No more do you need to put up 5–7 speakers all around for that surround sound effect. If you’re willing to spend, there’s a way to get that effect from a single source without compromising on performance. Check out Pioneer’s PDSP-1 Digital Sound Projector, a 500-watt panel that can fill your den with crisp, clear surround sound. It’s shaped like a flat-panel TV, so you can hang it just beneath your plasma screen (since you’re the kind that lurves to splurge!) and the speakers will bounce sound off the walls and ceiling, creating a surround sound environment without cluttering up your room with speakers and wires. Say boom!

These HOT, HOT SBA1500 speakers from Phillips are unlike any other sound blasters around. Though just the size of a cricket ball, one single speaker has the meat to blast off the jazz in style! The speakers come with their own power pack to amplify the music, which clips together pretty neatly with the speakers for true compact portability. And best bit: These portable balls of power are made to actually live off the power from your music device. So just plug them in and set the ball rolling!

However, amazing your regular, rectangular, boxy speakers may sound, they definitely miss out on the funk factor. For a pair of great-sounding speakers that don’t need to scream for attention, lay your hands on these Bang & Olufsen delights, called BeoLab 5. They look like UFOs docked to big cones, and sound like audiophile heaven. With each speaker running on 2,500 watts of power, they can go loud – very loud – while retaining a clean, crisp sound. B&O also boasts that the speakers sounds great no matter where you stand, bringing you stereo sound even if you’re standing right out in the lawn.

Additional information is available at the Bang & Olufsen site

Rock your work with SW-V2.1 1255, Genius’ sleek 2.1 desktop speaker set. It features a 5.25″ sub-woofer long-throw driver and satellites with three-piece 2″ full range drivers. The wired controller has standby, volume and bass adjustments. Other features include a headphone jack for private listening and auxiliary jacks for audio devices like your iPod. There’s an extra converter cable for game consoles. You can remove the stands and suspend the satellites to save space. Ready to groove?

Thinking about buying a new computer? Make sure your computer is equipped with good speakers so you can listen to streaming music. Whether you listen to free music online or from your own collection, your computer better have good speakers.