For a solid all-around soundscape for movies, games, music, and anything else, the SteelSeries Arena 7 2.1 speakers and subwoofer are a great choice. They offer a punchy, well-rounded sound, and these speakers really deliver on volume, punching above their diminutive weight.

Although marketed as gaming speakers with their RGB lighting, the actual style is more refined than that, and the audio quality is certainly there. 

The Creative Pebble V3 desktop speakers are some of the most stylish speakers you’ll find under $40, and yet they don’t have the typical tinny sound you might expect from inexpensive speakers. 

They deliver a clear and impressive sound, with a little bass at the bottom to round it out—although at this size, you can’t expect a super low frequency response. They are easy to connect and can be used both wired and wirelessly. They work just as well for conference calls as they do for gaming and listening to music.

The PreSonus Eris 3.5 are $100 speakers that look and sound like they cost a lot more than that. With more than 20,000 five-star Amazon ratings, these are some beloved affordable speakers.

Along with a clear and punchy sound, they have options for balanced and unbalanced TRS and TS connections, as well as RCA inputs, making them useful for both entertainment and professional use. They have in-depth controls, too, so you can customize the sound to the genre of music you’re listening to.

Soundbars take up less space on your desk while still delivering strong sound, and the Razer Leviathan V2 soundbar is an excellent example of this. 

Its compact, slim design means you can tuck it just under your monitor and out of the way, but its classy look and RGB lighting make it a centerpiece of your desk rather than an eyesore. The sound quality is strong, too, with plenty of bass for booming explosions. 

You can switch to THX Spatial Audio in supporting games, and the Razer Synapse software lets you customize sound and lighting to your heart’s content.

If you aren’t looking for a smart speaker, then one of the best wireless speaker options you can pick is the Audioengine A5+. These wireless bookshelf speakers look great, offer impressive sound quality, and can be plugged in or used with Bluetooth to connect wirelessly. 

As a Bluetooth set, these computer speakers support multiple source inputs at the same time, but there isn’t an obvious source switch, so be sure to control them remotely using your phone to stay on top of it. Reviewers praise the range of their performance, suggesting they’re great for anyone, whether you’re a movie lover, music nerd, or gamer.

Who said you need huge speakers to emulate a studio? With the IK Multimedia iLoad MTM MKII speakers, you can have studio-grade monitors at home that don’t take over your desk. These have incredible sound quality, with a flat frequency range, giving you thumping bass and crisp highs.

These speakers also support Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which can help calibrate the speakers for your environment, making them sound their best with little effort. They’re expensive, but worth it if you’re short on space and value high-quality sound.