REVIEWS / 2.1 / CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Creative Inspire S2 Wireless 2.1 Speakers - Bass-less Price

26 May, 2011, 10:06 am IST | by Ashish Koshy | 2.1

2.1

An absolute mismatch

An absolute mismatch
The subwoofer doesn't sound good
On the other hand, better sounding satellites
The bass control doesn't help things either

PRICE IN INDIA

9,499

TECH2 RATING

6.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

7.5

How we test

CONTACT

Creative Technology

 indiagetcreativek@ctl.creative.com

 +91 9224 400 610

 http://in.creative.com/

Creative has been around for quite a while and has been churning out some good 2.1 and 5.1 speakers designed specifically for the desktop PC market. Their Inspire range of speakers are mostly aimed at the low to mid range budget and with wireless communication bringing in a lot of convenience in using devices, the S2 Wireless speakers seem to be an apt addition to this range. We’ve already reviewed the D100 Bluetooth speakers from Creative and found them to be really good. Let’s see if the wireless approach to 2.1 speakers works as well as it did for the D100.

Design and Build Quality
The Inspire S2 consists of two satellites and a subwoofer. Creative has been thoughtful enough to bundle a USB Bluetooth adapter but for Apple users, there’s another adapter that’s sold separately by Creative called BT-D5 Transmitter for iPod, iPhone and iPad which is priced at $39.99 (approx Rs. 1,820).

The subwoofer doesn't sound good

The subwoofer doesn't sound good

 


The satellites are white in colour with black cloth grilles at the front. They have a compact look and feel to it. These little sound boxes are somewhat light-weight. There’s nothing to complain about the build quality of the satellites either. The subwoofer on the other hand, is light-weight and perhaps a little too light for a subwoofer on a speaker set priced this high. The effects of a light woofer become evident from the sound that it produces. We found the subwoofer to be of a similar build quality of speakers priced in a lower category.

While these are wireless speakers, the whole setup by itself is not wireless. The power chord is pretty obvious, but the satellites and the subwoofer are connected through wires and messy ones, at that. The main satellite connected to the subwoofer has been connected by a thick wire while the other satellite can be connected through a port in the sub woofer.

Features
The speakers’ volume and power controls are situated on the side of the satellite. Besides these controls, there is a line-in port to connect other media players that are not Bluetooth enabled. Also, there’s a port for headphones housed so that you can listen to music through the headphones without disturbing people around you.

The bass control doesn't help things either

The bass control doesn't help things either

 


The subwoofer has a bass level control situated behind the box. The volume of the woofer is directly connected to that of the satellites. A change of volume for the satellite also affects the woofer volume. So, if you want a little high bass but with low volume on the satellites, you’re bound to face some problems.

The S2 speakers can be used for your PCs, laptops, netbooks and can also be connected to Mac systems. We tried connecting a smartphone and a netbook and found the setup and installation to be simple.

Page 1:

Page 1

Page 2:

Page 2


Tags:

Creative , Inspire , S2 , Wireless , Speakers , A2DP , AVRCP , Bluetooth , Creative Inspire S2 Wireless Speakers , speakers , 2.1

Would you buy it?




 


How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order

LG X Boom CM9730 Video Review

LG X Boom CM9730 Video Review

21 May, 2013, 05:42 AM

5.0

Samsung Galaxy S4 Video Review

Samsung Galaxy S4 Video Review

14 May, 2013, 11:30 AM

4.8

HP ElitePad 900 Video Review

HP ElitePad 900 Video Review

14 May, 2013, 11:24 AM

2.5

MORE VIDEOS

Best desktop speakers for audiophiles on a budget

Best desktop speakers for audiophiles on a budget

Here are two of the best active desktop stereo speakers you can buy...

By Nachiket Mhatre

Buying Guide - PC Speakers

Buying Guide - PC Speakers

Your first step would be to figure out whether you want surround sound or...

By Siddharth Basrur

Surround Sound - Setup Basics

Surround Sound - Setup Basics

How to set up your surround sound system without making too much of a mess.

By Siddharth Basrur

MORE FEATURES