Reddit mentions of Creative Labs 51MF1610AA002 GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort Technology

Audiophile here.

First off, disclaimer: You cannot get BI4L computer speakers. Long-lasting (a decade), sure, but not BI4L. Computer speakers require an amp of sorts, which are notorious for not being BI4L. Running an amp separate from your speakers will not only exceed your budget for a decent one, but would be impractical for a laptop setup.

Okay, so don't get monitors. You can't get decent monitors however small for that price range. Computer speakers haven't quite had the opportunity time-wise to be tested for BI4L-ish (again, the internal amp) quality, but there are a few brands that are going in the right direction.

As Sloppy said, you don't want paper membranes in your speakers. Cloth, glass, crystal, or high quality rubber (but only for the largest of subs) are the ones for which you'll want to look.

First, a few warnings against some brands. In the market, you have a bunch of computer brands trying to make speakers and a handful of speaker brands trying to make computer speakers. The problem with the former is that, well, they don't know speakers.

Logitech excels in consumer electronics - keyboards, mice, joysticks, remotes - but their speakers suck. Yes, even the $400 Z906s. They're loud, they're easy to use, they're flexible (in that you can alter the output easily), but the sound lacks finesse in all three ranges - the bass is muddy, the mid-range is flat, and the tweeters pierce rather than sparkle. You may have heard good things about Logitech's "Ultimate Ears" headphones. Yes, these are pretty good, but that's because Logitech bought a higher-end headphone company a few years back. In any case, that expertise has yet to make it out of the earphones lineup.

On the other hand, you have high-end speaker companies trying to make something that sounds decent but fits in the roughly the same $100-$400 price-range at which people looking to buy nicer computer speakers spend.

Like everyone else, I'm going to warn you against Bose. Bose speakers sound okay, but not for the price at which they're sold. I could justify buying Bose speakers if they were 50%-60% cheaper. They're the Abercrombie and Fitch of speakers, if you will - decentish quality, but you're really paying for the brand.

The other big name that falls into this category is Klipsch. Their higher-end stereo speakers are pretty good, but their cheap speakers are, well, cheap. Their speakers in the $100-$200 range sound okay and are built okay for the price. Nothing special. Plus, they tend to be ugly. =P

Finally, the recommendation:

Here are Creative's GigaWorks T20s and T40s. IMO, the GigaWorks offerings hit the sweet spot in price, sound, and build quality. I've had the T20s for eight years now, and they still sound as good as the first year. They have cloth and glass tweeters and midrange, so they sound great and are quite durable. Rather than wasting your money on a muddy discrete sub, each speaker has a proprietary mini-sub in it. The smaller size means a tighter membrane, so it'll sound better, and there's two of them to make up for the lack of a separate subwoofer. The T40s are the same thing, but with an additional midrange driver on each side if you want a little more volume (though the T20s carry just fine for my smallish apartment).

how about these for $60?

Here you go.

I just got them today as a gift from the girlfriend and I love them so far. I was borrowing a cheap 2.1 system from my friend, but these surprisingly have better bass, even without a sub woofer. The sound quality is fantastic for the price range. If your interested in buying them I would check out camelcamelcamel.com and wait for the price to drop. I noticed it's $90 now. I think they were $60 when she bought them.

Okay, that's wonderful news. I had a client who was looking at the GX pair, and I figured it was more of the looks than anything that got him hooked onto them. I ended up steering him towards the Creative Gigaworks T40's. Although they don't come with a sub, they're pretty damn good quality speakers for non-studio monitors. That would be my recommendation if you want to replace the speakers, and if you could keep the sub with the T40's, that would be even better. If you want to save a little money, even the T20's are great speakers. Highly recommend them to anyone.

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWorks-Multimedia-BasXPort-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480038941&sr=8-1&keywords=gigaworks+t20

I'd get those or the T40

I do the same, high volume on good headphones. I think you're right because now that you mention it I always turn up the volume for rocksmith about 40% higher than anything else, but never really thought much on it since I have amplified computer speakers. Here's the easy guarenteed fix.. Simply get a pair of decent-to-good powered computer speakers like creative t20s (about $100) and put them between your pc and your headphones. That's exactly what I have and I only go 2/3 of the full volume capacity before rocksmith blows my ears off. Its awesome and totally worth the investment.

Also always disable loudness control settings when playing rocksmith. It doesn't sound right with it on. You will never get your guitar and the backing track to be in a steady constant volume level to each other, as it will automatically change them to mix "evenly" (what the computer thinks is even). I adjust the rocksmith track and guitar volumes separately for every song I play. Sometimes I want to hear my own playing standout more like when I'm learning something new, and when I know the song well I like it to blend in so it's there but not obtrusive. I only use loudness when watching action movies because I like to both hear voices and not blow my neighbors away with explosion sounds.

