JBL Creature ll Sound System

JBL says this three piece sound system provides us with superior sound performance and ease of "plug and play" use compatible with all Mac's and Pc's. While also satisfying our need for strange and unique by having a unusual sci-fi inspired design. They are available in several colors including, white, black and red. Lets take a look at whats included.

Included in the Box

Two Speakers and Sub-Woofer (2.1)
AC Adapter
1 Audio Cable

Tech Specs:

Speaker System
Input Impedance- >5K
Signal-to-Noise Ratio- >80dB
Frequency Response- 50 - 20kHz
Input Sensitivity- 400 mv rms for rated power output
Voltage Input- 120 VAC
Satellite
Drivers- One Odyssey Plus transducer
Power Rating- 8 watts per satellite at 10% (THD+N)
Dimensions- (H x W x D) 3" x 3" x 3"
Subwoofer
Drivers- One 4.00 inch Magnum transducer
Power Rating- 24 watts at 10% (THD+N)
Crossover Frequency- 180Hz
Dimensions- (H x W x D) 9" x 9" x 9"

Design

JBL did a nifty job on the design of these speakers. The base for the satellite speakers is about three inches by three inches. You won't need much room on your desk as they won't take up a whole lot of space. At first, I couldn't figure out how to adjust the sound on these little satellites, but I finally found their little secret, they had these unobtrusive touch buttons on the left satellite which adjust the sound. These buttons do not depress, but I believe they are capacitance operated.

The JBL Creature II subwoofer has a nine inch square base and is nine inches tall and looks like Darth Vader's melted helmet. There are two knobs on the subwoofer to adjust the bass and treble to your liking. The on\off switch is located on the back of the unit, which some people may not like, however the unit is so compact it should be easy to reach.

There are only four cables to connect up. They are all color coded,and have unique collars next to the connector. It will be easy for anyone to get set up quickly.

The speakers are shielded so you can have them near your CRT monitor without fear of interference.

Performance

Testing the Creature II system with a wide range of music and video games we found the following.

The satellites produce awesome mid and high range sound. It is very crisp sounding, with a little bass noticible. The bass range from the JBL Creature II subwoofer is great, it provides just enough bass to fill out the songs. The bass seems to be more accurate, rather than just a pounding. However it lacks some power (only 24 watts) for games with loud explosions. This is more of a music lovers system.

Summary

  I would recommend the JBL Creature II speakers to anyone wants to have good desktop sound and wants to keep it affordable. If you you are concerned about style as well, these speakers will fit well with any style and are neutral in appearancel. The sattelites and woofers are very low footprint, so they fit in small spaces and the sound they generate fills up the space well.

Only thing lacking is more power in the subwoofer, but thats really only if you listen to bass-heavy music, or play explosion filled games. Overall these is a high-quality, high-style sound system and I would rather use this over any generic system. The accuracy of the sound is the best part. It works best at moderate sound levels.

PROS

• Accurate and crisp, clean sound for lows, mids and highs.
• High-style, sleek curves and sexy
• Simple to setup and use

CONS

• Some may say it lacks power for bass heavy music or games at high volume

Editor's Rating

4 out of 5

Product Available At: Check out the link on the JBL website!

 Thanks to JBL and Harman Multimedia for providing this product for review!