Creative Inspire T10 speakers review

Full Review

Sitting slightly down Creative’s range of offerings from the GigaWorks T20 speakers we reviewed recently here on Pocket-lint, the Inspire T10 bring another alternative to the discerning PC or laptop user looking to improve their system’s sound output. But will these speakers do justice to your music? We get listening to find out.

Featuring two 5 watt units, each with an integrated tweeter and Creative’s innovative BasXPort, the T10 present a gloss black face to the world. Each speaker is adorned with a cloth tag in the style of your favourite pair of Levi’s – a quirky detail giving the impression that someone actually thought about the design of these speakers.

The master right speaker features an on/off knob and a tone knob which does a good job of fine-tuning the bass/treble balance ensuring that you get the type of sound you prefer. Between the knobs is a green LED indicating power, and unlike the T20, this is inoffensive and doesn’t distract your eye from the screen.

The side of the right speaker also features a headphone socket and an aux in, so you can plug in your MP3 player for example. Unfortunately, no cable is provided in the box for this, unlike speakers further up the ladder.

The all important factor however is sound quality and in this department the T10 do not disappoint. The speakers coped with all the music challenges we set it. Yes, the lack of a dedicated subwoofer means that some very intensive bass tracks can suffer, but from metal to house to opera we found that the experience was one to be savoured, with the tweeters delivering the higher details that often get obscured.

It is difficult to find any fault here; there is no pretence with these speakers, they do exactly what they say on the tin. In government speak, they are entirely "fit for purpose". The T10 make you want to turn the volume up to an antisocial level and scrap any civil relations you had with your neighbours.

Verdict

At this price you are looking at very good quality sound in a compact package, unencumbered by the extra wires a 2.1 system would require. For those looking to replace the speakers that came with their desktop you can’t go wrong. For those laptop users, these speakers will take your media experience into a different domain. Highly recommended.

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