Customer Reviews

Creative Labs I-Trigue 3300 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Black)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

LIke most reviewers here, I bought these for the office and am very pleased with them. They replaced some Cambridge Speakers (the great company that Creative bought), that had fewer features and inferior speakers, especially the subwoofer. The speakers have excellent fidelity, and, bass lover that I am, I love the subwoofer. (Contrary to what another reviwer said, I believe that subwoofers are NOT directional; unlike the satellites it does not matter what direction the speaker faces to get the sound).

There are, however, very disparate views here about the relative merits of the bass, the midrange, and the highs. Many find the bass too powerful and the midrange insufficient. I find no problem with either of these, but I find the highs a little too high. One thing I did was to set the satellites a little further away on my desk, and point them slightly away from me. I also found that I simply adjusted to the sound after a few weeks. This may reflect getting used to them, or the speakers getting "burned in." I've frequently read about this effect in headphone reviews, and I'm not sure how it works, but I did like the treble much more after a few weeks of playing.

I think that because of the subjective nature of sound preferences, this product works best if played with your computer's equalizer (these come with most downloadable music palyers, e.g., winamp). I've turned the treble down and the bass and midrange up. As noted by others, there is a small device that can sit discreetly on your desk that adjusts both bass and volume and is also a power switch. VERY handy at work, when the music is turned up and you hear footsteps approaching!

Set-up is fairly easy, though the instructions are too brief. One major problem is that you can't tell the right speaker from the left speaker. Once you've set it up, use the balance control on your compluter player (e.g., winamp, real sound) to see if you installed it correctly: Turn it all the way to the left speaker, for example, and see if that's where the sound comes from. The instructions also don't tell you you need to snap on the black mesh covers over the two satellites. One final highlight is that the system sounds great even at low volume, a must for most offices. I've been very happy with the I-trigue and recommend it with enthusiasm. Note: Creative also has a somewhat more expensive L3500 models that has some design features not found in the 3200. Although I haven't heard it, take a look at this one too, if money is not an object, these may be preferable because of reputedly better low-midrange sound features. Below are some specs, those not included her at Amazon are listed first:

Warranty: Free from defects for 12 months from date of purchase. You'll need to send for a return material authorization, and also include a dated proof of purchase. Intrigue, at its discretion will decide whether to reapair or replace defective speakers.

Support: Telephone 405/742-6622 (Oklahoma) and web site at www.americas.creative.com/support

Satellite dimensions: 8 3/4" H* 1 11/16" W * 10" D

Subwoofer dimensions: 9 11/16"H* 9 11/16" W * 10 1/8" D

Distortion: Rated @ 10% THD @ 1kHz

Drivers (per satellite): 3

Drivers (subwoofer): 3

Satellite power: 9 Watts RMS per speaker (x 2 speakers)

Subwoofer power: 25 Watts RMS

Frequency response: 30 Hz to 20kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio: 80 dB

Interface: Stereo RCA jack

Headphone output jack: Yes

Compatibility: PC running Windows

Input impedance: Information not available

I just unpacked the new I-trigue speakers I purchased ... .

WOW! A very impressive system.

I was originally in the market for something [in a certain price range] since I was replacing an antiquated (8-year old) pair that came with some random computer I owned once upon a time - and anything new would surely be an improvement. I finally decided to spend the extra bucks since I'd probably be using these for another 8 years. Definitely a wise choice! The sound is way better than I really expected. Crisp clear treble, nice growling bass. And if I crank these things I get clear music throughout our 2-story house (although the base tends to rumble the dishware downstairs. ;-)

Actually, the sound was not my main reason for getting these, although I'm pretty sure it'll satisfy any but the most discerning audiophile. The "wired remote" that provides a volume control, bass control, and headphone jack was the main selling point. The remote comes on a nice 6' cord that lets me put the control right by my keyboard. Just reach over and twist the dial to turn the volume down - no more fumbling for controls on speakers in awkward positions or trying to click that damn MediaPlayer slider.

