When you look at pictures of Creative's GigaWorks T40, you'd be forgiven for thinking that they're small. Without anything to size them against, they look a bit like the kind of satellite pair you get with a £400 PC from Tesco.

They're a lot bigger and better than that, though. With dimensions of 90 x 136 x 310mm, each T40 is the size of a decent sized back-shelf car speaker. They sit vertically on the desk and are angled to point slightly up from the horizontal. Each one comes with an optional stand, for increased stability, and they can be run with or without a front-panel gauze.

Each speaker holds two 60mm, glass-fibre, mid-range drivers at top and near-bottom, with a 27mm dome tweeter between. Creative claims a spacious, balanced sound for this arrangement but, while we wouldn't argue with the balance and precision of the high and mid-range response, the stereo stage isn't always that well-defined, with some muddle over the spatial make-up of larger bands and orchestras.

We were also suspicious of Creative's claim that these speakers didn't need a sub-bass unit, because of the bass reflex ports in the case tops of the two satellites. In fact, the T40s do have a fair bass response for a twin-speaker pair, but it's still not as pronounced or responsive as with a full 2.1 set-up. You have to balance the convenience of not having to have the extra cables for the sub-bass box, against the difference in the sound spectrum.

Controls at the front are simple to use, with a volume knob and centre-indented bass and treble. There's a headphone jack and a blue power LED, but despite what Creative says, no power switch at the front. Power is controlled with a small slide switch at the back of the right speaker, which is also where the stereo jack is for a sound card or other audio source, a phono to connect the left-hand speaker and a separate socket for a ‘docking station'.

This refers to Creative's X-30 Zen Docking Station, which can be hooked up directly to the speakers, forming a complete music system without the need for a PC connection. However, it doesn't currently appear to be available in the UK, with no mention on the Creative site nor in a Google UK search.

A separate, substantial power block provides a low voltage supply and the speakers deliver up to 14W RMS per channel. This isn't going to fill a big living room, but should be sufficient for a study or student bed-sit.

The GigaWorks T40s are well made and easy to use, with a standard connection for most audio sources. Their sound is good, but not as full or open as a 2.1 set-up with separate bass amplification. Putting bass ports in comparatively small speaker chambers doesn't really match active bass amplification.