If you aren’t off-put by the boxy style of these speakers, they are a great companion for laptops and desktops alike. For instance, having to only carry around one speaker instead of a pair can be really handy. However, this speaker won’t fit under every laptop’s screen, meaning you might need someplace else to put it. The right speaker also has volume and mute controls. Because this of the digital audio connection, the volume buttons will actually change your PC’s volume in the digital mixer, which is important to note.

The Katana SE is slim enough at just 3.1 inches (78mm) high to fit neatly under your desktop monitor — though it also comes with custom wall-mounting hardware for those who want to mount it under a monitor or TV. It features four drivers — two 4.3-inch (109mm) midrange drivers, and two 2.1-inch (54mm) tweeters — each of which is individually powered by dual DSP-controlled stereo amps. The result is clear, great-sounding audio and a soundbar that gets impressively loud: while the Katana SE managed a maximum of 74.5dBA at 50% volume in our testing, it hit a significantly higher maximum of 92.7dBA at 100% volume. You might not think much about extra features when it comes to PC speakers, but there are some things to consider. Do the speakers include bass and treble controls so you can tailor the sound to your tastes? How about a mute button? Or a remote control? There’s nothing quite like true surround sound in movies and games that support it, and the Arena 9 does an excellent job of delivering immersive, directional audio that will make certain games come alive. (For audio sources that don’t support surround, the Arena 9 offers 5.1 upmixing, which converts stereo sound into multi-channel audio.) But even stereo sources sound great on the Arena 9, with clear, solid mids and nicely-rendered lows (thanks to the hefty subwoofer).SteelSeries says its Arena 9 is the first 5.1 surround system for gaming, which we suppose is technically true, because while there are other 5.1 surround systems for PCs, they’re not billed as being gamer-oriented. The Arena 9 comes with five satellites — a center channel that sits under your monitor, two left/right front channels, and two left/right rear channels — as well as a 6.5-inch down-firing subwoofer. The rear satellites are wireless (they connect to each other and are powered separately, but connect to the system wirelessly), which makes for an easier setup than trying to run speaker cables under carpeting. What matters is the sound. Both USB and 3.5mm are capable of producing excellent sound quality. It doesn’t matter whether which one you go for, so long as it sounds good and works for you.

At the front panel of the right speaker, you have three buttons that control the volume. The one in the middle mutes the speaker while the other two reduce and increase it. There's no power button or switch. Many speakers support wireless connectivity or connecting via a USB, so you can effortlessly hook up your music production laptop, tablet, or mobile phone for digital audio. As long as your expectations aren’t too high, these inexpensive speakers will sound just fine. The sound is a little flat, but no frequencies seem overpowering or harsh.

The Dell AC511M is yet another solid soundbar-styled USB speaker option. At 1.5 x 16.5 x 1.9 inches, it is fairly compact for a soundbar. That said, it produces a high enough quality of sound to make up for the higher price tag relative to other USB soundbars. The sound is bright and clear, with just enough bass to keep the mix feeling balanced. It gets fairly loud and has decent stereo separation to boot. The list of powered speaker uses is pretty much endless, but let's cover a few of the more typical ones. If you plan to entertain in the home and need something a bit louder, you might want something a little more high-power with a readily available volume reserve. This will ensure better, high-resolution audio. Secondly, size. A larger size speaker tends to mean more volume and higher quality audio, however, it also means that the speakers will take up more space. If you’re working on a small desk, there’s no point in opting for a 7.1 surround sound option that’s going to take over your workspace. So, consider the speaker's footprint.