How Much to Spend on Computer Speakers?

Like most sound-related services, you usually get what you pay for. If we buy at low prices, we sacrifice the quality of the sound, but if we put a price exuberant, we risk paying finally only for features and features that we will not need and we will not use probably not in the end. What we propose to you is to establish your budget, and then evaluate what you can really afford.

In the list of speakers we have established, we have included basic models, mid-range and high-end and classified according to your needs.

What matters to us is that you spend according to your needs, but that you are wise about the choices that are available to you in order to find what suits you best.

Can the built-in speakers to computers do the trick?

Excellent question! If you've taken a look at our ranking of this year's best gaming monitors, you may have noticed that some of them have built-in speakers. But does that mean that these speakers are suitable for gaming?

The answer is: not really. With the end profile very recent monitor models, it is impossible to equip a monitor housing of a driver DETAILED REPORT e quite correct. Of course, without a proper size pilot, it will be difficult to get a good sound. On top of that, the gaming monitor market is extremely competitive with price as a determining factor in consumer buying decisions.

As a result, companies are constantly looking to keep their prices low, which means most monitors do not have built-in speakers, and when they do, they are low speakers. range in order to keep production costs and sales low enough.

Can we use library speakers instead?

In fact, this is entirely possible and nothing prevents you from doing so, but the reason we have made a separate assessment for the speaker libraries is that they are not necessarily adapted to be associated with a pc or a computer.

The reason is very simple: most library speakers are passive and need external power to produce sound. That means they need amplifiers, and usually, it's a stereo amplifier. In this case, not only will it increase the cost but will also clutter you considering the cables and accessories that will hang around your desk.

Each of the speakers on this list is an active speaker. Each of them has its own amplifier, which means that you will not need any additional external power except for connecting your speaker to the AC power (or in some cases the USB port of your computer). computer). This is a real advantage when you want to improve the sound of your computer, for example, more than you have more space around your desk.

Of course, there is nothing stopping you from choosing the amplifier with the library speakers. Many amplifiers now include a USB connection, which means you can connect them directly to your computer and get absolute control over the sound. But if this is the path you decide to take, we would also recommend investing in an independent digital-analog converter. These have dedicated chips but its most effective when it comes to converting digital 1s and 0s to the sound that it is indeed possible to listen, which is a priori the goal of all that.

Speakers 2.0 or 2.1, what difference?

The 2.0 system corresponds to the left and right stereo channels while the 2.1 system corresponds to the left and right channels in addition to a subwoofer. But what does a subwoofer actually do (apart from causing a disturbance of public order)? The latter discharges heavy bass frequencies from small drivers (speakers) into your left and right satellites and redirects them to its own driver in a separate unit.

Should we really have a subwoofer?

The advantages of the subwoofer are that the sound you get will be more complete and more intense because the main purpose of your satellites is to provide you with medium and high frequencies, which allows them to ensure a better sound without distortion.

So, do you really need it? It depends on several factors. A subwoofer can offer you a more stimulating and immersive experience, but if your favorite hobby is watching podcasts, it's not essential. In this case, the 2.0 system will then be more than useful.

On the other hand, if you are looking for spectacular explosions while playing games, watching movies, or listening to loud music, then it becomes almost inevitable that you get a subwoofer. There are some options in the 2.0 system that provide very good responses in terms of sound without it becoming too intrusive like some features of the 2.1 system. The point to consider is the price: it will pay for this level of quality because it is less affordable in terms of price.

The sensitivity of the speakers

We recently studied the best gaming helmets this year. It will soon be available, and you will know what it means sensitivity or Acoustic Pressure Level (Sound Pressure Level - SPL).

Essentially, sensitivity is a measure of how an enclosure produces sound at a specific power level. Thus, the higher the level of sensitivity, the more the speakers will perform. In general, a higher sensitivity level indicates that the speaker quality is better, but this is not always the case.

This statistic should indeed be used with caution because of the variability of the power sources (amps, interfaces, etc.), the measurement of the sensitivity is not always a true representation of the sound level of the helmet. In addition, since the sensitivity is measured in decibels per milliwatt but the power supply of your PC is supplied in volts, the methods used by the companies to reach this value of sensitivity can be inconsistent, which does not help anyone to determine if speakers are suitable for them or not.

At this point, we would like to give you the best advice to choose from the multitude of speakers we offer: get hold of them and try them out. Order online, and if you're not happy, swap them for different ones. That said, any of our speakers are of high quality, guaranteed!