Creative Inspire T10 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System

# update July 2024 I put these on a lesser-used PC so that I didn't fully waste the money, but they've started this wind-like behavior where it's like a very slightly static-y wind coming out of one side, that isn't triggered by audio signals coming into it. It's like a ghost wind that starts up by itself for an unknown reason. I have to turn it the speakers off fully for it to go away, and then I can use the speakers later, but it pops back up. This is just pretty garbaghe. It's currently unavailable here on Amazon, but I strongly suggest looking elsewhere for desktop speakers. # update Feb 2024 I just realized the crackle/pop noise present when touching the tone knob can actually knock out everything except distorted low end / bass notes on one of the speakers. These are pretty looking but buggy junk. Lowered to 1 star. If I had the packaging and was within the return window, I'd ship them back so they could toss them into a heap where they belong. Maybe some people get a good product and this is just terrible quality control, but I'd be ashamed of myself if I sold a product like this. I'm ashamed of myself for buying it and will forever remember not to buy creative audio products. # end update Speakers look pretty. They are fairly heavy, and sturdy. Another positive is that because the speakers are under 8" tall, they may fit under a multi-monitor setup if you control the height of the monitors. Unlike taller speakers where it can be more difficult. For example, having to put speakers behind a monitor. A potential good, depending on your setup, is that the speakers could probably sound pretty good if you have audio running through some kind of equalizer. Don't get me wrong, there's a substantial difference between these and the $15-$20 pc speakers i've used in the past. These are better than cheap computer speakers. I've plugged this into 3 separate computers (laptop, desktop and mini pc), different brands, and, for me, the best I can describe the sound as is muddy. Not muddy, muddy, but there's a muddiness to it whether the tone is high or low. I bought a GigaWorks T20 Series II in 2018 that I use for my TV and the sound on that is better by default, but those speakers are taller and have two tone adjustment options vs one. Speaking of tone, there's a loud crack / pop / crackle sometimes when you turn or sometimes even touch the tone button. The loudness of the noise is not affected by the speaker volume. It is pretty loud and goes out through the speakers. Also, for the speaker volume seems quite low. I have to turn the volume on my PCs to roughly 80% and then the speaker to about half volume to start hearing audio through the speakers. It's weird. I don't recall ever seeing this type of behavior with speakers before. I don't think I'm an audio snob, but I like hearing clear voices in spoken word and the intricate details in musical compositions. I need better quality audio, and I'll be looking. If I find something with a small form factor like these, I'll return these. All of my Anker bluetooth options have better audio (even when connected to a desktop with no eq option), but I also am having on/off bluetooth problems on my main rig, which is why I went the wired route. I'm sure these speakers are great for many people, aside from what could be quality-control issues. I'm willing to give Creative speakers a go at a higher price point but for under $100 with this brand, their products do not seem well-aligned with what I am looking for on my daily driver.