By Mike Lee

IT IS deceptively small but the Creative Inspire S2 Wireless speaker system packs a wallop.

The subwoofer is slightly larger than a six-pack of beer cans while the satellite speakers are shorter than a can.

However, the system can produce sounds big enough for a rowdy party.

Using the wireless system is easy. Just plug the supplied Bluetooth transmitter into a USB port of your computer.

Installation was a cinch, whether on a Windows Vista PC or Mac.

The maximum wireless range is about 10m. This was more than adequate for me to set up the speakers in the living room and lounge about on the sofa with a laptop, with no interruption in the audio streaming.

The Inspire S2 reproduced the exquisite soundscapes of the documentary Touch The Sound very well.

The rumbling of trams, the clickety-clack of a tap dancer, the voice of a youth with a boom box, the ambient sounds of New York City - all these made me feel as if I were right there in the Big Apple.

The speakers easily kept pace with the documentary when the scene moved to Germany, where percussionist Evelyn Glennie and experimental musician Fred Frith improvised on gongs, gamelans and guitars in an abandoned factory.

Given its bass-centric sounds, you may want to adjust the bass control on the subwoofer.

The speakers sounded the best, I found, when the bass level was kept at around 40per cent.

When I played Stanley Clarke's latest album, Jazz, it seemed as if he was twanging his acoustic bass right in front of me, without overwhelming the drums and the piano.

If your party guests want to play DJ, they can stream music from their Bluetooth phones to the Inspire S2.

There is also an auxiliary input on the speakers, which means you can connect them to an MP3 player.

Final say
A compact wireless speaker system that delivers vivid sounds.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.