Computer Speakers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Computer Speakers. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best Computer Speakers, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for Computer Speakers. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and Computer Speakers prices.

Where to Buy

Fast Answers

Full Story

All Reviews

Computer Speakers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Computer Speakers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Sweet PC Sound Brian Bennett and editors of PC Magazine Feb. 22, 2008		This review roundup focuses on new and noteworthy PC speakers, as well as older, top performing models. Each computer speaker gets only a little description and context here, but links lead to full reviews. Most of those reviews are detailed, though a few are disappointingly short. All speakers receive an Editor's Rating, which makes it easier to compare speakers. PC Magazine also awards Editors' Choice designations to the very best products, including PC speakers, but no current products qualify. Despite that, the oddly shaped Harman/Kardon Soundsticks II gets a perfect score, but its review is among the shorter and least helpful ones on the site. The review of the Logitech G51 5.1 PC speaker system is much more complete, and the system is well regarded by the reviewer. Many additional single-product reviews can be found here as well. Most are well done, and all have ratings so you can see where the speakers stack up against each other.

Computer Speakers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Computer Speakers Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. CNet.com	Editors' Top PC Speakers Rich Brown and Editors of CNet.com Mar. 2008		CNet.com editors offer product information and user reviews for many different models and types of computer speakers, with their top choices listed on this page of Top PC Speakers. Though recently updated, all of the PC speakers listed here are older -- but still current -- models. CNet.com continues to review computer speakers, especially multimedia PC speakers, but the pace seems to have slowed down and in the editors' eyes, few newer choices rise to the level of the speakers listed here. The Logitech Z-2300 gets the highest rating, with a nearly unattainable reviewer rating of "spectacular" and a score of 9.0. The Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks II system and the Logitech Z-10 also score well. Though not on this list, the Logitech Z-5500 also gets a good rating, but is expensive. Some of the individual reports are more detailed than others, but all cover the important points and seem balanced and fair.
3. MaximumPC.com	Speaker Reviews Michael Brown As of Apr. 2008		This high-adrenaline and often irreverent PC magazine sister-site publishes single-product reviews every couple of months. Though Michael Brown rarely tests computer speakers side-by-side, each speaker system receives a rating that provides some means of comparison. Among recent reviews, the highest rating goes to the Audioengine A5 Speaker System, an iPod speaker system that Brown says makes an excellent computer speaker system as well. The Yamaha NX-U10 USB portable speakers are "nifty," but overpriced.
4. Techtree.com	Speaker Reviews Editors of TechTree.com As of Apr. 2008		This Indian website is a fairly solid source for computer speaker reviews. The reviews have good detail and cover all of the essentials. Each speaker gets a rating, and many of the single product reports compare speakers to their closest competitors. Many, but not all of the PC speaker systems are sold in the U.S. The Altec Lansing VS2421 is among those that score well here. Reviewer Frazier Barretto found these speakers to be an excellent value for the price, suitable for anyone looking for good sound on a budget.
5. Techgage.com	Latest Speakers/Headphones Articles Editors of Techgage.com As of Apr. 2008		While Techgage doesn't test as many PC speakers as some other sites, the reviews are richly detailed and very balanced. We especially like that reviews contain detailed information about the test set-up, something that's often omitted in other reports. Ratings are provided, but there's no easy way to compare them and computer speakers seem to be graded on a curve; cheap price mitigates poor performance in some reports.

