these speakers even in compact setups. The M60 are simply as close to perfect as cheap, compact desktop speakers can get.
- Read our full Edifier M60 review
Best professional desk speakers
First up, this isn’t a list of the best studio monitors. Those are speakers that are designed for sonic balance, no weight put on any one frequency band. They’re also not the best for pleasure listening — and, contrary to popular belief, sometimes musical mixers also like to listen to music through their speakers. The Kanto ORA4 are the perfect speaker for the bedroom audio mixer who also wants to enjoy listening to music when not making beats.
They’re a relatively simple-looking speaker, with fairly nondescript enclosures topped off with black drivers and tweeters. Their sound is anything but simple, however. It’ll depend how far away you place them, but their soundstage and imaging are very good, making for an engaging listening experience. There’s some lovely detail at the top, and more bass than more professional models so that they keep everything listenable.
But they’re still balanced enough for some light mixing. Combine them with a sub and you’ve even got the system for larger offices or rooms, keeping the music, movies and games coming without any problem at all. They’re not cheap, but if you’re looking for a great addition to your listening space, you’ve just found it.
- Read our full Kanto ORA4 review
Best budget desk speakers
Just because something is “budget” doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t “good enough.” The Creative Pebble Pro are our pick for the best budget computer speakers for a few reasons — primarily because they cost less than $70. These speakers are perfect for those short on desk space as they’re very compact and portable. Orb-shaped and small, they look cute, and the customizable RGB rings light up the desk they’re sitting on.
And though they are tiny, they are mighty. They punch well above their weight, delivering surprisingly meaty bass and crisp, vibrant treble that doesn’t sound overzealous. Vocals are also characterful, and all of this is thanks to the speakers’ re-engineered 2.25-inch drivers and Creative’s BassFlex technology. They’re also angled at 45° degrees which means sound travels directly to your ears when you’re sitting at your desk.
Connectivity is another major highlight, with the Pebble Pro offering USB-C or 3.5mm wired playback and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless playback. There’s also a headphone and mic port, so you don’t need to duck under your desk or unplug other cables. For under $70, the Pebble Pro offer supreme sound quality that’s hard to get elsewhere for the price.
- Read our full Creative Pebble Pro review
Best premium desk speakers
Thanks to a unique blend of high-fidelity audio and lifestyle features, the Edifier QR65 are the best premium computer speakers you can buy right now. They’re a visual and sonic powerhouse, wrapped in soft faux leather that gives the speakers a premium edge, and the included metal stands not only add to the aesthetics but also ensure sound travels in the general direction of your ears. The “infinity mirror” RGB panels make them fit right into a gamer’s desk space too.
The QR65 deliver a sophisticated soundstage powered by 70W of total output, so they can get very loud without suffering distortion at high volumes. Their 1.25-inch tweeters and 2.75-inch long-throw drivers reproduce bountiful bass with plenty of low-end impact, and exceptional vocal clarity, regardless of whether you’re slaying enemies in RPGs, jamming to your favorite tunes, or watching an action movie.
If you want to get rid of cable nests on your desk, the QR65 are a standout choice as they feature a built-in 65W GaN charger for fast-charging your smartphone and laptop. This is a high-performance audio system that doubles as a stylish, premium desk accessory.
- Read our full Edifier QR65 review
Best desk speakers for gaming
The Edifier G2000 Pro take the crown for the best gaming speakers for two reasons: the RGB panels that make them fit the gamer aesthetic, and high-octane performance in RPGs, FPS and racing titles. The two speakers look like jet engines, and they feature 100 full-color LED beads which dance and change colors according to the game you’re playing.
Boasting a wide soundstage, the G2000 Pro deliver crystal clear vocals in dialog-heavy games, such as Detroit: Become Human, and pronounced footsteps in FPS titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077. A dedicated Game mode emphasizes spatial awareness and directional cues, giving you a competitive advantage in many games. Combat sounds are loud but never booming too. The speakers are also compatible with a wide array of consoles, such as the PS5 and the Nintendo Switch 2, thanks to Bluetooth 5.4 wireless and USB-A wired playback.
For gamers who want high-energy, reactive lighting and crisp directional audio and virtual surround sound, there aren’t any better speakers than the G2000 Pro.
- Read our full Edifier G2000 Pro review
Best soundbase
The SteelSeries Arena 9 is our top pick for immersive surround sound thanks to its 5.1 channel setup. It features three front speakers and two wireless rears, plus an enormous subwoofer for earth-shaking bass.
In testing, our reviews editor Pete Wolinski loved the spatial sound, which came in very handy for competitive FPS gaming, where it allowed our tester to pinpoint the location of enemies from their footsteps or reload sounds. Surround sound is also incredibly immersive, which is great for cinematic games or movies.
We also loved the huge bass from the Arena 9’s subwoofer. Indeed, these speakers could’ve made our ‘best for bass’ award, too. It’s truly floor-shaking, and our reviewer Pete was more than a little concerned about annoying his neighbours. Regardless, the huge bass amplifies the surround sound experience, allowing you to feel as well as hear your games and movies.
