Whether you’re interested in background music for your next barbie or looking to upgrade a stereo system, there’s a speaker set ready for you. Speakers tend to be designed with a specific purpose in mind. For example, do you want speakers for your telly, computer speakers or a set for a specific room? Perhaps you need portable Bluetooth speakers to take on a trip? Not all speakers are created equal.
Best sounding smart speaker
With great sound, a compact size and the Alexa voice assistant built-in, the Sonos Era 100 packs a lot of punch, making it the best smart speaker for the money.
Best bookshelf speakers for the money
Elac has been belting out classic, affordable designs ever since its, er, debut in 2015. The Debut 2.0 exemplifies the brand’s appeal to both the budget-conscious and audiophiles. It offers a lively, insightful sound and attractive looks for around $400.
Best tower speakers for the money
Want the biggest sound? You’ll need big speakers. The fit and finish of the large Fluance XL8 towers is unmatched by other speakers at its price. The sound of the XL8F is open and thrilling, but never shrill, and when fed a movie soundtrack these speakers simply zing. They’re no slouch with music either. If you truly want the maximum speaker for your money, the huge Fluance XL8F has no equal.
Best budget Bluetooth speaker
Budget Bluetooth speakers are seemingly a dime a dozen, but among the countless options there do lie some gems. The $50 Tribit Stormbox Micro is a compact, portable speaker that offers both waterproofing and excellent bass for its size.
Best budget soundbar
The $130 Roku Streambar is a hybrid soundbar-4K video streamer and the most welcome surprise is that it’s able to perform both tasks well. Pair it with a bedroom telly and the optional Onn Wireless Sub for a killer home theatre setup.
Best surround sound speakers
If there was ever a bargain in home theatre it was this — for around the same price as the Elac speakers above you can get a full Dolby Atmos setup. With a sub! Sound quality is excellent and the Klipsch kit includes all of the cables you need in the box.
Best computer speakers
The Edifier R1280DB offers almost everything you could want in a PC speaker — excellent sound, a range of connections including Bluetooth and a compact footprint — and all for a reasonable $150. It doesn’t offer USB, though, so connect the headphone/line out of your PC to it instead.
Best smart soundbar
The Yamaha YAS-209 is one of the most fully featured soundbars the company has ever offered especially at the price. With Alexa, HDMI connectivity and a wireless subwoofer, this soundbar doesn’t want for anything. The sound quality is great too.
Best high-end soundbar
The Vizio Elevate may have one big gimmick at the core of it, that revolving height speaker, but it also offers sound quality to back up the gee-whizzery. This is a 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos soundbar, with a hefty subwoofer, and its performance is equally thrilling in both movies and music. Add in a bunch of streaming features and you have the best surround system under a grand.
