Onkyo's affordable new active desktop speakers promise to be as good for your TV or turntable as they are for your laptop

Big sound and plenty of connectivity options

· TechRadar

News By Carrie Marshall published 7 January 2025

(Image credit: Onkyo)

  • Two self-powered models delivering 34W and 50W respectively
  • Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, phono and optical connections; HDMI ARC in the larger model
  • $199 / $299, available in Q2 2025

Onkyo is one of the big names in home theater audio, and it's just launched some small footprint speakers for gamers and music fans at CES 2025 – but while the new Onkyo Creator Series speakers may come in relatively small sizes, there's nothing small about their power.

The Creator Series is powered by highly efficient Class D amplifiers and the speakers promise to deliver audio that punches way above their small size. That makes them ideal not just for gaming and general PC audio but for your turntable and other audio sources – and in the case of the larger, HDMI-equipped model, for your TV too.

There are two models in the range: the Onkyo GX10DB and the Onkyo GX30ARC. Both will be available in the second quarter of 2025.

(Image credit: Onkyo)

Onkyo Creator Series: key features and pricing

The smaller model, the GX10DB, has a 3-inch woofer and a 3/4-inch tweeter. It delivers 34W per pair and includes 10-degree stands for perfect desktop positioning. There's also an included IR remote for sofa listening. Each speaker is also very compact at just 119mm x 173mm x 149mm (WxHxD).

The powered speakers have USB-C including USB-C Audio, and they also have RCA/Phono, Optical and subwoofer connections. They also have Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless streaming from your phone, tablet or computer.

The GX30ARC has the same connectivity and accessories plus HDMI ARC and a 3.5mm aux in, and the drivers here are 4-inch woofers and 3/4-inch tweeters putting out 50W per pair. To make room for the bigger drivers the GX30ARC are slightly bigger than their sibling speakers: 146mm wide, 220mm high and 170mm deep.

Both sets of speakers will be available in Q2 2025 in a choice of black or white, and the US MSRP is $199 per pair for the GX10DB and $299 per pair for the GX30ARC. Pricing and availability for other markets hasn't yet been announced, but with these specs, they're ripe for consideration in our best stereo speakers guide, if we can get our hands on a set for a thorough review.

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