Verdict: Great for games, rubbish for music
What should you do if you want decent sound for your PC but don't want so many satellite speakers residing in your lounge that it does a passable impression of Brixton Academy?
GigaWorks is the name of Creative's high-end speaker range, and it now includes the new GigaWorks T20, a set of relatively compact, high-quality 2.0 speakers. The speakers are slightly shorter than the Z-10s and, while there's no separate subwoofer, there's a port on top for improving the bass. The power supply is integrated into the plug for minimal fuss and wiring.
Behind the removable mesh covers lurk attractive yellow drivers - 'woven glass fibre cones', according to Creative - and large 'cloth dome' tweeters. The speakers are decked out in glossy, gunmetal plastic and look stylish. Chrome dials for the bass, treble and volume are conveniently located on the right-hand speaker.
This was just as well - we reached for the treble control almost as soon as we started playing music. The mid-range of our MP3s was overwhelmed by the tinny high-end sounds, but this isn't surprising, considering how big the tweeters are in relation to the main drivers. Even with the treble on minimum, music sounded harsh and flat, and lacked subtlety and detail.
The T20s were much better with game audio, as this tends to be either very deep or high-pitched, with little mid-range subtlety. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sounded fantastic. Without a subwoofer, the bass lacks the punch of big surround-sound systems, such as Logitech's Z-5500s, but the T20s certainly aren't wimpy, and the harshness that mars music serves them well when it comes to high-impact gaming audio.
Conclusion
Despite Creative's attempts to promote the T20s as being excellent for music, they're far more suited to games, which makes the £60 price tag look a little steep.
