Style and durability for next to nothing, Good sound too :)

Computer speakers are a pet peeve of mine. I am something of an audiophile, (my last car speakers cost $600 a pair), and I can never find computer speakers that do my music justice. Add to the fact that people are going gaga over the 5.1/6.1/7.1 stuff and it's more complicated. I simply want a nice 2.1 system that doesn't scream "Made in China" and sounds decent. Is that too much to ask?

Well, after several years of running a cable to my home stereo just to hear good tunes on my computer, I decided to take a chance on some PC speakers again. Rummaging through a Wal-Mart in search of something halfway decent I came across these Creative I-Trigues. Now I paid the full $80, but this was two years ago.

Needless to say I bought them and brought them home to listen. I was using them originally on the onboard audio in my PC, this was later changed to a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card. Very good card by the way. First impressions, not bad. I will say however that the sound was a little flat even for me, the guy who pretty much demands a flat EQ and no sound processing. I bumped up the treble range and bass range a tad in Windows Media Player, and Presto! Much better sound.

So, how do they ACTUALLY sound, since it's all subjective, and nearly anything sounds good by itself. Well, good enough that my also-an-audiophile-roommate gave them props. Good enough that I kept them for the last two years. Good enough that I never find myself wanting anything else. Seems that is good enough for me.

They handle all types of music very well, and movies and games sound great on them. Each stand speaker has three small 8 watt drivers in it, and they do a very good job of reproducing tones, as they are all made with a thin stiff, stamped titanium disc. Titanium is a very good material for speaker cones as it's very inflexible and neutral.

Output.

For the size, the output is astounding. When I first cranked up some rock for my friends they all ducked. Why? Because they were looking for the bigger speakers I "must have hidden somewhere". :) The small subwoofer adds quite a bit of depth, but is not quite spectactular. Rather, it fills out the sound and has the capability to shake the walls, albeit not to an excessive extent. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of bass, but it isn't a Sunfire or anything.

Ease of use is pretty good. I find the small wired remote to be just the ticket. The speakers are wobbly if bumped, so don't place them on the edge of anything, or use some double sided tape and you will be just fine. Each is heavy and the overall impression is of quality. Everyone I spoke to thought I got an excellent deal even at $80. To top it off, two years later and they still work and sound great.

Overall it's a very good buy and I don't really see anything being much better anywhere near this price range. I don't think they will disappoint.