Customer Reviews

Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort Technolgy

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've tried so many different computer speakers that I've lost count. The speakers that come with any new computer go straight into the trash without even being connected. That's a given. Then comes the dilemma of what to replace those cheap little tin cans with. I'm not a finicky audiophile. I just want good sounding speakers with moderately loud volume capability in a 2.0 configuration. I don't have the room or the desire for a large third component for booming base. These speakers are getting the job done like no other speakers I've ever owned.

I cannot express how happy it makes me to turn the volume knob and NOT hear the speakers crackling. Apparently, this requires some top secret speaker engineering, because I've never had a pair of desktop speakers that did NOT crackle or lose output on one of the speakers whenever I touched any of the knobs on them. I'm very pleased with these speakers.

I bought the creative T20's and thought they sounded good. Then I found out about the T40's and decided I had to have them. The T40's have unbelievable sound and can be connected to anything with an earphone jack (PC, TV, MP3 player, etc.). The bass sounds great for such a small speaker. A subwoofer would have been nice but these speakers still sound good without one. They are kind of expensive but worth it. I connect my MP3 player to them thru the headphone jack and it sounds like a full size stereo.

I didn't have room for a sub on my desk and really wanted some good speakers. I just use them for music. After reading tons of reviews on-line about speakers I finally decided on these. Make sure you get the series 2 though because series 1 has some flaws such as the bright blue light on the front and the power switch being on the back of the speaker. These are great speakers with great sound and look really cool. The bass doesn't pound obviously but for the size of them it is much better than others.

So, the delima that is today's PC speakers. Until now I had been using a Klipsch Pro Media 4.1 setup for almost 7 years. When finally the static in the volume knob degraded into a bad sounding sub (like it was blown, but not) and finally a dead amp.

Creative Labs Gigaworks Series II T40
You may read reviews about how these speakers recuscitate hind parts when it comes to bass. I just got mine delivered today and purchased them sight unheard. After a month of research, I narrowed my focus to the M-Audio Studiophile AV40 ($200), Creative Labs GigaWorks Series II T40 ($140) (important to note Series II due to minor desirable enhancements), Creative Labs Gigaworks Series II T20 ($90), Bose Companion 2 ($90) and a Dayton Audio ($150) solution featuring Class T amp (50 watts/channel), 6.5" Bookshelfs and left the door open for a matching 80 watt 8" sub ($100).

I am using a Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium HD (THX) sound card. I will be listening to my music library on iTunes and general gaming.

My Goal
Speakers that handled the entire vocal range and highs very nicely. Imaging was important. Only being 24 inches away from the speakers, I need to feel the vocals hitting my face and not my chest. Speakers need space and direction to achieve imaging. Remember, your head is on TOP of your shoulders, ;). An inheritent design problem with most pc speakers. You don't lay your head on the desk to use your PC. Yet most pc speakers are flat on the base and sit on your desk, pointing right into your chest.

My Criteria
Stereo sound (2.0), fit and finish, build quality, vocal sound quality, imaging, sound controls and design simplicity.

I had listened to the Bose Companion 2. For $90 they seem worth every penny. My boss has them at work and I've listened to them on display, as well. They lack sound controls (except volume) and have a natural hollow sound you'd expect from 1 driver trying to do all the work in a plastic cabinet. But they fill the listening space good and seem decently built. Also, they are tilted slightly but not enough. Within 2 or 3 feet on a standard desk, they hit around your shoulders.

I never got to listen to the M-Audio AV40's. After reading several complaints on multiple sites, I noticed complaints about build quality on some of the jacks and about the amps getting hot. One thing about amps, they need surface area and ventilation to truly last. Heat is the enemy. They seem to have all the makings of great speakers, but I'm not a fan of coincidence. When build quality complaints seem to echo across the reviews I read, I axed them.

I really stressed over the Dayton Audio solution. But ultimately it came down to too many parts. I wanted an integrated solution. Also, again we are dealing with bookshelf speakers pointing at my chest. Axed.

