Creative Inspire P7800 7.1 Surround Speakers: PC Theater in a box

The Creative Inspire P7800 system is a replacement for an Altec Lansing 4.1 surround system I have been using for the last three years. I decided to upgrade my system and give my old set to a friend. I noticed right away that there was a significant difference in volume with the P7800’s being able to go much louder without distorting and with more powerful bass. For those who hate long reviews lets just say that price versus performance, I believe these are the best you can get for under $400 and better than some that are more expensive.


The Creative Inspire P7800 system

This speaker set includes six satellite speakers, a center channel speaker and a subwoofer. The subwoofer is the centerpiece of the set. The subwoofer has a cable that splits into three 1/8th inch stereo plugs that plug into the stereo channels for front, sides and rear output on the sound card. In order to make use of these speakers you must have a sound card capable of at lease 5.1 surround and with CMSS upmix, you can get 7.1 audio from 5.1 or 6.1 sound cards. These speakers were intended to be used with the SoundBlaster Audigy series of sound cards but will work with other 5.1 and 7.1 sound cards as well.

Each satellite speaker plugs into the subwoofer using standard RCA jacks like a regular stereo. The center channel also plugs into the subwoofer and gets its signal from the same channel as the subwoofer. The center channel and subwoofer do not necessarily use the same signals but they both receive signals from the same channel. The signal is split as it comes into the subwoofer so that sounds directly in front go to the center channel and all bass from all channels go to the subwoofer.

The system has a volume control with separate subwoofer volume that plugs into the subwoofer and sets on the desk. I have mine next to my keyboard for easy access. This volume control also has a plug for headphones on it making it easy for people who don’t have front panel access to plug in their headphones without unplugging any speakers.

The subwoofer is not the best I have heard but it is very good and can handle very low frequencies at reasonable volume without distortion. The satellites are crisp and clear and handle music very well. This speaker system sounds better than many stereo systems I have had in the past and sounds as good if not better than the $800 stereo system I installed in my vehicle.


Features (short list)

* 90W output
* 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 compatible
* Wired remote for volume and subwoofer control
* Line-in for external audio devices
* Higher power center channel speaker
* Black speaker casings
* Wooden subwoofer case w/bass response hole
* Longer cables on side speakers (about 12ft.)
* Much longer cables on rear speakers (about 18ft.)
* 1 year warranty

The subwoofer is made of wood covered in a thin latex or plastic surface and is quite solid but not too heavy. The satellite speakers are all set in black plastic casings with a thin silvery black mesh covering the front. The center channel speaker is oriented wide (instead of tall like the other satellites) and is designed to sit atop a monitor or desk shelf easily.

The wired remote volume control has a cable that reaches approximately six feet from the subwoofer, which is just barely enough for me to place it next to my keyboard. I do wish it were a foot or two longer. The remote controls the overall volume and subwoofer volume. If you want to increase volume of the sub only, you can use the “bass level” but increasing the “power/volume” increases all the volume at once. You turn the “power/volume” all the way down until it clicks to turn the speaker system off.


Personal experience

I tried the Promedia 7.1 system and compared this one to them. I really like the Promedias but the price was a bit too high for me and this system sounds almost as good. They really blow away my old Altec Lansing 4.1 system. I have listened to music with them and music sounds good, nice and clean with bright highs and thumping bass. They sound really good when watching a DVD with 5.1 surround but the biggest improvement I noticed was with 3D games.

Gaming with these speakers is incredibly realistic. Sounds can make or break a good game and a game that has surround capability is meant to be played that way. CounterStrike Source supports 7.1 surround and it makes a big difference. When you hear a shotgun being loaded to your right or behind you, you know immediately where to turn and which direction it is coming from.

Battlefield 2 is another game that supports surround sound and these speakers help tremendously. When trudging through the jungle areas and you can’t really see anything, this sound system helps you to determine where a road may be by the sound of vehicles and people running. It also helps when trying to figure out where the sniper fire is coming from.

As far as volume goes, these are loud speakers. They are not quite as powerful as the Promedia system but they are definitely not for the office. They are loud enough to fill a small to mid sized bed room with sound and sound good enough to replace a shelf system stereo. Since there is a line-in plug on the back of the subwoofer, that is exactly what I have done. I have an MP3 player hooked into the back of the system and can listen to my music while playing games without having to run a media player program from the computer. I also have a tuner that I plug in from time to time to listen to the radio while playing or browsing the web. This is much easier than installing a tuner card in the computer.


Conclusion

I am pleased with my speaker system and would recommend it to people who want the 7.1 surround capability but don’t want to pay the price for the Promedia system. I got a good deal on this system from Newegg.com and they arrived in a timely fashion. I paid $85.00 for the Inspire P7800 system but since I bought mine the price has dropped even lower on this system. These speakers are more than sufficient for handling any need for PC surround sound.

Thanks for reading,
Gr8ful :-)