When a 2.1 speaker system costs $130 and doesn't offer much in the way of extra features, the assumption is that the sound will be very good or possibly even excellent. With JBL's Spyro, we have an especially kooky-looking pair of PC speakers to analyze, which prompted me to wonder: Will these sound good or just look interesting? PC Mag editor-in-chief Jim Louderback stepped into my cubicle and said they looked cool, kind of like "flowers." He's right, they do resemble flora, but they're a bit cutesy for my taste—even in more sophisticated black-and-silver.

Before you manly men out there dismiss the Spyros outright, however, be advised: These speakers sound great, and they take up very little space. The few issues I have with their ergonomic design are fairly nitpicky. For example, I wish the upward-angled speakers were a bit heavier—they are so light that it's easy for them to get bumped out of place on your desk, or get moved unintentionally by the stiff connecting cable if it's disturbed. Also, I hate having to reach down to the subwoofer on the floor just to adjust bass level and power. Isn't the point of placing a sub on the floor so you can push it out of the way and forget about it?

Of course, these are minor concerns. The only real functional issue here is with the touch-sensitive plus and minus volume controls that sit on the right speaker. These controls often don't respond when pressed, and when they finally do, they adjust too quickly, which makes it hard to set the volume at just the level you want. I eventually settled on turning them to the max and fine-tuning a lower volume in iTunes. Also, there is no visual meter for the Spyro's volume, so you never know whether you're at half volume, full, or one-quarter—it's a total guessing game. And where is the headphone jack? (Trick question. There is none!)

Sonically, the Spyros impress. If they didn't, I'd be pretty disappointed, seeing as they are $10 more expensive than my favorite bare-bones 2.1 system, Harman/Kardon's Sound Sticks II (which, it should be mentioned, also lack a visual volume meter and a headphone jack.) The Spyros are a bit tinnier sounding, but it's not glaringly obvious. The subwoofer is quite capable of providing a nice kick-drum thud and rounding out the bass guitar in rock songs. I suggest setting it at a shade louder than halfway up to keep things from getting too bottom-heavy. One of my favorite rock albums, R, by Queens of the Stone Age, absolutely shined when played through the Spyros, with the crunchy guitars actually benefiting from the same high-mid frequency boost that can make the speakers seem a bit tinny compared with the Sound Sticks II.

In other words, there is no obvious audio choice between the two systems—it comes down to personal preference. They can both reach very high volume levels with little or no distortion, depending on the song. The Sound Sticks II seem to offer a slightly more accurate response, but neither system is of audiophile quality. I would encourage anyone shopping for a nice, simple set of computer speakers to try out both (with the same song, if possible) should the opportunity present itself.

Ultimately, I would choose the Sound Sticks II, which are made by Harman/Kardon (part of the JBL/Harman empire), because I think they offer slightly more pleasing audio and design—sturdy and good-looking (and transparent!). The minor quibbles I have with the Spyro system's functionality, the overly light speakers and the stubborn volume controls keep it from garnering a higher rating. If you have a small space or a cluttered desk but would like a fairly powerful sound system for your PC, however, the Spyro is an excellent option.

Harman, JBL's parent company, offers a one-year limited warranty. For tech support, go to JBL's support site.