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One thing I appreciate about the quality of products of homegrown brands is that it usually does not let me down. I have used several Creative products over the years - keyboards, mice and even MP3 players. My most recent aquisition is no exception, and I have been very pleased with the audio quality of the Creative Inspire M5300 5.1 speaker set.

As with other Creative products, this product is competitively-priced. Juxtaposed with other equivalent 5.1 surround sound speaker systems, the Inspire M5300 is a good buy. This is especially so after hearing the sounds that it produces. It is retailing now at S$150, which is approximately US$90. This is one cost-effective set of home theatre entertainment system!

Coinciding with the launch of its Audigy sound cards, the Inspire 5.1 was touted as one of the wallet-friendly home entertainment systems available on the market. Even when used with a computer for both gaming and entertainment purposes, this is considered a quality but affordable speaker set, especially when used with a compatible sound card. This stylish speaker set is ideal for use in a medium-sized room for computer usage. The 5 speakers can be distributed to provide even surround sound. According to Creative, best performance can be obtained when used in conjunction with an Audigy sound card.

Installation is a breeze. All the speakers, firstly, have to be cabled to the subwoofer. Next the subwoofer has to be jacked to the on-board sound card for a computer. The jacks are colour-coded so there need not be any worries about plugging the wrong jack into the slots. Using the sound card software on the computer (even non-Creative sound cards), performance of the speakers can be tweaked to the user’s preference to maximize audio enjoyment. This set even comes with a wired remote control with a power switch. The master volume and balance of the speakers can be adjusted from the remote, which can be placed in a convenient location, saving the need of having to search out the satellite speaker or subwoofer to adjust volume.

Quality-wise, the Creative Inspire M5300 delivers a decent but not brilliant performance. The subwoofer actually lacks the depth in sound; it does not have that powerful resonating feel. Turning up the bass helps, but tweak it too high and risk the sound quality becoming ‘echo-ish’. The subwoofer of the JBL Invader 4.1 system actually performs better than this one. With regards to the satellite speakers, they perform up to standard, providing clear and resounding tones. However, turning up the volume more than 75% will cause significant distortion to sound quality, but this is forgivable in my opinion. Usually, users would not need to tune the volume up that high.

Looks-wise, the Creative Inspire M5300 is a stylish set of speakers. In contrast with JBL’s smooth curves and shiny shades, Creative opts for a sinister all-black finish and boxy angles for the speakers. The colour theme would be matching with most computers. The subwoofer also has a wooden enclosure. This was a pleasant surprise, as not only it looks good aesthetically, but wood also improves the sound quality.

Music playback on this system would pose no problems; in fact, it would be rather enjoyable. However, this system might be just a tad lacking for DVD movies playback, especially in the subwoofer department. Watching action flicks are not as enjoyable - the “boom’s” are spectacular on this subwoofer. Also, I did not like the fact that Creative did not bother to include the useful speaker stands in the package, but are instead available separately for sale.

Despite certain minor letdowns in the overall performance of the Creative Inspire M5300, it is still an above-average speaker system for the price range. The audio-fussy would be more satisfied with higher end ranges like the Megaworks, but for the ordinary computer home users like me and you, the Creative Inspire 5.1 M5300 would be great value for money.

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