Best Speakers For Mac Mini: A 2024 Buyer’s Guide

speaker for mac mini

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Even from a company as amazing as Apple, the Mac Mini has always been a standout computer – small, sleek and attractive, the Mini is beautifully built and brilliantly designed, fast, powerful and well connected – in fact, we might well wonder if there’s anything a Mac Mini doesn’t get just right.

Well yes, now that you mention it – they don’t sound very good… The sound processing is as good as any Macintosh, so first rate all the way, but the built-in speaker is a bit, well, meh…

Luckily there are a lot of ways to remedy this situation – actually, a lot more than a lot! – so I thought I would put together a list of the best speaker systems for the Mac Mini, with a few recommendations of wired, Bluetooth wireless and Airplay 2 compatible speaker systems that work beautifully with our little champion.

If you are in a hurry, and just want the picks, here are my top recommendations:

What Are the Best Speakers for a Mac Mini?

In most ways there is no difference between the speakers you would choose for a Mac Mini and the speakers you would choose for any computer.

We want speakers that sound great, that work perfectly and are reliable, that look good and match our aesthetic, and that have the connectivity we want.

I’m all about those first two – the sight and the sound – and I think you’ll find that every choice in this list of best Mac Mini speakers is a fantastic sounding product that looks good. But the last point – the connectivity – might want a bit of exploration.

With speakers you intend to use with an Apple computer – the Mini or any other recent model – you have not only the normal two connectivity options – wired and Bluetooth wireless, but you also have a third – Airplay 2.

Wired

These are simply speakers that use a wire to connect to the computer – usually to the headphone jack. While decidedly old school, they do have the advantage of essentially trouble-free operation, since you will never have a spotty or lost wireless connection, and they may also be compatible with other devices – basically anything with a headphone jack. They have a built-in amplifier and are totally plug-and-go.

Bluetooth Wireless

These days, everybody and their brother’s poodle know what Bluetooth wireless is, but to be clear it is the standard wireless system used in pretty much all consumer electronics, and especially speakers, headphones, smartphones and computers. The only thing to know here is that it is best, when possible, to get Bluetooth gen 5, which has better sound, better range and a more reliable connection.

Airplay

Airplay is a proprietary Apple system for sharing data – including music and audio streams – between devices using your existing wifi network rather than a separate signal (like Bluetooth uses). This allows for much larger range than Bluetooth, and it is easier to stream audiophile quality ‘lossless’ music. Any wireless speaker will have Bluetooth, but only a few are Airplay enabled, and for the latest functionality it’s best to make sure they work with Airplay 2.

If you’re using your speakers wirelessly with other devices, especially non-Apple devices, Bluetooth will work with andy of them (as will any wired speakers), but you can rest assured that all of the wireless speakers I recommend (except for the least expensive Edifier G200) are Airplay 2 enabled as well, for full compatibility and functionality with your Mac Mini.

Other than that, it may really just all come down to budget, and so I’ve listed the recommendations simply by price, from least to most expensive.

But whatever your budget, and whichever speaker you choose, these are all great sounding products, that are well made and reliable and, like the Mac Mini itself, have a nice bit of style.

So, let’s get right into it, shall we, with this buyer’s guide to the best speaker systems for Mac Mini!

The Best Mac Mini Speakers in 2024

Best Budget Speaker for Mac Mini

Creative Pebble 2.0 Desktop Speakers with Passive Radiators

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired
  • Airplay 2: Not Applicable
  • Amplifier Power: 8 Watts per Channel
  • Single Speaker or Stereo Pair: Stereo Pair
  • Placement: Desktop

What I Love: 

  • Fantastic Sound for the Money
  • Great Sense of Style

Drawbacks?

  • Not at this price!

One of the most popular computer speaker systems on the planet, the Creative Pebble gen 2 is almost ridiculously inexpensive, but you could never tell by looking at or hearing them.

I guess there’s nothing really that makes these a particularly good speaker for a Mac Mini, except maybe that they too have a nice and original bit of style, but they are nonetheless definitely and easily my top recommendation for this lowest price point.

The Creative Pebble speakers have amazingly rich, clear and detailed sound, with a bit of bass that is nicely boosted and gives the overall sound great warmth and foundation – and a bit of drive. They image well and project sound beautifully into, for example, the small space of a desktop, though they wouldn’t be a good choice for filling a larger room with stereo sound.

