With powerful bass and crisp audio, Creative's $149.99 Gigaworks T40 redefines what small speaker systems are capable of. This two-speaker setup lacks a dedicated subwoofer, yet delivers room-filling sound that can please gamers, moviegoers, and music fans alike.
Each of the two PC- and Mac-friendly speakers stands 12.5 inches tall and delivers 11 watts RMS of power. They have a glossy gray exterior with rounded corners and an attachable flat stand to prevent them from toppling over on your desk. The speakers also come with removable grilles, which protect the three midrange drivers underneath. Like their predecessors, the T20s, the T40s feature a BasXPort on both the left and right satellite to help boost the lower midrange. Bass, treble, and volume controls are located on the right speaker in addition to a front-mounted headphone jack. On the rear, you'll find the speaker's power switch—somewhat inconveniently—alongside a docking port that is compatible with Creative's X-30 Docking Station for iPods ($49.99). Noticeably missing is an auxiliary input, although Creative does include an adapter that lets you use the speakers with dual RCA connections.
Once we tweaked the default bass and treble settings these speakers blew us away. They were strong enough to deliver punchy bass when we were watching movies and did an excellent job of highlighting dialogue so that it was always clear and defined. Even at high levels, the bass was powerful and not overly boomy. When playing back music, the speakers again impressed us with well-defined vocals that weren't drowned out or muffled by high volume levels. In fact, sound from these speakers was strong enough to fill not only our bedroom, but also our entire apartment.
If you're in the market for a solid pair of multimedia speakers that won't weigh you down with a massive subwoofer, the T40s should be high on your list. Thanks to their incredible audio quality, they create an immersive soundstage that's worth every dollar.