The Arena 9 proved relatively easy to set up, although there were quite a few cables to deal with. It also comes with a handy OLED control pad, which allows you to make adjustments to EQ and other settings on the fly — ideal for customizing your surround sound as you watch or play.
- Read our full SteelSeries Arena 9 review
Best computer speakers: Specs compared
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Type | Power output (rated) | Controls | Headphone jack | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edifier M60 | 2.0 (stereo speakers) | 66W total | Volume only | Yes | 1x 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, USB-C |
Kanto ORA4 | 2.0 (stereo speakers) | 140W Peak | Volume only | No | 1x 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, USB-C, Optical |
Creative Pebble Pro | 2.0 (stereo speakers) | 50W | Volume only | Yes | USB-C, Bluetooth, 3.5mm |
Edifier QR65 | 2.0 (stereo speakers) | 70W total | Volume only | No | 1x 3.5mm jack, USB-C, USB, Bluetooth |
Edifier G2000 Pro | 2.0 (stereo speakers) | 120W total | Volume and subwoofer, RGB light brightness | No | 1x 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, USB port |
SteelSeries Arena 9 | 5.1 (surround. with sub) | 300W total | Volume and subwoofer | No | 1x 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, USB-C |
Also tested...
As Tom's Guide's audio experts, we test a lot of speakers but some models don't make it into a buying guide. That's not to say that they're not great performers, just that they're beaten by rival models with a stronger set of features or better performance at the price. The picks in this guide are the very best computer speakers we've tested and have all been given full reviews. But with more models to choose from than ever, we want to make sure that you consider these also tested options. These alternatives have been through our rigorous testing process but didn't quite make the grade to rank among the best of the best.
How to choose the best computer speakers for you
There are three things to consider when choosing the best PC speakers for your setup: sound quality, extra features and price.
Sound quality
Sound quality is a subjective consideration, but choose the wrong speaker setup and you'll find them boring to listen. Think about the kind of sound you like and decide whether you enjoy a big bass sound, one with clear dialog and vocals, or a speaker setup that has a bright or detailed top end. Everyone hears things differently, and the kind of sound you enjoy is personal to you.
It's also worth considering the environment you're placing the speakers in. Are they going to be placed on a desktop? Close to a wall? Or on dedicated speaker stands? As computer speaker are mostly used in near-field desktop arrangements with the speakers placed within a few feet way from the seating position, the size of the speaker matters too. Also consider the environment the speakers are placed in. Speaker placement has a surprisingly big influence on the sound it produces. If you want it to perform its best, it's important to consider proximity to boundary walls as well as the material a speaker is placed on.
Power output is also something to consider. Generally speaking, the greater the figure the better they will be at handling complex audio signals and filling a room with sound. Most computer speakers will outperform those built-in to a laptop or monitor.
Although improving the working from home experience may be your main criteria, gamers may also enjoy the extra depth a set of dedicated computer speakers can bring to their favorite titles. Online gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, and you may want a set of desktop speakers that come with a subwoofer (2.1) or a full multi-channel speaker system with front and surround speakers with a subwoofer (5.1) to heighten the gaming environment for a more immersive and engaging experience.
Features
Extra features tend to come as standard in more expensive speakers, but even cheaper models can have them. The most common extra feature are some kind of tone or dedicated bass and treble controls, but you can also have remote controls, wireless functionality via Bluetooth (or even Wi-Fi) and RGB lighting.
Another is the number and type of inputs they support. Ideally you want to see a pair of stereo RCAs for analog sources as well as optical digital connectivity and/or a USB port. A headphone socket on the front is also a useful addition.
None of these features are strictly necessary, but some can make your life a lot easier, especially if you're looking to turn your computer into a studio powerhouse.
Price
Cheaper, less elaborate systems can sometimes offer decent sound quality, but the sound output is often not particularly well nuanced, and the maximum volume is sometimes not loud enough to fill your listening space or impactful enough for your activity. More elaborate systems tend to offer refined high frequencies, deeper bass and good vocal clarity. A great-sounding pair of computers speakers should sound balanced across the entire frequency range, with no band of frequencies sounding more powerful than another.
How we test the best computer speakers
To an extent, testing to find the best computer speakers isn’t that different to testing one of the best Bluetooth speakers or even a soundbar. We’re looking for high audio quality across a range of uses, from making sure voices are clear in video calls to the speakers’ music, movie and gaming performance. We’ll play a variety of different media, including multiple musical genres, to identify any sonic strengths and weaknesses.
We also examine how easy it is to set up a pair (or multi-speaker set) of computer speakers, but generally you shouldn’t need any special knowledge to get them up and running.
Generally, we try to spend a few days using each speaker set on a desktop/home office setup, to fully replicate the conditions in which you’d use them yourself.
Once our testing is complete, we rate the best computer speakers based on our five-point system (1 = worst, 5 = best). Products that hit nearly every mark are awarded an Editor's Choice badge.
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