JBL Spyro

Product Survey: 2.0/2.1/3.1 speakers

The look is just as innovative as it was with the Creatures, but JBL seems to have taken inspiration from the world of nature for these speakers: the satellites look like flowers in full bloom while the woofer is more of a mushroom shape. The whole thing is available in a range of bright colours, and it's certainly enough to brighten up your living room. Unfortunately, though, we're used to JBL producing speakers that look good but scrimp on connectivity options and custom settings. There's no auxiliary input, meaning you'll have to flip between your computers, phones and all the rest. There's no headphone jack, either, and the main power switch is behind the woofer, which isn't very useful. We're also disappointed to see that you can no longer control the treble yourself. The main volume buttons still use a tactile system that just needs a gentle tap, rather than physical pressure, which is quite fun. Our first finding isn't that surprising: the Spyros aren't really cut out to handle incredibly loud sound. Like a lot of JBL kits, the bass speaker is designed to go on your desk rather than on the floor. The very small satellites hit treble hard, but inevitably begin to struggle in the mid-range.