Compact speakers for laptops
All of the aforementioned computer speakers can be used with a laptop, but because of their size, they're best left in one place. If you need to take PC speakers with you, a few portable notebook speakers exist. Some computer speakers can double as iPod speakers, but we mostly cover these in a separate report on iPod speakers. These have a line-in port for connecting an MP3 player, but some have a dedicated iPod dock as well.
For the best balance of price, performance and portability, experts and owners recommend the Logitech Z305 (*Est. $50) . This bar-shaped speaker clips to the top of your laptop's screen and plugs into its USB port for power and audio (there's also a 3.5 mm stereo jack). About.com's Lisa Johnston praises its "warm, even sound," and she agrees with CNET's Justin Yu that there's no bass distortion or rattling like with the cheaper Logitech Z205 (*Est. $30) .
Logitech claims "room-filling, 360-degree sound" for its Z305 speaker. Yu says it's more like "reasonable volume ... but it's definitely far better than any laptop speaker we've heard. If you don't plug it in expecting Bose-quality surround sound, the Z305 lives up to its marketing claims with impressive range across several different genres." At about 13 inches long and 1.5 inches thick, with a stowaway USB cord and its own carrying case, reviews say the Z305 slips easily into a laptop bag.
A runner-up option is the Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 (*Est. $80) , a lap desk, cooling fan and speaker all in one. It plugs into your laptop's USB port -- no power cord or batteries required. As with the Z305, you won't get audiophile-quality sound, but experts and owners agree that the N700's built-in speaker sounds loud and clear, and the fan works so quietly that testers can barely detect it (you can also turn the fan off). The N700 is a top pick at both About.com and Tech2.com, and it earns an impressive 4.5-star rating (out of 5) from 200 owners at Amazon.com. TrustedReviews.com's Andy Vandervell says the N700 would have gotten an award there, too, but Vandervell found it just a little too heavy and expensive.
If you're looking for something cheap but decent, the Altec Lansing BXR1220 (*Est. $15) impresses owners at Newegg.com and Amazon.com, and CNET editors award it a spot on their list of the best laptop speakers. For $15, you get a pair of fairly compact, can-shaped speakers (about 5 inches long each) on fixed-tilt stands. They plug into your laptop's USB port, but they don't clip on.
"The BXR1220s have you covered if you're just looking for a simple set of computer speakers to listen to music and videos; just make sure you're not expecting too much," CNET's Justin Yu says. "They're not going to power a dance party, but they're certainly better than the tinny speakers built into most laptops." Most owners report that they're happy with their BXR1220 speakers, but in a test at TechTree.com the sound starts to crack once the volume cranks past 40 percent -- and reviewer Frazier Barretto doesn't think they sound all that great at low volume, either. "The highs are poor and so are the lows," so Barretto doesn't recommend them for listening to music, although they'd be fine for watching movies.
