The Creative T100 2.0 desktop speakers are finally here. It is the successor to Creative’s widely-acclaimed T20 and T40 2.0 speaker series is finally here after almost 10 years.
Unboxing
In the box, you’ll find the following:
- Creative T100 (left and right)
- AC Power adapter 18V 2A (Cord Length: 1.8m / 5.91 ft)
- 3.5 mm cable (Cable Length 1.5m / 4.92 ft)
- Remote Control
- Quick start guide and Warranty leaflets
The right speaker unit is the one holding all the buttons and connectivity options, similar to the T20.
Build quality and design
You can already tell, the minimalistic design is very similar to the Stage Air, the speaker drivers are covered by black grills with a silver Creative logo on the bottom. The sides of the speakers have a glossy piano black finish.
Matte top Glossy back
The top of the speakers are matte, with the buttons of input, volume, and power found on the right unit. Unlike the T20 where the BasXPort is found on the top of the speakers, the T100’s BasXPort is found at the back of the speakers.
Overall, the T100 looks very clean and minimalistic, which will fit in seamlessly to any desktop setup. The design is honestly a big upgrade coming from the T20 Series II.
Tech specs
Let’s start with the dimensions of the speakers. Both the left and right speakers are the same size measuring at 12.3cm x 9.0cm x 21.6cm (4.8 x 3.5 x 8.5 inches). When compared to the old T20 Series II speakers, they’re almost identical in size except that the T20’s are slightly taller.
The speakers have a 2.75″ full-range driver with built-in digital amplifier that fires up to 40W RMS and peak power of up to 80W. The BasXPort™ Technology found on the T20’s are also found on the T100, which helps to further enhances the bass to reproduce rich, deep tones without a need for subwoofer.
You’ll be glad to know that the T100 does not require a hefty power brick that the T20’s required. All you have is a slightly beefy charging head and the rest are just cables.
The remote control controls many functions that is not found on the top of the speaker. You have 4 custom EQ, the adjustments for bass & treble, and volume. Bass & treble gains are from 1 to 10, while volume range from 1 to 28.
Connectivity
There are more ways to connect to the T100 than the old T20. Other than the standard 3.5mm audio jack, you can now use an optical cable, USB, and also Bluetooth 5.0.
Do note that there is some audio video latency lag when using the Bluetooth. USB input supports hi-res lossless songs with audio formats of FLAC, WAV, and MP3.
Sound quality
I’m going to compare the sound quality of the T100 with my old T20 because that speaker has kind a set quite a high bar for me.
To be honest, the default EQ setting out of the box (Bass 5, Treble 5) isn’t really that nicest sounding compared to the T20s. Even though the default bass level of 5 is able to produce deep booming lows, the treble quality at 5 just sounds slightly recessed. So to make the test “fair” for me, I’ve set custom EQs on each speaker such that they give me their best sound.
Here are the following EQ settings for each speaker:
- T100: Bass 5, Treble 5
- T20: Bass 5, Treble 5
I recorded both speaker audio on the iPhone mic, which isn’t the most accurate depiction of the quality but at least you get some sort of comparison.
Disclaimer:
My iPhone 6S is not the best at recording the low ends, as such, even though the T100 is better than the T20 in bass performance, I believe the following recordings may fail to accurately capture it.
When it comes to bass performance, T100 outshines the T20, especially in the deep low end. Playing “Lil Wayne — A Milli”, you can hear and feel the low resonating bass produced by the T100. The bass comes in gently and does not overpower the treble. Another song, “The Hills – The Weekend”, also demonstrated the T100’s improved bass performance over the old T20 II.
Having said that, the Creative T100 is by no means strong in bass. Bass on the T100 is tight and punchy, comes in only when is needed and will not linger in songs that do not bring the bass out.
Both speakers offers a clean midrange experience. But when it comes to the treble is where both comes close – it really depends on your personal taste. The T100 is tuned to have warmer highs while the T20 has brighter highs. As such, you might find those sharp beats to pack more punch on the T20 as compared to the T100. But as I prefer a little sparkle in my highs, the treble setting on the T100 at 7 helps to bring out a brighter sound.
I have recorded two songs to try to demonstrate this, but sadly the T20’s treble performance is not really captured very well on the phone recordings.
It is worth noting that if you yank up the treble setting on the T100 to 10 for example, you can really experience a bright and clear sounding treble that is comparable, or if not better than the T20. Whereas on the T20, setting the treble on maximum causes the highs to sound hazy.
Overall, the T100 provides a pretty well-balanced sound signature with midrange being the standout frequency in the audio spectrum. Music and movies sound great with the T100. Bass does not overpower the highs and soundstage is decently wide (try testing Melody by The Rolling Stones). Here are another two more songs to compare the overall balance of both speakers:
Not sure if the audio recording show it but if you can’t hear it due to my iPhone 6’s poor recording quality, the T100 has better sound quality over the T20 in general, the strengths of the T100 lies in the lows but loses out to the T20 in the Hi-Treble aspect.
Volume
T100 can get really loud. But I would suggest not to crank the volume up to its maximum of 28. This is because when the speaker is not playing and you’re in a pretty quiet room, you can actually hear a slight hissing white noise coming from the speaker, which can get quite annoying. This sound can sometimes be heard on songs such as jazz and classical.
If the volume is on 20 or lesser, the hissing white noise is less apparent. Creative is yet to get back to me on whether this noise can be fixed in a firmware update.
Conclusion
The Creative T100 speakers at S$149 is a great price for a speaker of its quality. With a wide range of connectivity options, and customisable EQ options, the T100 delivers a great bang for the buck. Furthermore, sound quality is better than ever – improved bass response, and clear midrange to provide a fuller audio experience. The T100 can also get very loud so if you like to fill your room with sounds, it can do that for you.
If you have used the T20 Series II before, you know that’s a good speaker, and so does the many Amazon reviews. The T100 is an a nice upgrade to the T20’s, albeit with small shortcomings like the hissing white noise. The price is still in the same range, starting at S$149. In 2019, there aren’t many good sounding speakers in that price range so if you’re looking a 2.0 desktop speaker with great sound quality and a nice minimalistic design, I think the Creative T100 is a great match.
I’m happy I finally got my upgrade from my T20 Series II after so many years, and if you’re looking to buy your first 2.0 desktop speaker, why not try the T100 out!
Where to buy
You can buy it from the Creative Online Store. But before you click away, here’s how you can save $2 by being a member. First, sign up for a Creative Account. Next, subscribe to their newsletter to get 40 member points. And lastly, redeem those points at checkout for $2 discount.
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