Today, the design of computers and peripherals means more and we spend more money and time to get our computer/workspace to get the right “look”. Creative has now noticed that and releases the speaker system i-Trigue 3300, their first design product, and in this review I will look closer on this 2.1 channel system…
Today, the design of computers
and peripherals means more and we spend more money and time to get our computer/workspace
to get the right "look". Creative has now noticed that and releases
the speaker system i-Trigue 3300, their first design product, and in this
review I will look closer on this 2.1 channel system.
For some time ago we looked
at Megaworks 5.1 and Inspire 6.1, i.e. two surround packages, this time it
is, as previously stated, a 2.1 instead. For you with a little less space
around the computer or simply lacking the interest in a surround system, Creative
offers i-Trigue. They have put a lot of effort into the design this time which
is a nice thing because "computer speakers" often look quite boring.
We begin with taking a look at the specifications and the price for this product.
| Creative i-Trigue 2.1 3300 : Specifications |
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| Total effect: |
43 Watt RMS |
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| Frequency response: |
From 30Hz to 20kHz |
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| SNR (Signal-To-Noise): |
80dB | ||||||
| Satellites: |
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| Subwoofer: |
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| Cables: |
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| The satellites size: |
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| The subwoofer’s size: |
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| Price: | 1065 SEK (Exchange rates) |
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| Price/Availability |
upper segment of the price class where there are many competitors. One thing
to have in mind is for example that some of Creative’s own surround systems
are cheaper than i-Trigue.
As usual with
Creative’s products, they are relatively easy to get hold of, and that also
complies to the new i-Trigue 3300 system.
| Price/Availability: | |
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We compare the price against similar products and also the availability among distributors. |
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Creative follows
the trend with blue LEDs and has equipped the control pod with one lighting
up when the system is on. Other than that the control pod has the most basic
functions with on/off combined with volume button, and the possibility to adjust
the level of bass. And as usual with Creative’s pods, there is also a headphone
outlet with a mini stereo tele (3,5mm) connection.
| Control pod/Features: | |
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We look at the control pod’s functions and the eventual features in the system. |
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| Sound quality |
The i-Trigue 3300
have a relativity well balanced sound picture and the futuristic designed satellites
sound better than what they may appear to sound like. The satellites have a
very good treble response, and the middle register, which is partially dependant
on the subwoofer, is very good despite the satellites small size. The bass is
very good but has a tendency to growl a bit if you are not careful with its
level of volume.
As many systems
of this type, bass and satellite, it takes a while before you find the right
level for the bass. But after much listening to records i found a setting
making the system pretty well balanced between the satellites and the bass.
That this is
a system aiming for music listening and similar activities is not a surprise.
But to say that it is HiFi as it says on Creative’s site is a bit too much,
I would say that it fits in the middle- to LoFi class.
| Sound quality: | |
| Here the total sound picture and the sound experience decides. |  |
The satellites
are very elegant and have a very appealing design fitting in good on your desktop.
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top of the box. The rear and the sides are of plastic and in every satellite
there is a tree titan drivers for treble and middle register. It also comes
with two fabric fronts for the satellites giving them a more exclusive appearance.
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element. And what makes it different from the design point of view, is that
the bass port is silver coloured. On the back of the subwoofer are all the connections
for right/left satellite, remote control, stereo input and power supply.
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That i-Trigue
3300 gets such a high grade is because of it is a very appealing esthetic design
and that it has good sound. The satellites feel very solid in their metal construction.
| Design: | |
| We look at the functional as well as the esthetic design. |  |
When I first opened
the box with i-Trigue 2.1 3300, I was rather skeptical. I have seen many designed
speakers which really bad sound, but with i-Trigue I was rather surprised when
I plugged in the system and the first tunes were produced. The sound was clear
and airy, not as bulging as I expected from of the satellites design.
In relation
to my sound tests I usually turn the volume up much to hear how the speakers
sound and i-Trigue 3300 can play with very high volume without sounding bad,
not as MegaWorks but not far away. What doesn’t have enough strength all the
way is the bass, but at normal listening it is no problem for neither bass
nor satellite.
In conclusion,
it is a very good product and if Creative continue in this manner with good
design/function we’ll see some interesting products from them in the future.
What might be the down part here is the price but if you want a well designed
2.1 system with good sound quality, i-Trigue 3300 is definitely something
to check out.
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Thanks to Creative
for making the review possible!
