Nearly 200 of you sounded off in the nomination round to help us find your five favorite computer speaker systems. But there can only be one, so check out the nominees, vote at the bottom of the post, and turn up the volume in the comments to stump for your pick.
Note: A lot of you liked Logitech’s G506, but we excluded it because it was a full 5.1 system, and not something you could fit on a computer desk. We also didn’t include any unpowered bookshelf speakers that required a separate amp.
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
I’ve had these since 2010 and have been really happy with them...although they have too much bass. The sub will shake your house and you’ll hear them upstairs, downstairs, and outside. That’s nice, but it also kinda sucks, since you can’t really use much of the full potential of these speakers without disturbing your housemates and/or neighbors. But they still sound pretty good when at a low volume even though they’re most fun when you turn them up loud and listen to them. - nighttimeistherighttime
Love mine.
My only qualms are the brighter than the sun LED (which I covered with electrical tape) and the fact that the power button is on the sub, which is a slight inconvenience. Oh, and yeah, they are a little too bassy for a second floor apartment, but that’s more my neighbor’s problem than mine ;) - Garrett Davis
Harman Kardon Soundsticks III
Worth noting that this design was so well regarded that they sit in the MOMA too. I’ve had a set of Soundsticks since 1.0, and I love them. I have a 2.0 version too, but the 1.0's are still going strong! I have had countless coworkers remark how amazing they sound, and I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve been hot and cold on the design of them, but when they remind me of the Day of the Tentacle tentacles! - lonememe
Where do you put the weed? - Labcat
M-Audio AV-40 Studio Reference Monitors
As a bare minimum, a lot of gamers go with a 2.1 system. But while the subwoofer is great for picking up those booming lows and making the floor rumble, those of us who are limited on space but still want good sound fidelity are covered by monitor speakers. They carry enough low end on their own to make up for the lack of a subwoofer, have sturdy construction, and can be used for audio production as well, so gamers who double as musicians will find them very handy. Besides a 3.5mm Aux In port, they also feature rear 1/4" and RCA inputs as well as a headphone jack. They’re capable of putting out a lot of sound without distorting or crackling, too. - Scuba Steeeve
They are very musical and work well with a wide variety of music types. I have three 27" monitors so I ended up elevating them above that, so they now benefit from a subwoofer... So they share a big sub with another system now. - bvocal
Logitech Z623
This is really the only answer that matters here. THX certification seemed gimicky before buying it, however they are INCREDIBLE. - Legun
Have neighbours that play annoying persian music loud at times, bought those speakers and got spotify on my laptop.
Dear neighbours, how does 8 hours of K-pop sound ? no ? ok, the complete set of bee gees then ? no ? Deadmouse it is then. ;) - Roberth
Logitech Z323
Bought some 3 years ago or so when I first built my desktop, still using today. Though I am thinking of an upgrade to 5.1 now that I am moved out of my parents.
They are reasonably sized, slick/stylish and come with a surprisingly powerful sub that doesn’t compromise space (so it currently sits on the desk behind my monitors.
Nothing especially unique about them as they are fitted with what you’ll find in most 2.1's for the price range but they are yet to fail me and I find they really pack a punch. - VerticalSynapse
Yeah these are good, I got the z313 for like $29 bucks they’re nearly the same minus the extra driver on the left and right channel. Solid performance all around. - Livineasy629