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KeyLimePi · Dec 10, 2002, 10:45 AM

I've seen the price as low as $90 for a set of these, so I'm considering getting them. I've listened to them at the Apple store and the sound quality is fine for my needs (I don't want to turn this into another 'Klipsch are better/Soundsticks are better' thread).

My question is for are their any drawbacks to these that I might not be aware of? Are the touch-senor turners pretty reliable? I don't love having the controls on the sub, since I would rather put this under my workspace. Any other complaints or gripes from actual owners?

Thanks

Socially Awkward Solo · Dec 11, 2002, 12:50 AM

If they sound good to you get em. They are good speakers. BUT remember that the soundsticks do sound much better.

Boochie · Dec 11, 2002, 03:14 PM

I have them, and they sound fine to me. I concur that the Soundsticks sound better, but the Creature satellite speakers take up a lot less space.

One drawback of the Creature: the power switch is on the back of the subwoofer. A minor nit, but there it is nonetheless. If you want to keep the sub out of sight it may be a tad annoying to reach behind and shut them off each night, if you are so inclined.

As for the volume controls on the satellite, I actually find myself using the up/down keys on the keyboard as the primary means of adjustment. I just leave the speakers themselves on max.

Yoda's Erotic Piggyback · Dec 11, 2002, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by Boochie:
I have them, and they sound fine to me. I concur that the Soundsticks sound better, but the Creature satellite speakers take up a lot less space.

How do you figure that when the creature sub is wider and so are the speakers?

KeyLimePi · Dec 12, 2002, 08:42 AM

Thanks for the info. I suppose I will get myself these, although I would like to figure out a way to keep the sub out of sight, but within easy reach.

proux · Dec 12, 2002, 10:27 AM

I agrre with the other posts, the Soundsticks sound better but take more space and are twice as much. The real question is how much better sound than the original Apple speakers with an additional iSub?

Boochie · Dec 12, 2002, 12:24 PM

The SoundStick satellite speaker assembly (case and all) is larger than that of the Creature's satellite. I said nothing about the sub.

Anyhow, personally I think the SoundSticks are pretty ugly to look at!

Originally posted by Yoda's Erotic Piggyback:

How do you figure that when the creature sub is wider and so are the speakers?

Yoda's Erotic Piggyback · Dec 12, 2002, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Boochie:
The SoundStick satellite speaker assembly (case and all) is larger than that of the Creature's satellite. I said nothing about the sub.

Anyhow, personally I think the SoundSticks are pretty ugly to look at!

The creatures are wider the soundsticks are taller, guess which one takes up more useful space.

Boochie · Dec 13, 2002, 11:29 AM

Different people may have different ideas as to what is "useful" in one's computer workspace.

Originally posted by Yoda's Erotic Piggyback:

The creatures are wider the soundsticks are taller, guess which one takes up more useful space.

coolmac · Dec 13, 2002, 12:00 PM

I have the Sound Sticks on my Mac and just purchased the silver JBL Creatures for the computer I use at work.

The Apple store I stopped imto this morning had the Creatures on a Powerbook, I thought for the size of the satelites and the "coolness" factor of the system they sounded pretty good.

I wasn't looking for audiophile quality, just a nice sounding, cool looking speaker system, the JBL Creatures fill the bill.

schalliol · Dec 13, 2002, 12:20 PM

I think I'm going to try to get some Klipsch 2.1's as the sound quality will be much higher, but of course more expensive.

As for the usable space issue. I thought about Creatures and Soundsticks though and actually the Creatures would fit under my flat panel displays, as both of them together are quite wide and have space under the edges, so they would be better on my desk, though normally having a thinner unit is good. Aren't the Creatures smaller in every dimension? Afterall the soundstics "bubble" stands aren't exactly tiny...and the question above noted satellites....not subs

Landos Mustache · Dec 13, 2002, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by Boochie:
Different people may have different ideas as to what is "useful" in one's computer workspace.

Uh huh, more people want the 6 inches of air above the speakers then more desk space.

Boochie · Dec 13, 2002, 01:02 PM

Creatures will fit just fine in the open space under a back-suspended flat panel display (e.g., the Samsung). That can't be said of the Soundsticks. Apart from that, one person's aesthetically pleasing configuration may not be everyone else's cup of tea.

Again, it's all a question of personal preference.

Originally posted by Landos Mustache:

Uh huh, more people want the 6 inches of air above the speakers then more desk space.

EmAn · Dec 14, 2002, 11:04 PM

I got the Creatures when the Apple Store had them on sale after Thanksgiving. They're much better than I thought they would be and they're so cool looking.

schalliol · Dec 15, 2002, 07:33 PM

It could be just a one-off problem, but I was listening to them in the Palo Alto store and slightly adjusting the bass control on the sub caused a bad thumping sound. However, someone also mentioned they heard this on another unit.