[Creative Gigaworks] (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWorks-Multimedia-BasXPort-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU/ref=pd_cp_147_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=06S5CCPBW9MKNKM5NF7Y)

I have the T40 and I love the way they sound for a 2.0 setup. They aren't overly loud, they won't blow you away with quality if you're an audiophile, but for 99% of people they will sound fantastic. The T40s do take up a decent amount of space, but the T20s are a little smaller. I like their look, which isn't over the top and flashy, but subtle and blends in well.

Gigaworks T20's $64.97 would probably be a better choice. If you want to keep close to $30, the Inspire T10's $39.74 would be twice the power of the logitech's at 5W per channel, but the Gigaworks are 13W per channel. It's really hard to find a decent 2 channel speaker set.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RNOHDU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

I enjoy these.. they may be a bit bigger than you'd like.

My friend had those didn't last very long I own these for the price awesome sound :-) Full base (without being completely overpowering ) and great tone http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001RNOHDU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1419292718&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Remember that the Micca Covo-s needs an amplifier.


https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-51MF1610AA002-Multimedia-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU/


Those are the cheapest good speakers im willing to recommend.

I actually have these ones and have had those for years but now there is a voltage issue coming from them

https://shop.panasonic.com/support-only/SC-AK22.html

I'm wondering if i can get away with just a new Amp like the one you shared

Also what about these?
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-51MF1610AA002-GigaWorks-Multimedia-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWorks-Multimedia-BasXPort-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU

What do you know about something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-GigaWorks-Multimedia-BasXPort-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU these are good and on sale right now

At that range, you're basically looking for a large beach sound bar.

Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0

Bose Companion 2 Series III Multimedia Speakers

I've used a bunch of different speakers with my PVMs and I prefer desktop computer speakers because a) they're compact, b) since they're compact, the speaker magnets are smaller and can be placed closer to my monitors without causing issues, and c) I think the frequency range of a smaller speaker better suits the games I play while still sounding way better than the speakers on any TV I've owned. I currently use a set of Bose Companion IIs that I bought cheap from from someone on Craigslist, and before that I used a pair of Creative Gigaworks T20 speakers which I also liked quite a bit.

I don't know what your budget is but I'm a fan of the Creative T20 ii

They're under $80, good looking, good sounding. A lot of people are a fan of a separate amp and then a good pair of bookshelf speakers but for me these things are a good mix of simplicity, size, price and sound quality (and I think they look good without the grills.)

No problem! Glad you like my suggestion.

As for your changes and questions, let me help you.

• Monitors:
  I've selected 2 different monitors because of the budget that I had left. They're pretty far away in terms of price. There are a few points the monitors needed to have/be and that was "60Hz, IPS & stylish/sleek enough looking (no glossy!)".
  But to explain the differences between the 2 monitors:
  

1. Price. I suppose this is something you've noticed very much. The more expensive one is double the price. My other points will explain why this is.
   
2. Resolution. The Asus monitor is 2560x1440p & the AOC monitor is 1920x1080p.
   If you watch the video about resolution, you're going to understand it fairly well what the difference is. But I can also provide you with a screenshot of my own setup. Click!
   This are my 2 monitors, the pink background is of my 1080p & the baby blue is my 1440p monitor. I've opened 2 text files and did not change the size of them, they're the exact same size. I placed those in roughly the same location of the monitor.
   This shows you that I have a lot more "room or real estate" on my 1440p monitor.
   This is very helpful for programming and web development. Here is an example of how I can set up my monitor. I opened 2 of the same excel files and highlighted the "end" of the 1080p monitor on both files. So you can see how much more you can see on the 1440p monitor. It are "just" 360 pixels, but those make a large enough place to be noticeable.
   You can also flip the 1440p monitor 90 degree to create a 1440x2560 field. This is great for coding. Lots of space!
   Anyway, sorry I went on a rant here.
   
3. Flexibility. The Asus monitor got full range of adjustments. Including pivot, height, swivel & tilt.
   The AOC monitor only got tilt.
   
4. Display quality. The Asus monitor is a bit more expensive and got a great quality display as well. It's more designed towards the "Pro Art" series. It uses an IPS panel of course.
   Uncalibrated, the display is almost able to display the full sRGB color spectrum. Which is impressive! When you calibrate the monitor, you can get some improvements, but they're going to be.. hard to notice for an untrained eye. In other words, you won't really miss or mind this.
   The AOC monitor is also an IPS monitor, but of "slightly less" quality. I can't find any detailed reviews, since it's more of a value display.
   One thing that you're likely going to notice is subtle difference between the 2 monitors. I personally have 2 "IPS" displays. The IPS Dell P2314H & a PLS Qnix QX2710LED. Because of the 2 different panel types (IPS & PLS), I absolutely do notice a subtle difference between the 2. But well, I don't mind this at all (especially right now since I don't use the Dell monitor :D).
   
