Best computer speakers 2022: Upgrade your laptop audio and bring cinematic sound to your home office

A stylish pair of bookshelf speakers with a classic design and shape, the Audioengine A2+ will look the part on any desk. They can even be propped up on optional desktop wedges to ensure they’re pointing directly toward your head as you work. More importantly, they sound sublime, especially for a modest stereo system without a subwoofer. The 2.75in woofers and 0.75 tweeters combined with 60W peak output and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity give impressive performance whether you’re listening to music or wading through a day of Zoom meetings.

An incredibly attractive pair of vintage cabinet speakers, the Edifier R1010BT would fit right into any Scandi-inspired work-from-home cubby. Available in black or brown wood grain finish, they’re designed to be seen as well as heard – and they sound as good as they look.

The 106mm bass driver and 13mm tweeter produce great all-round audio quality, with smooth sounding highs and detailed mids well-suited for music and entertainment. Bluetooth is the primary way to connect as the speakers lack a basic 3.5mm connector. Instead you’ve got dual stereo line-in, as well as on-board knobs for bass and volume.

Founded in 1985, British-brand Ruark is known for producing statement hi-fi systems and DAB radios inspired by mid-century contemporary design. The handcrafted wooden cabinets and fabric covers of the second iteration MR1 Bluetooth speakers might look like they‘ve arrived from the 1960s, but they hide modern conveniences such as optical input for high-res audio and, you guessed it, Bluetooth connectivity.

We like the simplicity of the automatic standby feature, as well as how the speakers will automatically reconnect to the most recently used device when they’re turned on. It’s a small detail that means you can set these up with a computer, a laptop, or a Bluetooth turntable, and forget about having to fiddle around with connections and inputs every time you switch from home working to office working.

Comprising two satellite speakers and a breadbin-sized subwoofer, the Logitech G560 gaming speaker set is here to make some noise. The 2.1 system puts on an eye-catching RGB lightshow too. The stereo speakers have backfill lights and internal accent lights that can be set to respond to whatever’s happening on-screen. Explosions in Call of Duty send pulsating red flashes up the wall, lush forest environments turn the speaker lights a cool shade of green, and Excel spreadsheets bathe your desk in clinical, white light.

Immersive lighting aside, the G560 sound great too, if a little on the bassy side. The subwoofer delivers room-thumping low-ends, while the satellites can manage impressively cinematic virtual surround sound even when spaced at desk-width.

Need a very cheap pair of speakers that aren’t complete rubbish? Okay, so that’s hardly the most towering of recommendations, but our pick of the super-budget speakers is the Creative pebble V3, which manage to deftly walk the line between affordability and quality.

The plump, egg-shaped body of these stereo speakers gives them decent volume and a full sound for a USB-powered pair of speakers costing less than £30. While the lack of a sub means you’re not going to be hosting a DJ night in Marbella with them any time soon, they’ve got enough range to breath some life and warmth into your conference calls.

When desktop real estate is at a premium and you simply refuse to find somewhere else to put your calathea, you need a discreet soundbar that’s only slightly wider than a standard keyboard. The Mackie CR stealthbar is thin and compact enough to slip beneath your screen and offers crisp, clean-sounding audio with a decent bass response for its small size.

Connectivity is great, with options to connect using Bluetooth, USB-C or a standard 3.5mm cable. There’s also a conveniently positioned 3.5mm headphone jack at the end of the speaker, which makes it easy to switch over to a more private conversation or listen to your most embarrassing Spotify playlists in peace.

A speaker system designed to squeeze every last bit of detail out of gaming and entertainment audio, the Razer nommo chroma employs rear facing bass ports to produce outsized low-end performance for its size. Clear and bright directional audio helps deliver more accurate sound effects in games, which Razer suggests could improve your skills, but we can assure you it will only make your games sound a lot nicer.

Don’t overlook the Razer nommo chroma if you’re not a gamer. For the price, they’re also a pair of excellent all-round computer speakers that function just as well during video conferences as they do when chainsawing through demon hoards.

A pair of true wireless Bluetooth speakers, the Mitchell Acoustics ustream one are designed to fit neatly onto a shelf or desktop in your living room or study with minimal fuss. The left and right speakers are compact and each get their own dedicated mains plug, meaning they can be placed as far apart as required and don’t need any trailing, fussy cables connecting them together.

Once positioned where you want them, the ustream one can be controlled via your phone, laptop or computer’s Bluetooth connection – ideal for working from home with a laptop you plan on moving around a lot. For a more permanent setup, the speakers also support optical and wired 3.5mm connections. More importantly, they sound excellent. Boisterous bass drivers and clear-sounding 38mm soft-dome tweeters do justice to your music collection and elevate the audio of your virtual meetings.

The Trust Tytan 2.1 combines a pair of sleek 7in speakers with a medium-sized subwoofer to produce surprisingly decent stereo sound for the price. More discerning audiophiles will find better fidelity elsewhere in our list, but for general use the Tytan’s output is loud and clear enough for music, entertainment and gaming, especially for such an inexpensive set.

The basic model doesn’t feature wireless Bluetooth connections, so you’ll only be able to use it with devices that feature a standard 3.5mm jack. The cables you need are all in the box, along with the power cable required to power the subwoofer, so setup is painless.