Summary: Stunning sound and value in this sub-$100 5.1 system.

Disclaimer: Every user has a different setup and different expectations. Take their comments with a grain of salt and note that what they experience with the speakers do not apply to everyone.

Official Overview and Specifications

Professional Reviews (click links for more information)

¹ Good Value Award
² Best Buy

Average User Reviews (click links for more information)

Good

"The base, mids and highs either met or exceeded my expectations."

"The price is the main selling point, but the system has a lot of other things going for it. Users will find it has solid performance and appreciable power, enough to satisfy so long as they are not expecting an audiophile or enthusiast level product."

"These speakers should definitely be on the short list of affordable 5.1 speakers to consider. Overall, the sound reproduction was spot-on, if just a little soft at really high volumes. Fortunately, the amplification is very well-matched to the speakers, and it’s hard to overdrive them and add unnecessary distortion. For the money, these are the 5.1 speakers to beat."

"At full blast, I honestly felt like I was sitting front row at a Carlos Santana concert listening to him play some of the meanest guitar solos ever known to man. My gaming got elevated to a whole new level because I actually jumped when I got shot from behind because I heard the sound behind me and it just made the game more realistic. I felt as if I was getting shot at when Tony Montana went on his rampage and shot up his house. "

"For the price, this is pretty much a perfect 5.1 system for the PC, as an all-around PC Gaming, Music, and Movie-watching platform. I spent more than this on my headphones, for Pete sake."

Bad

"The system lacks a wireless remote, instead all adjustments have to be made on the remote that is tethered to the subwoofer. Another issue is the downward facing subwoofer’s cone is not protected, so transporting the unit or even putting it done on top of something could cause serious damage. These are the most important issues but consumers might also be perturbed by the all-plastic build of the speakers and the lack of removable speaker wire."

"… the very few issues I can find with the X-540s can be easily excused, given the modest pricepoint. For example, the remote is nicely executed, but I would have preferred a wireless solution. Another minor annoyance I had was that the volume controls couldn’t be used with headphones. However, addressing these relatively insignificant issues would have added to the overall cost."

"The speakers were severely lacking in range, both lows and highs. I plugged in my old generic speakers to the sub and got a fuller sound than with the logitech speakers."

"I don’t know if I just got a bad sub, but you can’t take it over 50 percent without the bass turning to mud. I almost have to turn the bass off or the sub sounds like it’s falling apart. The highs are very tinny. The stock Boston Acoustics set that came free with my Dell six years ago sound better than this."

"They’re simply-designed speakers, and there are other designs that look a lot better. Fortunately, it’s only an aesthetic shortcoming, as the satellites are built very well."

Personal Opinion

For once, this time there are a ton of professional reviews for this product, a testament to how popular it is. In fact, this is probably the default answer if you ask someone "in the know" which 5.1 system to get under $100 (the actual price is way below that by the way). Not only will these provide a great 5.1 surround sound to boost your gaming and movie experience, like all Logitech 5.1 sets it comes with a  "Matrix" mode that enhances 2-channel stereo sounds like from most music. Audio output is clear and balance, with the down-firing subwoofer supplying deep lows. It’s also built for convenience – the center channel can be clipped onto LCD screens, satellite speakers can be adjusted to be wall-mounted AND there’s a convenient wired control (for power, volume, bass, "Matrix" mode and headphone jack).

Honestly, it was hard to find negative reviews for these. Most were self-admitted insignificant issues and minor annoyances like its aesthetics or the ever-common short cable problem, or were uncommon problems experienced by few users on durability and faulty equipment.

Despite the low price point, these speakers have very little going against them, and it will be hard to be disappointed especially with the low monetary investment required.

Buy Now (click vendor to purchase)

Note: the link on TheNerds.net shows the wrong image, but the product is correct.

Vendor	Price
Amazon.com	$64.36
mwave.com	$79.99
TheNerds.net	$82.99
TigerDirect	$84.99
OnSale	$89.99
B&H Photo Video	$73.50
Buy.com	$84.50
eBay	See Below

Summary: Great quality 5.1 surround sound for a low price and compact size.

