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Ready to retire your tinny TV speakers and sad little laptop drivers? Powered speakers are the easiest way to upgrade your listening station, whether you’re streaming playlists, watching movies, or spinning vinyl. And with the right connections, there’s no receiver required. Many of the picks below echo standouts from our Popular Science guide to the best powered bookshelf speakers and our best speakers for turntables roundup, so you’re getting deals on gear we’d happily park on our own desks and record cabinets. And it’s cheaper than ever to upgrade your audio if you take advantage of these Cyber Monday deep discounts, featuring the lowest prices of the year.
Whether you want a compact nearfield setup for your desktop, a sleek system that can pull double duty for movies and music, or a one-stop solution with HDMI ARC and phono support for your turntable, there’s something here that can slot right into your space and sound better than it has any right to at this size.
Edifier R1280DB Powered Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers — $127.49 (was $139.99)
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If you’ve ever looked at our powered speaker coverage, you’ve seen Edifier earn its stripes as a go-to starter set—and this R1280DB configuration is the sweet spot. You get optical and coaxial inputs for cleaner digital audio from a TV or streamer, classic RCA for analog gear, and Bluetooth for casual couch control, all in a compact cabinet that still feels substantial on a shelf. The included remote and simple onboard controls make it easy to tweak volume and tone, and the mix of black baffle and wood-grain wrap keeps things looking more hi-fi than “PC speaker,” whether they’re flanking a monitor or framing a turntable.
If you want to grow your setup later, consider the closely related R1280DBs variants below—those models add a subwoofer line-out for $15 more, so you can drop in a dedicated bass box when you’re ready to rattle the room.
Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC Powered Speakers — $279 (was $349)
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Want a compact hi-fi hub instead of just a pair of speakers? The Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC packs the kind of connectivity we call out with glee: HDMI ARC for TV audio, USB-C for laptops, optical for consoles and streamers, plus line/phono inputs so you can plug in a record player—no separate amplifier required. A 4-inch woofer, soft-dome tweeter, and tuned porting give you full-bodied sound that can move from lo-fi playlists to blockbuster movie night without breaking a sweat.
Bluetooth 5.3 makes quick work of streaming from your phone, while the included remote and subwoofer output mean you can build this out into the nucleus of a living room or small studio system. If you’re looking for one set of speakers to handle your TV, desktop, and deck, the GX-30ARC (available in black or white) is built for exactly that modern mash-up.
More Edifier Cyber Monday deals for every desk and shelf
More editor-approved powered bookshelf and desktop speaker Cyber Monday deals
KRK Kreate 5 Powered Studio Monitor — $152 (was $169)
From one of the most recognizable names in studio monitors, the KRK Kreate 5 brings the same mix of punchy low end and detailed mids we shout out in our best powered bookshelf speakers coverage, but in a more living-room-friendly wrapper. A 5-inch woofer and tuned porting keep beats and basslines feeling lively, while front-panel controls and flexible inputs mean they can pull duty at a production desk by day and soundtrack movie night by night.
Kanto REN 200W Powered Speaker System with HDMI ARC — $449 (was $699)
If you want powered bookshelf speakers that could potentially replace a soundbar, Kanto’s REN system delivers. You get 200W of power, HDMI ARC for one-cable TV hookup, USB-C and Bluetooth 5.3 for modern devices, and a high/low-pass filter plus sub out for building a 2.1 system. They’ve been a standout in our powered bookshelf coverage for how effortlessly they jump between daily TV duties and more attentive music listening.
Compact and creative desktop contenders, plus turntable- and TV-friendly Cyber Monday speaker deals
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