So then I turned my attention to the Creative Labs Gigaworks series. The next decision was not as simple as it may appear. T20's or T40's? Imaging, remember? 2 midrange/midbass drivers are better than 1. The "mini tallboy" profile didn't bother me with a 27" LCD. And after all of the reviews I read, no one complained about vocal quality. In fact, imaging and vocal quality were always praised. So, T40's it was.

My Impression
So, I've been listening to them for about 2 hours and I can say... imaging and vocal clarity are AWESOME. BUT, you've got to be patient with them. Due to their directional nature and (lack of) bass performance, you really need to tweak your equalizer settings, the speakers treble and bass controls and find the right balance between your audio drivers volume and the speakes volume control. Because these speakers entertain so much control over the sound, they TAKE TIME TO DIAL-IN. Be patient. Also, higher quality drivers need break in time. Typicaly 75 - 100 hours of music. New drivers are "stiff". They reproduce sound in a very tight and unforgiving nature. They need time to "loosen" to their natural responsive nature. Once broke-in, they deliver a more forgiving and fuller sound. Even after just a few short hours, I've noticed how the speakers are sounding better.

And remember, you've got 3" drivers... don't try to shake the room. Tweak the equalizer and controls to filter out unneeded frequencies until you find the speakers sounding "full". If you want to rattle windows and walls, get an 8" or 10" sub... SERIOUSLY. The most fundamental rule about bass.... the more air you move, the more bass you create. Also, if you're PC speakers are also your primary source for listening to music, you'll want a 2.1 system. You need a sub.

So, if these speakers don't perform well for bass, why do they get great reviews? Remember the 3 rules?

1) Know your space (room size), 2) know your taste (what are you listening to) and 3) know what it takes (the type of speaker needed).

Most of the reviewers don't get their prime listening enjoyment from PC speakers. They're getting it from their theater or car. I don't demand bass from my PC experience. For me, a PC is about immersion into the screen. Thus, the "space" is about 2 to 3 feet. Forget bass, it's all about imaging at that distance.

Vocals, Sound Quality and Staging
You will be amazed at how much range you have with the treble and bass controls. I had read in one review that the bass control seems to give more response than the speakers can handle. This is true. But not all music and sound is created equal. It's nice to be able to compensate lesser audio sources at the speaker level. That's what the bass and treble controls allow. You just have to be patient finding the sweet spot.

I don't notice any imperfections in the sound quality. No hissing, crackling or straining in the higher frequencies. The vocals are tight, punchy and warm. The highs are smooth, efficient, accurate and effortless. Staging is excellent.

Fit and Finish
As for fit and finish, they are very appealing. Their controls have a polished "all business" look about them. The power on/off is built into the volume button (one of those Series II things). People have complained about the blue light on the Series I. So, they moved it so it's now a backlight on the volume knob. It can be a bit distracting if you're OCD.

Design Simplicity
3 connections (power, companion speaker and stereo input jack). The power converter is reminiscent of a laptop's. The install is clean and not jumbled with a snakepit of wires. Each tower has a "foot" that screws in. And the speaker grills remove to reveal some elegant looking drivers.

Build Quality
This was one of the primary reasons I went with these speakers. And I'm glad I did. They have a very sturdy feel. Very nice weight. The amp produces nice clean sound. And the drivers, when tuned correctly, are very true to their design. Even the grill is nice!



In conclusion, don't buy these speakers thinking your buying a small concert stage with mics, guitars, drums and amps to listen to your favorite band bang out those heavy electric tunes.

Instead, your buying a bar stool and acoustic guitar for your favorite singer to sing to an audiance of one. And your chair is only 2 feet away.


Know your space. Know your taste. And know what it takes.

Good luck!

For a computer speaker, this is unbeatable for both quality and user-freindliness. very simple buttons: volume, bass, and treble. Sound is excellent. It's like a small concert playing in my room. But it probably can't satisfied those who are used to complicated and wired sound systems. But for a computer speaker, I believe few can beat this one.

