Lab

5.1 surround speakers

You wouldn't put up with a blurry, distorted picture on your monitor, so why make do with shrivelled splutters and wheezes from your PC's speakers? The systems in this round-up will turn your PC into the best music system in the house, totally transforming your MP3 collection, games and DVD soundtracks.

Here we test six stereo systems that offer a considerable upgrade to the sets usually bundled with PCs. You'll also find six surround systems, which add another dimension to PC audio. Finally, we look at stereo systems designed specifically for music production, where clarity and faithful accuracy is more important than sonic flattery.

We've unearthed the systems that treat both your ears and your wallet with the respect they deserve.

In this Labs test we have identified the best speakers for a range of budgets and requirements. But how do you know which one best meets your needs?

Stereo sets need no introduction. Most use a 2.1 configuration, which means two satellite speakers for the middle and high frequencies and a subwoofer to handle the bass. Using a single subwoofer is cheaper than having two, and it works because our ears can't detect where bass sounds are coming from. Two separate subwoofers would give a stereo bass effect, but we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Some stereo sets don't use a subwoofer, and these might be preferable if you have limited space or want a more portable system that can follow a laptop around the house. Most of these 2.0 systems cost just a few pounds and sound fairly basic, but Creative's Gigaworks T40 aims to deliver high-quality sounds in a 2.0 format. However, if you're looking for a system without a subwoofer, we strongly recommend M-Audio's AV 40. It's designed primarily for music making, but it's also an excellent general-purpose system.

Surround speakers are ideal for DVDs and games, allowing sound to come at you from all directions. The difference over stereo is dramatic, and the enveloping nature of surround sound helps draw you into the action. It can even give you a tactical advantage in games, as you can hear the direction of footsteps and gunfire. However, you have to find space for the five satellite speakers, and then trail cables to each one. If there's a door in the way you might have to take the long way around the room, and you might find the supplied cables aren't long enough.

Studio time

Studio speakers, often referred to as monitors (nothing to do with the monitors you look at), are designed for audio and video production, and have a different set of priorities to normal PC and hi-fi speakers. Rather than creating a sound that's as flattering and exciting as possible, their job is to reproduce sounds as faithfully as possible. When you're making music or a video soundtrack, you need to hear exactly what you're doing and don't want to be unwittingly over-compensating for souped-up bass or congested middle frequencies.

The pricier studio speakers here have volume controls on the back. These are designed to be set and left, with the master volume adjusted on a mixer or external audio interface. Their balanced jack and XLR inputs mean they won't easily connect to normal sound card outputs and their quality means they deserve better, anyway. If you're considering one of the £100-plus studio systems, we recommend pairing it with a USB audio interface such as M-Audio's Fast Track Pro, which is reviewed in What's New: Audio.