Disclaimer: Every user has a different setup and different expectations. Take their comments with a grain of salt and note that what they experience with the speakers do not apply to everyone.

Official Overview and Specifications

Professional Reviews (click the links for more information)

  * Editor’s Choice

Average User Reviews (click the links for more information)

Good

"The Creative Inspire T6100 5.1 surround sound system is small and convenient, sure to save space for any cramped or crowded desktop. The audio is pretty standard fare — the satellites provide good stereo sound, and the subwoofer gives you that deep rumbling bass everyone loves, but the real benefit is the simplicity and small speaker footprints this system provides."

"These speakers deliver good sound for music and games for the price. For games its all you need really."

"… it provides very good stereo sound for music and video games, with just enough audio dynamics to take movies and gaming to the next level in terms of sound. In all, the Creative Inspire T6100 is a good sound system at a price that is just right for the performance."

"Nice looking, good setup, Bass sounds good, Treble is nicely detailed… Hook ups are pretty simple, Bass on sub is easily configured. Strong Vibrant sound."

"Good Sound, powerful bass, crisp and loud sound, not muffled or garbled. Inexpensive, good value for money. Honestly one of the best sound systems I have heard."

Bad

"The T6100 does not have earth-shattering bass, but as a surround sound system, it gets the job done. The mid tones can get muddy, and the highs are often lost in the rear left and right speakers…"

"I have to say if there had been a bass adjuster on the front-right control speaker as well that would have made things a little easier, or better yet a wired remote as some of Creative’s other setups use."

"1) The cables going to the rear speakers are far too short! I listen to music in a very small bedroom, but I still had to get extension wires (probably not approved by Creative) to connect the rear speakers to the sub. 2) While the speakers individually are all quite clear and loud, there’s a problem of balance… Additional hardware controls could resolve this, but the only ones are a bass knob on the sub and volume/power dial on the right front speaker."

"High and mid range seem a bit distorted at moderate volume, even though bass is "ok"… Aside from that, the rear speaker wires are far too short."

"If you want a real home theater forget about this. The quality of the sound if far below any branded home theater. When hiring music the distortion starts very early. You don’t have to push the volume very much to saturate the speakers (the RMS of the satellites is pretty low)."

Personal Opinion

There aren’t many 5.1 systems below $100 that are worth considering, but the Creative Inspire T6100 is definitely one of the better ones. The younger, cheaper brother of the Creative Inspire T6060, this system is a quick fix for someone who needs the surround effect of a 5.1 speaker system but just isn’t ready to splurge $500 on a higher-end one just yet. It’s more than sufficient for the task in terms of sound quality, boasting good detailed surround sound from the satellites and powerful bass from the subwoofer. As you might notice from the image, it’s pretty good looking too. Another plus point reviewers have noted is its compact size, or small "speaker footprints", an especially important point if space constraints are part of your selective criteria.

In terms of negative points, the major complaint seems to be distortion at higher volume levels due to a saturation the speakers. However, it is unlikely that you’d be turning them up that high if they’re for use at your computer. Other issues include short wires and a lack of a remote to adjust individual speaker levels and EQ. Of course, wires can be replaced by third party components if they’re really a problem, and volume/EQ can also be adjusted via your computer through the software provided. An interesting nitpicking I’ve noticed as well is the prominent blue diode that lights up when the speakers are in use; apparently it’s excessively bright and conspicuous, but not everyone would be affected by this.

If you’ve read my other entries you might have picked up that I tend to prefer higher quality speakers of a lower configuration over additional components (eg. 2.0 vs 2.1). The T6100 may be considered an entry-level 5.1 system due to its low price but that doesn’t mean it’s just an unnecessary upgrade in the number of speakers; the sound quality is definitely there and it does provide a good surround sound for gaming and movies. If the minor disadvantages mentioned above don’t bother you as much as some reviewers, you’ll certainly find a lot of value in these.

Buy Now (click vendor to purchase)

Vendor	Price
Amazon.com	$55.34
mwave.com	$74.84
TheNerds.net	$68.99
TigerDirect	NA
OnSale	$66.99
B&H Photo Video	$68.95
eBay	See Below