I purchased these after a lot of research. The kids speakers (on a second PC) went belly-up, so I gave them my Logitech 2.1 set - and ordered the T20-S2 mainly for the smaller footprint (no sub), and also for the increased clarity.
BTW - the price above was NZD converted to USD at the time of purchase. Audio in NZ is normally relatively expensive compared the the rest of the world.
Specifications
From the manufacturer -
the technical
Speaker power: 14 Watts RMS per channel (2 channels)
Frequency response: 50Hz ~ 20kHz
Dimensions (WxLXH) 8.8cm x 14.3cm x 23.0cm
And the
marketing blurb
High-end, two-piece speaker system engineered for the best music listening experience.
High-quality woofer drivers with woven glass-fibre cones provide warm mid-tones. Advanced tweeters with cloth domes deliver crystal-clear highs.
Creative BasXPort™ technology for strong bass.
Front-mounted controls for power, bass and treble.
Two inputs for use with different devices without swapping cables.
Packaging and Contents
The T20's came nicely packed, with the following contents:
Two speakers
Stereo-to-stereo audio cable (2m) - to connect the speakers
Dual RCA-to-stereo adapter (TV adapter)
Power supply adapter
Quick Start leaflet & Warranty & Technical Support leaflet
Build Quality
The quality and finish on these (especially for their price) is nice. They are both unobtrusive, and also quite sleek. On my minimalist desktop, they look "classy". They are reasonably solid and weighty. The housing is black plastic, but the finishing is very good. The front cover on the right hand side has a 3.5mm for a headphone out, and also a 3.5mm aux-in socket. There are also 3 controls - on/off volume, bass and treble. When the speakers are turned on, there is a soft blue glow (neon back-light) around the volume knob.
Both speakers have gauze dust covers fitted - but these can be removed to expose the mid range cones and smaller tweeters. This actually looks quite nice if you like this style (see below) but I prefer to keep the dust covers on.
My one complaint would be that the cord with the powerpack/transformer could be a little short for some. The cord overall is long enough - just the section from speakers to powerpack was a little short. For those with a tall desk - it may not comfortably reach the floor.
Sound Quality
To be honest, when I first heard these (especially coming from a 2.1 system) I was not that impressed - thinking I'd purchased a lemon. There was very little bass - although the clarity (mid range and highs) was very good. After reading all the marketing spiel about the bass port technology I was expecting more.
After a couple of weeks though - once I got used to the sound, I've found myself enjoying it - and they are pretty good for budget powered speakers. The highs are very clear, and non-fatiguing. The mids are smooth. The bass is quite clean, and is balanced - it just doesn't extend very far.
**I'd like to add here - that my it was probably my expectation that was out of line. Coming from a 2.1 system with a sub - these initially just sounded a little flat.**
All in all though for a desk-top system where you're going to be sitting a couple of feet away from them, these do the job well. The bass and treble controls could be nice for some people fine tuning (easier to use than dedicated multiband EQ - although nowhere near the same finesse/control levels). I don't use it personally - so far I've found the tonality suits me fine with everything in the neutral position.
The T20's also have plenty of volume headroom on my system - I can't go to any more than about 1/2 on the volume knob without it getting too loud.
Conclusion
I am happy with my purchase of these (although initially I did not enjoy them as much). They have a great tonality, are aesthetically pleasing for my desktop - and almost tick all the boxes. Considering that for my critical listening I'm using my cans anyway - the T20's do their job and are pleasant to listen to. However, I'd be remiss in saying that If I had my chance again, I'd probably pay a little more and go with the T40.
In short
- good for casual listening, movies and game playing on a desk-top system.
- definitely not portable
- balanced sound, but if you like more bass look for either a 2.1 system, or consider the T40's.