While 7.1 audio cards were being introduced, not to say Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS, the need for a speaker system with a 7.1 configuration was born. The little bit cheaper series Inspire was adapted quickly and the result was Inspire T7700 which was delivered with seven satellites and one subwoofer. Though, my self and other enthusiasts which sat with a Megaworks 5.1 was waiting with excitement for a sequel to that system to come. Megaworks had before been the flagship in the fleet of speaker systems and there are two versions, 510D and 550 THX…

While 7.1 audio cards were being introduced, not
to say Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS, the need for a speaker system with a 7.1 configuration
was born. The little bit cheaper series Inspire was adapted quickly and the
result was Inspire T7700 which was delivered with seven satellites and one subwoofer.
Though, my self and other enthusiasts which sat with a Megaworks 5.1 was waiting
with excitement for a sequel to that system to come. Megaworks had before been
the flagship in the fleet of speaker systems and there are two versions, 510D
and 550 THX.

 

After many rumors and speculations, we were

finally told that the new system was going to be called Gigaworks, quite a

good name if you ask me. The first look revealed some very interesting

observations. The satellites are totally remade and are now two-way and a

lot larger, and heavier than earlier. A new controller unit has been

developed which together with a wireless remote control shall let the user

have a maximum level of comfort while using the product. More about the

product and its improvements follow in the review here next.

The new Gigaworks not only has impressive specifications,
it also weighs the most of all the speaker packages I’ve ever tested. A vehicle
with lots of room and a friend to help you carry is recommended as two important
things to bring to the post office’s outlet. This is because the package weighs
over 35 kilograms and the box itself is ungainly and lacks holes to carry
it with

Creative Gigaworks S750: Specifications

Total output: 700 Watts
Frequency response: 25 Hz – 40 kHz
SNR (Signal-To-Noise): 99 dB
SPL: 116 dB
THD: 0,1% THD
at 8 ohms, 1 kHz
Satellites: 70 Watts
Center
speaker front:		 70 Watts
Subwoofer: 210 Watts
Satellites’
size/weight:		 115mm X 165mm X 125mm
Center speaker size/weight: 115mm X 165mm X 125mm
Subwoofer size/weight: 315mm X 350mm X 355mm
 
Cables: 3 speaker cables, 3 metres
2 speaker cables, 5 metres
2 speaker cables, 7 metres
1 line-in cable for 7.1-sound, analogue
 
Connections: Outputs (7.1, analogue)
Inputs (analogue, stereo)          
Output for headphones

Power
connection
Connection for controller unit
Connection for M-PORT™
Connection for speakers (RCA)
Estimated price (excl. vat): Low: 340€
Medium: 380€
High: 406€
Sources: 10

The package is delivered with the following
components:

7 satellite speakers
1 subwoofer
1 controller unit, with cord
1 remote, cordless
6 speaker feet
1 monitor foot, pointed downwards
7 speaker cables at 3, 5 and 7 metres
1 line-in cable for 7.1-sound, analogue
1 manual
1 power cable

Speaking of the price, GigaWorks is far below
the recommended retail price at 570 euros.

All speaker systems have their
specifications and functions and sometimes you want to add things and sometimes
there are so many things you’ll never be able to use them all. The consumer
has to look to their specific needs when choosing product chose pick an
appropriate level.

Personally I have wanted the
first function for quite some time, and that is nothing less then a remote
to control system regular functions. Earlier the consumer has had to use
the wire reconnected control unit, which according to me doesn’t fit today’s
comfortable lifestyle very well.

On the remote you can find the on/off button and a mute button, which is
convenient of someone calls or something similar. Further you can raise
or lower the levels on each speaker or area should also be told. With areas
I mean front speakers, side speakers or rear speakers with the same button(left
or right). You can adjust treble and bass as well, something I do quite
often depending on the music or the sound source I choose to play from.

A wire
connected remote is also a part of the package of course. Its primary area
of use is of course in the vicinity of the source, or the computer as it
often is, since the length of the cable is limited.

On the front of the main unit is a row of LEDs that each represents a setting. These settings are the same settings you can do via the remote and when the

LED is lit you can use the function buttons to adjust it. On the main unit’s front there is also a receiver for the remote which in this case uses IR.

The main unit is very user
friendly, even if it may look complicated at a first glance. You simply
choose function with the button labeled select and then raise or lower the
level of the chosen function with the plus and minus buttons. A button to
the far left turns the system on and off, just as the remote.

The button called upmix has just that function, in other words you can use all speakers with your old equipment, even though it may not be fit for 7.1-sound. Simply explained it takes 5.1- or 6.1-sound and creates 7.1-sound by upmixing it to the right amount channels. It can for example be an external DVD-player that outputs 5.1-sound where you use all speakers and the upmix function to get the full listening experience.

On the front of the main unit there is a regular
line in-connection for a 3,6 millimeter stereo plug here you can connect
your portable cd-player, mp3-player or any other equipment you want to play
from. you can also plug in headphones into the contact on the far right.

