In the last 5 years, computers have revolutionized the way the world works, lives and conducts business. It used to be that only large businesses and offices has computers as a way of improving their work flow. But now personal computers have become the norm in many homes in the US, Europe and the Far East. Computers are now used to send messages, watch and listen to the news, shop and even work. The early computers were not much in terms of multimedia devices but today many people use computers to watch movies, listen and create music and other types of media. This means that they come with advanced sound and video cards. The use of computers as multimedia gateways has spawned a whole new industry in computer accessories such as speakers and surrounds sound systems. Computer speakers, now come in many shapes and sizes. Many major computer manufacturers such as Dell, Compaq, HP and Acer all bundle quality speakers with their computer units. Dell has speakers included in some CPUs and there is therefore no need to purchase additional speakers. Other manufacturers have monitors that have quality speakers in-built into them as is common with Compaq monitors some of which come with Harman Kardon speakers. Harman Kardon is a respected brand name in the home theater industry. When discussing the issue of which computer speakers are the best, we have to look at what they are going to be used for. For most people, computers are for surfing the Internet, reading th e news and doing light typing not to mention sending and receiving email. People who are in this category will not need sophisticated speakers installed in their computers. Today, many people under the age of 50 use computers to watch movies, stream music and video and also to create multimedia applications. Teens are also involved with this. In that case there is the need to invest more high-tech speakers. There are many companies that make computer speakers. These are also the same c companies which are household names when it comes to consumer entertainment technology such as music systems and surround sound home theater systems. Companies such as Sony, JVC, Bose, Maxell, Akai, AIWA, Zenith, and Samsung are all heavily involved in the creation of computer speakers. Some are low grade coming with just a power cable to be attached to the wall and a sound jack to be plugged into the PC or laptop. Others are a bit more advanced and will come with an additional amplifier and tuner. Companies like Creative Labs have been making home entertainment units for computers for a while and are a respected name in this field. Speakers used to come in the traditional set of two but now, computer speaker manufactures are including home theater capability in home computer speaker systems. It is no longer difficult to see computer speaker systems coming with a mid-range sub-woofer with a movie-quality bass and multiple other small speakers for surround sound functionality.