The best speakers on Amazon in 2023

There is of course no shortage of tech to be found on the internet, including some of the best speakers on Amazon. Let’s face it, the right audio kit can make all the difference. Swapping out those battered old hi-fi cones for a set of the best speakers can liven up a party with that playlist you spent so long creating, immerse you into the action of your favourite movies and give you crisp immersion for those competitive video games.

No matter what you need them for, Amazon can be a bit of an overwhelming shopping experience with so many competing products to sift through. Thankfully, we’ve looked at the best speakers on Amazon to suit everyone, from home cinema setups to compact smart speakers. But, you’ll still need to consider your needs before you buy.

Best speakers on Amazon in 2023 at a glance:

• Best overall speakers on Amazon: KEF Q350 (Black) - View at Amazon
• Best budget speakers on Amazon: Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release) - View at Amazon
• Best home cinema speakers on Amazon: Wharfedale DX-2 5.1 Speaker System - View at Amazon
• Best bookshelf speakers on Amazon: DALI Spektor 2 Bookshelf Speaker - View at Amazon

Thankfully, there’s always a size, shape and price to suit your needs as Amazon is heaving with the best speakers for all occasions. The aforementioned gamers might want a compact surround system with RGB lighting, a Netflix subscriber might want a new TV soundbar speaker to amp up their entertainment, and music fans may want to pipe their tunes wirelessly around the house.

We’ve put together a buyer’s guide at the end of the article to help you choose. Floorstanding speakers and bookshelf speakers need careful pairing with your amplifier if you have one. And if you’re taking your speaker outside for a party you’ll need some waterproofing. We’ve thought of it all, so here’s our pick of the best speakers on Amazon to really give your audio the boost it deserves.

Best speakers on Amazon in 2023

Best speakers on Amazon in 2023: Buyer’s guide

Different types of speakers will fit different needs. Are you off to university and need something cheap but reliable for parties? A portable speaker that uses Bluetooth is the way to go. Do you want your speaker to be controlled via voice recognition? Pick up an Amazon Echo. But, thanks to Amazon Prime’s one-day delivery – which you can join here for a free trial - you can be sure that the speaker will arrive in time.

Plan how many speakers you'll need

The number of speakers you’ll need is all about what you’ll be listening to and how. So, if you’re into home cinema you may already have an amplifier with connections for multiple speakers and an additional subwoofer. Perhaps it will also output surround sound like Dolby Atmos which will support even more, like ceiling speakers. If you’re all about music and hi-fi, there are multiple speaker options here too. But for many a stereo pair is a great starting point. If you're into multiroom audio then you may need to budget for multiple speakers for whole-house coverage. Thankfully you won't need to worry about connections as these are wireless and self-powered, such as the Amazon Echo Studio.

The best speakers need space

Having chosen speakers that look and sound great for your room, they will still need to fit. They'll need enough wriggle room for careful placement too, to deliver the best sound.

Firstly, measure your available shelf, floor or wall space. Then compare this with the speaker dimensions. Easy, right? Almost. Something that trips up even seasoned hi-fi enthusiasts is banana plugs or (in the case of active speakers) RCA connectors. Depending on your speaker's cabinet design, your connectors may be inset or not. The result may be that your banana plugs will stick out of the back to some degree. So, if the depth of your shelf or furniture is limited, factor in the depth of your connectors.

Choose active or passive

The terms active and passive refer to the power that the speaker needs to function. Most hi-fi and home cinema speakers will be passive - so you’ll need an amplifier to make the speaker work. Active refers to speakers with built-in amplification. Therefore, you’ll normally find these in ceiling speakers or portable devices that connect wirelessly for streaming audio. Consider what you need from your speakers. Generally, better audio quality is driven by a separate amplifier for power and performance.

Best speakers on Amazon in 2023: FAQs

Where is the best place to put speakers?

