How To Choose the Right Computer Speakers?

The computer speaker market now offers a huge number of options. There are proven brands and models, and there are hundreds of nameless and unknown ones. When choosing, it is first important to understand why you need speakers.

What are the best speakers for a computer?

For a computer, of course. But you can “dig” deeper. Are there any types of gaming computer speakers? The easiest way is to separate them by the number, in fact, of the columns in the set: 2.0, 2.1, 5.1.

For most users, 2.0 (2 speakers) and 2.1 (2 speakers + 1 subwoofer) systems will work best. It is desirable that the cases are not plastic, the controls are conveniently located, and the length of the wires is enough. Oh yes, and to sound good.

It goes without saying that computer acoustics are most often not ideal for music: a noticeable emphasis on low frequencies, not the highest sound quality. Their main purpose is to voice games and movies. Although, of course, only the worst options (which we do not consider) are not at all suitable for listening to music.

Decide what you are buying speakers for

Before buying speakers, decide for what purpose this is being done. It’s one thing to improve the sound quality when talking on Skype or just creating background music. In this case, it is realistic to get by with small desktop speakers at a low cost. Moreover, in the most portable version, they do not even need a separate power source – you can choose speakers that connect to a sound source (and this is usually a computer or laptop) via USB and receive power from it. In other cases, a fixed network is used for power supply.

If we are talking about not just forming a sound background, but creating a correct and high-quality sound picture, you need to choose 2.0 stereo speakers with a good frequency range and power rating or look towards the 2.1 formats. For those who dream of a realistic sound picture when watching movies or playing on a computer and console games, speakers are available in the form factor 5.1 and more. It is worth noting that this is not necessary for high-quality music playback. A good 2.1 speaker system will handle any sound material perfectly.

Deciding on the format of the speaker system

Having decided on why you need columns, you should determine what system format you need. You must choose between formats 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, and 7.1. Let’s see what they are:

• 2.0 – stereo speakers. Reproduce sound, the quality, and power of which depends on the design of the speakers. Equipped with a different number of speakers, depending on the price. In the simplest configuration, one speaker per speaker is installed. The maximum number depends on the design and the number of strips.
• 2.1 – also provide stereo sound reproduction, but the kit includes an additional low-frequency subwoofer speaker. The subwoofer outputs low-frequency sound, while the two stereo speakers output high and mid frequencies.
• 5.1 is an extended version of 2.1 systems. To form a three-dimensional sound picture, two rear speakers and one in the center are added. To use such acoustics, you need to have a place to accommodate, the ability to connect, as well as the appropriate material. The audio source must generate multi-channel audio, which is usually done using special decoders, such as DTS.
• 7.1 is a further development of the 5.1 systems, which adds two rear speakers. They allow you to get an even more impressive sound picture, provided that the appropriate source material is available.