And they just work – the Creative Pebble 2.0 speakers are a simple wired design, that plug into the Mac Mini’s headphone jack, and so they will always work without a hitch. They have a volume control, a single full-range speaker driver and a passive radiator for extended bass, and that’s about it.

A small, cute and surprisingly great sounding super affordable speaker, the Creative Pebble 2.0 are the best budget speaker for the Mac Mini, and maybe the best budget speaker overall – just ask any one of the gazillion people who’ve already bought them!


Big Sound, Small Price

Edifier G2000 32W PC Computer Speakers with Aux Input & RGB Lights

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired & Bluetooth Wireless
  • Airplay 2: No
  • Amplifier Power: 32 Watts per Channel
  • Single Speaker or Stereo Pair: Stereo Pair
  • Placement: Desktop

What I Love: 

  • Big, Powerful Sound
  • Three Highly Effective Sound Modes

Drawbacks?

  • Not a big fan of the lights – but they can be turned off!

I guess there is a pretty big jump in price from my budget pick, the nifty little Creative Pebbles, to these Edifier speakers, but honestly I haven’t heard a lot of speakers in between that offer significantly better sound than the pebbles, which are to me a supreme value.

But with these Edifier G2000 speakers we see – or at least hear – a big difference. They have a bigger amplifier built in and a lot more power, and not only do they play louder, and with a lot more authority, but the sound is more full range, with deeper bass and a lovely balance overall.

Don’t get me wrong – the Creative Pebbles sound great for the money, but these Edifier G200 speakers are, at a still very affordable price, definitely next level. And while they are pretty heavily billed as gaming speakers, they actually have three fantastically effective EQ modes built in, for games, theater and music, and I actually slightly prefer them for the latter.

While the style is a bit spartan, the G2000 are beautifully finished and look fantastic, and are well made speakers that seem like they will last and last. They are Bluetooth wireless, though they don’t have Airplay compatibility, and can also be used with an included wired connection

Just over a hundred dollars, these Edifier G2000 speakers are just wonderful, and a perfect desktop speaker for a Mac Mini, having – for me at least – a similar sense of style and also a similar focus on quality and performance. Still inexpensive, and best in class!


Best Affordable Speaker for Mac Mini

Kanto YU2 Desktop Speakers with 100 Watt Amplifier & USB DAC

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired
  • Airplay 2: Not Applicable
  • Amplifier Power: 50 Watts per Channel
  • Sold As: Stereo Pair
  • Placement: Desktop, Bookshelf, Stands

What I Love: 

  • Accurate and Honest Sound
  • Superbly Made and Finished

Drawbacks?

  • Some might want a bit stronger bass balance

It may seem surprising that even at this somewhat higher price level I still haven’t recommended a wireless speaker for the Mac Mini, but I have to say that for small desktop stereo speakers that are being used in the home I am a big fan of wired connectivity, which is simple and fuss-free, has great sound and never drops a signal.

These Kanto YU2 desktop speakers don’t have great sound, though – they have almost unbelievable sound, with the kind of transparency, detail, sweetness and honesty I would expect from a pair of true audiophile speakers. They have a clean, low distortion, high resolution 100 watt amplifier built in, and can reach volume levels that are probably too much for most offices – home or otherwise – and all at but at a price an audiophile would be almost embarrassed to pay.

Even with their tiny size, and their tiny woofer, the YU2 have exceptional bass, deep, fast and detailed, and while it is not (thank goodness) super-boosted to be the most dominant part of the sonic picture – like seemingly most other speakers do – it can be equalized up for as big of bass as you want, just without all the heavy, thick and slow character we’re getting more and more used to.

The Kanto YU2 are probably the most beautiful speakers I’ve seen at this affordable price level, with a supremely well done minimalist look and superb fit and finish. They are also made as well as they are finished, and might well prove to be a lifetime speaker.

It sounds like I am describing a much pricier premium-level speaker, but the Kanto YU2 are still well under 300 dollars. They sound amazing and will play really, really loud, are drop-dead gorgeous, and all in all are not just the best Mac Mini speakers at this level, but quite possibly the best value speakers on the list.


