Since killing my last portable speakers with sand whilst on holiday last year, I’ve been interested in purchasing a new pair for use with my laptop or MP3 players when on the move. But with some much to choose from, how do you know where to start? I began with the SpeedLink Reso Minor PC Stereo Speakers, which cost £14.11.

In terms of appearance, I didn’t rate the speakers particularly highly. I believe that they are only available in black (I like my gadgets to be a little colourful) and were also a little too big and bulky to comfortably carry around with me. They certainly wouldn’t be convenient enough to take to the beach, or pop in my handbag.

For use on a desktop though, they’d be more than suitable. Although too big to take around on a regular basis, they are small enough to not take up too much room on your desk. They were also very easy to set up, as within minutes I had my favourite songs on iTunes blaring out of them.

In terms of sound quality, they were pretty good. Clear, with a good volume control that went to quite a reasonable volume before any distortion kicked in. The 3.5mm jack and headphone socket supports most models, so there were no problems with powering the speakers or listening to them through personal ear phones.

Although these certainly aren’t the most amazing small speakers in terms of appearance and sound quality, they are definitely a good budget buy. For just £15, I was quite pleased with them, as they provide a good solution for those who aren’t willing to pay large amounts of money.

Final score: 7.0