Bookshelf speakers, on the other hand, typically work passively and require a separate amp. That means whatever music you want to hear through them needs to be put through the amp first, which then connects to the speakers. They're more expensive and take up more space once you finish the setup, but the benefit is much more powerful and clear sound. It has a versatile trapezoidal shape, which means you can use it as a front-facing monitor or on its side. This speaker set comes with different mounting options as well. The speaker can pump out some serious volume, although distortion is a serious issue if you take it any higher than 80%.

This gripe aside, the build quality is solid all around. The speaker grill is sturdy and cool looking, and the case is magnetically shielded against digital interference.These are so small that you could easily toss them into a PC carry case or laptop bag in lieu of headphones. With just a single USB connection with no other cables, power supplies or any charging required, it's the easiest and most compact audio option for your Raspberry Pi. The vast majority of desktop speakers come in pairs. Some have accompanying subwoofers, but you won't likely have more than two or three satellites to deal with. Some serious gamers and cinephiles might want to look for a 5.1-channel (or higher) surround sound system, but the extra cost and inconvenience of placing all those speakers around the room isn't worth it for most users.

The Elegiant USB Sound Bar brings the convenient soundbar form factor into the world of portable audio. There’s nothing quite like true surround sound in movies and games that support it, and the Arena 9 does an excellent job of delivering immersive, directional audio that will make certain games come alive. (For audio sources that don’t support surround, the Arena 9 offers 5.1 upmixing, which converts stereo sound into multi-channel audio.) But even stereo sources sound great on the Arena 9, with clear, solid mids and nicely-rendered lows (thanks to the hefty subwoofer). The R980T model from the Edifier powered bookshelf speaker series is our lowest-priced product review.Before we even start to talk about audio quality, it should be known that these speakers don’t have the physical air displacement power to deliver clear audio at high volumes. These speakers are only 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.8 inches, making them the easiest speakers we’ve found to stow and carry. You could probably even fit them on a compact lap desk. Of course, this also means its drivers are pretty small too. You need to consider how much space you have for your speaker system and find a set with a suitable footprint. The last thing you need is a huge speaker system dominating a tiny space when you can get a much smaller option for half the price that will still sound amazing. Why did Arctic choose not to name their square USB speakers Ice Cubes? I’ll never know. Instead, we have the S111 speakers, which are a stylish and compact option for USB-powered audio. They can connect to your computer via either a 3.5mm cable or Bluetooth 4.0 wireless. They can be plugged into your laptop for power but they also have an internal battery that lasts about 12 hours total. The Katana SE is slim enough at just 3.1 inches (78mm) high to fit neatly under your desktop monitor — though it also comes with custom wall-mounting hardware for those who want to mount it under a monitor or TV. It features four drivers — two 4.3-inch (109mm) midrange drivers, and two 2.1-inch (54mm) tweeters — each of which is individually powered by dual DSP-controlled stereo amps. The result is clear, great-sounding audio and a soundbar that gets impressively loud: while the Katana SE managed a maximum of 74.5dBA at 50% volume in our testing, it hit a significantly higher maximum of 92.7dBA at 100% volume.

What matters is the sound. Both USB and 3.5mm are capable of producing excellent sound quality. It doesn’t matter whether which one you go for, so long as it sounds good and works for you.The volume goes quite a bit higher than your average laptop speakers, but leave something to be desired with their highest setting. In this modern era, a number of speakers are built-in or bus-powered, but to play audio at higher volume and maintain great quality, you're going to need a top powered speaker. When it comes to speakers, we usually crave better volume than a personal audio device (such as headphones) gives us, so we need to consider a good output level that ideally doesn't guzzle power and doesn't distort at loud levels.