Best Smart Speaker for Mac Mini

Denon Home 150 Wireless Smart Speaker with AirPlay 2

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired Analog and Digital, Bluetooth Wireless and USB
  • Airplay 2: Yes
  • Amplifier Power: Bi-Amplified Class D, Power not Specified
  • Sold As: Single Smart Speaker
  • Placement: Desktop, Bookshelf, Countertop, Table

What I Love: 

  • Excellent Tech and Functionality
  • Fantastic, Powerful Sound 

Drawbacks?

  • The Bigger Denons have More Bass

I am so happy that Denon, one of the most revered high end audio manufacturers of the last fifty years, is still making the products that can be called the best of the best. And not just that, but still embracing, and even shaping, the latest technologies – in this case, smart home functionality, with their incredible, and surprisingly affordable, Denon Home 150 wireless smart speaker.

Let’s get all of that high tech stuff out of the way – not really all of it, I guess, since there are just too many features and compatibilities, but here’s the short list:

The Denon Home 150 smart speaker includes a microphone for voice commands and is compatible with all major assistants, like Alexa, Google Assistant and – most importantly for us – Siri. The Denon 150 is fully Airplay 2 enabled, so all of the amazingly advanced Apple streaming and sharing capabilities are here. It is also equipped with the latest generation Bluetooth, and is ready for almost every single music streaming service.

There’s even a lot more to mention, and yet for all of its incredibly advanced tech and functionality the Denon Home 150 is almost unbelievably simple and intuitive in use – essentially no learning curve (definitely not the case with many smart speakers!).

But even if it were the most advanced speaker in the world – which, at this low price, it might well be – and had Siri, Airplay and a personal endorsement from Tim Cook himself, I still wouldn’t call the Denon Home 150 the best Mac Mini smart speaker if it didn’t sound good.

Luckily, the 150 sounds absolutely wonderful – and this, more than even technology and innovation, is what Denon is really known for. No speaker in this range, and few speakers period, have this amazing combination of bright, open detail and warm musicality, and the extreme extension of high frequencies and deep bass, as well as the projection of sound and the sense of space and the big, powerful amplifier make all music sound fantastic.

In features and functionality, it seems like the Denon Home 150 was tailor-made for a Mac Mini, or any Macintosh computer, and it is one of the most advanced and genuinely useful smart speakers I’ve ever spent time with. But for me the real draw is the sound quality – its beauty and its power – and in this the 150 doesn’t have any real competition.

If it seems strange that my choice for best smart speaker for the Mac Mini is so low priced, and at least relatively small, I would say that a lot of even much bigger and more expensive smart home speakers I’ve tried just aren’t as good, and in fact if you really want more size and more bass – or you are just inexplicably compelled to spend more – I myself would much rather get the bigger Denon Home speakers, like the Denon Home 250 or  the Denon Home 350.

And, though all three of these Denon smart speakers do great on their own, if you  really need the bass, like really, really need it, I also absolutely love the Denon Home 550 Subwoofer.


Best Affordable-Premium Speaker for Mac Mini

Audioengine S1000W Plus Wireless Desktop / Bookshelf Speaker with 120W Amp

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired Analog and Digital, Bluetooth Wireless
  • Airplay 2: Yes
  • Amplifier Power: 120 Watts per Channel
  • Sold As: Stereo Pair
  • Placement: Desktop, Bookshelf, Stands

What I Love: 

  • Big, Beautiful Sound with No Strain
  • Advanced Technology and Functionality

Drawbacks?

  • Not the prettiest bookshelf speakers…

A lot of people ask me for recommendations for speakers, and so often I hear them say something like “I don’t really need anything that’s audiophile quality or anything.”

But I myself think, and say, that if you have a specific price point or budget in mind you might as well get the very best sounding speaker you possibly can for that money – especially if it ticks all the other boxes for you, like looks and style, compatibility and functionality, and overall quality.

We don’t even need to call the Audioengine S1000W wireless speaker system an “audiophile” product, if we don’t want to, but it really is.

In fact, the S1000W are easily among the best sounding audiophile speakers under five hundred dollars I’ve ever heard, with superb materials and leading-edge design employed on the speaker drivers and cabinets, the highest resolution digital circuitry and Bluetooth codecs, and an amplifier that is incredibly powerful, fast, clean and disarmingly sweet sounding.

