It is rare to find a quality 5.1 channel surround sound system for under a hundred dollars. Those that are under that price point tend to sound ‘tinny’ and are generally of low-quality construction. Thankfully, the Creative Labs Inspire T6160 5.1 channel surround sound speaker system breaks with tradition with is quality materials and performance.

The T6160 keeps with the simple black design seen in the rest of the Inspire series, featuring five 6 watt satellite speakers and a 20 watt sub-woofer which is elevated on four legs. This will help keep the bass from vibrating your floor and potentially-disturbing any downstairs neighbors. I write this because I get a strong feeling that the T6160 was designed for the person looking for a quality, yet inexpensive surround sound system for their apartment, home office, or dorm room.

Sound quality is good, with very crisp and clean channel separation. In our tests with BioShock and Crysis, the effect was well-pronounced and it greatly enhance our gaming experience. In movie watching, the T6160 performed nicely, but we did notice some crackling when volume levels increased. Of course, we were stress-testing at the time with full volume levels (rattling our walls and floor), but I digress… In the normal range of volume the T6160 worked perfectly.

Each of the satellite speakers feature what Creative calls an IFP (Image Focusing Plate) that essentially places the driver in the middle of a flared chamber in order to project the sound better than traditional setups. Another interesting piece of technology in the T6160 satellite speakers is a small conical object called the ‘Creative Phase Cap’, which is said to help reduce distortion by separating the mid and high-end frequencies. The effect of these features is noticeable, with my ears definitely picking up on the crisp-nature of the sound.

While the T6160 does not have the same kind of quality bass as, say, the SLAM sub-woofer on the Gigaworks T3 (which is way above the T6160’s price point) it does provide respectable bass response that will fill a home office or dorm quite nicely. It accomplishes this through a megaphone-like, flared bass port. Its only 20 watts but sounds a lot more powerful. Also a real benefit to the consumer is the T6160’s online price point of $80 smackers.

We would wholeheartedly recommend the T6160 for anyone looking to get quality 5.1 channel sound on a budget or in a smaller space. The Creative T6160 is on sale now at retailers such as Amazon.com