I bought these speakers because of excellent reviews and the fact I wanted a 2.0 system not having room for a sub-woofer. My previous speakers, Klipsch Promedia Ultra 2.0, lost function in the volume control so that any adjustments resulted in static and loss of the right speaker. These Creative speakers are slightly larger, have very smooth controls, and independent bass and treble adjustment. They are solid, well built, and well packaged. I am not a "boomy bass" lover and primarily listen to opera and classical music with a little country occasionally. These speakers have excellent mid range, treble, and presence, but the bass fall off is severe and far more than expected in speakers this size and price. The fall off is severe enough to very adversely effect the tonal quality of sopranos as well as tenors. The bass control and increasing volume does little to improve the bass. Kettle drums are essentially inaudible and the rich tones of cellos are just not there because of the bass cutoff. My old Klipsch speaks have far better tone and remarkably stronger and tighter bass. Even my $20 ten year old Altecs do better in the bass department.
In spite of their quality construction, excellent controls, and excellent mid to high clarity, I would not buy these speakers again or recommend them because of excessive bass cutoff.

Pros: Great looks. Sounds is both clear and tremendously powerful for speakers of this size and price. Couldn't be easier to set-up. Versatile and well-equipped. No separate sub.
Cons: Size isn't for everyone. No remote. Not having a separate subwoofer may be a dealbreaker for some.

I recently moved into a studio apartment and I can't afford a massive sound system. Like many people I rely upon my laptop as pretty much my sole source of entertainment but was growing tired of using headphones and my valiant, but tiny Altec speakers on my HP laptop.

Looking through Amazon.com, NewEgg.com, and Cnet.com was definitely an exercise in frustration. In fact, it took me two months of trolling through those sites and my local Best Buy before I gambled on these. I finally settled on the T40 because both the T20 and T40 have garnered solid reviews. Are they perfect? No, but neither are most reviewers. But generally no one had horror studies to tell (ahem, JBL, ahem) and the only complaints seemed anal-retentive. A sale price of 99.00 on Amazon.com was also perfect and the lack of a subwoofer was a plus. Finally, I've owned a few Creative products in the past...MP3 players, etc...remember soundblaster? And while they were often on the fringe of the mainstream, they have always been solid and never poorly made.

I want to break this review into several parts based on how I went about choosing these speakers:

1. Looks: with a sophisticated design and piano-black exterior, these speakers are very fancy looking. On my black lacquer Ikea desk, they look outstanding. Of course, like a shiny black BMW, they do require weekly dusting but I find it to be worth it (buy a Swifter). You will get nice comments from your friends, trust me. That being said, these speakers are a full 12 inches high, so they may be bigger than what you're looking for. Each speaker is slightly canted upwards for optimal sound since they are essentially pointing towards your head.

2. Versatility and Ease of use. There is everything you need here. You have a TV aux in (with included RCA adapter), Aux in, Headphone jack and a standard audio cable for hooking up to your laptop. The power adapter is smaller than most laptop adapters and doesn't even get hot. Wires are needed obviously but are minimal and easy to tie up. There is a Bass/Treble/Volume button right on the front so adjustments couldn't be easier. Very clean and thoughtful set up. People complain about the blue light around the volume button but c'mon. I don't even notice it. People need to calm down. Incidentally, I prefer the dust covers on and overall, the speakers are very chic and modern.

3. Sound: You might notice I put this third. Well, that's because I didn't have high expectations from a two speaker setup. But let me tell you, these speaker will SPOIL you. Pinback sounds amazingly clear and concert-like. Nine inch Nails sounds awesomely angry and loud. Deadmau5, Daftpunk, and Kaskade sound club-ready. Yankees Games sound crisp. Top Gear sounds terrific. These speakers have ALL the bass you need without any of the headaches (rattling furniture, angry neighbors). The high and mid-range sound is quite frankly excellent for two single speakers without any separate tweeters, etc. These speakers are great all-rounders for both movies, music, and internet use. Are other speakers better? Sure, but I bet you'll pay more for them and have to accomodate an ugly subwoofer to boot.

