Creative Labs: Giving voice to the iPod
By Shoshana Berger
Business 2.0
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These Apple-compatible desktop speakers could make you give up your shelf system.
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Editor's note: Gizmos Weekly is produced by Business 2.0 and features gadget reviews and gift ideas
(Business 2.0) -- Now that you have your new iPod, you'll want a desktop speaker system that converts your small white wonder into a reverb room of sound.
Other Apple-compatible desktop speaker systems from Harmon Kardon and JBL have that biomorphic look kids love, but Creative Labs's two new desktop sets, the I-Trigue and the TravelSound (a compact system for road warriors), have a more urbane look that matches the slick, monochromatic minimalism of the pod. Creative Labs wins my vote for the most magnanimous tech company, since it has produced what amounts to an Apple accessory while its own very respectable MP3 player (the Nomad Jukebox) competes with the iPod for market share. I sat down for a listening session with the I-Trigue, which consists of a wooden subwoofer, two satellite speakers, and a wired remote with bass and volume control and a built-in headphone jack.
With the components set up at the two corners of my desk, I plug into an iPod and play a few MP3s. The first thing I notice is how booming the 80 watts of total system power sound. The satellite speakers distort somewhat at full volume, but just shy of blaring, they produce a crisp, round sound, with plenty of meaty bass and a shimmering treble. I wonder if the I-Trigue is built to handle the compression (hence degraded sound) of MP3s, so for comparison's sake, I pop the new Flaming Lips CD into a PowerBook and plug the I-Trigue into the laptop's headphone jack. There isn't too much difference in quality, but the speakers now handle peak volume and bass more assuredly. Maybe there's something to using titanium instead of aluminum for the speakers' microdrivers. With the grilles removed, I watch how the 1-inch silver discs thrum to balance the high, mid, and low tones.
Then I check the price. Just under $100 and it sounds better than most shelf systems?! With this much boom for the buck, the I-Trigue will have people giving up bulky stereos for a song.
Creative Labs I-Trigue: $99.99; www.creative.com.
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