Credit: Creative
Creative’s T100 is the latest in the companies much-loved T-series of PC speakers. From design to sound quality, it's the best offering in that line. Not that I'm surprised. The company's speakers are consistently among the best I’ve reviewed, and its Pebble system is currently our pick for Best Overall Budget Speakers.
This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best budget computer speakers. Go there for information on competing products and how we tested them.
Each of the T100’s satellites is 8.5 x 3.5 x 4.8 inches (HWD) with a matte-black grille and gloss-black finish on the sides. The tops of the satellites are matte-black, and the right one features input source, volume, and power buttons.
A pair of 2.75-inch full-range drivers with built-in digital amplifiers delivers up to 40W RMS and a peak power of up to 80W. In lieu of a subwoofer, the T100 uses BasXport technology to reproduce the bottom end. These ports are positioned on the top back of each satellite.
Creative
You can control the T100 from the top of the right satellite.
The T100 offers more connectivity options than you typically find in desktop speakers, most of which are located on the back of the right satellite. There’s a standard 3.5mm AUX-in port to handle your desktop audio or other wired devices, and an optical in to connect your PS4. There’s also a USB input so you can play FLAC, WAV, and MP3 files directly from a flash drive. Lastly, you can stream from mobile devices via Bluetooth.
The system comes with a remote control that enables functions you won’t find on the right speaker. These include EQ presets for music, movies, live concerts, and video games, as well as buttons for adjusting treble and bass levels.
To set up the system, you only need to connect the cable attached to the right satellite to the port on the back of the left one, then insert the power cord into the input of the right satellite and plug it into an outlet. When you power the speakers on, a tiny LED behind the grille on the right satellite changes from red to blue.
Creative
The remote control provides playback controls, treble and bass buttons, and four EQ presets.
The T100 has a rich, warm sound, with excellent bass response. The tinny highs that are often a feature of desktop speakers are noticeably absent here. Everything I put through these speakers had a smooth, vintage glow about it. You can also pump the volume up pretty high without distorting the sound, so I was able to hear my soundtrack as I moved around the house.
Creative
You can connect your mobile devices, PC, PS4 and even flash drives to the T100.
While you can certainly get by using the speaker-top controls, I found the remote far more useful even when I was sitting at my desktop. On top of enabling you to tweak the sound to your liking as you listen to different music genres, it also lets you play, pause, stop, and advance tracks.
Verdict
Creative’s T100 speakers are easy to recommend, particularly if you are a fan of the T20 and T40 systems. It delivers warm, balanced sound with customizable EQ and multiple connectivity options. They cost a bit more than other systems, including some with subwoofers, but if you prize quality audio they are worth the investment.
