The installation of the Kratos S3 speaker system is pretty self-explanatory and much easier than other 2.1 systems, since the left/right channels do use different connectors and there is no way you could plug them in the back of the subwoofer different than the manufacturer has intended. Since the system operates on an analog interface, it sports compatibility amongst a large range of devices such as PCs, smartphones, TVs, consoles, receivers and more.

We have started testing the system on our Gigabyte Z170X-SOC Force motherboard that does pack a Realtek ALC1150 high-definition audio CODEC as the audio interface, adjusted the bass levels in the middle from the back of the subwoofer and left the EQ settings at neutral. The next step was to listen to some YouTube music videos at a decent volume level and in this case, the Kratos S3 was able to deliver clear highs, good mids but also deep and clear bass. The obvious step was to try a few games since Creative has thought this set mostly as a gaming setup; the engine of the planes along with the gun sounds were quite realistic in War Thunder thanks to the dedicated subwoofer, but we did also enjoy Mafia III in the same manner with the loud retro-car sounds, while the shotgun sound effects were a real treat. Kratos S3 does pack a similar sound signature as we have seen with other gaming headphones, meaning that this is a great product to be used by casual gamers which do not want to spend a fortune on a more advanced speaker system.

Versus other similar setups from other brands, we did really enjoy the volume controller which does also acts as an On/Off switch on the right satellite for easy access and we do also get a headphone jack in the same position for easy switching, without the need of going each time in the back of the computer case for switching between the speakers and the headphones.

Creative does also pack a free downloadable Sound BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite software that installs a separate driver and basically adds different filters in order to create more sound signatures for your speaker system. The software does not ask for a serial number of the product in order to get an activation key, but anyone can try it even if you do not own a Creative-branded product.

The entry-level Kratos S3 2.1 speaker system from Creative can be found online for as low as 66 Euros, which is great for the features we are getting with this product.

Creative Sound BlasterX Kratos S3 2.1 Speaker System is Recommended for:

We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!