Choosing speakers for a desk, a counter, or a hall

Speaker boxes lead with a watt figure because it is a big number that is easy to print. It tells you very little about how something sounds.

Match the speaker to the room

A 2.0 desktop pair is right for one person at a desk. A counter or small shop wants something with a separate driver for low frequencies so speech stays clear over background noise. A hall needs a trolley or PA unit — a desktop speaker turned up loud only distorts.

What the wattage figure hides

Peak or PMPO wattage is a marketing figure. RMS is the honest one, and even then a well-designed 10 W speaker will beat a poorly designed 40 W speaker comfortably.

Connections decide compatibility

A 3.5 mm aux input works with almost anything. Bluetooth adds convenience and a small latency penalty that matters for video and games but not for music. USB power is convenient but ties you to a nearby port.

If it is for voice

Announcements and calls need clarity in the mid range, not bass. A speaker tuned for music can actually make speech harder to follow.