Hopefully you’re read my previous entry on what to do before you even start looking for speakers. Narrowing down your choices will make things a lot easier. Having your core needs pre-determined makes the selection process more about fulfilling supplementary criteria, rather than the basic requirements. Furthermore, you don’t want to spend your precious money on a set of fancy speakers only to find you don’t need all that power. I mean, that’s why we’re looking for CHEAP computer speakers here aren’t we? That said, at this point you would probably start comparison shopping; that is, searching at different online retail outlets for the best deals on the best products based on prices and consumer reviews. This is a fairly extensive process that can be quite time consuming and overwhelming. Luckily, if you’re in the market for good cheap computer speakers, we strive to do all that and bring you the best choices possible.

The SMART way of looking for your ideal product online only consists of one step: compare reviews and opinions. That’s about it. If you’re just a casual user, you shouldn’t have to know too much technological jargon involving S/N ratios, frequency responses, drivers or even power supply wattages. Think about it, if people feel qualified enough to post a review, chances are they’d already know enough about all these. Even if they’re not, you’re getting an honest review from a layman just like most of us. Sure, there are bound to be some dissenters who only put extreme scores due to a personal experiences but it’s easy to weed these out. 

A good way of starting would be to post in an audio or computer-based forum like Audio Forum for opinions, or browse through existing threads. Look through recommendations and search them at review sites like CNET and Test Freaks for professional and user reviews. Narrow your options further, and pick out the ideal one. Of course, this site also does all that, without the hassle of combing through a million other web pages, but it’s good to keep your options open.

If you want to be more specific about it, there are other things to look out for when searching online. It is still most efficient to read through reviews when taking these into account, however. Without getting into technical specifics (there’s another section for that), I’ll try to break down what else you should be searching for when browsing through your options:

1. Brand

No one wants to be labeled a brand-whore, but in the case of electronics it is often prudent to go with trustworthy brands. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be any better than no-name alternatives but in general this is true. Electronic brands build their image over years of high performance, so if it has a good reputation you can be certain it won’t be a bad product. Also important is that good brands often offer much better customer support, both in terms of warranties and servicing issues. With electronics, it would be preferable to get at least a year warranty on products in case of faulty wiring or parts, and support centres should be easily contactable. In addition, if it is a well-known brand/model, you can easily post a question online if you have a problem and people would be able to help you more easily as some might have encountered them before and may help in resolving the issue.

Examples of common, established brands for computer speakers are Creative Labs/Creative Technology, Logitech, Altec Lansing, Cyber Acoustics, and JBL.

2. Looks

Some people consider this an excessive superficiality, while other consider it the crux of their choice. If your entire room and/or computer setup is color-coordinated or themed, it might be crucial that your speakers fit in. For better or worse, most speakers are almost always entirely black, perhaps with matte silver accents. In fact it’s often the better choice when it comes to cheap speakers, as the really cheap, lousy ones tend to be this off-white, greyish shade that ages into a disgusting yellowish-brown tinge over time. Trust me, black is safe and timeless. Besides the color, some speakers are uniquely shaped, like domes or phalluses or otherwise. If that’s your thing, it would probably severely limit your choices but they do exist.

3. Controls/Peripherals

This is a bit more important. Most speakers come with a power switch and volume control, but you may need more utility controls on the speaker set itself. These may include basic EQ adjustments like bass and treble, central/surround volume control, a manual subwoofer control (very important in my opinion) and left/right balance. If you’re in a situation where you need to constantly switch between headphones and speakers, it would also be useful to have an audio-out/headphone jack so you don’t have to inconveniently reach around behind your PC to unplug your speaker’s cables. Many speakers these days also have an audio-in or MP3 jack for your headsets and MP3 players respectively.

4. Audio Quality Testing (optional?)

Now, what I mean here is if you intend to go to retail outlets and test speakers out. While this may seem like a good idea, the fact is most computer/electronics stores that sell computer speakers aren’t always the most conducive environments for sampling audio. The speaker positioning is weird, the acoustics are bad, the surroundings are noisy, you can’t concentrate and most importantly, it’s not a good representation of where the speakers are going to be after you purchase them. Still, it may be good if you’re narrowed down to a couple of choices and you just want to decide based on your physical exposures to them.

If you do get the chance to test them out in decent conditions, or if you just want to test your speakers after purchasing, these are what to look out for:

- Firstly, be sure to try them out with different types of audio; this means different genres of music, movies, games etc.

- Make sure there isn’t any distortion or noise produced.

- Highs should come out crisp but not annoying. They should not be weak and tinny.

- Mids should be clear, smooth and pronounced. The majority of the sounds produced in music tend to come out in the mids.

- Lows should be tight and punchy, not overly muffled and boomy. If you have a subwoofer, make sure they don’t sound too separated from the satellites, and should be the sole providers of the low end rather than involving the satellites. Cheap subwoofers tend to sound muddy and undefined. If you’re just using a 2 speaker setup, make sure you can still head the bass clearly as cheap 2.0 speakers most obvsiouly lack in this area; you should feel the lows ‘hitting’ you in the chest.

- The sounds should meld together without any overpowering elements. Especially important with subwoofers. If they feel a bit off hopefully there is an EQ setting in the speakers or in software that can remedy that.

