In the main Creative's GigaWorks G550W are a conventional set of 5.1 surround sound speakers. The subwoofer is rated at 130W and the five satellites are 36W each, which totals 310W RMS. However, Creative claims a peak figure of 550W which gives them their model name.

GigaWorks speakers inhabit the upper reaches of Creative's product range and, while the audio quality is superior, you'll find that GigaWorks are more laborious to set up than a budget set of Creative Inspires.

You've got three cables to connect to your PC sound card, with mini-jack plugs at one end and stereo RCA plugs at the other, but there is no colour coding to make your life easy. Then there are the five satellites which use spring clips on each of the stereo connections. Granted this makes it easy to substitute cables or to cut them to length, but we prefer the convenience of a simple RCA plug.

You might think that's the final word on speaker cables but you'd be wrong. The 'W' in the model name designates these GigaWorks as Wireless, but as we're talking about PC kit you actually get more wires in total than you do with a conventional set of speakers.

The main problem with surround sound speakers is the need to make a connection to the rear satellites. These cables supply both power and the audio signal so there's no way you can do the job wirelessly unless you power the satellites with rechargeable batteries, which is a tricky proposition as you have to figure out a way to recharge them.

Creative has come up with a half-way house solution where you connect the front three satellites into the subwoofer in the usual way, and you also connect the wired remote to the subwoofer. The remote has a rotary volume control that controls the bass, centre and rear channel levels along with a digital display that spells out exactly what settings you are changing.

The remote also includes a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that communicates with a receiver that you locate behind your favourite gaming, music or movie chair. You plug a mains cord into the receiver and then connect the two rear satellites to the receiver with more wires, so on the one hand the rear satellites aren't connected directly to all the PC kit in front of you, but neither can the set-up be said to be wireless.

What are they like? Damn fine as it happens. They're loud enough to supply all the volume you'll ever need yet don't suffer from distortion. And while the GigaWorks can deliver a solid thump they also supply the audio detail that separates a good set of speakers from the merely average.

You pay a hefty price for the GigaWorks G550W, of which one quarter pays for the 'wireless' connection to the rear satellites. If you feel that's an unnecessary luxury you should consider the cheaper, wired, GigaWorks ProGamer G500. But the G550W is an impressive set of speakers that delivers power and quality in equal measure, and they also reduce the chances that you'll trip over cables as you walk across the room.