The Best Speakers for Your Home Gym
The right soundtrack is absolutely everything when it comes to working out. Check out our picks for the best speakers for your home gym.
...If you have ever tried to watch a YouTube video on your desktop or laptop, you probably figured out pretty quickly the sound from the speakers in your computer are just terrible! They usually sound incredibly tinny with no bass at all. Of course, that is to be expected from speakers that are usually smaller in size than a dime!
Most of us spend hours every day in front of our computers both for work and entertainment. Working can be a lot more fun if we have some good music playing in the background and obviously watching a movie or YouTube video is a lot better experience with great sound.
If your computer hangs out in the same area where you like to kick back and listen to music, adding a pair of decent speakers may be just the ticket for getting some good sound into your living space. With computer speakers, the connections are very easy as the speakers have the amplifier and switching built into the speaker. All you have to do is get sound from your computer to them and provide them with power and you are up and running.
There are over 1000 models of computer speakers on the market today. Most of them are an upgrade from the tiny speakers in your computer, but we decided to focus on the ones that sound as good as speakers you would want to put in a home audio system.
To make the cut, these needed to have a very easy way to connect up to your computer and be simple to control. We felt like the speaker system needed to have a USB connection, which makes connecting them super simple. The USB connection also lets you turn up the speaker’s volume control then simply use the volume level on your computer to adjust the output level. All of the models we suggest have a USB DAC built-in for an easy connection.
They also needed to sound great with music and not tire us out if we had them playing for 4-6 hours continuously. We’ve found a lot of inexpensive speakers start to grate on our ears after 30 minutes or so due to some kind of distortion in their cheap speaker components. We wanted them to be able to fit pretty easily on a desk, although we made a couple of exceptions for some models that can really rock the house when you want them to!
Finally, we gave out bonus points if the speakers included Bluetooth for a super easy connection you or your guests can use.
We fell in love with the new Peachtree speakers from the first time we heard them. The Peachtree team is a group of veteran audiophiles who have also designed some amazing sounding DAC’s and amps, which happen to be an integral part of powered speakers. No other company on this list makes both separate amps and DAC’s which we feel really gives Peachtree a leg up. These have bigger and better speaker components than the competition and the best array of inputs we had seen. The Peachtree M24 sports a 1” soft dome tweeter with a 4” woofer with a rear-firing tuned port. These have far more bass than the 3” models above and are just slightly larger. For their price, you will not find a better-sounding computer speaker — nothing comes close! Available in Gloss Black and Bamboo.
With the M25, we get into a speaker that can rival the sound of some great stereo speakers. With the audio heritage behind the Peachtree team, you can tell they put everything they know about building amps, DAC’s and speakers into the M25. With this even bigger and better sound, comes a bigger speaker. The Peachtree M25 has a soft dome tweeter with a 5 ½” woofer. The woofer alone is wider than the boxes on some of the smaller models on this list, so as you might expect, the cabinet size gets bigger. But, that bigger woofer and cabinet deliver far more room-filling bass and impact than anything near their price. . If you are looking for a speaker that can serve as a great audio system too, the M25 should be at the top of your list. These were designed by audiophiles and you’ll know this when you first turn them on, they just sound fantastic! Available in gloss black or bamboo.
The Kanto YU2 has to be one of the neatest looking computer speakers out there. With their 4 distinctive color choices, they can either hide away or stand out on your desktop! We love the silk dome tweeter and its very smooth top end that is complemented by a 3” composite woofer. Bass output is great for a $220 pair of speakers so these will be a HUGE improvement over the speakers in your laptop or desktop. They actually can play pretty loud too, but the little 3” woofer will start to break up (as you would expect) if you push them super hard. But there is no question, for under $250 a pair, these are fantastic and like all Kanto’s, very musical.
Audioengine pretty much invented the computer speaker decades ago and their products have always sounded unbelievable for the price. The A2+ Wireless is a new version of their best selling A2+ with the A2+ Wireless adding Bluetooth. The bass you get out of this little speaker is very impressive. We think the combination of the Aramid fiber woofer and their slotted front port has a lot to do with their impressive deep bass performance. The Bluetooth receiver built into these has the longest range of any we have ever tested which means no dropouts until you get out in the yard. Available in matte black, gloss white and gloss red
Audioengine speakers are award-winning products. This one takes the same speaker drivers from the A2+, and puts them in a bigger and better-braced wood-veneer cabinet with upgraded amps that Audioengine precisely tuned.
