- Posted by liammclennan on March 8, 2009
Stephen King wrote about his preference for listening to AC/DC and other loud rock when he is working. Many developers also like to listen to music as they work but are stuck with the disgraceful desktop speakers that came bundled with their PC. If there is one thing I can't stand, it's bad sound.
A few years ago I upgraded my desktop speakers to a pair of Behringer MS20s. While they are technically low-end studio monitors the MS20s make great desktop speakers. They include a built-in 20W RMS amplifier as well as both analog and digital inputs (coax and optical).
Initially they had a muddy bottom end that was caused by vibrations being transferred to my desk. The desk was functioning as a large, poorly designed bass woofer that ruined the sound. I cut an eraser into eight pieces, put one piece under each corner of each speaker, and the problem largely disappeared. If you care about your desktop sound then the MS20 are great value at around AU$160 for the pair. They also work well for voip applications. Here is how mine are setup:
