Awesome Speakers

’90s kids might recall beige computer speakers. To help out his brother, who collects vintage Macintosh computers, Print Your Speakers was inspired to create a pair of retro desktop speakers with great sound quality and deep bass. He based his 3D-printed design on 1993 Apple Design Powered Speakers, but with modern parts and a smart acoustic design.

The Nintendo Switch is a blast to play, but its internal speakers aren’t great. If you prefer not to play with headphones, Pioneer’s Gaming Speaker for Switch is a worthwhile audio upgrade. The gadget clips around the handheld and outputs immersive 3D surround sound. It also adds a kickstand. Works with Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, Switch Lite, the Pimax Portal.

Artist Douglas Hoekzema aka HoxxoH is known for using unusual spray rigs to create geometric imagery. He also experiments with other methods, like harnessing the vibrations from subwoofers to paint wavy patterns. HoxxoH rigged compressed air and tubes filled with paint and mounted them on sideways bass drivers to create art from the sound waveforms.

This rugged Bluetooth speaker from Altec Lansing is built for the outdoors. It’s rated IP67 waterproof and can even float in a swimming pool. Its audio packs a punch for its size with a pair of full-range neodymium drivers and 12 watts of amplification. The speaker offers three mounting options: a magnetic base, a carabiner, and a bike mount.

Swing on the greens with Bushnell’s Wingman 2 music speaker. With audible GPS, it’s your ride-along caddy, attaching to a golf cart with a magnetic mount and giving audible pin distance and first tee intros for more than 38,000 courses via the included Bushnell Golf Mobile App. A built-in microphone lets you take calls, too.

This collaboration between legendary guitar and amp maker Fender and Europe’s most established audio brand is making a lot of noise. The Rockster Cross portable Bluetooth speaker delivers powerful, true stereo sound and holy moly, this heavy-duty beauty is LOUD! With zero audible distortion, you can crank it to 11.

Mehdi from ElectroBOOM shows us how he modified a battery-powered plasma lighter to produce sound. After showing how it’s possible to listen to an AM radio through a pickle, he moves on to building a circuit that modulates voltage to play audio via the lighter’s arc. Warning: electrical engineering lecture ahead.

Divoom’s Tiivoo-2 looks like a tiny and shiny retro television. It can display a variety of digital clock faces, song lyrics, pixel art animations, or photos from your phone. It also has 15 built-in games, a white noise machine, a countdown timer, and an FM radio. Plus, its built-in Bluetooth speaker and amp sound great for their size.

Want to be a minimalist at all costs? Nocs Design has the perfect speaker. Designed with avant-garde fashion brand Heliot Emil, the Monolith lives up to its name. Handmade in Sweden, it has two 6″ woofers and three 3.5″ full-range drivers buried in a stainless steel case. We love how Nocs mentions that you can connect up to eight of these.

Bowers & Wilkins’ imposing iPod dock has come a long way. The Pro Edition of the Zeppelin wireless speaker rocks the same reference-grade titanium dome tweeters found in the company’s 600 series loudspeakers. It also has a 240W amplifier, a 24-bit DAC, and supports AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. Available in either grey or gold.

Another cleverly designed desk accessory from The Workspace Hero. This pair of speaker stands each has a hidden drawer, perfect for storing keys, cables, thumb drives, and other small essentials. The outer shell can be removed entirely to reveal its contents, while a tactile bump gives a satisfying confirmation that the stand is fully closed.

Soundboks makes big and brash Bluetooth speakers for parties. We got our hands on their smaller model, the Soundboks Go, to hear just how powerful a portable audio system can get. Built with more quality than most things these days, it’s an impressive, substantial, and very loud speaker that’s perfect for tailgating and on-the-go DJ-ing.

Audio geeks know that high-frequency sounds are more directional than low frequencies, but a normal speaker can’t direct sound to a single listener. Linus Tech Tips shows off the Audfly Model B, an unusual speaker that uses an array of ultrasonic drivers to target just one person, then explains how the technology works and some of its limitations.

The Evo One is a modern all-in-one speaker wrapped in a beautiful walnut and aluminum case. It has a 700W amplifier that powers the 14 drivers wrapped around its body. It can play up to 32-bit/192kHz audio over Wi-Fi or Ethernet from major streaming services. It also connects via HDMI, MM phono, optical, USB, and Bluetooth.

Razer ups their speaker game with the Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar. It uses beamforming tech, head-tracking AI, and THX Spatial Audio to immerse you in precise surround sound. Its five full-range drivers and downward-firing subwoofer produce impressive volume, while 30-zone RGB lighting adds dynamic in-game effects.

The third generation of IKEA’s VAPPEBY Bluetooth speaker is its largest yet, measuring 8″x 8″. In classic IKEA fashion, the speaker’s minimalist design makes it blend in nearly any setting despite its size. It has a removable handle, a volume knob, and a 3.5mm input. Add the ENEBY battery and you have a portable speaker that lasts up to 25 hours per charge.