Creative GigaWorks T3 speakers review

Full Review

Creative have impressed us to date with their recent batch of GigaWorks speakers, showing that making the most of the sound from your PC is more important that ever. So can the latest offering, the GigaWorks T3, impress? We get listening to find out.

Described by Creative as a "high-end 2.1 speaker system" the system in question is made up of a largish subwoofer that sits under your desk, a pair of satellite speakers and a twisting volume knob that sits on your desk and doubles as the headphones and AUX in.

The subwoofer of the set is large (there are drivers on three of the four sides) while the satellite speakers, which are the bits that are on show, are matt black, small and come with their own stands.

Everything is controlled via that knob that sits independent of the speakers on your desk. It, like the speakers, is small, easy to use and features a rubberised top for better grip. It also acts as the power switch turning the speakers into standby mode, however the "eco warriors" amongst you won't want to hear that there is no physical off switch anywhere on the system.

Connections in are a pair of audio phono sockets so you can connect it to your PC via the subwoofer and an AUX in for your iPod or MP3 player via the volume knob on the desk. Creative has included the cables you need in the box (phono to single 3.5mm).

Once connected, which will take you all of about 2 minutes, you're ready to go and start listening to your PC make music. It's here where the Creative GigaWorks T3 speakers will blow you away - literally. The sound is, for want of a better word, amazing.

High tones and mid tones are well balanced, while the bass is just right (you can turn it up or down as you wish via a dial at the back of the sub) and there are no "bass it up" buttons or "lets create a virtual stage" options anywhere keeping it simple.

So impressed by the sound produced, we tested it with a wide variety of songs, movies and games in an attempt to make them fail and have thus far not been able to. We tested everything from Au Revoir Simone, to Dave Matthews Band to The Orbital on the music front to Die Hard and Thin Red Line on the movie front (all on the PC).

Verdict

The result? It all sounds ace, making this a real gem if you're looking to improve music or video playback on your PC without going down the whole Hi-Fi connected to your PC route.

Of course there are better, more expensive systems out there, but from a PC perspective if you've got the cash these are worth the investment.

On the surface there isn't much to the GigaWorks T3 speaker system, but it delivers the results that you'll want and for us that's the important bit.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4