Trust 2.1 MP3 Speaker Set Cary NC

Rating: 6/10

Trust have firmly established themselves as a major player in the budget end of the IT market, and while there is often an element of getting what you pay for with their wares, and you would be forgiven for being slightly dubious about the quality of speaker system £25 will get you.

On opening the box any nagging doubts won't be subsided as whilst the set looks okay (the SP-3550W owes much to the iPod for looks) the build quality is really quite poor. The plastic satellite speakers feel tacky and aren't something you'd want to show off to anyone. The subwoofer is slightly better; it at least feels the part. The volume control on the other hand (which also acts as a port for your MP3 player and headphones) is dreadful, looking not completely dissimilar to the control you get with a hospital bed.

Really, how the designers at Trust HQ could have sat round and genuinely thought that this was a good idea is utterly beyond me but clearly this appears to have been the case here. The volume buttons are also a horribly clicky affair and whilst I appreciate some corners have to be cut to get the system in at its low price, I wish they had put a little more thought into the interface.

Things get much better when you plug your MP3 player into them as the sound quality on display is pretty good. It's only 2.1 so don't be expecting anything mind-blowing but for a set of speakers that set you back less than £30, these do their job well. The 3D Audio setting is admittedly a waste of time as it really doesn't make any significant difference to the audio (certainly not in a positive sense) and I'd have liked the cables supplied to be a little longer - as it is you have to position your MP3 right next to the speakers - but these are minor gripes considering the cost of what's on offer here.

If you're looking to set your MP3 player up in a room in your house and need to get hold of some cheap and cheerful speakers, these will do the trick very nicely indeed. Just don't expect to be handed any style points for owning them...

For more information, visit Micromart.co.uk