A great set of features, including Bluetooth and USB connections, make this speaker set more convenient than plain analog analog speakers. However, that convenience compromises solid sound quality a little, particularly compared to Creative's own legendary T20 speakers.
Pros
Useful USB and Bluetooth connections
Convenient controls and headset through
Plenty of volume with a warm sound
Decent value
Cons
Lacks high-end detail
Lacks sub-bass
Audio downgrade from Creative T20
The venerable Creative T20 speakers have been around for many years and remain an excellent option on a budget. However, their design and feature set are showing their age, which is where the new Creative T60 PC speakers come in, hitting the same affordable price with an updated design and convenient Bluetooth and USB connections.
However, while the Creative T60 take a noticeable step back in sonic superiority. Instead, while these are still a decent mid-range set of 2.0 speakers, they offer convenient digital connections in place of a more precise sound.
The new design sees the T20's bright yellow drivers ditched in favour of smarter-looking, gold-coloured ones, while the speaker grilles have been dropped completely. The result is a cleaner, more modern design to the T60, though you need to take care not to scratch the glossy plastic exterior. The build here is quality but all-plastic too, with none of the heavier-weight wood or MDF of the AudioEngine A5+ or Edifier R1280DB.
A single knob on the right speaker provides a slightly weird-feeling volume control. It feels like it should be an analogue control (it doesn't spin freely or have detents like the volume wheels on the best gaming keyboards), but it's a digital control that responds with just enough delay that you often overshoot the level for which you're aiming. A situation that isn't helped by the steps up in volume being quite large.
Below the volume dial sit three buttons. On the left is the power button that turns the speakers on and off with a long press. Tap this button while the speakers are on and it will cycle through the various inputs, indicating which is selected via the above LED.
A tap of the middle button switches between stereo and a somewhat-useful emulated surround sound mode, while a long press will switch between the speakers and any connected headset/headphones. The latter lets you keep a set of headphones connected via the speakers and choose which device to use, rather than automatically muting the speakers when headphones are connected, as on the T20.
The final button turns on the surprisingly effective 'clear dialog' mode, which boosts the upper mid-range frequencies associated with speech. This and the surround mode are only available when in speaker mode, not headset mode.
Round the back of the right speaker is a headphone port, a microphone port (enabling headset mic through via the USB connection), a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm jack aux input and the output to the left speaker (the left speaker's cable is tethered to the left speaker). You can also connect via Bluetooth, with pairing initiated by the left front button. A USC-C to USB-A converter is also included in the box along with a USB-C to USB-C cable so you're all set for easy connection to any computer.
The T60s aren't tiny, portable units but they're far from desk-hogging either. Despite their reasonable size, though, they only sport a single 2.75-inch (70mm) driver per speaker – a downgrade from the two-driver setup of the T20s. A rear bass port also means you shouldn't set these speakers against a wall.
Sound quality
As a result of the above driver changes, the T60 is a noticeable downgrade on the T20. Unsurprisingly, neither speaker set provides huge, booming bass, but the T20 has a more controlled, smooth-sound bottom end. It also has more top-end detail. The T60s can also sound a little overwhelmed when there's a lot happening in the sound mix.
There's still plenty of power and warmth to make for a reasonably satisfying listen at your desk or when the speaker's are cranked up to kitchen party volume levels, but sound quality is clearly compromised in order to add the extra digital connections and hit the same price as the T20.
To be clear, though, the sound here is still a massive upgrade over monitor speakers, cheap entry-level options such as the Creative Pebble V3 and cheap soundbars such as the Redragon GS560 / Trust GXT 1619. These are loud, fun, warm-sounding speakers that are up to most tasks. They're just not punching above their weight.
Price
Priced at $70, the T60 are reasonably budget speakers so do offer a lot for their price. You get a lot of connections, audio options, and decent audio for far less than some flashier designs from bigger brands.
Conclusion
The Creative T60s offer USB and Bluetooth connection, a smart design and entirely adequate audio quality for their price. They're a huge step up from any monitor speakers or smaller, cheaper units. However, you're paying for those extra digital connections and similarly-priced pure analog speakers, such as Creative's own T20, can offer better sonic performance for the same price.
Nonetheless, the combination of features, design, sound quality, and price means the T60 are still a solid option for the price and worth of a spot on our best computer speakers list.
For more computer audio upgrade options, check out our best gaming headset guide that includes a wide range of wired and wireless headsets.
