Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II speakers

If you’re looking for serious sound from regular old computer speakers, then the T40s are going to be about the best you can do without buying full-sized stereo speakers. They’re big, sturdily built, and the most adjustable set of speakers we’ve seen lately. The volume, bass and treble can all be adjusted from the hardware, and as long as the bass and treble aren’t turned up too high, the audio reproduction is very accurate.

The T40s plug in via your regular 3.5mm audio jack, so sound quality is going to depend both on the quality of your audio files and of your soundcard. The volume goes high enough that you could really annoy your neighbours, and the bass really thumps when turned all the way up.

The T40s come with removable covers for the delicate speaker cones. The difference in sound quality with them on or off is almost nil, so you might as well keep them on for protection.

On the highest volume, with every setting turned all the way up on your PC, there are slight distortions; however, the volume is hugely adjustable and the highest setting is extremely loud. If you’re an apartment dweller, you definitely won’t be able to make full use of the T40s’ capabilities.

The only downside of the T40s is the fact that they require their own power source – you can’t just run them from your PC’s USB port, that’s for sure. The adapter is also remarkably heavy – but you weren’t looking for portability, right?