Best Budget PC Speaker Systems

M-Audio Studiophile AV 40, $126.65 – 174.99 (buy it now)

There’s little doubt that many entry-level three-piece, subwoofer-equipped PC speaker systems tend to “color” the sound, often accentuating the treble and the sub-bass and losing some realism in the process. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially if the user generally prefers movies and games to music.

But some people enjoy hearing their audio the way it was recorded. And for them, we offer the Studiophile AV 40, a true studio monitor system from longtime studio monitor manufacturer M-Audio. The system doesn’t lack at the lower and higher ends of the spectrum – it simply doesn’t accentuate either. If you have the necessary desktop real estate (the footprint of each speaker is a sizable six by seven inches), you’d be wise to audition a set of studio monitors such as the top-rated Studiophile AV 40s before making your decision.