Lastly, the overall construction has a nice solid feel to it. All components have a nice heft that lets you know there's some real meat to this system (... well, for a system where the tweeters units are only 9" tall and the woofer is a modest 8")

[Update - 3/24/08: I originally posted the above review in 2003 right after getting these speakers. It's now 2008 and I'm still _very_ satisfied with them. The only hiccup has been that they briefly stopped working for some reason. I ended up taking the sub-woofer assembly apart to see if it was a blown fuse or something simple like that. I didn't find any obvious problem with them, but they started working again once I put everything back together. So, why bother telling you about this? After looking at the guts of the subwoofer and the electronics it contains, I can tell you that the construction on these is pretty darn good - nice solid construction on the box, very beefy magnet on the speaker itself, big heat sink on the electronics, and everything secured with an abundance of screws and hot-glue to keep it from coming loose and rattling around. I'd buy another pair today without hesitation.]

[Update - 10/05/2011: R.I.P. These speakers died a few months back. 'Not sure why they stopped working but they're dead. Still, I got about the 8 years of use out of them I was expecting, so I don't see any real need to change my rating. That said, I'm not sure I'd buy another pair, even if they were no longer listed as unavailable.]

Sleek and functional, these are the best looking speakers I've ever seen. No distortion or audio interference -- the three drivers per speaker gives me the sharpest sound I've heard from a desktop unit. I've been listening to MP3s constantly since I plugged it into my PC, and it hooked up to a portable CD player beautifully. Has a corded remote with a headphone jack -- that last feature ruled out a lot of other speakers out there, like Altec Lansing's ATP3. The only complaint I have is that I have to move the subwoofer away from where I set it up, next to the monitor, because it's apparently not shielded (Creative Labs' page on the speakers mentions no shielding) and distorting the colors, but it belongs below the desk anyway.

I recently listened to, and tested, several top 2.1 brands: Bose, Logitech, Klipsch, JBL, etc., listening to all the sytems, side-by-side. Certainly, all listening is subjective and reflects the individual's preferences. I have been an "audiophile" for over 25 years and a musician for 50 years.

What surprised me was the incredibly accurate sound reproduction with a a depth and realism that makes you feel as though you were at a live perfomance. The fact that this system was just $99 absolutley blows me away! I have spent incredible amounts of money on some very high end speakers and equipment for my main stereo systems over the years and this speaker system is as close to perfect as I have ever heard.

The design and size of the speakers is wonderful. They sit next to my monitor without using valuable space. The sub-woofer is equally "small" but with terrific bass response. With a remote that independantly adjusts speaker volume and sub-woofer it gives me total control. Do yourself a favor - listen to this one before you make a decision!

I bought these speakers as soon as they came out last year. I was attracted to the brushed metal / black look, the wired remote (with a headphone jack built in!), and the fact that this was a Creative Labs product.

A year later, I can say the following:

Pros: Amazing sound, stylish design, lots of features that can't be found in other speaker sets (examples: the remote's headphone jack, the remote's bass control, removable black grills on the speakers if you want the speakers to have an all-chrome look)

Cons: None. It's really difficult to find something wrong with these speakers -- I might have wanted the wired remote longer than 6' ... but that's about it.

I've received nothing but compliments on the sound and design of these speakers. For any Mac users out there: there is also a white / silver version of these speakers that Amazon.com sells.

I was in DIRE need of some replacement speakers for my computer here at work. The speakers I inherited with this computer had absolutely no depth or clarity. The hunt was on to find a set of speakers within a modest price range. Nothing too cheap, but also nothing too elaborate. Two of my co-workers have Altec-Lansing speakers they are very happy with but I was looking for something with a bit more style.

Here is where the Creative I-Trigue 2.1 3300 speakers come into play. Not only do they have rock solid components and specs but they are VERY stylish. The whole system screams quality. The desktop units are solid metal stands with a translucent plastic back that look simply gorgeous next to my flat panel monitor. The woofer not only hits hard and with utter clarity at all volumes but it is built like a rock. Plus, as you know, they have a wonderful wired remote with a headphone jack built right in.

As for the clarity, you could not ask for anything better at such a modest price. The highs are unbelievably crisp and the bass hits hard & clear at all volumes. The mid-range sound is not muddy like your often time hear with computer or self-powered speakers. The key in all this is at very low volumes, while other people are working in the office, the sound is still beautiful and crisp through the entire dynamic range of the speakers.

