Labs

The T40 is an upgrade to the T20, reviewed in What's New, Shopper 220. It has the same subwoofer-less design, but it increases the power rating from 14W to 28W and uses three cones per speaker to produce more volume. The lack of a subwoofer makes this set better suited to offices, homes where space is at a premium, or for use with a laptop where mobility is an issue. However, the bulky external power adaptor means the floor won't be free from clutter.

Perhaps it's unfair to compare the T40 to the subwoofer-based competition, but direct comparisons didn't lie in the T40's favour. Bass was thin and high frequencies were over-pronounced, which flattered some music sources but made others sound harsh. Still, there was plenty of detail. In isolation, the bass response didn't seem unpleasantly lacking.

If compactness is more important than deep bass then the T40 is a tempting option, but M-Audio's AV 40 is far superior and costs only £11 more.