Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500 review: Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500
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At $100 less than Logitech’s flagship 5.1 set, the Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500 PC speakers compete well in sheer audio output. You lose out on advanced capabilities such as digital audio input and Logitech’s excellent control pod, but for a simple high-end solution, these speakers rock.
Nathaniel Wilkins
Nathaniel Wilkins
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3 min read
Setting up the G500 was simple in our tests, but it took a little time. We spent 30 minutes unpacking the system, attaching the stands, connecting all the wires and calibrating the speaker levels. You’ll need a sound card with 5.1-channel analog audio output (we used a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro) to get discrete multichannel surround sound from the G500, but Creative’s CMSS feature can distribute (or upmix) the output from 2-channel sources, such as an iPod, through all 5 satellites and the subwoofer. An auxiliary input facilitates connecting an external audio source to the G500 without disconnecting the sound card. The G500 doesn’t have a digital audio input (another disadvantage compared to Logitech’s Z-5500 Digitals), which means you’ll need a digital receiver if you’re hoping to use the speakers with a game console or a DVD player.
Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500
The $249.99 Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500 isn’t the fanciest 5.1-channel multimedia speaker system money can buy, but its excellent game and DVD sound quality and its high-power output make it a solid choice for audio enthusiasts looking to spend a little more on their PC’s sound output.
Like other 5.1-channel speaker systems, the G500 includes two front speakers, two surrounds, a center, and a powered subwoofer. Creative also supplies a wired control module; although it’s far more basic than the Logitech Z-5500 Digital ($399) controls, the trade-off is fairly minor if you’re looking to save some cash without going down to the minor leagues in terms of performance.
The G500’s small control module is fairly well designed. In its default mode, the module’s volume wheel adjusts the overall system volume. Pressing the volume wheel selects the center speaker, the rear speakers, the subwoofer, or the treble for individual level adjustment. Status LEDs denote volume levels and the speaker selection mode. A CMSS button activates the aforementioned upmix feature. The control module also has power and mute buttons, as well as a conveniently situated headphone jack.
Total system power is a very respectable 310 watts. The built-in amplifier delivers 36 watts to each satellite and 130 watts to the ported subwoofer’s 8-inch front-firing driver.
Each satellite has a 3-inch driver and a port to enhance lower midrange response. Creative includes small plastic stands that let you perch the speakers around your listening area, although we suggest wall-mounting the surround speakers (each satellite has a keyhole bracket on the back) or purchasing Creative’s optional floor stands ($39.99 each) for more secure positioning.
To test the Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500’s musical wherewithal, we fired up the Buena Vista Social Club’s track Chan Chan. The soundstage had convincing depth, with the bass creating a solid foundation and lead elements such as the trumpet wafting across the top of the mix. The satellite speakers’ well-balanced midrange and treble performance gave the vocals a smooth quality with plenty of realistic texture. Activating the CMSS upmix feature created an even more immersive environment without making the sound too diffuse. The ultralow electronic bass line in Bass Factory 808’s Woofer Warm Up proved the subwoofer’s moxie.
With the system volume maxed out, the subwoofer delivered a copious amount of palpable bass without getting sloppy.
The G500 delivers excellent video game and DVD performance. In Half-Life 2’s deathmatch mode, the G500 made it easy to track the positions of enemies, and it convincingly placed us in the midst of an urban battlefield. Bullets ricocheted off of metal objects with a realistic ping. When an enemy overthrew a grenade, it exploded in the rear speakers exactly where we had expected it to land. In the Jurassic Park DVD, the center speaker proved bright enough to make dialog perfectly clear, but not so bright as to cause ear fatigue. During the «The Tyrannosaurus Rex» scene, the massive dinosaur’s footsteps sounded absolutely thunderous. When the T. rex snapped a high-tension steel wire, the wire seamlessly whizzed from the front right speaker to the rear right speaker as it flew by on the screen. From a performance perspective, our only significant gripe is that the satellites hiss a bit when audio isn’t playing.
That said, the hissing isn’t especially pronounced unless you crank up the treble setting. We have no reservations recommending the G500 for virtually any computer audio application, as long as you can live without digital audio input.
8.0
Creative GigaWorks ProGamer G500
Score Breakdown
Design 8Features 8Performance 8
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Creative Gigaworks ProGamer G500 Review
Verdict
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £199.00
Within the computer space, speaker technology has developed in leaps and bounds over recent years with companies like Creative, Logitech and formerly Videologic producing speakers that have gained respect, albeit grudgingly, from audio professionals. After all, having a sound card with the processing power of a nuclear station counts for nothing if the sound is being squeezed through a pair of little plastic boxes that cost less than a couple of beers.
