Speakers have had to get better over the years in order to counter the poorer sound quality of discs and hard drive sources. Old record players have a particular romanticism which newer sounds lack. However, with modern technology adapting and innovating, there are some great speaker systems available. A new shift to wireless devices has been all the rage, so this review is meant to present one system in particular. The Creative Inspire S2 Wireless speaker system is one of the latest in wireless PC speakers systems.
The $149.99 price tag, in several respects, is a steal. Inspire S2 offers good sound quality using a wireless technology that many other companies haven’t perfected as well as Creative. The speakers use Bluetooth technology to receive the wireless audio signal from a computer or other device. While other speakers exhibit problems that have been equated with Bluetooth, Inspire S2 speakers seem to have dealt with them. Bluetooth-fed speakers tend to crack out when a higher frequency sound passes through, but with the S2 Inspire speakers you hear a cymbal crash clearly, for example.
The Inspire S2 can connect to any machine that has Bluetooth capabilities. The sound quality is good, with a good balance of bass and a crisp treble. At particularly high volumes, noise break distortion is common no matter which source is feeding the signal. However, for the low asking price, the fault is negligible.
The best thing the speakers have going for them is their connectivity and physical attributes. Coming in a compact 9.1×7.1×7.9 inch black cube, the subwoofer is small in comparison with the competition. It sits on four small stub legs to maximize performance. The satellite speakers measure 4.1×2.9×2.9 inches. Their upward-angled design aims the sound waves at your head rather than your torso. The white shell on black grill is a pleasant color match.
As for the connectivity of the speakers, the system is not completely wireless. The satellites connect to the sub with wires, which could be a hassle if you’re dealing with a tight space. The right speaker is permanently hardwired to the sub, and localizes the volume controls. It also sports the 3.5 millimeter headphone and auxiliary inputs.
The USB transmitter plugs into your laptop or PC. The user holds down the volume with the speakers turned off to erase the last pairing. Other devices like the ipod Touch can be attached through the aux input.
Since there’s no remote control, you have to be sure that two sources aren’t playing at the same time, because the speakers will overlap them instead of picking one source over the other.
Overall these are great little speakers for an office setting. You’ll have to not expect high quality at greater volumes, and you’ll have to settle for a semi-wireless system. However, this is definitely a recommended buy.
