Many monitors don't come with speakers.
My question is - how good are the speakers inside of the Mac Mini? Are they generally as good as the speakers in an iMac/Studio Display, or do people generally buy a set of dedicated speakers?
The tiny speaker inside a Mac Mini is ok for start up sound effects and the like, but nothing more.
The speakers that come inside some monitors are OK, but better sound quality can usually be had from external speakers.
The
Bose Companion 2 Series III have long been reckoned as among the best for reasonable quality sound for a reasonable price. I have had a pair for several years and am generally happy with them. They are fine while sitting at my desk. At 14 wats, they have enough grunt to fill a small room, if a little lacking in bass..
However the Bose Companion speakers connect to the computer using the 3.5 mm jack. Fine for Mac Minis of yore, but it would look a bit untidy with the jack at the front in the front of the M4 Mac Mini. To sort that you could go for a hub, with which you would also get USB A ports, a SD card reader etc, depending on the model you select.
If you could go for Bluetooth connected speakers there is a wide choice of brands and models available. The
Audioengine A2+ are reckoned to be among the best available. At 60 watts they are quite powerful, but they don't have the option to add a sub-woofer. For that look to the
Audioengine A5+ or other models / brands.
In the end it is up to you, the space you have, the sound quality you want..... and of course, your budget.