If you have the money, go for a Klipsch product, but if you want a GREAT value with beautiful sound and style pick yourself up a pair of these. I am far from being sorry.

This is a gerat little system if all you want is a decent set of speakers for listening to music. They aren't surround speakers so I wouldn't buy these as a gift for a "gamer." For music, they really do give a nice, well-rounded sound. The bass is fairy powerful, but this is easily managed with the remote volume and bass feature (I use this much more than I expected to adjust for different music types). I subscribe to Musicmatch Jukebox and playing the radio through these speakers sounds great. Beware of those who claim to be "audiophiles" and overanalyze these small systems. Having worked as a sound technician I can tell you that most of these guys have no idea what they're talking about. Follow this simple rule: if you like the way a system sounds, then don't let others convince you something more complicated (and expensive) is better.

I purchased the I-Trigue 3300's to replace my Bose MediaMate's because my deskspace was getting very tight with an LCD monitor, 2 cell phone chargers, 2 PDA cradles, a lamp, and alarm clock. The slim and sleek design, matched with a subwoofer and generous frequency range seemed to be a fantastic combination. But as I found out, you really need to HEAR a set of speakers to really decide what you like.

DESIGN: 5 STARS
The silver die-cast material used on the casing is very attractive and feels very well-built. The black speaker covers can be removed to give it an even better look.

SOUND: 3 STARS
The I-Trigue 3300's are ALL treble and bass. The midrange is nearly non-existant and for each PC application, I need to set the equalizer settings, which I didn't have to do with my Bose speakers. In iTunes, the setting that worked best for me is the "Pop" EQ setting.

REMOTE: 5 STARS
The wired remote is very handy with a volume/power control, headphone jack, and bass level dial. The bass level dial is a VERY much appreciated design change from the old speakers where the bass controls were located on the back of the subwoofer! There is a cool indigo LED on the remote to indicate that the speakers are powered on.

VALUE: 2 STARS
The I-Trigue is a pretty expensive 2.1 setup considering that the fidelity derived from these speakers are not up to par with the competition.

SUMMARY...
These attractive, space-saving speakers are a big jump from those crappy little Harmon Kardon's you got with your system. With an 80watt total system power rating, it'll pump up the bass and provide loud, shaking music and gaming effects. But for retail cost, you can find much better speakers.

Excellent sound quality: clean bass and highs, better than expected midrange. The subwoofer is quite powerful, and its volume can be adjusted from the included wired remote. The wired remote is sleek and functional; it has two rotary dials on its side that control subwoofer and system volume. The remote also has a headphone jack.

As far as looks are concerned, this is one of the best looking 3-piece speaker systems in its price range. The satellite speakers have a removable grille that lets you alternate between the speakers' looks. The subwoofer is all wood and it's nicely designed with all its connectors in the back clearly labeled.

Although it wasn't cheap, the I-Trigue is worth every penny.

I wanted to buy a decent sounding 2.1 system for my computer, but I didn't want to spend more than $100. I narrowed my choice down to the Creative Labs I-Trigue 3300 2.1 System vs. the Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 System. I went to a local Circuit City and a local Best Buy to listen to both systems side-by-side.

Interestingly, at both stores the I-Trigue 3300 system on display was not working. At one store the left satellite speaker did not work. At the other store the entire system would power up, but would not make a sound. I made sure that the source was ok, and that everything was hooked up correctly. The store clerk decided the I-Trigue 3300 system was blown and hooked up a new one for me to listen to, fresh out of the box. That system worked fine, but the experience did make me wonder about the durability of the Creative Labs system. (I was also somewhat turned off by the cheap, fiddly cloth grilles that come with the Creative Labs satellite speakers.)

After listening to the Creative Labs and Altec Lansing systems side-by-side I decided that, despite the higher power rating of the Creative Labs system (and the fact that it can pump out more raw volume than the Altec Lansing system), the VS4121 sounded cleaner and and more balanced (probably because it includes larger mid-range speakers, and because its subwoofer is not so overpowering).

As an added bonus, the price of the Altec Lansing system was about $20 less than the Creative Labs system.