Review: The Monoprice DT-3BT speakers are possibly the best speakers under $100

I was recently in the market for a new pair of speakers for my computer. The ones I had were old Logitechs that were probably about $25 brand new (I had a friend use them) and they were dying. I was looking for something that was relatively affordable, yet had some impact. I didn’t want them to distort when I turned my computer volume up past 30 or so. I found the Monoprice DT-3BT 50 Watt Speakers for under $100! Monoprice was kind enough to send me a couple so I could write this review, but the thoughts below are my own.

If your computer speaker budget is $100 or less, I highly recommend the DT-3BT. It has a nice big sound, has plenty of headroom to prevent audio distortion, and has a lot of inputs and features. You can connect your devices via Bluetooth, a 3.5mm aux port on the front, unbalanced stereo RCA (the red and white) or balanced 1/4” TRS connections. My personal choice is RCA as the speakers come with a cable that runs from a 3.5mm to your computer and goes into stereo (white and red) RCA. You also get an aux lead, but then you plug into the front and it won’t sound as clean. If you plan on using the ¼” connection, you’ll need to supply your own cables, but chances are you already have them if that’s your goal.

As I mentioned, the sound is really good on the DT-3BT. However, it takes some work to get there. The bass is really present and while it doesn’t muddy the sounds, it feels a bit excessive. I found that I had to download an EQ tool so I could best manage the speakers to sound full and powerful without feeling like I was being punched in the stomach while sitting at my desk. I was honestly concerned that the bass wouldn’t be great since the DT-3BT has a frequency response range of 75Hz-20kHz while most headphones and speakers target the 20Hz-20kHz range, but it proved me wrong.

Besides sounding great with minimal fuss (working the EQ wasn’t bad), the DT-3BT looks fantastic. They are so clean and professional looking. My only complaint about the physical design is that the pairing button for Bluetooth is on the back of the speaker. This makes Bluetooth a bit awkward to set up.

The other complaint I have is pretty trivial. I tend to prefer turning the volume knob quite high and then using my computer’s volume to control levels since I can adjust things quickly with my keyboard. I found that if I tried to set the DT-3BT past the 12 o’clock mark then there would be a lot of additional noise. It’s not noticeable when you listen to something, but if you don’t, the noise is very noticeable at these levels. That said, I don’t have a dedicated sound card or amplifier, so I plug directly into my motherboard.

I highly recommend the DT-3BT if you need new speakers. I could also see the case to possibly use them for your TV. You’ll probably want to adjust the EQ on whatever device you’re connecting these speakers to, but it shouldn’t be too much work. For under $100, I sincerely wonder if there’s a better pair of speakers out there.