Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II Review 

have had these speakers for 10 years now and they're perfect!!!!

Shakespeare + Visual Basic, epic combo!

Got these speakers today, and I must say that I am very impressed by the sound these pc speakers produce. Was a little worry about the stand by mode so many people are talking about, but mine takes about one second before they go from off to on when in stand by mode, it is almost unnoticeable.

I've got a pair of these, that I got for use with my retro PC, but due to some issues with my Alesis studio monitor speakers (ground loop between the Alesis' and LCD screens), I've been using these for my main system for a little while now, and I have to say I'm really impressed. They got better after using them for a couple of weeks, and I would argue that they sound better than most 2.1 PC speaker systems, despite perhaps slightly less bass quantity (but what is there is better quality). If you're used to "proper" good sound, then they won't seem like anything special, but for what they are, a pair of cheap, plastic boxes, I actually think they offer absolutely fantastic value for money.

Missing 3 seconds of a song is OK. What is bad, is missing the short noise of an email, or any short default sounds Windows sends.

MUST BUY, amazing speakers, true quality. Creative never dissapoints

Great speakers; 3 problems: -There is a resonance in the low frequency range. Solution: Roll 2-3 sheets of toilet paper up into a tube and drop it into the bass port. It works - honest! -The tweeters are positioned low on the speakers, causing reflections from the desktop. Solution: move them up, away from the desktop or place something non-reflective on the desktop in front of the speakers. -The volume pot on mine failed, causing loud cracks and pops. Solution: Replace pot with a better quality, after-market pot.

The standby mode is actually part of what sold me on these speakers. I want to use these hooked up to a google chromecast controlled by a google home speaker. So I need it to be always on. But I don't want it to be always drawing a lot of electricity. I don't mind missing the first 5 seconds of a track every now and then.

I have 2 sets of these speakers and they have worked well. I really like the sound, got tired of my last set with a sub. These have sufficient bass and good stereo separation. The power supplies are heavy metal transformers not like the typical cheap switching power adapters. They are not studio monitors, which can be obtained for slightly more than the purchase price paid years ago. Overall, they're perfect for my use! If you can find some for cheap, jump on 'em.

It is due to a E.U directive that the speakers switch themselves off after a period of no sound coming through them.They switch the sound back on automatically when sound is picked up again

Stand-by mode?? I own these for almost three years now and I really love the sound that these speakers produce. My PC is running 24/7, but mine never turned into some stand-by mode. Weird that yours are doing that. Maybe some country-standards for saving energy orso....hmm Edit: I found my ticket. I bought these on May 21 2012

Yes, I do apologise fior my previous comment. I learnt that the poor sound was because of my room characteristics and not the speakers themselves. I sold them to a coulpe of friends and in their room they sounded FANTASTIC. Because their room had lots of soft materials such as curtains, sofas, etc, plus the speakers were in a corner and faced diagonally into the room so that the multiple reflected sounds I got in my room all disappeared. A lesson learned--it is not just the inherent sound quality of (any) speakers which determine whether they are good/effective or not, but their placement is hugely important. As it was, they were NOT good in my room so my comments were merited, but in my friends' room they were quite outstanding. A note to commentator 'ungratefulmetalpansy'--there is no need for abusive language and commentary such as yours. You sound like some hick backwoods 'pansy' in writing what you did, disgracing only yourself and no-one else!

i have had these for a few years they totally crank!! for computer speakers they have good bass

Was on the fence about these but going to pick them up after watching this, thanks ^^

I even think the previous version looked much better. Creative should have made a speaker like the Audioengine A1.

Good review, thinking about these speakers for a while.. Of course the sound playback was really a total waste as not possible for anyone to hear what they are truly like...

Creative makes excellent products they are Under-rated they offer the best sound for the buck

Just bought a pair of these. Really good budget speakers. I only wish that all 3 controls had LEDs, or none. Maybe I could mod it?

i have a set of old creative i trigue 2.1 speakers, the controller for the volume is a bit knackered. we only have a small ish room where my pc is, so is does not have to a super loud set. im thinking these would be a decent swap..

about standby mode : "To avoid this from happening, turn up the volume on your connected MP3 player or smart device as high as it can go without distortion setting in, and use the volume controls on your Creative speaker to determine how loud (or soft) you want your audio." could u test if this works?

I noticed something interesting when I tried to purchase these on Amazon today. There's a prop 65 warning that pops up when I try to check out... (Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.) None of the other speakers I carted had the same warning... So is it a case of Creative being the only ones that comply with CA law or are they the only ones that make speakers from recycled materials out of Chernobyl?