   

• Sound system:
  Sound is a very touchy subject to talk about since people all have different preferences & ears.
  So nothing is can be marked or labeled "perfect". Can you provide me the name of your headset? Because if it's a Razer one.. I absolutely want you to get rid of it, you deserve better! And yes I know, you might find it more than good enough.. You just don't know man! Anyway.. Speakers talk time.
  I am really not a big expert in the speaker world, I personally have some budget speakers.. that I rarely use. But it gets asked here every once in a while, so I did research more about this.
  The Logitech Z623 are pretty well regarded for bass heavy music, such as hardcore, dub techno and drum & bass.
  For classical, rock, metal & vocal music (top50) they're not that good.
  This means that it matters a lot on what style of music you like; to decide on which speakers you go for.
  My personal favorite option for a "value" option is to get some bookshelf speakers & buy a budget AMP to make them come alive. This guide is what made me discover this option. It's really an amazing option in terms of good quality speakers.
  If you don't like this option, it gets a bit harder and depending on your music preference. I will give out a couple of great options that you probably did not hear about yet.
  

1. Creative Gigaworks T20 - $70 - Review
   
2. Bose Companion 2 Series III - $99 - Review(s) I can't find any review just yet of this version. But Amazon seems to love them.
   
3. I forgot the names of the other speakers I really liked.. Edifier, JBL, Cyber Aucustics are some other good brands that I know off.
   
   

• SSD:
  This is in my opinion "wasting" money. You will not benefit much from this SSD. The reason? The 850 EVO is already very close to the "limit" of what SATA3 SSDs can do. The 850 Pro is even closer to this, but the difference is very minimal.
  Just to put it into perspective.. the 850 EVO would boot the PC up in 10-12 seconds, the 850 Pro would do this in 9-11 seconds.
  The 850 EVO would launch a game in 4 seconds, the 850 Pro would do this in 3,7 seconds..
  Both of these SSDs are insanely good. But the 850 EVO is already hitting the limit.
  Here is a great review of the 850 EVO.
  Here the review of the 850 Pro from the same website.
  Yes the 850 Pro is of course better and it's clearly seen in some of the benchmarks, but in "real world" usage, you're going to be hard pressed to notice the difference.
  
• Network cards:
  If you can get a wired connection, you don't need to buy a network card! The motherboard got this already. It's above the 2 USB 3.0 (blue) ports on the left.
  The wireless card is both an AC WiFi (5GHz) & Bluetooth 4.0 card. If you're going to use WiFi you have to remember that the speed is depending on what kind of router you're using. If your router does not support the AC WiFi network, the card won't be able to use it either.
  
  ---
  
  Also one big note to keep in mind. My list does not include mail-in rebates & I filtered out a lot of shops that aren't that amazing to order from. As you can see, my list only makes use of Amazon, Newegg & B&H for shops.
  
  

  Hope that this helps and answered some of your questions. If you have any more questions, absolutely don't hesitate to ask again.

I have the Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0

Good little speakers for a simple setup — not too serious, but also not too cheap

Currently $69

For the sound quality your Crosley is capable of producing and the small space you have these would pair just fine:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RNOHDU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_NsD8wbPTEYVEY

Most people here, including myself would recommend a different path altogether. Save your money and buy quality components. Your Crosley will skip, they all do. They also tend to be harsh on records. You'll soon find yourself frustrated with it.

If you just don't have the means to buy higher quality gear, then what I recommended is about as far as your crosley can take you in terms of improving the sound.

Regardless, spin and enjoy those records. Check the sidebar too, lots of good info for people new to the hobby.

I have the Creative Labs T20 speakers -- Creative Labs - GigaWorks T20. They're like $70 on amazon but sometimes go for cheaper and I absolutely love them. I had some Logitech speakers before these (not 2.1) and these blow the Logitech speakers away. Having individual bass and treble control is nice too, not to mention they look pretty good and have detachable speaker grilles.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $184.96 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI H97 Guard-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $102.07 @ Mwave
Memory | PNY XLR8 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $68.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $69.93 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $53.68 @ Amazon
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card | $349.99 @ Amazon
Case | Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case | $49.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $59.99 @ Amazon
Monitor | Acer G247HL bid 60Hz 24.0" Monitor | $119.99 @ Newegg
Speakers | Logitech Z313 25W 2.1ch Speakers | $34.99 @ Best Buy
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1094.58
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-12 04:07 EST-0500 |

Things I changed:

- RAM:
Cheaper RAM kit. You won't be able to use dual channel, although 8GB of 1600mhz RAM won't benefit too much from it.