Except these two contacts you have a M-PORT for connecting you MuVo NX,
MP3-player. this is connected directly into the main unit to play the content
pf the player, without battery or anything else. This is the same type of
M-PORT that can be found on other popular speaker systems from Creative,
for example Inspire T7700 and I-Trigue L3500.

Just as with earlier systems
in the same series, Megaworks 510D and Megaworks 550 they use an amplifier
with the BASH-technology. BASH stands for Bridged Amplifier / Switching
Hybrid and you can say that it is a mix out of amplifiers from class A,
B and D and a PSU. Amplifiers in class A and B stands for high sound quality
while amplifiers in class D has a worse quality but higher output. BASH
is a combination of these two so high output can be achieved without quality
loss.

The output is achieved by the digital converter analyzes the signal and in realtime adjusts the PSU so that just the right amount of voltage is sent to the speakers, and summarizing you can say it’s a combination of a digital power amplifier and a digital PSU.

On the back of the amplifier
or subwoofer as might as well call it, since it is the same box, the connections
for all the speakers are located. The cables that comes along should be
more than enough for most people. The connections are of regular kind, RCA-plug,
and you can extend them with a regular extension card or by simply adding
in the other end where the cable is naked.

Connecting a sound source is done with analogue
cables, four to be exact, if you want to use all eight channels or 7.1-sound.
The cables and connections are colormarked, just as many audio cards are
today which simplifies the connection procedure. If you want to use a source
with only stereo signal you plug into green connection, I.e. the one called
front. The main unit is connected with two different cables, one who looks
like a mini-DIN-contact (but with more poles) and a regular 3,5 millimeter
stereo plug.

All manufacturers try to be creative when it
comes to the shaping of a product, though there are sayings that tell you
that you shouldn’t change a winning concept. Unfortunately I don’t have a
personal favorite appearance, so you’ll be fond of a product that you like
and you’ll automatically think it looks good as well. It’s like the wholeness
that makes the product, if you understand what I’m saying.
 

At a first glance we notice that
Creative has about the same type of appearance with their new speakers in
comparison to Megaworks 550 THX. We’ve previously tested this package here
at NordicHardware.com and you can read more about it by clicking
here.

If we go back to my
first thoughts about the satellites I have to say that in weight there is a
big difference between them. The new satellites weighs a lot more and feels
more stabile in some way.

On the
back we see the same type of input possibilities as on earlier models and also
the screwing holes to mount the legs and a hole to fasten the speaker to the
wall. I prefer push-clip connections for the speaker cables even it’s also a matter of taste. If you want to extend the cables you
can solder some extra cables here, or splice with an extension cord with
RCA-connections in the other end.
 

When the speaker protection is
removed a new thing is discovered. The speakers are now two-way instead of
a satellite with a lonely element. This is a whole new design that should
guarantee that the sound is constant over the whole register, without any ups
or downs on the register. We’ll get back to this during the test.

The satellite speakers consist of double
elements where each element concentrate on their frequency, so that you as a
listener will get the best possible sound. The middle register (the bigger
speaker in the satellite) consists of a polypropylene-element. The material
that the element is manufactured of is a mix of plastic and fibre and because
of its assembly it can endure high temperatures and moist. This is a very
common material in speakers.

The
treble is a 1" supertweeter of titanium and it’s primary function is to
reproduce sound high in the frequencies, up to 20 kHz and above. Now you may
ask yourselves why a human ear can catch frequencies over 20 kHz, and it’s a
very good question. Even if you don’t hear them in common designation, your
body, or your mind, can hear them and they’re registered and added to the
total sound experience. Of course it’s except for the frequencies that
eventually get over 20 kHz, it’s concentrating on those below 20 kHz, where
the strength is needed.
 

All the satellites are exactly alike
except one that is a bit different in appearance. It’s the front center
speaker that has a laying design instead of a standing. This has its natural
explanation and of course it’s made to be placed on the monitor or the
TV-set to deliver the speech in movies for example.

Underneath the center speaker there are small
rubber feet that makes it able to stay wherever you place it, since it won’t
glide.
 

Before we move on the subwoofer, we’ll
compare the new satellites against the old ones delivered with Megaworks 510D
and Megaworks 550THX. Even these two packages have satellites that distinguish
each other, but not by size. To the left we have a satellite from Megaworks
550THX and to the right we have a satellite from Gigaworks S750.

As you can see there is a big difference between
these two, where Gigaworks has an advantage in size.
 

The new subwoofer delivered with Gigaworks
is about 30% bigger in volume in comparison to the one delivered with
Megaworks 550THX. The reason is simple, there has to be space left to play
higher and a bigger box allows that. This box is ported, which means that it
has a hole in the side where a so called bass reflex pipe is mounted. This
makes you able to have a higher volume than a closed box, though it’s
important that you have tuned the box correctly to avoid blowing sounds of
different kinds. Creative has chosen to mount a tube with rounded corners both
inside and outside the box, to minimize the risks of blowing sounds at certain
frequencies.

