My new 2.0 speakers

I had been considering to change my 5.1 T6200 speaker system to something more compact as my desk can't really accommodate a 5.1 system. Moreover, T6200 has a fluctuating volume problem from the controller. It has been bothering me for some time. 

As the controller is linked to the subwoofer, I had it changed before when it is under warranty. But the issue came back again after a couple of months, I guess it is a design fault and I gave up on this problem since the warranty is only 1 year.

But It is still usable, you will need to put the controller to max volume, and you adjust the volume by using controls in the OS. But it is troublesome when you are playing games especially you need to switch in between windows.

So I decided to change it to something less complicated but more practical. And I chose a 2.0 to a 2.1 system since I don't have space to put the subwoofer too. Also, I don't need a lot of bass in the music I listened to. Clarity is more important to me.

After looking through recommended brands by forum members which I frequents, it seems AE2, AE5 or M-audio etc and some other brands is strongly recommended due to the quality of sound they produce.

But the price sold locally is pretty steep to me, from almost 300 to 500+ SGD for a 2.0 speakers (out of my budget). They are studio monitor speakers if I am not wrong. So I guess quality is there with this type of pricing.

So in the end, I ended up with Creative T40 Series II as it is within my budget although I am pretty disappointed with the quality and issue with my previous T6200 speaker system. To add on, it seems that one of the flagship model the T3 also suffers from the fluctuating volume issue after a period of usage.

On why I chose T40 Series II, the predecessor T40 has good reviews and the series II offers improvements and new colour scheme (which I kinda like). It is not a new model, it has been around for couple of years and still selling so I guess it is one of the better models.

I had also listen to the speakers at its local store, it sounds pretty good to me compared to T6200 although I am not a audiophile. The driver and tweeter materials used seems to be better than a typical multimedia speakers.

Also, you can adjust the bass and treble via the knobs available. As for the pricing, it is on a in house promotion on a local Creative store. It cost 159 SGD compared to 169 SGD or more selling at other places. Highest price I saw was the MSRP price of 199 SGD.I would say 159 SGD is more reasonable pricing.

Below are the pics:

 Nice box

 Protection

 Whole package 1

 Whole package 2

 Speaker filter

MTM design

Mini review: Tested with my onboard audio with the speakers, it sounds pretty good and better than my previous T6200 in terms of clarity in music. The bass is pretty strong in the default position, I had to adjust it down so that the music feels more natural to my ears (I am not a basshead). I guess Creative products emphasis on the bass.

The difference is not huge with or without the speaker filters. But if you are looking for strong bass, you are better off with a 2.1 system.  As you may noticed, most of the connection is gold plated for better connectivity.

The bass produced is fine with me and these speakers can get pretty loud too. I might get a soundcard in future to improve the my audio source quality. On the downside, my current speakers may not be able bring out the full potential of the future sound card.

In my opinion, onboard sound has improved quite a lot these years but having a discrete soundcard will still make a difference to me. But in the end, everyone listening standards is different. What sounds "fine" to me might sound crap to other people.

So it is the best if you listened to the speakers yourself to judge. The only thing I hope is that it will not have the volume issue after a certain period of time. Otherwise it is off to hunt another speaker system mission again :).