4. Price: There are not many other worthwhile alternatives that offer this sort of quality at this price. The Altec/Logitech crowd designs range from comical and horrendous to just plain tacky. The JBL designs are cool but like a BMW, their reliability sucks. Bose is laughably overpriced. Really little to complain about here.

So there you have it. Great looking. Excellent Design. Terrific Sound. Good value. What more do you need?

As far as near field computer monitors go, these are not bad. Near field meaning listening at your computer desk. Get further than 4 or 5 feet away and they just don't have the bass punch needed to fill a room. In fact if you push the bass to much, it will start to distort. They sound good at your computer work station. The fact they don't have a sub-woofer is a good thing. Most sub-woofers at this price range sound awful and are impossible to place correctly. Try to use the equilateral triangle set up and set them up closer and off to the sides of your monitor for good stereo imaging. Even lesser expensive speakers like these need to be broken or burned in. Straight out of the box they sound harsh and the bass just doesn't sound good. Plan on playing music or better yet play pink and/or brown noise tracks you can download off the 'net(do a Google search) for about 100 hours. The improvement will be substantial. Don't be shy about using the graphic EQ with iTunes or whatever software you use. I am an audiophile and the bottom line is they're pretty good near field monitors and have enough power to get good and loud, but too loud and you're asking too much.

I love 2/0 speakers. I had a great 5/1 speaker setup (Logitech 5/1 Z-5300) which totally rocked but took up tons of room and I never used them at even half of their capacity in my room so it was total overkill. I had my eyes on the T40's for quite some time but passed them up for the aforementioned speakers because they were heavily discounted at 40$ less. Sigh, big mistake. Well finally jumped on the T40's when they were on sale for 120$ and I am now perfectly content.

Pros:
Small footprint. They take up the same footprint as my Logitech X-140 2.0 speakers and are only a couple inches higher. The key difference is that they are about 3x deeper from top to bottom as the thinnest part of the X-140 and the Creative T40's rock much harder of course.

Great looking. Glossy front, matte body around other 3 sides, slick looking silver buttons.

Good build quality and craftsmanship. Rock solid, nice heavier weight to them. Thin side to side which is great for most computer setups and deep so they use that space going back to the wall. Very nice.

Powerful sound. This is why they cost so much. I cranked them until my ears hurt (Just for testing purposes) and there was no distortion of any kind whatsoever and that was only 3/4 volume. If you want great speakers that rock and take up minimal space for your PC or even TV then these are relatively small and incredibly powerful.

Cons:
Price: I got these on sale for 120$ otherwise I may have once again passed them up. Are they worth 140$? IMO yes because I really dig 2.0 Speakers and this is a very powerful as well as good looking speaker set. Personally I do not think they are worth 140$, I would never pay more than 120$ for them as that is my hard point. I feel that they should cost 100-120$ but that is just my opinion. However if cash was less of an issue I would take them without a second thought.

You have to screw the plate onto the bottom of the speaker. For some reason the screws are too wide and actually do not screw all the way down and sink into the holes! Quite odd. A screw with a smaller end cap would have sat perfectly. On one of the speakers the top of the screw is literally a hair away from my table. Could possibly lead to scratching if you do not seat them tight or if they come loose over time. I am baffled that such an awesome system could contain such a silly mistake as simple as a screw. I just can't fathom why they can't use smaller heads that seat better in the hole they made for them. Silly but small nonetheless.

The Yellow Cones. They look nice in the pics but upon receiving them the yellow is rather dingy and looks like a faded yellow hazard/fire hose strap. Not terribly appealing so I left the screens on and they look great. I would love a deep red color on the cones. That would be sweet and look lethal.

