The good: The bargain-price Fluance FiSDK500 delivers high-quality sound from a retro-style iPod speaker, which is solidly built with a medium-density fiberboard cabinet and a high-gloss black finish.It plays loud without distorting, is simple to operate, and has composite and S-video...

The good: The Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 speakers equip music lovers with four drivers in each satellite and a large subwoofer to pump extra bass. The bad: There’s no external jack to plug in headphones, the bass controls are mounted on the subwoofer itself, and there’s no way...

The good: The Olasonic TW-S7 PC speakers have an eye-catching egg-shaped design and are USB-powered, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with an AC adapter. The bad: Like most USB speakers, there’s no volume control on the speakers and they just don’t handle heavy bass well...

The good: The Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers have an attractive, compact design, and offer good sound with lots of bass. They’re also one of the few powered stereo speakers to have an optical digital connection (for Apple TV or the PS3, for instance) in addition to an analog...

The good: The Bose Acoustimass 6 Series III is a 5.1 speaker system with tiny, stylish satellite speakers and a large powered subwoofer. It creates a big, dynamic sound (especially for its size) and requires very little tweaking to sound good. The bad: The Acoustimass 6 Series III is more expensive than...