Like many people during the pandemic, a few of us here at Audio Advice joined a certain exercise program. Okay, some of us bought Peloton bikes. We’re not made of stone. It looked fun! 

Peloton, as a platform, features a mounted monitor on the bike where you can choose your rides, including those with live and pre-recorded workouts. There is also an app for folks who want the Peloton experience, but may not have the budget for the bike.

Our CEO, Scott, decided to test out some wireless powered speakers with his Peloton setup at home. “I was so amazed at how much better the sound was,” he says, “It got me using my gym more often. I decided to test a host of wireless speakers and create this video on the best speaker systems for Pelotons and home gyms.”

How Can Good Speakers Enhance Your Workout?

The right soundtrack is absolutely everything when it comes to working out. Peloton, Beach Body, and other major players in the home workout program space have figured out how to create an engaging experience, including music mixes and instructors full of enthusiasm. 

Most equipment, however, has relatively low performance audio compared to what you can get with wireless powered speakers. 

“I’ve ridden in the Peloton studio twice and it was incredibly fun with the high performance speakers pumping out great music,” Scott says. He wanted to recreate the high-energy soundstage from the New York studio at his home gym.

What’s Setup Like for A Home Gym?

You can use a 3.5mm plug to connect most powered speakers systems to a Peloton or similar equipment. However, most people will want the speakers farther away and won’t want the cord in the way. No one likes getting tangled on the treadmill.

 We included wireless powered speakers with Bluetooth 5 wireless or higher, which has low enough latency that there is not a substantial lip sync issue between what you see on a screen and what you hear from the speakers. 

Additionally, if you are going to invest to enjoy music in your room, you will want a left and right speaker so you can hear everything in stereo. To get the best experience, you will want speaker stands that raise the speakers up so your ears are in the dispersion pattern of the speaker whether you are on a bike, treadmill, standing or on a bench.

JBL Partybox Encore Essential Portable Speaker

The Encore Essential currently retails for Regular Price $299.95 $299.95 a piece, so if you set these up as a stereo pair, it will cost you around $600, plus the cost of stands if you don’t have a good cabinet to put them on. 

If you like the look of the Encore Essential but want more power or bass, then check out our review on the entire JBL Partybox line up, which includes the Encore plus the larger 110, 310 and 710 which each progressively bring more power and capability.

Klipsch The Sevens Powered Speakers

Like all of the speakers in this video, you can flip a switch and change which speaker is the primary, in case anything you connect to is closer to one speaker than the other. They support high-res audio with 24bit/192hz resolution. 

What makes these stand apart and make this list is that they are generally considered, “soundbar killers,” meaning the soundstage is deeper and better than almost any soundbar and are easily controlled by a television via their HDMI-ARC connection. While not likely used in a home gym, these do come with a phono input, meaning that you can plug a turntable straight into them without having to purchase a separate phono stage. These have the Klipsch signature sound with powerful drivers and high output capability. One point to note is that if you plan to regularly bounce back and forth between inputs, bear in mind that you set the volume using the remote or the dial on the top so when you switch to Bluetooth, you may need to turn up the volume on both your Peloton and on the speakers to get maximum output. Most people will just set the speaker volume to midway and use their bluetooth device to move volume up and down. 

Additionally, these do not have Chromecast or Apple Airplay2. If your preferred method of playing music while you workout is to stream via Chromecast or AirPlay2, you can still do it over the Bluetooth connection, but not as built-in apps. 

The Klipsch Sevens Powered speakers come in both black and walnut finishes as part of the Klipsch Heritage-inspired line of products. If you like the look of these speakers, but want more output, Klipsch The Nines are basically the same, but bigger with an 8” woofer for more bass output. The Sevens go for and their bigger brother, The Nines, go for . Both the Sevens and The Nines also have a subwoofer output. If you have a larger workout room and want more bass, you can easily connect a matching subwoofer. Be sure to check out our full overview and comparison of The Sevens and The Nines.

JBL 4305P & 4329P Powered Speakers

If you’ve ever wanted to put a great hifi system into your home, but never had the right place for it, this is your shot. These speakers combine all of the components of an audiophile-grade hifi system into the speakers and combine them with super high performance speaker drivers. The end result is nothing short of spectacular. 

Like Klipsch The Sevens and The Nines, the JBL 4305P and 4329P powered speakers use the same inputs and electronics, but the 4329P speakers are larger. The 4305P uses a 1” compression driver with a high-definition imaging horn combined with a 5.25” Pure-pulp Black Paper Cone Woofer with a Cast-frame. 

The 4329P powered speakers include a slightly better 1-inch compression driver and features a larger 8” woofer. It’s important to understand the level of components JBL included in these speakers. These speakers use digital to analog converters, called DACs, to convert the digital audio stream to the analog you hear with audiophile grade 24bit/192khz resolution. 

Now let’s talk about the inputs. First, they have a pair of balanced XLR inputs and 1/4 “ phono plugs. In addition, you get a 3.5mm analog input, a Toslink digital input, and an asynchronous USB input for use with computer audio. These powered speakers have Bluetooth 5.1 for connecting to your Peloton. What also sets these apart from other powered speakers is that they can play lossless CD quality or higher resolution music over your network using Apple Airplay2 or Google Chromecast from your phone, iPad or computer. 

This is simpler than you might think, allowing you to easily stream music to these speakers while you workout, which sounds dramatically better than what you can get over Bluetooth from your Peloton stream. 

You pick up a few key features with the higher-priced JBL powered speakers. Like the Partybox speakers, each speaker has its own electrical plug. Unlike the Klipsch models, they can be connected wirelessly so you don’t have to run cables connecting them. 

That said, you can connect them using an ethernet cable, which is included, to step up the resolution from 24bit/96k to 24bit/192k. 

These speakers measure incredibly well with flat frequency response across the spectrum, producing a neutral sound with totally controlled massive power. The JBLs have such great controlled dispersion that the left and right speakers can be placed either narrow or very wide, depending on how your home gym is set up. 

With all that said, the JBL powered speakers don’t come with an HDMI-arc connection. You can connect them through an optical cable, but that means another remote on your stationary bike’s pedestal or treadmill. These come in both black and walnut finishes. The JBL 4305P powered speakers go for Regular Price Regular Price $2,200.00 Final Price $2,200.00 and the 4329P powered speakers go for Regular Price Regular Price $4,500.00 Final Price $4,500.00 .

Where Should I Put Powered Speakers in My Home Gym?

If you really want the best possible stereo audio experience with any of these speakers and you want the voicing to come straight from the center, you will want your Peloton or other stationary equipment equidistant from each speaker. 

Furthermore, for a speaker to sound great, you want to make sure that nothing blocks the sound from the speaker to your ears. That’s why we recommend speaker stands. This will give you extra flexibility on placement and sound stage, with the speakers pointing closer to ear and eye level.

Summary

Any of the powered or wireless speakers we’ve mentioned would be a great fit for your home gym. In truth, you really don’t need expensive equipment for a killer workout, but a great playlist that can be heard loud and clear is priceless.

If you have any questions, call 888.899.8776, chat with us, or stop by our award-winning showrooms and we’d be happy to help.