The difference is substantial. It has great bass and smooth sound for a medium-sized box. If you don’t want a larger speaker sitting on your desk, but you still want something that delivers better performance than a smaller-sized speaker, the HD4 is just the ticket. They have Audioengine’s best-selling DAC built-in — the Audioengine D1 24-bit headphone DAC/Amp, and they have an extended Bluetooth range up to 100ft! Plus, we like the headphone jack on the front panel with a volume knob. Available in Satin Black, or Walnut.
Klipsch has been “waking the neighbors” with their powerful sound for decades. When they made a powered computer speaker, they wanted it to have the same characteristics. They used their patented 1" Aluminum LTS tweeters with their Square Tractrix Horns, coupled with their 4" Spun-Copper IMG Woofer. In a word, these guys rock! They are the largest speaker on this list and without question can rock the house better than anything else on the list. You can set them up naked to display the cool looking speaker components or use the included magnetic grills for a more discrete look. Only available in black.
If you want to get even bigger sound from your computer speakers, consider adding a subwoofer to them. All of our recommended models have a subwoofer out, so you could put the sub under your desk and greatly improve the bass performance. All you do is connect a single cable from the computer speaker to the subwoofer.
And if you already own a pair of computer speakers, learn how to upgrade the sound of powered speakers sound with our tips and tricks guide.
Audioengine A2+ Wireless Speaker Review
Audioengine HD3 Desktop Speaker System Review
Peachtree M24 and M25 Speaker Review
Kanto YU2 vs YU4 vs YU6 Speaker Comparison
If you’ve read through this entire article and still have questions, please feel free to chat with us -- not only are we happy to help you decide, but we love doing it!
The right soundtrack is absolutely everything when it comes to working out. Check out our picks for the best speakers for your home gym.
...The right pair of powered speakers are more than just great sound – they are investments. Learn about and shop our faves.
...Setting up Klipsch The Sevens or The Nines Powered Speakers is pretty straightforward. However, there are many fun tips & tricks most people don’t even know about. Whether you decide to use them as a soundbar alternative or a pair of computer speakers on your work desk, this quick setup guide will ensure you get the most impressive so...
The Klipsch The Sevens and The Nines High-Res Powered speakers pick up where the Fives left off. The Sevens offer easy connections for music, movies, and gaming, a beautiful, mid-century modern aesthetic, and the crystal clear, full soundstage you’ve come to expect from the Great American Speaker Company. Take a look at our review to learn mo...
Bowers & Wilkins speakers have been an Audio Advice favorite for over 4 decades. Their new 700 Series 3 is by far, their best 700 series yet. In this article, we will go over the new technology you’ll find, then get into each of the individual models to help you decide which one might be best for your system, room, and budget.
...If you’re just getting started with vinyl, a quality pair of powered speakers provides a solid foundation for a system you can grow with over time. Upgrading your speakers can enhance your vinyl listening experience.
Let’s take a closer look at three great brands that offer good powered speakers for turntables. Assuming you have an en...
As someone who works remotely, you spend hours a day in front of a computer. Work is easier and more satisfying when music is playing — cheering us on. Music motivates. By improving our ability to focus on solutions, music truly inspires us to work more efficiently — through the most challenging problems. With music, the work we complete is ...
Learn how to improve the sound of your powered computer speakers. Our tips and tricks will help you get better sound for your desktop music system. From simple set up tips to aftermarket stands, our ideas will bring out the best sound from your powered speakers.
...Experience made in Italy luxury and the Voice of Sonus Faber sound with their Lumina series. These beautiful yet affordable speakers are made by the same artisans who build their 100K+ speakers and share much of the same technology found in their very best speakers to produce their wonderful natural sound.
...The new Reference Premiere II line from Klipsch features updated woofer designs, enhanced cabinet bracing, and bigger, better horns to provide you with a more accurate and immersive experience while still maintaining the Klipsch signature sound.
...