Customer Reviews

JBL Creature 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Silver)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like many others I fell in love with these while poking around in the Apple store. Sure they sounded great attached to an iPod in the store, but I wasn't sure how they would sound in my room. I couldn't resist the great price on Amazon and my own little Creatures arrived not 30 minutes ago.

My initial reaction was one of disbelief. I still can't believe how much sound can come from such a tiny package. They sound great with all music types, as I've tested out some songs of Jewel's as well as selections from the Requiem for a Dream remixed soundtrack (which is excellent, incidentally).

The treble and bass are fantastic, but you'll have to work around the mid-range a bit. A little tweaking of the knobs on the subwoofer and you'll be rather pleased with the sound. Of course, while adjusting said knobs you may find that they are not in the best location if you store your sub underneath your desk, as most people do.

That being said, I am totally thrilled with this purchase. The design of the speakers just ooze cool, particularly the blue LEDs and touch-senstive volume controls. If you're looking for a set of speakers to look and sound fantastic on your desk, look no further.

I had been looking at the Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks ...and was set to buy. I was encouraged, by a friend, to consider the JBL Creature(s). WOW.

The decision-maker for me was playing the exact same cut of music (in the is case it was an acoustic guitar based track) on the Sound Sticks along side of the JBL's. The short version of the story was the set listed here blew the HK Sound Sticks away. The JBLs are faster, crisper, and more exact. The reproduce sound in a way that is convincing.

The HK Sticks have a bigger bass and presence, but are muddy in a side-by-side comparison.

At the Amazon price you save....

My friend has them hooked up to his TV, as a super-efficient jr. home theatre -- it really adds a lot to movies! Great product.

I am using the JBL Creature speakers on my G4 Mac. I am quite pleased with the sound.. Great highs and good bass... The sound is clean and flawless. There is plenty of volume. If you are into Hip Hop and want a thundering bass you might not be happy. The satelite speakers are small and take up little room. The Sub woofer can be placed out of the way... There is a volume control on the right satelite speaker. There were no problems setting up... I did find that when connecting the speaker wires they had to be pressed in quite firmly to make a connection. Last... The on and off switch is in the back of the sub woofer. It would have been better in a location with easier access.

As was mentioned before, these speakers fit perfectly with a PowerMac G4. Their design is outstanding, very attractive and unique. The only downside I can think of is that they may look out of place next to a boring beige PC box. I would have liked the sub to be a little smaller and the satellites to be a little larger, but hey I'm sure the JBL engineers had a reason to make them the sizes they are.

To me, someone who appreciates good sound quality but is short of a true "audiophile" the sound quality is great. Excellent base response, good midange. I can crank them up to my personal limit and can't detect any distortion -- although according to the spec their total distortion is not as low as others.

Got this for my birthday and it matches perfectly with my G4 powermac and compliments my iBook and iPod fairly well. Bass response is excellent, especially with games like Starcraft, Warcraft III and Unreal Tournement. Hook it up with the iPod and you have a excellent mini stereo system. This thing looks and sounds great at home, dormroom or office. The touch controlls are excellent and very intuitive. Very portable and looks good on any desktop.

You could probably get the same sound in something else for half the price but I doubt it will occupy the same place in your heart. If you are an apple owner I would definitely recomend these speakers, They do look like tiny creatures on your desktop.

I am extremely pleased with the purchase of this speaker set. For such a small system, the sound quality is intense! While sound was the most sought after element, I wanted something that looked great sitting next to my iBook. I've always been turned off by equipment that was cumbersome and preferred something that was aesthetically pleasing. The controls for the bass, treble, and volume are located in convenient positions and do not detract from its smooth appearance. Within 5 minutes, my new sound system was up and running. If you want a cool looking speaker set with great sound, there's no need to look any further than the JBL Creature!

The bass is surprisingly distinct and clean. Those little treble speakers are really loud for their size. If the quality of an mp3 isn't very high, these speakers will let you know, which is both a good and a bad thing. At 128kbs a song sounds hollow and terrible (but this is more due to the mp3 than the speakers). One small problem is that these speakers, although quality, aren't as loud as other ones in the same price range, so if you really wanted to blast some music from one room to another, you may have some problems. Then again, these are just mid range computer speakers, so one can't expect miracles. $95 from Amazon is about as cheap as you are going to find these (because of free shipping and no tax), but I still think value-wise they could have been about $20 cheaper. Over all, expect to be happy with your purchase.

When I purchased the Creature System I was aware of the reputation JBL Audio had for producing some of the best sounding audio equipment on the market, so I knew I was buying a quality product. When the system arrived and I heard it for the first time, one word: WOW. The sound quality was more than I expected. Being a critical person when it comes to my electronics, I was suprised to say the least when I turned up the volume and heard the resonance of the subwoofer and the crisp sound of the satellite speakers. JBL Audio has done a magnificant job as always and I could not have asked for a better sound out of this system. By far it is the best value on the market. With electronics you often times get what you pay for. In this case, you get much more from the modestly priced system from such a prestigious name in JBL Audio. I sing the praises of the JBL Creature System and I recommend it to all looking for a sound to show off to your friends and make them Jealous.

I bought these to replace a clunky shelf-top stereo in my office, both to save space and improve the sound. I am very happy on both fronts -- the main speakers take up very little space on my desk, and the subwoofer hides on the floor. Playing Internet radio or MP3's from my laptop, they sound much better than a desktop stereo system would, even one in the $300 or $400 price range, in my opinion. They also sound better than a 5.1 $250 speaker system I have with my home computer.

So, this ends up being a very inexpensive way to get reasonable quality sound in a small space. As another reviewer has noted the touch-sensitive volume control is a classy touch, and works as it should. I am strongly considering getting a second set to connect w/an iPod for a bedside music system.

First off, let me say how much I love the sound of these incredible speakers. I completely reccomend buying them. However...
Please, do not buy the grey Creatures. I bought them on the assumption that the "silver-ish" color would go well with my PowerBook. The pictures on the box and online made the "grey" seem much more silver than it is in reality. It is probably the ugliest, dullest gray I've see on a product in a while. The way it contrasts with my PowerBook is not aesthetically appealing whatsoever. I am very dissapointed and I feel mislead by JBL in terms of the color I thought I was buying. I mean, why have such a sweet looking trio of speakers and slap such an ugly color on it?!
I do like the white color a lot. I am hopefully going to take back my grey ones and switch them out for white ones without having to pay a restocking fee to the Apple store. That probably won't happen, though, so I'll have to pay ten extra bucks for the white color I should have got in the first place.

LESSON: Buy the WHITE Creature II Speakers and you won't regret the aesthetics of your beautiful and appealing new set of noise making apparatuses.