Our Verdict
78%
An oldie but a goldie, the Creative T20 continue to be an excellent choice of affordable, great-sounding computer speaker.
The Creative T20 have been a stalwart of the computer speakers market for over a decade now. Arriving in their original guise at a time when the industry was still far more obsessed with big subwoofers and surround sound – remember those days – they were a breath of fresh air with their focus on good quality from a 2.0 speaker arrangement. So many years later and the Series II are still a great option for those that just want a simple, decent-quality set of speakers for general desktop listening.
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II design
Their appeal starts with their design. You’re not getting any premium materials here, but the black plastic cabinet is reasonably tidy and is nicely offset by the silver knobs, gold-plated sockets, and yellow speaker cones. A removable fabric cover also lets you choose between the covered or exposed style.
In truth, the design could do with modernizing (why, oh why, won’t Creative just do a Series III) but it’s no eyesore. The one major caveat here is the glossy black front. As ever with this type of finish, it’s prone to fingerprints and scratches.
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II connections and features
Each speaker houses a driver and a tweeter of unspecified size, but they’re approximately 2.5-inch (64mm) and 0.8-inch (20mm) in diameter, respectively. A bass port also fires out the top of each speaker.
Measuring 230 x 88 x 143mm, the cabinets are fairly tall and deep but still have a small enough footprint for all but the tiniest of work or gaming spaces. The extra internal volume also provides plenty of breathing space allowing the bass presence of these speakers to feel reasonably smooth and integrated rather than forced.
On the front of the right speaker are controls for bass, treble, and volume/power along with a headphone jack and auxiliary input jack. Meanwhile, around the back is the main audio input, the connection to the left speaker (which unplugs from the right speaker but is tethered to the left speaker), and the power input.
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II sound quality
Sonically, the T20 delivers a very comforting, warm sound that’s particularly good for rock or indie music but also lends itself well to a broad range of applications. For high-end detail, they fall behind premium options, such as the Audioengine A1, Klipsch R-41PM, and even the Edifier R1280DB, and can’t deliver booming bass, but for their price, they provide a nicely balanced sound.
In particular, these speakers are far better than most of the cheaper 2.1 speaker options available that tend to have shrill-sounding main speakers with a muffled, booming subwoofer. You get bass with those systems but they sound hollow and lacking in mid-range. It all depends on exactly what you mainly intend to use your speakers for but in general, we recommend the smooth, wider-ranging sound of the T20 for most desktop PC purposes.
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II pros and cons
Pros
- Clean, simple design
- Great overall sound for the price
- Lots of mid-range warmth
Cons
- Basic feature set – no Bluetooth
- Lacks big sub bass
- Top-end detail reflects $70 price
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II specs
The Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II specs list is:
| Dimensions (mm) | 88 x 143 x 230 (W x D x H) |
| Audio config | 1 x 75mm woofer and 1 x 20mm tweeter per speaker with bottom bass port |
| Nominal power output | 20W |
| Frequency range | 55Hz – 22,000kHz |
| Connections | 3.5mm stereo input, optical digital input, subwoofer output, Bluetooth 4 |
| Extras | Remote control, volume, source, and power buttons on right speaker, converts to mono mode, can add battery pack |
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II price
The Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II price is $70, making them a low to mid-range speaker set with a price and feature set to match.
Price: Expect to pay $70.
Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II review conclusion
We’ve long liked the Creative T20 and we still hold them in high regard. They could perhaps do with a design and feature update, and their popularity means they’re not outstandingly cheap, but we still think they’re the go-to option for mid-range 2.0 desktop speakers.
For more computer speaker recommendations, check out our best computer speakers guide. Meanwhile, if you own a set of the Creative T20 or are tempted to buy some, let us know your thoughts and questions via the Custom PC Facebook page, Twitter page, or by joining our 400,000+ member Custom PC and Gaming Setup Facebook group.