Creative GigaWorks G550W review

Surround sound speakers consist of a subwoofer for the bass sounds and then a number of satellites for the treble.

These satellites are usually arranged in front of and behind where you're sitting, often in the corners of the room. As a result, you end up with wires trailing around the edge of the room, tucked under the carpet or tacked to the skirting board. This makes surround speakers annoying to install and often unsightly - which is why we tend to prefer a good set of stereo speakers. Someone at Creative has obviously been listening to our gripes - the 'W' in G550W stands for wireless.

Wireless surround sound speakers, are an answer to our prayers - well, sort of. The front satellites connect to the subwoofer normally, through cables, while the rear satellite speakers all connect to a wireless receiver, again with cables. What you don't have are the long, trailing wires that usually connect the front and back sets of speakers.

Earth-shaking sound

Once we'd plugged the GigaWorks into our PC and played a few scenes from our test DVD, we soon warmed to the G550W's talents. The heavy subwoofer was quite capable of rattling everything that wasn't nailed down, and explosions were truly earth-shaking. What's more, the relatively light and plasticky satellite speakers did a great job of deftly sweeping sounds around the room while keeping dialogue clear and intelligible.

Music told a similar tale, with drums and vocals sounding like they were almost in the room. It was only when we set them head to head with the Logitech Z5450s that the Creatives sounded a little over-enthusiastic with their bass and a touch unrefined in the higher registers.

These speakers are neither cheap nor subtle in looks or sound, but if you want bombastic surround sound with fewer cables trailing, then they're a highly desirable option. Or at least they would be if they weren't so pricey.

If you forgo the wireless option, the Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500s are almost £150 cheaper and sound identical to our ears.