Creative Inspire T10 (speakers - For PC - wired)

I wanted a 2.0 system to upgrade the speakers that came with my PC. After auditioning several systems (some over twice the price!), I selected the T10's based on price, size & build quality.

While they sounded adequate in the store I was completely unprepared for what I heard when I hooked them up at home. The bass from these small two-ways is impressive! It belies their size & it's accurate without bloat. The midrange is accurate & highs are crisp.

The speakers also cast a credible soundstage. Not an easy feat at this price level. The only caveat is that it doesn't cast it very far. What the speakers do really well is music. They are paticularly adept a handling acoustic music such as jazz.

Speaker build is solid. The power/volume & tone knobs are of a nice size & operate smoothly. The tone control is useful in adding presence & air to vocals & cymbals when used judiciously. Other really nice amentities are the lack of an AC adapter. The attached power cord plugs directly into an outlet. Connectivity is also very simple & they sound great straight out of the box. They sound even better once warmed up & I'd advise leaving them powered up all the time for best sound.

If your primary purpose is for music playback you'll be hardpressed to find better speakers at the $50 price level. They may not be the best choice if you want to listen to explosions & car crashes though. With only 5 watts per channel their dynamic range is going to be limited & they're really not designed to fill up a room with sound. Movies, while dialogue & sounds are rendered acurately, just don't reach the dynamic peaks that some blockbusters require.

You can't have everything at this price range but the T10's just might be, "the best bang for the buck".

The T10s are OK speakers - nothing too special, but better than most average 2.0 systems. They are Creative speakers after all and for a lower price than the T20s you can get Creative compact sound in your home or work.

However, even if they wear the name T10 they are not GygaWorks series speakers. The T10s fall into the lower Creative brand of Inspire speakers and that is apparent as soon as you turn them on. The overall sound is somewhat diverse, but a bit muddy compared to the T20, T40 or HD50 speakers. The bass is nothing close to booming, but can bring some overall warmth to the sound. If you are a regular non-audiophile listener, you will definitely enjoy these as they do provide a richer sound that other systems of the same price range, but this is only if you are not set on bass.

If you listen to music or watch movies and don't play a lot of games these can be very practical for your bedroom or office PC. Note that they are not very powerful and can't fill a large room like a pair of T40 can. The price is good although I do believe you pay the last 10 bucks just because they are the Creative brand.