Don't judge a [speaker set] by its [looks]. (JBL Creature II)

Member Name: adamp111

Product:	JBL Creature II
Date:	02/06/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to set up, solid build quality, looks

Disadvantages: Sound quality

Like much of the technology I seem to buy these days, I bought these speakers for my girlfriend, and at the same time made the classic mistake of buying something purely based on looks. I judged a book by its cover, and the content turned out to be less than inspiring.

To start with the positive, the speakers are incredibly good looking, easy to set up, and feel very solid and well constructed. They make a great centrepiece for any office environment, and at £49.99 they are reasonably affordable.

However, no amount of good looks, good build quality, and ease of use can make up for poor quality sound. At the most basic level, the JBL Creature II have been built to play sound, and they simply do not do it well. The output sounds artificial and grainy, and the speakers are simply tiring to listen to.

From a practical point of view, the sub itself (9" X 9" X 9") is too big to realistically sit on a desk, and would be best suited underneath it, however the speakers are small (3" x 3" x 3") and would sit comfortably on most workspaces. The difficulty with this is that with the power switch on the sub, and the sub on the floor, turning them off after use becomes a bit of a mission. In terms of power output, the JBL Creature II offers 8W per satellite, and 24W for the sub; ideal for a bedroom or office, but they'd struggle to fill larger living rooms. They also require a mains connection, so can't really be seen to be portable.

Yes, they look cute, aren't disastrously expensive, and are easy to set up, but they aren't good enough at what they're designed to do to ever justify purchasing them.

Summary: Not good enough at what they're designed to do to justify purchasing them.

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