- Case:
That case looks epic, but is kind of expensive. this is a decent and cheaper alternative. I liked working with this case.

- Power supply:
higher quality power supply that has been 80+ Gold rating and is semi-modular.

I'll update this post with new speakers as well, as these aren't the best you can get for the price.

update:

The Microlab M850 is a bit more expensive setup, but has a built in amplifier, which will give you clearer sound and usually less interference with the pc. It's overall specs are quite a bit better than the Logitech Z313 (better frequency response, higher volume and a decent SNR ratio.

For a bit more money you can ge the Gigaworks T20 II set. This isn't a 2.1 setup, has a fairly decent frequency response, but does have a good SNR ratio.

Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0 speakers
[Amazon US product page]

***

Can these still be recommended today at $90 USD?
I live in condo/complex where I'm the only person under the age of 60, so when I don't want to use headphones, I need to be able to adjust the volume and bass depending on if neighbors are home or not.

Will be for general use (movies, gaming), nothing professional.

Same company makes these which have great reviews and run slightly cheaper at $70.

Not right now, but sometimes these Creative speakers sometimes drop down to $50.

Honestly, there's a point where if you drop low enough in price it basically all sounds pretty meh.

From my experience $50ish has been the bare minimum for alright speakers.

EDIT: Thanks for downvotes with no reason?

Were the speakers I suggested bad? Was I wrong about the $50 thing? Because if so, by all means, do prove me wrong by linking some good ones! I an OP would like to know.

But just downvoting me with no explanation, when I am on topic and trying to help a user is pretty jacked up.

EDIT2: Still no reason? Do you guys just dislike people giving advice? What's the deal here? What did I do wrong?

Hello, fairly new to reddit. still trying to navigate my way around.

I am looking for a new pc speakers for my computer setup. Budget is $60-80. I have looked at Edifiers (980T) and Creative Labs.

Creative Labs:
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Wireless-Bluetooth-Computer-Communication/dp/B00EVWX8R0?ref_=ast_sto_dp

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-51MF1610AA002-GigaWorks-Multimedia-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Any other suggestions would help and should I get an AMP/DAC. Not a streamer (not yet), just an art student who watches youtube (hate my monitor speakers), listens to music (no preference, any), and does gaming.


Would really appreciate the help in deciding. :)

I would reccommend these speakers: Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0 Speakers

I'm not very saavy on the audiophile front, I don't know if they are active speakers but they are good 2.0 speakers for their price range. Feel free to research further if you think they might meet your needs.

I used them for a few years and found them really good. Despite the lack of a subwoofer they have a nice bit of punch to them. In fact, I liked them so much that I have ended up getting another set for my return to desktop computing.

I'm looking for some speakers that aren't awful. I don't need "audiophile grade" or anything, I just don't want some cheap garbage. And I don't have space for a subwoofer or anything wider than 4 inches (100 millimetres) My current speakers are some 15$ Logitech ones (Z130). I haven't really experienced sound quality better than that. I've been thinking about getting the Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II. Are they any good? Or would something like the Logitech Z200 be alright?

EDIT: Also, I won't be turning to volume very high. On my current speakers, I usually don't ever have the volume any higher than 20% (with the windows volume control).

$64 bucks, so overbudget, but these things can out-thump some 2.1 systems, the extra 12bucks to be over budget is worth it for audiophile level quality;
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-51MF1610AA002-GigaWorks-Multimedia-Technology/dp/B001RNOHDU/

If you MUST stay under budget at a huge loss of audio quality, you can check out the T12's, but I do not recommend them as the sound is never fulfilling.

Thanks for the answer and suggestion. But I haven't really the space or desire for a subwoofer. Is there an option you'd recommend more like bookshelf speakers, but self-powered?

Edit: the same company makes these, and I also found these.

Creative Gigaworks T40

Creative Gigaworks T20

I own the t20's and have had them for about 6 ish years. They're still great and I got them when they were on sale for around $60. You might see the t40's get as low as $90 too, which are a slight step up.

If you really want the sub / surround feel, upgrade to the g500 / g750 series, but now you're at the same price as the Razer Leviathan (don't buy that, please OP)

Get yourself to a best buy and you can probably test the t40's

open your mind you know... if you just ask enough, eventually someone WILL tell you that these 60 dollars speakers are worth it.

Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II