Cerwin-Vega XD3
Retail price: $99
www.cerwinvega.com
Somewhere along the line, designers started passing off crappy plastic boxes and sticks as desktop speakers, but Cerwin-Vega’s XD3 is getting back to what a desktop speaker should be — a compact but hefty hunk of wood capable of playing full sounds.
Audiophiles will be impressed with the clarity of highs and wide band of midranges, but — as with most 3” woofers — a pair of speaker stands would do wonders to help push up the sometimes under-whelming lows. However, once raised, the XD3’s are comfortable all day long, pushing everything from Yo-Yo Ma to the Beastie Boys (yes, the bass really does come up enough to make Check Your Head sound right).