So do Creative’s Gigaworks ProGamer G500s push the audio envelope still further? As of writing the set isn’t yet available to buy in the UK, with the expected arrival date. They can be picked up in the states
As its name suggest, the set is a 5.1 speaker system designed primarily for the PC gamer and offers a claimed 620W of power- that’s a lot of wallop for a set this size. It’s a no-nonsense affair that only offers analogue input connections, the only nod towards gadgetry being the CMSS ‘upmix’ option. Fighting through the mass of plastic wrapped cables and speakers reveals five identical satellites (the centre just has the grill badge in a horizontal position and rubber feet) and a very solid sub and amplifier. Speaker grills are removable and are made of metal, rather than the soft fibre variety, which could be beneficial if you’re in an environment where small people are likely to poke their fingers into speaker cones.
The speakers come with small table-top mounts or can be wall mounted.
Stands aren’t included, a shame as they’re often invaluable for proper placement and I seem to remember that earlier mid-range Creative speakers used to include them.
With no decoder box and only analogue inputs, setting up is very straight forward and just a question of diving bravely into the usual cable clutter. Cable lengths for the front speakers come in at around two metres with the rears about twice this. Personally I find these lengths a little small for anything other than a bedroom space, particularly if you prefer to hide the sub in a corner. It’s a shame companies aren’t more generous with their cable lengths when speaker placement is so important to receive the optimum listening experience.
The system has a wired controller that is well designed and simple to use with a rough volume indicator on the left side, featuring five green LEDs and controls on the right to alter the individual levels of rear, centre, sub and treble speakers. The speakers use a bass management system to filter low frequencies to the sub although altering the sub level on the controller will also emphasise the mid to low frequencies through the satellites.
A headphone socket is included in the controller, a convenient addition although with headsets becoming de rigueur, a microphone pass-through socket wouldn’t have gone amiss. The CMSS upmix option on the controller creates a surround-like effect from stereo audio content. The only other connection on the system is an additional stereo input for connecting mp3 players or such like. A phono to stereo minijack adapter is included for increased connectivity compatibility.
You may be forgiven for believing that a speaker is just a speaker with the only point of those thousand pound systems being to part fools from their beloved Mastercards. You would be mistaken for taking this line however, dear reader. Yes, I too, was once a sceptic, but that was before I heard a pair of speakers custom-built for Naim Audio’s Peter Williams (one-time engineer of U2) – and lo the heavens did part.
Apart from when they’re intended for recording studio usage, speakers rarely aim for a flat frequency response.
The design is often geared towards flattering the sound based on a particular scenario. For music there may be more of a top-end emphasis and attention paid to creating a well defined stereo spread. For speakers geared towards game playing, less bass and sheer volume are often the order of the day.
During listening tests, my test PC contained Creative’s X-Fi card. Most noticeable on first firing up the speakers was the lack of treble. While this was easily rectified by altering the setting using the controller it did make one wonder why the default should sound so dull. Moving onto music, ranging in style from rock to classical, I was a little surprised that the sound wasn’t more appealing.
Listening to pop or rock with the treble settings turned up high made music sound harsh and unpleasant. Reducing the treble did help but I could find no happy medium between a harsh sound and one that was simply dull. Overall musical quality was confusing with little definition.
Switching to my budget studio monitors (Spirit Absolute Zeros, now worth only around £60 second hand), the sound was substantially better defined and well rounded although weaker at the bass end. The Gigaworks’s bass also seemed difficult to balance with it either sounding too light or unpleasantly boomy.
For gaming I used the trusty Half Life 2. It’s when playing a title such as this where you hear what the G500s have been designed for, delivering impact and noise rather than an accurate sound. The speakers pump out a very decent wattage, giving the weapon sound effects real impact. The surround sounds work well really, bringing you firmly into the game and the overall experience is satisfying. In-game music suffers from the same weaknesses as already discussed but for sound effects playback, the speakers certainly deliver. These speakers can really push out the volume, so please be kind to your neighbour when using these or you might find yourself on the wrong side of an anti-social order.
”’Verdict”’
Whether the ProGamer G500s are worth purchasing depends on your rig and specific requirements. They present a decent option if you’re primarily a PC game player who only occasionally dabbles in music listening or DVD watching. For £200 though, I believe speakers should be able to fulfil a wide range of functions with some finesse. As such other sets, of which there are no shortage, may be better suited.
Creative GigaWorks G500 price, specifications, video review, reviews
Main characteristics
*
| Type | 5.1 |
| Signal/noise | 85 dB |
| Number of frontal columns | |
| USB Acoustics |
total power
*
| RMS | 310W |
Power
*
| Central Canal | 36 W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| RIGHTS | 36 W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Frontal columns | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum | 35Hz |
| Maximum | 20000Hz |
Speaker diameter
*
| Line columns | 76 mm |
| Sabwofer | 203 mm |
| Channel | 76 mm |
| Front columns | 76 mm 9000 |
00 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000
*
| Line in (stereo) | Yes |
| Headphone jack | is |
| Support for memory cards SD | not |
| USB Type A (for flash drive) | NO |
| Line input multichannel | 9000 |
