Active speakers combine all of the traditional components of a stereo system into a pair of speakers. The amplifier is built inside the speaker and it is optimized to provide the best possible sound quality for that specific speaker.
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KEF LS50 Wireless II Read More -
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Read More
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KEF LSX II Read More
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Q Acoustics Q Active 200 Read More
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Vanatoo Transparent Zero Read More
Most active speakers have a sufficient number of inputs for all of your playback devices and, in most scenarios, a pair of powered or active speakers require only a power source and a minimal number (if any) of cable connections.
How We Tested
Over the last decade, we've tested numerous active speakers both at home and in listening rooms. We've explored how the speakers respond to different audio sources, their fidelity and their ease of use. For more popular models, in-depth reviews are linked below.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
The Best Active Speakers You Can Buy
Best Overall Active Speakers
- Power: 280 watts
- Resolution: up to 24bit/384kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Connectivity (wired): HDMI eARC, Toslink optical, digital coaxial, 3.5mm, USB
KEF released the LS50 Wireless II in late 2020 and they're essentially updated and better-sounding versions of the LS50 Wireless (released in 2018). They use the company's new proprietary Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which greatly reduces distortion. They have a new cone neck decoupler and motor system, which, again, helps eliminate distortion. The cabinet size has also been adjusted to give the speakers more bass.
Finally, the LS50 Wireless II have adopted one of the best features from its smaller brethren, the KEF LSX, in that the two speakers don't have to be tethered together; this allows you to place the speakers further apart which is convenient, although it does mean that the speakers will sacrifice some audio quality.
Best Upgrade Active Speakers
- Power: 250 watts
- Resolution: up to 24bit/96kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Connectivity (wired): Ethernet
In 2019, Bowers & Wilkins released the Duo as part of its Formation series, which also includes an all-in-one speaker, soundbar and wireless subwoofer. The Duo speakers take bits from the company's other high-end speakers; for example, they have the same carbon dome tweeter found in B&W’s 700 series and the Continuum cone driver from its 800 series.
The other neat thing about the Duo is that, along with all its Formation speakers, they're are able to harness leverage the company's new wireless mesh network technology (called Formation Wireless Technology) that enables them to stream up to 96/24-bit audio, which B&W claims is twice the fidelity of other high-end wireless speakers. Obviously, the price and look of these speakers might not be for everybody, but if you're looking for the best of the best in active speakers, these are certainly up there.
Best Affordable Active Speakers
- Power: 100 watts
- Resolution: up to 24-bit/384kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Connectivity (wired): HDMI eARC, Toslink optical, digital coaxial, 3.5mm, USB
Released in mid-2022, the KEF LSX II is the second generation of the company's insanely popular LSX active speaker system. Like its predecessor, the LSX II is basically a shrunk-down, less powerful and more affordable version of the company's flagship LS50 Wireless II. Each speaker features KEF’s signature Uni-Q driver array with a 4.5-inch midrange driver and 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeter; each speaker is individually powered by a 100-watt, too. It supports a range of wireless (including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) and wired connections.
KEF has given these "Gen 2" active speakers quite a few upgrades under the hood to make them sound even better. Plus, it added an HDMI-ARC port so turn the LSX II into a powerful TV speaker system.
Read our review of the KEF LSX II, here.
Best Stand-Mounted Active Speakers
- Power: 280 watts
- Resolution: up to 32bit/192kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Connectivity (wired): HDMI ARC, digital optical, Ethernet, RCA
Released in 2021, the Q Active 200 is the company's first pair of active speakers. They can stream high-res audio (up to 32bit/192kHz) and are designed to compete with the likes of the KEF LS50 Wireless II. That said, the Q Active 200 is unique in a few key ways.
First, the wired connections (such as HDMI, optical, RCA and line-in for a turntable) aren't into the rear of one of the speakers but built into a separate hub; this makes it easy to hide unsightly wires. And secondly, Q Acoustics designed them as stand-mounted speakers and developed a special "Tensegrity" stand to show them off and get them sounding best. The catch is that these special stands will cost you an extra $500.