The dials are great looking but three issues. One, they have a tough resistance when you turn them. This has a quality feel to it however, Two: They are VERY sleek/polished thus slippery. So getting a grip on them to turn them takes a little more effort than usual. Three: The little dip that tells you where the volume/bass/treble is at is very small and incredibly hard to see in lower/low light whatsoever. I would dig some nice ridges going around the dials and a deeper dip or even a notch that can be felt. That would be perfect and it would not look that bad whatsoever.

Tip:
At first I put the speakers on each side of my monitor and angled them slightly towards myself in the center. I found out however they sound better if you put them straight so they are kind of pumping the audio by you, not at you. Sounds noticeably better.

Like everyone else says, you need to break them in before the cones loosen up. Yes, they sounded a bit tingy out of the box. A couple weeks later of light-mid use and they softened right up and are drowning me in clear and powerful audio.

Final:
Don't get me wrong, none of the cons are a big deal except pricing which is a little high for my tastes but the product is rock solid and awesome looking. So I took one star off for the combined "annoyances".

I am no audiophile so I can't tell you how these sound with (insert audiophiles snobbish band tastes here). I can tell you after you break them in they are loud, clear, thumping, rocking with no distortion on the quality MP3's I buy from assorted music artists at Amazon as well as games and movies no problem. Not to mention they are sleek and do not take up a lot of room whatsoever.

Highly recommended if you want a VERY nice set of 2.0 speakers albeit at a slight premium concerning price. I like these so much I wish Creative would make some uber awesome T80's! Make them slightly fatter and a bit higher with red cones, sweeeeeettttt! The price would make me hide in shame but still.... :)

I read many of the reviews and decided to purchase these speakers for my home office computer.

These Creative Lab speakers are well worth the cost! But, ...like all coil driven speakers you must of course condition (break in) the speakers. I was impressed with the sound during the conditioning period and it got a lot better after only about 5 hours of conditioning. The sound is impressive for an inexpensive set of speakers and the styling is very nice. I was impressed with the bass response for such small speakers; after reading the reviews I wasn't expecting much from the base response but was pleasantly surprised. The bass is still missing the air mass movement from larger (or found in more expensive) speaker systems but for small inexpensive speakers you won't be disappointed. The mid-tones are warm and the highs are delicately balanced and the reproduction of sounds are quite accurate for an inexpensive system. Overall, I gave them five stars which I think they deserve for the price vs. quality & sound. I still haven't turned up the volume all the way as I am still breaking them in, so I cannot comment on that yet.

The one speaker has two controls on the front of the speakers to adjust the bass and treble and the range of the adjustment is adequate to manage different sound choices depending upon the environment and your listening preferences. There is also a Volume / on-off dial control with a blue neon like light that circles the whole circumference of the dial. Some reviews mentioned this as a negative situation; I personally like it. The surface of the speaker boxes have a somewhat dull finish on the sides and shinny on the front and back. They look stylish with the removable speaker grilles on or off.

The power supply comes with a transformer that is attached to a outlet plug about five feet long that plugs into the wall. I am an advocate of power supplies that have the lead plug so that the transformer doesn't take up more than one plug outlet like some that take up two or three outlets. The other end of the power supply has a cord that attaches to the back of the speaker. It also has inputs of both the front and the back of the main speaker for connecting your sound source at the front or in the back of the speaker. There is also a headphone jack on the front of the speaker which is nice for me since I have my computer tower under my work desk.

I found that the grommets that hold the speaker grills in place sometimes stay attached to the grill or fall out when removing the grills. A little adhesive takes care of that minor issue. All in all, a good purchase.

As for my audiophile credentials, I have been involved in high end reference speakers all my life and currently I have the Monitor Audio GX Gold Series Speakers (7.1) powered by NAD M25 7-Channel Amplifier in my home theater. I also have a Bose Acoustimass speaker system (5.1 twins) in my living room and a mix of Bose and Polk Towers (5.1) in my bedroom so I do know speakers ...not that I'm too impressed with Bose:)