Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II A story and a recommendation

Who wants to have speakers for the desktop, which it is not easy and has to choose between many evils: either they sound bad, cheap plastic toys from Asia looks quality and better designed, or they are well above my budget of 200 bar.

What I wanted? Subwoofer rather not (too much fuss, too many cables, too much under my desk), sound should be so good that you can even listen to music without a do your ears hurt and the whole should not look next to the MacBook as from the gumball machine , or as one located in a hardcore gaming center. So: great-sounding, good-looking stereo speakers for the desktop.

Sonically, the entire 2.1-systems from Logitech (I assume simply times Logitech as a synonym for all standard speakers from the electronics wholesale market) is not bad, even if it most gets cut off at the middle and the subwoofer compared to 2.0 systems although hergibt much more bass, but is not really precise, crisp, rather dull and mushy. And apart from the sound, they all look terrible. (And that's very kind words) Yes, I know about taste can not argue, but: I like them all not.

In the area of ​​2.0 speakers, the choice is then a bit thin. Because they should be schreibtischkombatibel, falls a lot from the hi-fi away because there is a separate amplifier is either necessary or the boxes are simply too large.
What remains is the following choice of speakers, with whom I have engaged myself:
Bose Companion 20 Bose Companion 2 Series III, Teufel Concept B20, B & W MM-1 and Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II.

Liked most of all these to me by far the B & W. At the same time they are eliminated immediately because the current price at 499, which is well above my budget. If you like to spend the money for two desktop boxes that can access safely here, in my view. Optics and sound 1A.

The Teufel Concept B20 (100) look good, but could not convince me sound. They were for me the weakest in the personal ranking

Bose separates known the spirits who swear it, the others would not even want to have those gift boxes. I'm somewhere in between. From her appearance, pleased me all Bose speakers very well. Simple, hard, valuable, little piano black plastic for more metal. Sonically I certainly have decided in the end to the Bose. The Companion 20 (200) sound a tad better than the 2er (about 90), but have felt a much smaller sweet spot. Bose typical sound is heavily digitally enhanced. It is remarkable how much bass you can pick out from such small speakers, the highs are very stressed, the middle a little present. The 2 were already as good as bought, when I heard the last sample boxes at random:

Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II (65), so the somewhat unwieldy name. Optical long time at the level of hell, Bose and B & W, but also by far not as unsightly as the whole Logitechkram. I can just as still friends with them. Sonically, however, I find it much better than the Companion 2, and also the 20 and the two-thirds of the price of the Companion 2, and significantly less than half of the 20s.

Crisp bass, precise highs and good in the middle of all volume areas, I do not miss the subwoofer.

The input signal comes by pawl. There is another jack input and a headphone output, and three controls for volume / on-off, ups and downs, which have so far remained with me in the default position at the front. The speakers come with an external power supply and each have a fabric panel for the front, which one should be infected much for aesthetic reasons.

On the whole, therefore, with a secret recommendation from me; I am finally happy, even outside of the living room! (Even if I explicitly recommend a trial hearing, the claims are very different when it comes to such issues)