As I’ve mentioned and as evident by this somewhat banal list, comparing reviews online really is the definitive way of searching for your best option. It’s best not to stick to one site, as one person’s opinion might not reflect yours. Compile a number of reviews, both positive and negative, professional and user-generated, and decide which is for you.

Alternatively, of course, this blog will hopefully do just that for you.

Speakers are an oft-forgotten part when building a computer. With all the attention on the horsepower of the PC such as RAM, CPU speed, graphic cards etc, it is often cast aside and left till the last minute. In fact, even cooling systems seem to be a bigger focus than computer systems these days. When everything is set up, looking pretty and fly, one might notice something missing: the only thing audible is a hum coming from the PC’s fans. Of course, this site being what it’s called, I’m talking about the speakers.

Maybe you’re missing a set of speakers, maybe your current set decided its lifetime of servitude was up, or maybe you just decided that your current speakers are sorely lacking; the point is, if you’re reading this you’re looking to get new speakers, and with a fairly tight budget at that. Well, luckily for you we’re here to help.

Before you start looking online or in stores for cheap computer speakers though, there are some things to consider:

1. What do you want?

Firstly, you need to decide what you want out of these speakers. That is, what is your primary purpose when using these speakers? Gaming? (Legal) MP3 listening? (Legal) movie watching? Or just to hear the cute little sound your start bar makes when you click on it? If you narrow it down from here, we can determine if you want a 2 speaker setup, a 2.1, a 5.1 or a 7.1 (likely too expensive). The ".1" here refers to the addition of a subwoofer, but just because something’s extra doesn’t necessarily make it better, as I’ll elaborate later. The number of speakers here is for , as you might imagine, a surround sound effect. While the idea of being engulfed in speakers bombarding from all sides seems like the ideal visceral experience especially when gaming, many dual speaker setups (with or without the subwoofer) these days offer a commendable emulation of these effects. More information of speaker setups here.

It is important to note at this point that you may require a dedicated sound card or correct software that will allow for the 3D sound effect, regardless of how many speakers you have. For that matter, and do not forget this: multiple speakers setups often require sound cards that support them. How else are you going to plug all those speakers? Nothing is more annoying than buying a fancy 5.1 and realizing you don’t have the hardware to use them. For more information on this sound cards, refer to my other entry.

Of course, you also have to consider what kind of quality you expect out of these activities. If you’re okay with a tinny, lackluster sound when listening to your favourite music (shame on you), then congratulations, you can just head out and buy the cheapest random set of speakers you can find. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed, simply because your expectations are so low. However, that’s not why you’re here. You want a decent set of cheap computer speakers with some OOMPH, like that feeling when the bass kicks in or when you get punched in the gut. Any lousy 2.1 can provide that bassy effect, but chances are they’d be muffled and drown out any other frequencies. You need to find the right one, and there ARE good 2 speaker systems they are much better than these. However, to each his own, and some people don’t mind, or prefer immensely low-ended audio to a more equalized experience, hence this section on what kind of quality you want from them.

Either way, when you’ve determined what you need them for and what you expect, you can head to the next step.

2. Where are these speakers going to go?

Okay, in a way this might be more important than you realise, depending on your circumstances. The important questions are how much space is available, and will you have neighbours/housemates/siblings in the adjacent room that will threaten to destroy your life if too much sound leaks through?

The first part of course, will determine if your premises are physically capable of housing a subwoofer, or a set up with more than 2 speakers (ie 5.1 or 7.1). Also, are these speakers meant solely for personal use, or will you need to project them through a larger room for a group of people? Generally, the latter means you’ll need larger, higher wattage (read: MORE EXPENSIVE) speakers. As an example, I’ve lived alone in a tiny apartment with barely enough space in the room to swing my arms, so I was limited to 2 speakers. Another thing worth considering is whether you will need to move these speakers around. Of course, a 2 speaker setup that isn’t too big will be far easier to transport (whether around the room or to another location entirely) than having to lug a pair of monsters and/or a subwoofer, which generally weighs a metric ton. If you don’t require much power and just need something to carry with your laptop, try USB-powered speakers.

In addition, I did have annoying noise-sensitive neighbours. Now here’s the tricky part, and very important. Bass waves leak further. This is especially important because it determines if you can have a subwoofer or not. You may have heard that bass waves take a fair distance before they form fully. If you’re in a smallish room without solid concrete walls, guess where they form? That’s right, next door. That means your late night sessions of gaming or music will be interrupted by a grumpy old lady threatening to call the police. It also means that if your room isn’t too big, you won’t get to hear the sub-bass frequencies clearly. Wasted money and space, if you ask me. Personally, a good set of non-subwoofer speakers is much better than a lousy 2.1.

3. How much are you willing to spend?

If you’re here the answer probably wouldn’t be a lot. Personally, I have a general budget on all my individual computer parts at about $100. Of course, you might be more or less of a cheapass than me. In this site I’ll try to keep things well below the $100 mark but I may go a little over, because not everyone is as cheap as me. As I’ve mentioned in the front page, if you’re a picky audiophile you’re not going to find much here, but if you don’t want crappy sounds and don’t have a lot to spend you should find the site useful. As with any technology the general trend is that you get what you pay for, and in the case of speakers it is often the case that bigger is better. However, there is a cross region where an affordable price and good sound come together. If that’s what you want, you’re in the right place.

Okay, hopefully by now you’ll have a clearer idea of what you’re looking for. Next entry will detail what to look out for when searching for the right speaker with the criteria determined.