European law says that certain devices MUST have a stand by shut off which cant be disabled. Had the same issue with some wireless headphones a while back.

I did have a problem with these. Terrible hissing sound from left speaker. Solution was to clean the volume potentiometer.

Just got these speakers today and I love them but it's a damn shame about the delay on the stand-by mode. Have you found a work around by any chance? Like sending a silent signal to them every 5 minutes or something? My internet searches so far have proven fruitless.

My pair of T20 II speakers do not have that power-saving mode. It's a little strange as my T40 II's do....

(0.55)... See if they offend my eyes with their dustiness! Lol Brilliant!

Hello, I have the Greative Gigaworks T20 II. There is a sound card on my computer: Creative Soundblaster Z. The sound of music sounds good, in the 3rd gate from the right, but spoken text (recording and youtube) sounds very bad, soft and unclear. If I use the 4th gate from the right, the spoken text sounds better, clear. I have to open the volume knob very far, that does not seem to me the intention. Do you know what's the problem?

Video starts at 3:00. You're welcome

what are these speakers like when listening to audiobooks?

Thanks. Great review.

im sure if you adjusted the volume knob before playing an audio file, that would wake them up

i have an old creative sub woofer can i plus these into it for the bass ?

It doesnt sound like they have much presence. Sound more like portable speakers. IS that just cause' im not there in person? :)

Hello, the standby mode it's mentioned on the user manual? really weird feature for computer speakers.

***** how loud are these speakers (at max volume) on a scale from 1-10? 10 being the highest

That power saving "feature" is brutal. Customers didn't ask for that - Creative just wanted to boast of "saving the planet".

someone plz tell me should i buy these or the logitech z523

good Review THX

Do you recommend this for gaming cause i dont want a speakers that dies after couple a months??

These are the worst speakers I've ever had. Sound fine, but scratchy pots right out of the box and the left speaker was working only intermittently working before dying today, three months after purchase.

trouble now buy this or t15

Merci pour ta video.. j'achète demain :-)

How long does it take before they go into standby mode? Nice review

So it turns out this music is by Dan O'Connor, a "royalty-free" musician for our band, Phoenix Tree. We are currently crowdfunding for a new high quality studio album and have 38 hours left. If you like Dano, then you'll like his hooks in our music. igg.me/at/phoenixtreealbum - www.phoenixtreemusic.com

can you use these for music recording?

How do they compare with the Bose companion 2 III? I have the creative T20II and I don't like them. The mid tones are missing and you cant hear vocals and instruments very clear.

oh good video

song name on 4-30 ?

How long before stand-by mode begins?

that light would piss me off

It says "Wireless Music" on the box, but that's not what you are thinking tho... they guy who wrote this is trying so hard and lost his mind.

bass+++

Thanks a lot man :) you helped me a lot

Logitech Z333 or this? What do you think?

3 sec standby mode is like forever...wasting my precious time

Subbed

You have the bass turned all the way up and I still can't hear it - don't demo bassy speakers with such a crappy microphone, you're just wasting your time.

Nice sound but very bad quality made, one day they will stop working and nothing to do, same in T40 model. Creative know de problem very well.

im stuck between these and Bose ® Companion ® 2 Series III Multimedia Speaker System. my guess is most people would pick bose becuase(sheep) im looking for the best sounding. cheers

Bcos of the standby mode...i'll pass

About this stupid auto stand by, it seems it's the fault of the EU! Read this: support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=12873 Definitely, some bureaucrats have nothing else to do than imposing their ideas on others. I would gladly give these bureaucrats to the lions, who frankly, have more common sense!

copyrigth xd

I think they are TERRIBLE speakers. The treble hisses after about one third max. volume, and there is simply no clarity of sound. I returned my purchase to Amazon for a refund. Then again I've had a pair of VideoLogic Sirocco Spirit speakers for years, so I know there is no comparison. I guess the Gigaworks ones are ok for the money, but not for a decent listening experience.

The standby mode is a complete deal breaker, a useless feature that does fuck all in terms of "environment" but everything in terms of annoying the end user. So....I will have to buy mine outside of the Fascist brain dead EU...or look for other speakers. Damn! Ninja edit. Found a solution of sorts, still, I will buy the speakers outside of EU! forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2322454

Yeah, shiny speakers to see your face on it, bass reflex hole on top to collect more dust. Design failure. No thanks

wow they sound horried