No gaming setup is complete without speakers that deliver incredible, booming sound. The best speakers for you will depend largely on your budget, the space you have available, and your preference for overall bass and sound quality, but our favorite speakers are all fantastic in their own way.
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From soundbars to speakers with connected lighting effects, we’ve put together a list of the best gaming speakers for 2020, including the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II since it’s affordable and is jam packed with power and sound. Read on to find the best fit for your gaming setup, whether you only have a little space for speakers or want to upgrade your gaming sound in a big way.
The best gaming speakers at a glance
Best gaming speakers overall: Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II
Why you should buy them: Available since 2008, this speaker set packs plenty of great sound and power at an affordable price.
Who are they for: PC gamers who want great sound and power.
What we thought of the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II:
Creative Technology is no stranger to desktop audio. The company began producing audio-related products in the 1980s, with Sound Blaster and X-Fi now common household brands. Creative introduced the GigaWorks T40 Series II in 2008, but its high quality and high performance continues to make this kit one of the best desktop sound systems to you can buy today.
This speaker set is based on an MTM configuration with two midrange drivers with dual woven glass fiber cones sat on the top and bottom of each satellite face. Between these drivers is a cloth dome tweeter. Both satellites have an opening on the top — the BasXPort — providing all the bass, eliminating the need for a subwoofer.
The right speaker includes three dials along the bottom (bass, treble, volume) plus two 3.5mm jacks (headphones, Aux-In). The main “Line-In” audio jack resides on the back along with an RCA jack for connecting the satellites using the provided cable. This kit ships with a dual RCA-to-stereo adapter too.
Despite the feature set, the Creative Gigaworks series kit’s ability to remain as one of the all-time favorites for more than a decade is ample reason why it sits at the top of our list. There’s a lot of great sound and power for the price, but if you’re looking for that extra thump in your beat, give some of the other products with subwoofers on this list a look.
Best gaming soundbar: Razer Leviathan Dolby 5.1
Why you should buy it: Razer’s Leviathan is a powerful soundbar with a bundled subwoofer that’s hard to beat at this price.
Who’s it for: Console and PC gamers who like bass-heavy sound or prefer wireless audio.
What we thought of the Razer Leviathan soundbar:
At just 20 inches long, the Leviathan is much smaller than your average soundbar, making it great for use on desks and in front of TVs. It typically connects via a 3.5mm audio jack, but there’s a Bluetooth component too, making it quite versatile and less messy. That means you can pump music or video audio wirelessly from any Bluetooth-enabled device, like a smartphone or tablet.
Despite its size, the Razer Leviathan lives up to its name in a big way with bass-heavy, immersive audio thanks to impressive virtual surround sound. It’s more suited for games with bombastic effects like shooters than the more subtle, dialogue-driven RPG experiences. It features two 2.5-inch full-range drivers and two 0.74-inch tweeters while the separate bass unit has a downward-firing 5.25-inch subwoofer. The kit provides an optical connection as well.
Best surround sound gaming speakers: Logitech Z906
Why you should buy it: The Z906 sounds fantastic and is truly immersive with its detailed, 5.1 audio system.
Who’s it for: Console and PC gamers who want true audio immersion.
What we thought of the Logitech Z906 speaker set:
If immersion is your main concern with gaming audio, few setups come close to the Logitech Z906. Offering true 5.1 surround sound, it pumps crisp, powerful audio whether you’re playing games, watching movies, or listening to music. There is real meat in explosions and booming voices.
Logitech’s system features a multitude of inputs, letting you connect up to six different devices at the same time. The attractive and intuitive control box and remote give you the power to choose what’s playing and how at any time. There’s even an optional Bluetooth adapter to connect devices wirelessly.
Although it lacks an HDMI passthrough and does miss out on HD audio format support, these THX-certified speakers support Dolby Digital and DTS bitstreams.
Overall, the Logitech Z906 speaker might be a bit more bass-heavy than other kits, but there’s still plenty of clarity at the high end. When combined with the 3D element of the true surround sound, this speaker set is one of the best you can buy for high-end gaming.
Best budget gaming speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA-3602
Why you should buy them: For the price, this kit offers decent sound quality and plenty of punch.
Who are they for: PC gamers on a budget.
What we thought of the Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 speakers:
You can’t expect the world with budget speakers, but you shouldn’t tolerate poor quality either. This 2.1 speaker set is good enough to upgrade your audio beyond stock monitor or TV speakers.
Each satellite speaker consists of dual two-inch drivers packed into an angled, piano black surface to deliver sound pointed up towards your ears. They’re complemented by a 5.25-inch Power Pro bass driver packed into an “acoustically balanced” wood cabinet featuring a 2.25-inch port, pushing deep, thunderous sounds.
This 2.1 kit includes a circular controller pod that sits on any flat surface. It provides a master control dial, an on/off switch, bass volume control, a 3.5mm audio headphone jack, and a 3.5mm auxiliary input jack that connects to your PC, smartphone, tablet, and other compatible devices.
If you don’t want to spend more than $40 on a speaker system, the Cyber Acoustics CA-3602a kit may be the ideal choice for your desktop.
Best small gaming speakers: Razer Nommo Chroma
Why you should buy them: They’re small but mighty with beautiful lighting effects and great sound.
Who are they for: PC gamers with little space or love Razer’s aesthetic.
What we thought of the Razer Nommo Chroma speakers:
Razer’s Nommo Chroma kit is worth considering if you lack space or prefer a minimalistic gaming setup. The speakers provide impressive sound quality without the hefty footprint.
If that wasn’t enough, these speakers have tiny integrated stands for standalone styling. You can set up these speakers next to your TV, gaming monitor, or even on either side of your keyboard if you have a small desk.
The Razer kit may be a smaller speaker without a subwoofer, but it still boasts an impressive amount of power. The speakers’ rear-facing bass ports offer a full, high-quality sound, allowing for deep, low-end vibrations that often occur during video gameplay. If you aren’t a fan of the default bass and volume settings, you can easily adjust them as necessary and eliminate the vibrating effect.
Sometimes, when you increase the bass, you get a distorted sound; however, Razer features automatic gain control to avoid this common issue. You can always change the EQ settings and make Razer’s Synapse software adjustments to fit your gaming experience and preferences best.
Selecting the Chroma RGB lighting edition from the menu settings allows you to play with the lighting effects too. The Razer Nommo speakers are also available for purchase with special, built-in base lighting for the more stylistic gamers. However, if you’d like to save $30, you can buy the non-Chroma gaming speaker without the lighting.
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