Four affordable and compact active speakers

Text Teppo HirviKunnas Pictures Teppo HirviKunnas Hearing Teppo HirviKunnas & Heikki Kivelä

Almost the same stuff in different packages, i.e. good and affordable active speakers for many uses.

Compact active speakers with HDMI input are a viable alternative to a soundbar speaker and are also suitable for listening to music, gaming, etc. Here are four options based on the same proven basic structure, although some in very different "clothes".

We recently tested (AVPlus 8/2023) affordable active speakers and found a real surprise among them. The Amadeus Harmony speakers, sold by the Power chain and priced at just 130 euros, turned out to be surprisingly good for their price range. The only “criticism” or rather wish was the lack of an HDMI input, which would allow the speakers to be used seamlessly with a TV. The so-called CEC/ARC-compatible HDMI connection allows you to adjust the volume of the speakers with the TV remote control and turn them on and off at the same time as the TV. Oh, and of course, the wish list also included a white color option and a subwoofer output.

After some time, we received a message from a reader that speakers that looked exactly the same, but with an HDMI input, were being sold on the German Amazon online store under the Majority brand (Majority D80) and for only 80 euros each (+ of course, 20 euros in addition to shipping costs).

Around the same time, we also received a message from Power's marketing manager that our wish had been granted: Harmony speakers now have an HDMI connection and are available in white. There's still no subwoofer output, the brand has changed to Cepter, and the price has also increased to 169 euros. But that's okay.

And that's not all. We found two Amadeus active speakers in the same price range (Euphonyn and Melodyyn) on Power's website, which seemed to have exactly the same electronics and amplifier circuit as the Amadeus Harmony, Cepter and Majority D 80. However, with the difference that these also have the subwoofer output. So in the test, four speakers that are similar in a way, but still more or less different.