Best Budget-Friendly Active Speakers
- Power: 96 watts
- Resolution: up to 24-bit/96K
- Connectivity (wireless): Bluetooth aptX (no Wi-Fi)
- Connectivity (wired): USB, optical, AUX
Vanatoo has flown under the radar for a number of years with its Transparent One Encore active speakers; which are one of the best-sounding active loudspeakers below-$1,000, but if you’re operating on a limited budget, you need to pay close attention to their Transparent Zero desktop speakers which offer a lot more sound quality than you would expect for the price.
The Transparent Zero supports Bluetooth aptX, including USB, optical, and analog inputs and 4 x 48-watt per channel class D digital amplifier. The 4.0-inch aluminum woofer, 4-inch passive radiator, and 1-inch soft-dome tweeter offer a full-range presentation with surprisingly deep bass response considering the size of the cabinet. The angled baffle makes them work well on desktops and bookshelves and that should appeal to students or people who work remotely.
Best Active Speakers with Ribbon Tweeters
- Power: 130 watts
- Resolution: up to 24-bit/96kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Bluetooth aptX (no Wi-Fi)
- Connectivity (wired): USB, RCA, Toslink digital optical
Kanto is well known for its affordable active loudspeakers, and the TUK might just be its best. It has ribbon tweeters, which many higher-priced speakers have utilized for years, allowing them to deliver a superior level of detail and airiness. Each speaker has an AMT tweeter and a 5.25-inch aluminum midrange woofer, so in addition to playing rich, detailed audio – they also get loud; the TUK are particularly adept with electronic music, pop, and hip-hop. Kanto has wisely chosen to integrate a MM phono stage, USB DAC, headphone amplifier, and support for Bluetooth aptX HD making the TUK one of the most complete active loudspeaker packages available at any price.
Pro tip: The optional stands should be considered mandatory. The TUK will appeal to anyone looking for a complete home or desktop system that comes with everything you need in the box to begin enjoying right away.
Best Active Speakers for Computers
- Power: 130 watts
- Resolution: up to 24bit/192kHz
- Connectivity (wireless): Bluetooth aptX (No Wi-Fi)
- Connectivity (wired): AUX, USB, RCA, Toslink digital optical
The Q Acoustics M20 HD is a bit of an outlier on this list because it's a wireless music system that doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi (meaning no AirPlay or Spotify Connect) like most other active speakers, but it does have built-in Bluetooth, so it's still easy to stream music from your smartphone or computer.
Other than that, the M20 HD is essentially a smaller version of the company's Q Active 200 speakers; it has similar features, such as Point to Point (P2P) cabinet bracing technology and support for high-resolution audio (up to 24bit/192kHz), and it has a number of analog connections (via optical and minijack). For the price, the M20 HD is a steal for people who are fine with Bluetooth-only streaming.
Read our review of the Q Acoustics M20 HD, here.
Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Active Speakers
- Power: 100 watts
- Resolution: N/A
- Connectivity (wireless): None
- Connectivity (wired): RCA, XLR
The AE1 are the one active speaker pair on this list that don’t support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sources – you can’t stream music to them – but they have a huge sonic edge. They feature a full-range two-way design, with a rather robust 50-watt class A/B power amplifier in each loudspeaker. The AE1’s 5-inch woofer and 1-inch metal dome tweeter have a directness about them that makes them sound far more authoritative than comparably priced systems. The AE1 offers transparency, detail, and impressive soundstage depth in a package that does not take up a lot of space.
While you can connect sources to the AE1 directly and use its awkwardly-placed rear volume control, the better route is to connect the loudspeakers to an inexpensive pre-amplifier like the Schiit Audio Freya which will provide greater flexibility and more inputs. The AE1 may not offer the wireless flexibility of its rivals – but it beats almost all of them if sound quality is your biggest priority and don’t mind having to connect them to your playback sources.
