Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My musical tastes run the gamut from ancient Sumerian folk songs to Norwegian Black Metal and everything in between. So I need speakers that deliver. For a while, I had the built in speakers on my monitor, and their sound was good, if lacking. Still, I didn't see a need to add yet one more plug to my already overtaxed surge suppressor, so I went with "it'll work", and it did, right up until it didn't. A few weeks ago those monitor speakers finally went out. I figured I could read lips, but that failed rather quickly when I discovered that most software I use doesn't have lips to read. So I gave in, and started shopping around for speakers. Now, contrary to what you may believe here, I am not made of money, so I had to find speakers that were reasonably priced, while still delivering what they promised. I searched around a few regular PC shops, but they wanted a lot of money for very fancy speakers that I knew I wouldn't use to their full potential. I mean, really, do I need a 7.1 surround while I'm working on a spreadsheet and listening to the Alan Parson's Project in the background? Of course not. So I wanted something simple, inexpensive, but good quality. I don't think that's too much to ask. Apparently, unless I'm willing to take a chance on some cheapies from Walmart that will stop working after a few days, that is too much to ask. So I took to Amazon, because let's face it, this is where most of us end up, at least those of us who live in a tiny town where the Walmart is the only choice available for physical locations. I had found another set of speakers before these, and was tempted to buy them, but they had a power cord and not enough actual wattage for what I wanted. Yeah, I'm not looking for something to knock me backwards every time I get a new email, but I do want it to have some power. So finally I saw these speakers, the AmazonBasics USB powered speakers. I continued past them about half a dozen times before I came back to them and figured they would be worth a shot. I mean, they were powered, but by USB so no more stress on my surge protector. They were also smaller, which meant a smaller footprint, to where I could place them on my desk without fear of knocking them over (I have a small desk). So I purchased them. Got them a few days later, unboxed them, and set them up. It was really easy, as it should be, and I powered them on. I picked some Alan Parsons Project from my Winamp library (hey, I like the Alan Parsons Project, alright?). "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" starts up, and as it continues to build, I begin to get this smile on my face. Then it kicks off, and it just sounds *great*. The audio is crystal clear, the sound is sharp. There's just enough bass to make it feel "full". In short, I was impressed. I wasn't expecting a lot from $13 USB powered speakers, but I really was impressed. If you're on a budget and need a reliable pair of quality speakers, these are the speakers you want. Believe me. I wish you could hear them, I really do, but trying to show you how good these speakers are when you're obviously looking for better speakers than what you got just really defeats the purpose. That said, I highly recommend these speakers. They're the best bang for your buck. 5/5 Stars John