At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their T100 Compact Hi-Fi 2.0 Desktop Speakers for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About Creative:

 

“Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.

 

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

 

Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.

 

Creative is now well recognized as a global leader for product innovation in the audio and PDE segments, offering consumers a complete, high quality digital entertainment experience through Creative's hardware, software applications and services. Finding the perfect balance between form and function, Creative strives for every product to be a sensory feast for the eyes and ears.

 

Today, Creative is spearheading new product categories with its groundbreaking Sound BlasterAxx audio enhancement devices and solutions, highly-acclaimed Creative D5xm Signature Series of modular Bluetooth wireless speakers, Aurvana premium headsets, Sound Blaster wireless gaming headsets, and cross-platform Sound Blaster Recon3D for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC or Mac.

 

These products and solutions are marketed to consumers and system integrators through a worldwide distribution network that includes traditional marketing channels, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Internet.

 

Moving forward, Creative's mission is to expand its leadership role in the lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment market, using groundbreaking technology and leading-edge designs for not just the technically-savvy consumers, but for everyone who enjoys entertainment. With strong focus on user-friendly interface, multiple features and cool industrial designs, the Creative brand is synonymous with lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment.

 

Creative's global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. It has regional business units in the US (Milpitas, California), Europe (Dublin, Ireland) and Asia (Singapore).

 

Creative is a public listed company on the main board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) since June 1994.”

 

Product Features:

 

Enhance your Workspace

 

Elegant, minimalistic design for your desktop computers and laptops

 

Plug-And-Play Setup

 

Easy setup within minutes with various connectivity options, including wireless Bluetooth® 5.0, 3.5 mm AUX-in, Optical-in, and USB FLAC!

 

Superb Audio Quality

 

Wide, lifelike soundstage with incredible depth, balanced audio, and amazing vocal clarity

 

Powerful Acoustics

 

2.75″ full-range driver with built-in digital amplifier that fires up to 40W RMS and peak power of up to 80W

 

BasXPort™ Technology

 

Further enhances the bass to reproduce rich, deep tones without a need for subwoofer

 

Convenient Controls

 

Wireless remote control with EQ presets and adjustable bass and treble settings

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

We have recently received in our labs another interesting set of speakers from Creative, this time more powerful, with multiple supported inputs and also featuring an IR remote! The T100 Hi-Fi 2.0 desktop speakers are compatible with lots of devices and besides wired devices we can also connect to it Bluetooth 5.0 compatible smartphones/tablets or other sound sources. In terms of power output, this setup can deliver 20W RMS per each Stereo channel, for a total of 40W RMS.

 

The speakers are supplied in a quite compact cardboard enclosure, featuring the new box art; on the frontal area we can see the list of product highlights, but also a large photo of the setup itself:

 

 

 

On the box side, we will see the technical specifications in multiple languages, but also the list of inside contents:

 

 

 

The opposite box side will show a photo of the right speaker in operation, connected on a Bluetooth interface:

 

 

 

The full list of specifications is available on the back:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get to see a lot of protective foam material inside; small cut-outs do provide storage compartments for the hardware bundle:

 

 

 

Creative has supplied a remote, a power adapter but also documentation and the Stereo cable:

 

 

 

The remote controls are pretty self-explanatory: we do have the button to switch the setup from on to standby state, an Input selector, the Reset button for resetting the current Bass/Treble settings and get back to Default, a Bluetooth Pair button, separate buttons for different audio content (Music, Cinema, Concert, Gaming) but also controls for devices connected to the USB and Bluetooth interfaces. Further down we will get to see Treble/Bass adjustment buttons but also Volume adjustment, accompanied by a Mute button as well:

 

 

 

The remote is not offered with batteries, so you have to purchase a set of two in order to get the remote functional:

 

 

 

 

The Stereo cable will help the user connect the T100 to analog sound sources, while the manual does offer in-depth info about the product interfaces and functions we need to access:

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on the area the T100 will be sold, you will get a different type of power adapter; we have received the European model:

 

 

 

The supplied adapter does also come with an activity LED on top, that lights up green if it operates in normal conditions:

 

 

 

The rating from its manufacturer describes the output as 18V at 2A:

 

 

 

The cable ends up with the power jack plug, that will connect to the right satellite:

 

 

 

The left/right speakers are packaged individually in plastic bags, for extra protection:

 

 

 

 

The speakers were designed in such a way so they do not take a lot of space on the desk and feature the following measurements (130 x 93 x 208mm – L x W x H):

 

 

 

In the front, we have a metallic grille that covers the 2.75’’ full-range drivers:

 

 

 

In the lower area of the grille we will see a nice Creative logo:

 

 

 

The top area of the right channel does come with a rubberized Power button, Volume +/- but also the Input selector:

 

 

 

The rest of the speaker chassis does feature a shiny black plastic finish, which looks great when placed along a gaming monitor but also on the TV sides in the living room/ bedroom:

 

 

 

 

In the back, we will get to see the low frequency port, named by Creative BasXPort, which enhances the bass tones without the need of a dedicated subwoofer:

 

 

 

The right speaker comes with lots of interfaces we can access: the TOSLINK Optical input, the Stereo Input jack, an USB port for connecting storage, the port for connecting the cable that comes from the left speaker but also the DC-IN port:

 

 

 

On the bottom of the unit we will spot a small sticker with the product power rating, internal code name, but also the serial number; here we will also find four small, circular rubber feet:

 

 

 

The left satellite does feature the same design overall, minus the interfaces on the top and on the back:

 

 

 

The only cable present is the one that travels to the right speaker; this particular cable does supply audio signal but also power to the left speaker:

 

 

 

The installation is really simple and after selecting the correct input you should have audio output in no time!

 

 

The currently selected input type is signaled by a central, subtle LED placed in the middle of the right satellite:

 

 

Since the T100 did not require any software installation, we went ahead and listened to various content such as YouTube clips, FLAC tracks via USB interface, movies and some TV shows. Considering the size of the drivers and also of the speakers themselves, we were impressed by the bass delivery, which is not overpowering and also the clear highs. After a while, we found the sound output as good as when owning a much larger soundbar, but this time the space occupied on the table is notably smaller. If you are using the set on a desktop table, along your PC setup, you won’t have much use of the remote, since you can mostly fine-tune the audio output via the sound card controls or the buttons on the top of the right speaker. However, if you are installing the T100 in your living room along your TV or in your bedroom, the remote will immediately become quite important for easily fine-tuning the audio signature and more!

 

The T100 is enough loud for use in medium-sized apartments, while the large number of devices we can connect to it make it a great mainstream set. The only shortcoming on this model is that if you keep the setup near the maximum volume, you will hear a hissing white noise if no audio is playing.

 

The T100 speaker set is available online for about 120 Euros from the Creative Europe store.

Creative T100 Compact Hi-Fi 2.0 Desktop Speakers is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!