Creative Gigaworks T40 series II review

These speakers can’t match the power of a set with a dedicated subwoofer, but the excellent sound quality makes them a good compromise if you're short on space.
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Published on 3 February 2011

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Creative Gigaworks T40 series II
Our rating
Reviewed price £85 inc VAT

Creative’s Gigaworks T40 series II speakers are taller than most other 2.0 sets, but they have a compact footprint so won’t take up a lot of space on your desk. There’s good reason for the larger size; instead of using a single speaker to produce the full audio range, each satellite has several small speaker drivers that play separate audio frequencies for improved sound quality. Two main drivers handle the mid-range and high-end notes are produced by a smaller tweeter. Even though it doesn’t have a dedicated subwoofer, a small bass-port in the top of each speaker is designed to create a low-end depth that other 2.0 sets aren’t capable of.

Creative Gigaworks T40 series II
Sound quality was undeniably impressive for a 2.0 set. Mid-tones were clear and the high-end was very crisp in classical and acoustic tracks. Although it can’t compare to speaker sets with dedicated subwoofers, we were still impressed with the strength of low-end notes. Rock and electronic music sounded appropriately heavy, but only when sat relatively close to the speakers. More than a few feet away and the deeper bass notes were inaudible, unless we changed the tone settings. The captive cable between each speaker is 1.5m long, so positioning them on a desk is fairly easy. The 3.5mm cable that connects the set to your computer is slightly shorter at 1.4m, but this should still be enough for even the widest of desks. Volume, bass and treble controls are found on the right satellite, which we think is much neater than the wired remotes used by some speaker sets. The volume control doubles as the power switch; when the speakers are turned on its outline glows blue. Both the headphone output and 3.5mm auxiliary input are located beneath these controls, which is convenient for connecting another device such as an MP3 player. A stereo to dual-phono adaptor is included if you want to use the T40s with a games console or DVD player.

Creative reserves the Gigaworks brand for its premium speakers, so it’s unsurprising that the T40 Series II is expensive, costing more than most 2.1 sets. Thankfully sound quality is surprisingly well-rounded considering the lack of a subwoofer. If you don’t have the space for a subwoofer these speakers are the next best thing.

Specifications
Rating ****
Speaker configuration 2.0
RMS power output 32W
Power consumption standby 1W
Power consumption on 4W
Analogue inputs 2x 3.5mm stereo
Digital inputs none
Dock connector none
Headphone output 3.5mm
Satellite cable lengths 1.5m between satellites, 1.4m to PC
Cable type captive (phono)
Controls located right satellite
Digital processing none
Tone controls bass and treble
Price £85
Supplier http://www.scan.co.uk
Details www.creative.com

Written by

Tom started writing about technology right after graduating from University, but has been a games and gadget fan for as long as he can remember. Beyond photography, music and home entertainment, he's also the first port of call for all reviews content on Expert Reviews.

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