A little background:
I have gone through a lot of speakers over the years for various reasons (upgrades, speakers stop working, damaged drivers). Once I got my first 2.1 set I knew I always wanted a sub-woofer in all my speaker sets. But as I upgraded into larger speakers over the years, my taste in music changed to those tunes that employed heavy bass and beats.
Now that I listen to these speakers, I sort of realize why. Most 2.1 PC speakers are enjoyable for many types of music, movies and games (explosions). But, if you want to enjoy an immersive audio experience, you need to turn the volume up. At which point the bass becomes overpowering and disturbing to (neighbours or other people living in the house).
REASON for 2.0:
The fact that I enjoy loud music and the general lack of space in my room pushed me into looking for quality 2.0 speakers. I had heard a Bose audio dock and couple of other (premium) smallish speakers without subs throw a descent amount of bass. So I figured why not? After a little research, I picked these up.
BUILD + Features : Awesome.
AUDIO: Immersive and full-bodied. These are personal desktop speakers and maintain great definition and quality near the desk and within the room.
SUMMARY: I bought them at $129 on sale and I feel like that was a steal! I have had 200+ Watt 2.1 systems which I enjoyed for other reasons (parties). This speaker however, I have been enjoying personally !
I have gone through a lot of speakers over the years for various reasons (upgrades, speakers stop working, damaged drivers). Once I got my first 2.1 set I knew I always wanted a sub-woofer in all my speaker sets. But as I upgraded into larger speakers over the years, my taste in music changed to those tunes that employed heavy bass and beats.
Now that I listen to these speakers, I sort of realize why. Most 2.1 PC speakers are enjoyable for many types of music, movies and games (explosions). But, if you want to enjoy an immersive audio experience, you need to turn the volume up. At which point the bass becomes overpowering and disturbing to (neighbours or other people living in the house).
REASON for 2.0:
The fact that I enjoy loud music and the general lack of space in my room pushed me into looking for quality 2.0 speakers. I had heard a Bose audio dock and couple of other (premium) smallish speakers without subs throw a descent amount of bass. So I figured why not? After a little research, I picked these up.
BUILD + Features : Awesome.
- PROS : They are heavy for just satellites. So there seems to be good amp(s) and quality drivers in there. The controls are just perfect (although a little smooth to grip properly). Bass, Treble and volume - Brilliant classic controls. The speakers themselves don't take a lot of space on the table. There is a snug-fitting grill on the front that is easily removable. Those orangish-yellow cones look even better in real. There is a power adapter with a reasonable length cable on it. The cable connecting the two speakers are long enough for two wide screen monitors between them.
Overall build feels a thousand bucks.
- CONS (None really): These are quite tall (you may read that mentioned often). Its not tall in a bad way, just oddly tall
It would be nice to see BT connectivity in speakers like these. Hopefully Creative releases a newer version of them. (With aptX please)
AUDIO: Immersive and full-bodied. These are personal desktop speakers and maintain great definition and quality near the desk and within the room.
- PROS: The speakers have a very flat response and most music sounds quite natural. I wouldn't really consider them studio monitors but they come close. The mid's and treble's are especially detailed.
I'm just amazed at the clarity the speakers provide. I was able to enjoy songs I hadn't heard in a long time and could hear nuances and instruments in the background. You know you have good speakers when you enjoy music like that. At 32 Watts the speakers aren't exceptionally loud. However, they are loud enough to fill a room and more than loud enough if you are sitting in front of them. Even at the max volume, there is surprisingly minimal distortion.
The specs mention a frequency response starting at 50HZ. Not so sure about that, but it can deliver good audible bass (~75-80+Hz) with a little tweaking. Using the sound-card's EQ settings, I increase the bass at around 75HZ mark by a few decibels. The bass/treble controls on the speakers have a broader range and aren't as specific as a proper equalizer. However, they still do a great job and I use them on the fly when needed.
Also to note the, volume/bass/treble controls apply to headphones connected to the speakers as well (which is rare and awesome)
- CONS : If you have used 2.1's before, you will definitely find the earth shaking bass missing. There is no sub! If you want to shake the floor, get something else.
SUMMARY: I bought them at $129 on sale and I feel like that was a steal! I have had 200+ Watt 2.1 systems which I enjoyed for other reasons (parties). This speaker however, I have been enjoying personally !
