Review on Enhanced GigaWorks T20 Series II Multimedia Speaker System by Creative Labs with BasXPort Technology by Jonathan Olson

Man I really wanted to love this. I used the Bose Companion 2 speaker set on my PC. They sound pretty good, but most of what I "hear" on my computer comes from YouTube videos and audio books, which are very voice-heavy. I felt my Bose suited the music a little better and some of the vocals were dirtier than I'd like (and there's no quick way to change the sound without a dedicated EQ program), so I gave these a try , since it was just a matter of changing sound settings via the remote control depending on what I'm listening to. The ability to use USB and Bluetooth was an added bonus. I installed and tried them. Yes, the sound was good! The equalizer is easy to change with the remote control, the voices in my shows were clearer, but something was wrong. I canceled my broadcast. After about 10-15 seconds I noticed that the room was even quieter than it had been since I finished the show. Then I got a notification on my computer and after 10-15 seconds it was quieter. I've been playing around and found that while these speakers don't have the awful electronic "hum" that some powered speakers do, they do produce a faint hiss when the speakers are turned on (best I can explain). Once I caught it I could hear it under the noise and also when the noise stopped. The beeping will continue for about 10-15 seconds after the computer makes any noise. Email notification ringing? This is followed by another 10-15 seconds of white noise until the speakers go silent. EVERYONE. TIME. For me, as a person with sensory issues, this quickly became annoying and distracting. Tried to change the settings, tried to change the volume, did not go away. It's like a processor or something in a speaker that turns on every time it makes a sound and just sits idle and then turns off when there's no additional sound. Next note, here it is again. Just in case this was a normal occurrence that I hadn't noticed with my previous speakers, or a cable issue, I unplugged the audio cable from the Creative speakers and plugged it directly into the Bose speakers. Then I tested. Sound played, paused, NO sound when sound was paused. No hidden hanging after notifications; just pure silence. Being able to change the EQ with the remote and connect via bluetooth was AMAZING and I really, really wanted to be able to keep it but for me personally it's too tiring. A lot of people will probably never notice or be bothered by this background noise and for those people these will be fantastic speakers and I really think you will enjoy them. For people using these speakers in a quiet room and sensitive to ambient noise, that extra 10-15 seconds of white noise echoing after every sound from your computer can get on your nerves. as it was with me. Additional notes: Bluetooth connection was quick and easy, the remote was easy to use, and changing sound modes with the remote was subtle but significantly different for each of the 4 options. The volume on the remote ONLY controls the actual volume of the speaker itself, not the volume on the computer or the volume on your Bluetooth device. For example, if the physical speaker volume is turned all the way up, but the PC or mobile volume is set to 20%, pressing the volume button will only cause the speakers to beep softly, indicating that they are already at full volume. In order for you to be able to use the remote volume from another part of the room, you generally need the volume of the source (PC, mobile phone, etc.) to be 100% and regulate the volume of all speakers with the remote control or directly with the volume buttons on the right Speaker. It's workable, but it's worth knowing in advance if this will be a problem for you. each of them will lose a star for me.