Home > Consumer Reviews > Creative Labs I-Trigue 3300 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Black)

LIke most reviewers here, I bought these for the office and am very pleased with them. They replaced some Cambridge Speakers (the great company that Creative bought), that had fewer features and inferior speakers, especially the subwoofer. The speakers have excellent fidelity, and, bass lover that I am, I love the subwoofer. (Contrary to what another reviwer said, I believe that subwoofers are NOT directional; unlike the satellites it does not matter what direction the speaker faces to get the sound).

There are, however, very disparate views here about the relative merits of the bass, the midrange, and the highs. Many find the bass too powerful and the midrange insufficient. I find no problem with either of these, but I find the highs a little too high. One thing I did was to set the satellites a little further away on my desk, and point them slightly away from me. I also found that I simply adjusted to the sound after a few weeks. This may reflect getting used to them, or the speakers getting "burned in." I've frequently read about this effect in headphone reviews, and I'm not sure how it works, but I did like the treble much more after a few weeks of playing.

I think that because of the subjective nature of sound preferences, this product works best if played with your computer's equalizer (these come with most downloadable music palyers, e.g., winamp). I've turned the treble down and the bass and midrange up. As noted by others, there is a small device that can sit discreetly on your desk that adjusts both bass and volume and is also a power switch. VERY handy at work, when the music is turned up and you hear footsteps approaching!

Set-up is fairly easy, though the instructions are too brief. One major problem is that you can't tell the right speaker from the left speaker. Once you've set it up, use the balance control on your compluter player (e.g., winamp, real sound) to see if you installed it correctly: Turn it all the way to the left speaker, for example, and see if that's where the sound comes from. The instructions also don't tell you you need to snap on the black mesh covers over the two satellites. One final highlight is that the system sounds great even at low volume, a must for most offices. I've been very happy with the I-trigue and recommend it with enthusiasm. Note: Creative also has a somewhat more expensive L3500 models that has some design features not found in the 3200. Although I haven't heard it, take a look at this one too, if money is not an object, these may be preferable because of reputedly better low-midrange sound features. Below are some specs, those not included her at Amazon are listed first:

Warranty: Free from defects for 12 months from date of purchase. You'll need to send for a return material authorization, and also include a dated proof of purchase. Intrigue, at its discretion will decide whether to reapair or replace defective speakers.

Support: Telephone 405/742-6622 (Oklahoma) and web site at www.americas.creative.com/support

Satellite dimensions: 8 3/4" H* 1 11/16" W * 10" D
Subwoofer dimensions: 9 11/16"H* 9 11/16" W * 10 1/8" D
Distortion: Rated @ 10% THD @ 1kHz

Drivers (per satellite): 3
Drivers (subwoofer): 3
Satellite power: 9 Watts RMS per speaker (x 2 speakers)
Subwoofer power: 25 Watts RMS
Frequency response: 30 Hz to 20kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: 80 dB
Interface: Stereo RCA jack
Headphone output jack: Yes
Compatibility: PC running Windows
Input impedance: Information not available

Sleek and functional, these are the best looking speakers I've ever seen. No distortion or audio interference -- the three drivers per speaker gives me the sharpest sound I've heard from a desktop unit. I've been listening to MP3s constantly since I plugged it into my PC, and it hooked up to a portable CD player beautifully. Has a corded remote with a headphone jack -- that last feature ruled out a lot of other speakers out there, like Altec Lansing's ATP3. The only complaint I have is that I have to move the subwoofer away from where I set it up, next to the monitor, because it's apparently not shielded (Creative Labs' page on the speakers mentions no shielding) and distorting the colors, but it belongs below the desk anyway.

I just unpacked the new I-trigue speakers I purchased ... .

WOW! A very impressive system.

I was originally in the market for something [in a certain price range] since I was replacing an antiquated (8-year old) pair that came with some random computer I owned once upon a time - and anything new would surely be an improvement. I finally decided to spend the extra bucks since I'd probably be using these for another 8 years. Definitely a wise choice! The sound is way better than I really expected. Crisp clear treble, nice growling bass. And if I crank these things I get clear music throughout our 2-story house (although the base tends to rumble the dishware downstairs. ;-)

Actually, the sound was not my main reason for getting these, although I'm pretty sure it'll satisfy any but the most discerning audiophile. The "wired remote" that provides a volume control, bass control, and headphone jack was the main selling point. The remote comes on a nice 6' cord that lets me put the control right by my keyboard. Just reach over and twist the dial to turn the volume down - no more fumbling for controls on speakers in awkward positions or trying to click that damn MediaPlayer slider.

Lastly, the overall construction has a nice solid feel to it. All components have a nice heft that lets you know there's some real meat to this system (... well, for a system where the tweeters units are only 9" tall and the woofer is a modest 8")

[Update - 3/24/08: I originally posted the above review in 2003 right after getting these speakers. It's now 2008 and I'm still _very_ satisfied with them. The only hiccup has been that they briefly stopped working for some reason. I ended up taking the sub-woofer assembly apart to see if it was a blown fuse or something simple like that. I didn't find any obvious problem with them, but they started working again once I put everything back together. So, why bother telling you about this? After looking at the guts of the subwoofer and the electronics it contains, I can tell you that the construction on these is pretty darn good - nice solid construction on the box, very beefy magnet on the speaker itself, big heat sink on the electronics, and everything secured with an abundance of screws and hot-glue to keep it from coming loose and rattling around. I'd buy another pair today without hesitation.]

I recently listened to, and tested, several top 2.1 brands: Bose, Logitech, Klipsch, JBL, etc., listening to all the sytems, side-by-side. Certainly, all listening is subjective and reflects the individual's preferences. I have been an "audiophile" for over 25 years and a musician for 50 years.

What surprised me was the incredibly accurate sound reproduction with a a depth and realism that makes you feel as though you were at a live perfomance. The fact that this system was just $99 absolutley blows me away! I have spent incredible amounts of money on some very high end speakers and equipment for my main stereo systems over the years and this speaker system is as close to perfect as I have ever heard.

The design and size of the speakers is wonderful. They sit next to my monitor without using valuable space. The sub-woofer is equally "small" but with terrific bass response. With a remote that independantly adjusts speaker volume and sub-woofer it gives me total control. Do yourself a favor - listen to this one before you make a decision!

I bought these speakers as soon as they came out last year. I was attracted to the brushed metal / black look, the wired remote (with a headphone jack built in!), and the fact that this was a Creative Labs product.

A year later, I can say the following:

Pros: Amazing sound, stylish design, lots of features that can't be found in other speaker sets (examples: the remote's headphone jack, the remote's bass control, removable black grills on the speakers if you want the speakers to have an all-chrome look)

Cons: None. It's really difficult to find something wrong with these speakers -- I might have wanted the wired remote longer than 6' ... but that's about it.

I've received nothing but compliments on the sound and design of these speakers. For any Mac users out there: there is also a white / silver version of these speakers that Amazon.com sells.