There are a few elements that can negatively impact the sound quality of even the best speakers. Firstly, position. It goes without saying that anyone who angles their speakers facing a wall or corner at close range is going to be ruining their experience. As is placing them behind furniture, or having a speaker’s bass ports right up to a wall. But you should also consider where you’ll be sitting to listen. Some speakers recommend angling them inward towards the listener. Other models are engineered to do this without being angled at all. As always, read your speaker manual. If you're a gamer you will probably need to plan the placement of your PC speaker system for maximum surround effect.

Secondly, look around your room. If you have a very sparsely decorated room without carpets or other things to break up reflections, your audio is probably going to bounce off the walls and create uncomfortable reverb. Thankfully, there are a number of solutions to this, the most obvious are acoustic foam panels, careful furniture placement, or wall hangings.

Why are my speakers distorted at high volumes?

Assuming your speakers aren’t damaged or broken, the most likely reason is that your amplifier is too powerful for the speaker’s drivers and cones. Essentially, attempting to get more volume out of a speaker by feeding it more power is the same as trying to make your car go faster by cramming more fuel into the tank until it overflows. The speaker can only handle so much power. Push it too hard and the cones will reach their structural limits, stop producing nice vibrations, and start producing uncontrolled ones. Thus, you're treated to distorted sound.

What are bass, midrange, and treble?

Bass, midrange, and treble are sometimes referred to as lows, mids, and highs. These terms refer to the different sound frequencies found in audio.

Bass, or low, is the boomier sections of sound, the frequencies that people can most often 'feel'. Without adequate bass, the audio will sound very empty and 'tinny'. Too much bass and music can sound rumbly, overpowering, and woolly.

Midrange, or mid, is all the stuff that happens in the middle - guitars, vocals, and speech. Balancing this with bass brings audio to life. So, if you struggle to hear vocals in music or conversation in podcasts, boosting the midrange can bring these out for you without having to play with volume.

Treble, or highs (hi), is higher frequencies. These are important for picking out details in audio, but if they are too high they can annoy and be painful to listeners.

Speaker jargon buster

Passive speakers

A passive speaker has no active power or amplifier circuitry. So, you will need to route your sound to them via an external amplifier. Some speakers, like the Edifier R1280T, are active speakers. They don’t require an external amplifier.

Active speakers

Likewise, an active speaker is one that has its own power supply and amplifier function. This means that you can hook up any sound source directly to the speakers, usually via an auxiliary input connection; such as an audio jack or twin phono plugs in the case of speakers for a record player. Because these speakers actively power themselves, they can amplify the music you pipe into them. This of course includes all-in-ones like Bluetooth portables and some ceiling speakers.

Watt

Wattage in regard to sound output and speaker power is a measure of the strength of the audio signal that drives the speaker. A 100w amplifier will have a maximum output of that many watts and a speaker that is rated for a range of, say, 80w - 120w, will be able to handle that power input. The wattage between the speaker and amp needs to be compatible to avoid potentially damaging both.

Decibels

Sound is measured in decibels (dBs). While it's an accepted measure of volume, it doesn’t correlate with wattage. More wattage doesn’t necessarily mean bigger or better volume, or quality for that matter. Usually, manufacturers specify the amount of dBs that a speaker can produce with a single Watt of power at a 1-metre distance.

Drivers

A driver is a device inside any speaker, or headphones, that converts electrical signals into sound. So it follows that larger drivers tend to be able to deliver a more powerful sound with greater accuracy. That said, this isn’t always the case as build material quality also plays an important role.

Tweeters

A speaker has two components: a woofer and a tweeter. So, a tweeter is responsible for producing high-frequency sounds. Because their domes are small enough to fit into all speakers, they may also be independently positionable.

Woofers

A woofer is the part of the speaker that produces low-frequency sounds. You'll commonly see these described by the width of the cone - in inches or centimetres. Consequently, this will also give you a slight indication of how much range and power they may have.

Frequency Range

This is a measurement, in Hertz (Hz) of the range of sound frequencies that a speaker can reproduce. Our ears can perceive 20 - 20,000 Hz, with the lower number being a lower tone and vice versa.

Chris Duffill is a Tech Product Writer for What's The Best. He specialises in audiovisual, computing, and gadgets. He also writes for Yours.

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