Best Active Speakers for Fluance Turntables
- Power: 120 watts
- Resolution: N/A
- Connectivity (wireless): Bluetooth
- Connectivity (wired): USB, RCA, Toslink optical
The Fluance Ai61 is the company's newest pair of entry-level active speakers that are designed to partner with the company's turntables (must have a built-in preamp). The $300 bookshelf speakers have a built-in 120-watt amplifier and support a number of different connections, including RCA, Optical and USB.
There's no Wi-Fi streaming (meaning no support for Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2), but they do have support for Bluetooth 5.0 so you can stream music straight from your smartphone or computer. Also, if the Ai61 speakers are too big for your needs, the Fluance Ai41 ($250) is essentially the same exact bookshelf speaker, just slightly smaller and more affordable. Both of Fluance's newest bookshelf speakers are available in a number of different finishes.
Best Active Speakers for Streaming
- Power: 150 watts
- Resolution: N/A
- Connectivity (wireless): Bluetooth aptX (no Wi-Fi)
- Connectivity (wired): AUX, RCA
Audioengine’s A5+ Wireless speakers are exactly the same as the company's A5+ speakers, only they have built-in Bluetooth and a 24-bit DAC, so you can stream high-resolution audio (Bluetooth aptX, SBC and AAC). They offer numerous inputs and connectivity options, so you can connect them to a turntable, receiver or desktop (as you use them as super nice computer speakers). The downside is that they don't support Wi-Fi streaming and, if you're not going to use Bluetooth streaming, you can pick up Audioengine’s several-year-old A5+ speakers and get the same audio quality for $100 less on Amazon.
The Audioengine A5+ Wireless are available in white or bamboo finishes, the latter being $50 more expensive.
Why Active Speakers?
The two biggest advantages of modern active speakers are 1) sound quality and 2) ease of use.
An active speaker pair is able to deliver stereo sound in a way that popular Wi-Fi speakers, such as a single Sonos Five, simply cannot. The speaker-and-amp combo means that active loudspeakers have fewer moving parts; there’s no need for a separate receiver or an external amplifier like you would need with a passive bookshelf speaker system. And since most active speakers support both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming, you can easily stream music using the service (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, etc.) you already use. Simply open your preferred music app, select the music and the source (your loudspeakers), and then press play.
Essentially, active speakers generally sound superior to traditional Wi-Fi speakers, and they’re just as simple and easy to control (there are a few active speakers, however, that don’t support wireless streaming). And with a multitude of inputs and connectivity options, they’ve way more versatile. In addition to streaming from your smartphone or laptop, it’s easy to connect most modern active speakers to your television or to your turntable, too.
Active loudspeakers won’t be perfect for everybody. They’re powered speakers, meaning they require a power source and aren’t portable. They’re notoriously powerful, so maybe not great for small rooms; and they’re more expensive than many alternatives, thanks to more components inside each speaker. Active or powered loudspeakers also lock you into a "sound" that was selected by the designer based on all of the internal components (amplifier, DAC); unlike a passive loudspeaker system whose sonic flavor can be altered by changing the other components.
What to Look for
Size
Active speakers come in all different sizes, ranging from the size of computer-sized speakers to the size of large studio monitors. It's important to get the right-sized speaker for your space, but also, generally, the larger and more powerful the speaker, the higher the price.
Streaming support
Most active speakers have built-in Wi-Fi and support a multitude of wireless streaming options: AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Google Chromecast and more. Make sure the active speakers you buy work with your streaming method of choice.
Wired connectivity
Most active speakers support a number of analog connection options, including HDMI eARC, Ethernet, coaxial and optical inputs, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a subwoofer out. These are important as they allow you to also connect your speakers to analog sources, such as a turntable, preamp, your computer or even a TV.
More Hi-Fi Guides
- The Best Bookshelf Speakers
- The Best Wireless Speakers That Look Vintage
- A Beginner's Guide to Home Audio Equipment
- What Does “Hi-Fi” Even Mean Anymore?