Computer Speakers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Computer Speakers Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. PC World >> Details/Subscribe	Surround Sound Speakers Give PCs Big Audio Narasu Rebbapragada Apr. 2006		This older review roundup rates and ranks six 5.1 channel surround sound computer speaker systems. Each gets a brief overview comment and a numerical score. Links lead to a full review, which discusses each system's strong and weak points and puts the results of PC World's testing into context. The Logitech Z-5500 gets the top grade here and a Best Buy rating. Reviewer Narasu Rebbapregada writes, "Logitech's Z-5500 presents an optimal mix of sound and features," adding that they are especially good for bass-heavy listening. The Creative Gigaworks ProGamer G500 is also a good value, though it is best for stereo music. Some of the PC speakers listed are now discontinued, but this is PC World's most recent report.
7. Pocket-Lint.co.uk	Speaker Reviews Editors of Pocket-lint.co.uk As of Apr. 2008		This UK website isn't the easiest to use; computer speakers don't get their own category and even searches turn up lots of unrelated products. Also, the reviews, while not bad, lack the depth and insight of some we rate higher. Still Pocket-lint is worth a visit since the site reviews a lot of newer speakers that some others miss. While head-to-head comparisons are rare, a ten-step rating system helps readers pick out winners on their own, and the editors aren't too bashful about criticizing PC speakers where appropriate. Not all speakers are available in the U.S. The Creative GigaWorks T40 is one that is and scores high enough to earn the site's Hot Product award. The Acoustic Energy Aego M-System is another Hot Product, but that British-made computer speaker system is hard to find stateside.
8. TomsGuide.com	Multimedia Speaker Kits From Klipsch and Creative: Can 2.0 Still Cut It? Jean-Pierre Roche May 9, 2006		In this two-speaker roundup, Jean-Pierre Roche checks out a couple of two-channel PC speaker setups, neither of which have a subwoofer. The report is detailed, and includes the results of both bench and listening tests. Roche says that while the Creative Gigaworks T20 and Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.0 are similar, they are also "quite different." The Creative computer speakers are said to be best for high quality at low volumes, while the Klipsch speakers get much louder, but have a more strident lower end. In the end Roche says buying either PC speaker system "only makes sense if you absolutely want to do without a subwoofer," adding that there are better 2.1 systems at around the same price.
9. Tom’s Hardware Guide	New Generation PC 5.1 Speaker Systems Don Woligroski Jan. 19, 2007		Don Woligroski examines the Logitech's Z-5450, Creative's G550W (which has since been discontinued) and Altec Lansing's FX5051 in this review. The article is richly detailed and well illustrated, but ultimately fails to name a best choice. Woligroski instead notes that each of these PC speaker systems has particular strengths and features. "If a buyer knows what his or her needs are and buys one of these systems accordingly, I can't imagine he or she being disappointed with any of them," he concludes.
10. EverythingUSB.com	Portable & Not So Portable USB Speakers Scott Clark As of Apr. 2008		Everything USB lists five computer speaker systems on this page, but only reviews three of them in depth: the Logitech Z-10 and V20 2-channel speaker systems, and the 5.1-channel Altec Lansing FX5051. That's a shame, because the few reviews that are here are fairly well done. Though no ratings are provided, and the speakers are not compared, positives and negatives are detailed, and a review verdict clearly spells out what the reviewer thinks of each speaker system.
11. Amazon.com	Speakers Contributors to Amazon.com As of Apr. 2008		Amazon.com lets users post reviews of computer speakers that they own. Many of the listed PC speakers get lots of feedback, which makes it easier to spot top choices. That said, many speakers score similarly -- and surprisingly highly -- so separating out the winners is a bit of a challenge. On the other hand, losers tend to stick out like a sore thumb. User-review sites like Amazon.com are particularly useful in identifying better performing cheap speakers since many are rarely covered in professional reviews.
12. OnSpeakers.com	Computer Speakers Editors of OnSpeakers.com As of May 2007		We are a little disappointed to see so few PC speaker reviews at a site dedicated to reviewing all types of speakers. In addition, the most recent report dates back to May 2007. Of the five PC speakers profiled, the Harman/Kardon Soundsticks II emerges as a clear choice. The site claims its reviews are honest, and we have to give the unnamed reviewers credit as not even the top pick escapes without some criticism. That said, we found more information elsewhere, and sometimes the reviews read more like user-written commentary than professional evaluations.

Computer Speakers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Computer Speakers Ratings Comments on Reviews

13. Digital Trends.com	Speaker Systems Editors of DigitalTrends.com As of Apr. 2008		This review site lists lots of PC speakers, however only a handful have actually been reviewed by editors. The others have either received user reviews or no reviews at all. In addition, most of the reviews are quite old and many of the reviewed speakers are discontinued. A very recent review of the Logitech G51 is an exception. It does a decent job of looking at performance and features from a user's point of view. While we would like to see still more detail, the report at least looks at performance for movies, music and gaming. An older review of the Logitech Z-5500 still has some relevance as well.
14. Newegg.com	Speakers Contributors to Newegg.com As of Apr. 2008		Newegg.com is another retailer site that allows owners to post reviews. It has advantages and disadvantages compared to Amazon.com. On the plus side, posters here tend to have more technical savvy because the site caters to computer and electronics enthusiasts. In addition, reviewers are required to include information on their level of technical knowledge and how long they've owned/used a product. On the other hand, most computer speakers have fewer reviews than at Amazon.com, making it more difficult to spot trends.
15. Epinions	Computer Speakers Contributors to Epinions As of Apr. 2008		While Amazon.com and Newegg.com are retailer-hosted review sources, Epinions is an independent site that invites consumers to review products. On the plus side, many of the reviews written here are longer and more thoughtful than the reviews at the retailer sites. On the negative side, traffic is much lower here and many computer speakers get one or two reviews -- though some older models get more. That brings us to Epinions' other shortfall -- many computer speakers re-mailn listed long after they are discontinued. Still, Epinions might be a good site to troll once you've narrowed down your options.
16. Hardware Tech Review.com	Speaker Reviews Editors of Hardware Tech Review.com As of Apr. 2008		HardwareTechReview is a new blog dedicated to reviewing computer hardware. Several PC speakers have already received coverage here, but the reviews are of variable quality. Some are no better than news releases or PR fluff. Others, such as a report on the Altec Lansing VS2421, show at least a little hands-on testing. However, even the best write-ups lack the depth of reviews we rate higher. The fact that the reviews are all fairly positive and that the review "team" is completely anonymous doesn't inspire much confidence in the credibility of the reporting.