Really, at this level I’ve rarely heard such transparency, such detail and such dynamic energy and expressiveness from a wireless speaker. Bass is deep, tight and fast, and particularly well balanced, mids are warm and open and the silky smooth high frequencies are exceptionally detailed and revealing, but without even a hint of brightness or glare.

Ok, audiophile nerd than I am, I’ve rambled on enough about the fantastic sound of the Audioengine S1000W speaker, and I should also mention that it is fully Airplay 2 compatible, as well as having Bluetooth wireless and wired connections. The S1000W are sold as a stereo pair, and are designed for desktop or bookshelf use, but will work great pretty much anywhere, and can effortlessly fill either a small office or a large room with sound.

Though still under 500 dollars, the Audioengine S1000W are a high end speaker system in every sense, with truly premium and perfectly executed fit and finish. Possibly the best sounding, best built speakers I know for the money, they are the speakers I recommend most often at this level, and seem particularly well suited for use with a Mac Mini.


Best Smart Speaker for Mac Mini – Premium

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge Unique 120-Degree Elliptical Cabinet

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired Analog and Digital, Bluetooth Wireless
  • Airplay 2: Yes
  • Amplifier Power: 160 Watts
  • Sold As: Single Smart Speaker
  • Placement: Bookshelf, Tabletop, Countertop

What I Love: 

  • Spacious, Powerful and Lovely Sound
  • A Beautiful and Beautifully Crafted Speaker

Drawbacks?

  • Last Generation Bluetooth 4.2 – still provides the best lossless sound, but less range (200 ft vs Bluetooth 5’s 800 ft)

Earlier on in this buyer’s guide for the best Mac Mini speakers I strongly recommended the Denon Home smart speakers, and I do believe they are the best choice over all – and in fact you’d have to pay about four times as much to get what is, in my opinion, a significantly better speaker.

But yes, this admittedly fairly pricey Bowers and Wilkins Formation Wedge is a significantly better speaker. It is also one of the most strikingly original looking and beautiful speakers I’ve ever encountered, with fit, finish and craftsmanship that has to be seen to be believed.

With Airplay 2 and Siri voice assistant compatibility, the B&W Formation Wedge is a perfect speaker for a Mac Mini, and the Wedge is about as advanced as it gets in pretty much every way, but what really sets it apart is that legendary Bowers and Wilkins sound.

B&W has, after all, been making some of the very best sounding and most advanced (not to mention most expensive) high end speakers for over a half a century now, and their Nautilus design was a real game-changer, and one of the most significant new speaker designs in the history of audio

The Wedge, which is, like the original Nautilus, a radical looking speaker, borrows both design and philosophy from that groundbreaking product in order to reproduce sound with unparalleled accuracy, resolution and tonal beauty, and particularly impressive deep bass, and to project it into any room with a spatiality that is beyond any other single speaker I’ve heard – not just stereo sound, but eerily holographic and wholly immersive imaging that brings listening to a whole new level.

An extraordinary looking and extraordinary sounding smart home speaker with the highest levels of material quality and craftsmanship imaginable, and one that is particularly well suited for use with a Mac Mini, the Bowers and Wilkins Formation Wedge is a very special product that is surely on its way to becoming another legend.


Best Premium Speaker for Mac Mini

KEF LSX II Wireless HiFi Speaker System with Airplay 2

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Connectivity: Wired Analog and Digital, Bluetooth Wireless, USB
  • Airplay 2: Yes
  • Amplifier Power: 100 Watts per Channel
  • Sold As: Stereo Pair
  • Placement: Desktop, Bookshelf, Stands

What I Love: 

  • The Very Best, Most Transparent, Accurate and Engaging Sound
  • Expensive, but an Amazing Value
  • Everything Else!

Drawbacks?

  • I don’t own a pair (yet)…

If our criteria for choosing the best speakers for a Mac Mini include compatibility with Apple functionality, beautiful style and craftsmanship, the highest level of quality and the very finest sound, there is no doubt that the KEF LSX II wireless speakers are the best Mac Mini speakers period.

First and foremost, the KEF LSX II are quite possibly the most beautiful sounding bookshelf speakers I’ve ever heard, with transparency and resolution that are so astounding that the speakers themselves completely disappear and all that’s left is music.