The bass has a size of
eight inches or about 20 centimetres and is mounted downwards, pointing at the
floor. A grill of steel protects the element from objects and feet on the box
contributes to a middle space so that it isn’t seated directly towards the
floor. The element is ventilated on the back which theoretically should make
it possible to deliver more acoustic output per watt and at the same time
decrease the pressure on the amplifier.
 

Of course we’re a bit peckish on
seeing the element without having to look through the small holes in the
grill and thus we just screwed it away.

The element in its nakedness. Here we can see
with own eyes that it is a so called long throw-element which means that the
beat length of the element is longer than on an ordinary element, which means that it
can reproduce sound low down in the frequencies.
 

Powerful equipment requires powerful
cooling and even if this package doesn’t have active cooling there’s a
massive heatsink on the back of the subwoofer where the amplifier is on the
inside. Don’t place this box with the heatsink against a wall, and not
against any heating source like a radiator.

The connection for the power is seen on the last
picture.

We have reached the part where we shall
judge the speaker system’s audio quality and as usual we have done some
tests and judged it on a number of points. The choice of media for product
testing of this type is a dilemma, since personal taste has a tendency to
cloud the judgment. We therefore try to use all the way through neutral
test tracks but as always they are my personal opinions about the speaker
system’s that is shown in this test. Everybody likes different music and
therefore it’s always a good idea to listen to a product before you buy
it.

Test system
OS:
Windows XP Professional SP1
Graphics card:
Chaintech nVidia FX5200
RAM memory:
512 MB, ExtremeDDR 400
Mainboard:
ASUS P4S800
Processor:
Intel Pentium 4 2,4 GHz
Sound Card :
Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Drivers:
DirectX 9.0b

Detonator 53.03

The main source in this test is a computer
as you can see by the specifications above. We have in the purpose to double
check also tested with a XBOX, an external DVD-player and a regular CD-player.
Since we have found that the system performs just as good with all products
we only comment per media.

IASCA Competition CD

This
is the official CD that is used when judging competitions in car
sound.
Media
type:

Demo-CD
Audio
format:

CD-audio (44,1 kHz, 2

channels 1,4112 Mbps)

The IASCA-disc contains many classical tracks,
which is very common when judging in car audio competition Here the pros
with the new satellites, which are two way instead of one, really comes
forward. Cymbals and other instruments are reproduced crystal clear thanks
to the new treble and the entire orchestra gets a kind of dynamics which
makes it come alive. Sadly i have to say that this type of music has become
a bit worse compared to the previous system when it comes to the bass box,
which is much more powerful in this version. You have to lower the bass
so it won’t take to much space in the middle range. The short range makes
a good performance, but it’s the middle range. that suffers with high levels
of bass. A clear advantage is if you have a sound card that can adjust the
frequency to the bass box separate, as for example Audigy2. You can set
it to 120Hz for this type of music.

BASS Mechanic

Just as it sounds the tracks on this CD are fitted for competing in so called dB-dragrace where the goal is to play as loud as possible.
Media
type:

Demo-CD, direction bass
Audio
format:

CD-audio (44,1 kHz, 2 channels

1,4112 Mbps)

The other disc is made for competing in
dB-dragrace where the goal is to play as loud as possible. We have used
this disc to test the frequency reproduction that the bass box has, in comparison
with given specifications. We start pretty low and notices an small area
between 15 and 18 Hz where you actually hear the bass frequencies. After
that it’s a small gap up to 28 Hz where you start to feel them again but
you can’t really detect them with your hearing. At 31 Hz the first hearable
frequency, a bit higher than the 25 Hz that the manufacturer has specified.
Keep in mind that a couple of Hz up or down doesn’t really matter and that
this is a test where we use our own personal hearing.

Further up the scale we notice the box performs
the best, or maybe we should say at maximum 45 Hz and keeps playing very
loud up in the frequencies. The bass box has no tendencies to produce blow
sounds and it never beats through, even if we let it play at maximum volume
and 80% of the maximum bass. This is clearly a result of the maximum has
been increased with 30%.

The Corrs – In Blue

A very good record with The Corrs in the new exciting format DVD-Audio.
Media
type:

DVD-Audio
Audio
format:

DVD-Audio

(192 kHz, 2 channels 9,6 Mbps or 96 kHz, 6-8 channels 6,144

Mbps)

There is a big downside with DVD-audio,

it is so addictive that you never want to listen to a regular CD or mp3-track ever again. Or what can you say about enjoying you favorite music in 7.1 with 96 kHz and 24 bits? As if that wasn’t enough the entire scene is mixed up and it really feels like you’re standing in a big sea of humans at a concert with full experience. Also here you have to make small modifications to the system to get it optimal, you can lower the frequency to around 110 Hz and increase the level of bass though.

After gone through the mandatory music listening
and also felt the bass box’s pulse it’s time for tests that really take
advantage of Gigaworks all channels.