Reviews Written by E

Best Bang for the Buck

Pros: strong punctuated bass, fair mids, and very clear highs, excellent sound for all applications, nice price

Cons: no wired remote (not a great loss though), slight clipping at very high volumes

Just a few weeks before getting these speakers, I purchased an Audigy 2 Value to replace onboard AC97 audio. I decided to treat myself to surround sound, something I haven't really had too much experience with (though I've gone through several sets of 2/2.1 computer speakers).

Setup was pretty easy, but took a bit of acrobatics and the help of a friend to get around the tight niches around my L-shaped desk. With Creative's configuration software, the speakers were setup to run in 5.1 mode in less than 5 minutes.

I played a few MP3s (using CMSS2 in the Creative software) and I immediately noticed a difference in audio immersion. I was swimming in sound. The higher end of the spectrum sounds pure, and lows are very nice, thanks in part to the dynamic EQ in the subwoofer. The mids were a little less satisfying, lacking some of the warmth that i found in my previous Cyber Acoustic 2.1 speakers, but were by no means poor, or average, for that matter.

For gaming, the speakers work great. I played BF1942, UT2003, Need For Speed: High Stakes, Raven Shield, and Ghost Recon. Slight distortion in the satellites at very high volumes, almost impractical levels, so it really isn't too much of a problem. The bass doesn't feel too exaggerated, when dialed in correctly on the back of the subwoofer...and that brings me to something that's missing from this speaker set. It lacks a wired remote with master volume, fader, or bass control, missing any kind of controls at all for the latter two on the speakers themselves. However, with a little tweaking to get the right balance of sound, it hasn't bothered me all that much beyond the first few days.

My desk area is relatively small and the speakers are no more than 2 to 3 feet from my ears. I would guess that the speakers would work fine for a larger area, but don't bet on them to fill your living room with sound.

Overall...probably the best purchase I have ever made for my computer. ...