For speakers that are only about nine and a half inches tall, and with a woofer that’s not even five inches across, the bass that comes from the LSX II is nothing short of stunning – I’ve heard expensive floor-standing towers that don’t have such amazing bass, and that don’t even go as deep as these KEF.

But not just bass, the size of the sound coming from these wee speakers is absolutely enormous. They are described as being optimal for bookshelf or desktop placement, and they do throw a perfect stereo image on the desk and in a small office, but the LSX II can also easily fill the largest rooms with breathtakingly beautiful and spacious sound.

The KEF LSX II are about as advanced as it gets technologically, with not just Bluetooth wireless (with lossless audiophile codecs), but Airplay 2, compatibility with pretty much every single major music streaming service, analog and digital wired connectivity, proprietary Uni-Q magnesium/aluminum integrated high/low frequency drivers, an astonishingly sweet and powerful class D amplifier and perhaps the best digital to analog convertor ever put into an active speaker, 

With unparalleled accuracy in this range, the KEF LSX II have the most lovely and engaging sound I’ve ever heard in a powered speaker, and with everything else being just as top-notch – material quality and craftsmanship, style and design, reliability, technology and functionality (particularly Airplay 2 and Siri compatibility) these are without question the best speakers you can buy for a Mac Mini, and one of the finest pairs of powered speakers ever made.

No, I just can’t do it! I can’t go on living a lie! Because in truth the very best speaker you could ever get for a Mac Mini is not the superb KEF LSX II, but the even superber KEF LS50 Wireless II, which are about twice the price and, if not twice as good, at least a bit better in terms of deep bass extension and overall power and impact. The LS50 is my favorite active speaker, and probably at this point my favorite speaker overall, and while not fiendishly expensive easily outperforms much, much higher priced audiophile systems – and yet, for all of its superbity, it is, like its modest little sibling, an incredibly simple and easy to use speaker that is just ideal for our modern smart homes and lifestyles.


The Most Beautiful Speaker in the World?

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 4th Gen Wireless Multiroom Speaker

At a Glance

  • Connectivity: Wired Analog and Digital, Bluetooth Wireless
  • Airplay 2: Yes
  • Amplifier Power: 1,500 Watts (!)
  • Sold As: Single Smart Speaker
  • Placement: Provided Legs

What I Love: 

  • Unique and Beautifully Styling
  • Wonderfully Natural Room-Filling Sound
  • A Lifetime Investment

Drawbacks?

  • Expensive

I’d like to end the official Speakergy 2023 guide to the best speakers for Mac Mini computers with a very special product, the B&O Beoplay A9 smart speaker.

I know, I’ve already chosen the best smart speaker for Mac Mini, and the best premium smart speaker for Mac Mini, and there is no good reason to go here – except that this is… well, again, the only word that really works is special.

We can claim this based solely on its looks, since – like every Bang and Olufsen product – the A9’s unique shape, style, appearance and craftsmanship are all simply stunning.

The Bang and Olufsen Beoplay A9 is as talented as it gets in terms of technology and functionality, with not just Bluetooth wireless but compatibility with Chromecast, Airplay 2, BeoLink Mult-room and all major voice assistants. Leading edge materials and engineering, superb acoustic tuning and the finest drivers and inbuilt amplifiers make this an astonishingly advanced speaker system.

But for all its tech and amazing functionality,  and even all of its looks, my favorite thing about the Beoplay A9 is its sound. The strange and lovely shape of the cabinet, those superb drivers and the enormously powerful amplifier (1,550 watts total power!) and the overall engineering and design on many levels allow the A9 to fill any room or space with the most engagingly dynamic, effortless and natural sound you’ve ever heard – delightfully musical, exceptionally accurate and revealing, and with deep bass that is simply awesome yet never overdone.

If around three and a half grand seems a lot to pay for a speaker system, well, it is. But for sound quality alone there is no doubt the Bang and Olufsen Beoplay A9 is a true bargain – and some would even say that the looks alone make it well worth the money.

Technology and functionality are also superb, including full compatibility with Apple features and functionality, but this is not, perhaps, a speaker you buy because it works perfectly with your Mac Mini – it is rather a speaker you buy for a lifetime of use, and a beautiful museum-quality piece of art that you will be proud to have in your home.