Customer Reviews

Creative Labs I-trigue L3500 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though these speakers have good overall sound and it is built well. It lacks true tonal range for the money, you'd be better off buying its lesser priced siblings. The bass no matter where you set the bass level balance between mid range and bass is not smooth. The cross over is not enough to be a good match between sub and sats.

I also found the soundstage to be disapointing. These speakers are not meant to be a replacement to a home stereo. But in a nearfield set-up as they are designed for and as advertised the spacial and depth wasn't what I'd expect. I tried different placements,media and sources and none really delivered up to what I'd expect. I have purchase the $40 PC works (as well as many other Creative Labs Speakers) and they deliver as good as sound and better soundstage than these speakers(PC Works as is a little weaker is the bass department due to it's plastic enclosures,but has a smoother responce.)

Don't get me wrong they are excellent speakers; a little pricey. Just don't buy in to the advertising. Expect low and you won't be dissapointed. Buy in to the press and manufacture you might be dissapointed. But for a $140 whose really complaining. You are paying for what you get here. And at this price range these speakers are much better than the competion and other brands at higher cost.

***Note*** Correction and apoligies 12/24/03

After a couple weeks of breaking in. The Speakers got a lot smoother in there responce. The soundstage opened up considerably. I began to notice this after a couple days and as time went by the speakers improved by leaps and bounds. To make sure I ran some test CD's and some reference CD's to make sure what I was hearing was true. It was!!!!

My first ascessment was a bit pre-mature. I for some reason didn't think that computer speakers need to be broken in as my audio eq. has.

These are great speakers and an excellent buy. Especially for entry-level audiofiles on a small (budget/space). Be patient unlike myself here in this instance. I recomend these speakers with renew conviction. Creative Labs have done their job well on this one. Go buy them today you won't be disapointed.

If you are still listening to the pair of standard speakers that came with your pc, then you will be amazed by the sound that you can get by upgrading to this inexpensive set of speakers. For the size and cost, you get a lot of sound. The bass is incredible and the satellite speakers provide a full, clear sound. When you are sitting in front of your pc, the sound is amazing. The sound can also easily fill a typical room or two.

One nice feature is that there is a line in on the wired remote. This allows you to connect an external device to the speakers. For example, I have a "boom box" which I use to listen to the radio. It has a nice sound, but since getting these speakers, I have plugged the boom box head phone jack into the line in on the wired remote. You can do the same with any portable device like an IPod or Walkman. Also, since you control the volume via the wired remote, you don't have to place the satellite speakers right next to your monitor.

If you are looking for a speaker upgrade, I cannot recommend the Creative I-TRIGUE L3500 trio more highly. While I was looking for a decent upgrade over the two Harman/Kardon speakers that came with my DELL Inspiron 8000 Notebook, I could never have imagined the improvement in sonic quality that I would enjoy with the L3500. I primarily listen to mp3 and view movies where speakers are involved. The music is more satisfying than with the $600 Sony PMC-M2 Mini-System in my 10 X 11 office. My main treat is the improvement in movie viewing. The powerful bass from the sub and the clarity and expansiveness from the two satellite speakers is truly unbelievable. Trust Creative when they state that the Lateral Firing Transducer (LFT) on each satellite creates an enveloping surround-sound effect. The imaging is absolutely perfect with actor's voices seemingly coming from the center of my screen, as if there were an invisible center channel speaker. The stylish look and build quality are quite impressive for speakers in this price range. Creative actually used Titanium Micro Drivers in the satellites, an unexpected and welcome enhancement over more commonly used aluminum. Also, there are no ugly covers on the satellites, so you don't have to decide between covered or uncovered and try to find a place for those discarded covers. The system input connecivity via the supplied 1/8" mini-plug cable (headphone jack to many of us) couldn't be easier. I would change only one thing. On the wired remote control, I would add a separate power on/off button so that the volume control dial wouldn't have to perform dual duty, as I would prefer to keep the volume level fairly constant and just power up the system. In summary, excellent speakers for an excellent price. You will not regret this purchase, truth.

In response to nycecilia's request for size and weight specs: Sub is 12.2" high, 10.6" deep, and 7.1" wide. Satellite speakers are 8.3" high, 3.0" deep, and 1.8" wide. The wired remote is slightly less than mouse size. The total box weight is 18.2 lbs. I estimate the net system weight to be approximately 15-16 lbs. If you keep the shipping box, that might be the best way to transport the system. I still love them and recommend them very highly.

I've had these speakers for only a few days, and I'm already in love with them. Right now, for example, I am enjoying the sounds of my favorite musician eminating, it seems, right from where my monitor is. The subwoofer is incredible - after using standard 2.0 speakers for years I feel like I'm in another world.

The tone of these speakers may be a little bright for some, but it's exactly how I like it.

I recommend these speakers very highly.

It's an unconventional design, but it sounds great. They're on my desk pumping out great music 12 hrs a day. I use them professionally as a first reference when it comes to audio testing. Ideal footprint. Smooth, clean, sibilence free, sub is clean without the mushy boom boom of others in this class. Easy on the eyes, great finish. I saw a curious review about break-in, can't comment on that - maybe break-in is short because after about a week I was smiling and knew these guys had hit the sweet spot.

I don't write reviews very often. These are in a class by themselves. If you are a sophisticated listener with a need for a smooth system for your PC, you won't be disappointed.

I originally owned logitech z640 speakers and was unsatisfied with them due to their lack of midrange and overpowering bass. The music sounded crappy and I hated having to deal with all the wire in a 5.1 setup. After a few days of research, i decided to go out and buy the creative l3500. I was not dissapointed! These are fantastic set of speakers with awesome design and excellent sound. The midrange and treble are extremely clear. While the bass is not as tight as that of hte z640, it's still excellent notheless. I recommend you to visit a local retail store and test them out. I garantee you will fall in love with these.

Just got this yesterday. Absolutely sounded wonderful right off the box. My 2 roommates both have a Klipsch 2.1 and a logitech Z-640, both agree that mine sounds better :). Sounds great with a soundblaster live 5.1 but totally rocks with an Audigy ZS. Paid a couple more than i should have tho at $140.00 with tax but no regrets. Cant recommend this speaker enough esp at its price range. Well worth it.

Actually I got a much better deal on these speakers at CircuitCity - they had them on sale right before Christmas for $99.00, plus with a mail in rebate of $40.00 if purchased by 12/24 - bringing my total out of pocket cost for these speakers to $49.00. Quite a steal. Setup was clear and quick. I really find the external wired volume control/headphone jack/USB port to be very handy. I wish the speaker cables were a little longer, but for most applications they should be fine. Overall, very nice speakers.

Read all the reviews and customer comments here and other places before I bought these speakers. I had recently bought a Creative Nomad Zen Xtra 40 gig jukebox and wanted to be able to use it in different places in my house. I bought 2 sets of these speakers, now can just plug in the jukebox (I have over 20 gigs of music on it now) and listen to my music anywhere without the hassle of moving CDs around. These speakers aren't going to "blast" you out of any room, but they are decent sounding, small enough to hide and actually look pretty good. The only thing I'm sorry about is I notice that now there is a rebate being offered for them! Oh well. Great buy for the money.