Home Speakers

Creative Pebble desktop speakers review


At my home office, I’m trying to consolidate my speaker set up. I’ve been into trying to become more minimalist, and although I love my Logitech 2.1 speaker system with subwoofer, it’s big, clunky, and not very necessary at the moment. Lately, I’ve just been using headphones on my computer or a Google Home to play music or listen to podcasts. When I had the chance to review the Creative Pebble desktop speaker set, I wanted to see if this would enhance my home office desk life. Let’s take a look!

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

What is it?

From Creative’s website – “Inspired by the zen Japanese rock garden, the orb-shaped Creative Pebble is a sleek and elegant 2.0 speaker system that looks perfect in any home and office.”

Hardware specs

Dimensions (H x W x D):  4.5 x 4.4 x 4.6 inches
Drivers: 2″ Full Range Speaker Driver
Frequency Response: 100Hz ~ 17kHz
System Configuration: 2.0 system
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 86dB
Connector Type: Line-In, AUX-in, 3.5mm Analog Stereo Connector

What’s in the box?

  • 2 x speaker “satellites”
  • 1 Warranty and Technical Support Booklet

Design and features

Along with decent sound, the Creative Pebble speakers are small, sleek and look great on my desk. They are as tall as a 12 oz soda can and reach far enough on either side that I can listen to my audio in decent stereo quality.  They feature a 45° elevated angle for audio projection and are powered by a single USB cable, which is great for cable management. I connected them to my Mac Mini via the 3.5mm stereo output.

There’s a grippy surface on the bottom of each speaker so that they don’t slide around. This is a small detail that I appreciate. The speakers are round and pretty lightweight, so I wouldn’t want them to roll around or fall off my desk.

What I like

  • The sound is very good – much better than the built-in sound of my Mac Mini or laptop.
  • They look really nice and go well with my white desk.

What needs to be improved

Although the sound is better than a speaker, I do miss a bit more “bass” when listening to audio, especially music.

Final thoughts

I really like having the small Creative Pebble speakers on my desk to replace my bigger speaker system. It allows for me to get rid of unnecessary clutter on my desk while giving me better audio than the alternative of my Mac or laptop. There is a lack of deep bass, which is expected for a small speaker like this. If you’re looking for something bass heavy I’d recommend sticking to using another speaker for listening to music!

Price: $24.99
Where to buy: Creative.com
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Creative.

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Creative Pebble desktop speakers review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 16, 2018 at 4:21 pm.

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Be part of the movie with Edifiers uniquely luxurious e255 5.1 Home Theater System

Product design doesn’t always have to be boring. The Edifier e255 Luna E 5.1 Home theater system is a prime example of this. Its unique shapes and striking red color make it look like it came straight out of a Japanese Anime. But, the e255 is more than just another pretty face.

Looks aren’t everything

The 385-watt e255 has all the features you could want in a high-end 5.1 Home Theater System.

The center speaker of the e255 features an OLED display. The display lets you adjust both volume, decoder status, and trimmer settings.

You can easily adjust settings using the touch-sensitive controls on the decoder, or the small included remote control.

Versatile connection options allow you to connect the e255 to any device via either the Optical or Auxiliary inputs.

The e255 decodes both Dolby and DTS sound profiles, allowing you to hear movies the way they were meant to be heard.

One of the systems best features is its wireless speakers. Both the 8” subwoofer and rear satellite speakers pair with the decoder for true wireless surround sound. No more clutter and messy wires.

The system comes with a center speaker, 2 satellite speakers, a wireless 8” subwoofer, and 2 wireless rear satellite speakers. This unique looking system does come at a pretty lofty price of $999.99. Visit Amazon for more info or to purchase.

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Be part of the movie with Edifiers uniquely luxurious e255 5.1 Home Theater System originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 27, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Audioengine A5+ speakers are now A5++ with added wireless

Audioengine has a history of making affordable speakers that happen to sound like they cost much more. Their A5+ speakers look good and are solidly crafted. However, up until now, the A5+ speakers lacked any wireless capabilities. Not any more. The new A5+ Wireless speakers are bookshelf speakers that can be placed anywhere in a room and fill that room with great stereo. There is no network to setup, passwords to create, buttons to push, and inputs are always ready to go.

Like the original A5+, the A5+ Wireless eliminates the need for a stereo receiver or separate power amp. Setup requires no apps to download and no wifi hassles. Tidal, Spotify, Pandora, Apple music, Google Play and other streaming apps and services play instantly from your phone, tablet, and computer. The A5+ Wireless comes with upgraded aesthetics, aptX-HD, a 24-bit upsampling DAC, and has an extended wireless range. Their 150W peak power class A/B analog amps sound great compared to the cheaper digital amps found in many other mass-produced powered speakers.

The A5+ Wireless speakers are constructed of hand-built wood cabinets complete with 5” Kevlar woofers and 3/4” silk tweeters (made by Audioengine), a 24-bit upsampled digital audio converter, front panel volume control, a subwoofer connection and included remote. Extended Bluetooth range is rated at 100 ft.

The A5+ Wireless speakers come in satin black, gloss white, and solid bamboo and are available now for $499 (black or white) and $569 (bamboo). Visit audioengineusa.com for more information.

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The Audioengine A5+ speakers are now A5++ with added wireless originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 4, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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A Brutalist approach to speakers

When you ask someone what speakers are made of, most younger people would say plastic or metal (portable Bluetooth speakers) while older people might say wood (think your father’s stereo system). I can guarantee you that no one would say concrete. That kind of thinking might change if Brutalist-Lab has anything to do with it. Brutalist-Lab (even the name sounds hard) makes the new Monolith line of concrete bookshelf speakers. Granted they may not be the first, but their approach is different. Not only are they hand-made in Budapest, Hungary, but  Brutalist-Labs offers three styles of concrete. Who knew concrete comes in styles?

The Omana style is done in collaboration with Omana Design utilizing a special acid etching technique which results in a totally unique bluish-cyan surface.

The Italian inspired Terrazzo style never ages. The minimalist black on white look is made from basalt and crashed marble giving the surface a smooth appearance.

Lastly, the Shibori style brings out a starscape look with Brutalist-Lab’s own technique of concrete coloring. Once again, the result is a one-of-a-kind speaker.

Each speaker features a full-range 3-inch driver combined with a bass reflex enclosure at the back of the concrete cabinet. The power rating is 20 watts with a maximum of 40 watts. Dimensions are 13.3 in. tall X  in. wide X 4.75 in. deep. Brutalist-Lab is now selling these had-made speakers for €395 ($463 US). Visit www.brutalist-lab.com for more information.

Focal focuses on Dolby Atmos with its newest line of Sib Evo home theater speakers

As I’ve said in my reviews of Focal’s excellent headphones and earphones, French speaker maker Focal is primarily known for their expensive (but also excellent) speaker line. However the audio news coming out of Focal this week is not about their crazily expensive speakers, but a more reasonable line of home theater speakers. Focal’s new generation of Sib speakers is shaking up the market with their Sib Evo line featuring Dolby Atmos technology.

Sib is Focal’s ‘lifestyle’ speaker line that fits with every interior and will match the volume you’re looking for. The audio will perfectly render dialogue with the full intensity of action. All the key elements of movies are conveyed with clarity and precision, giving the impression of being in the heart of the action.

The audio quality of Focal’s Sib speakers is impressive considering their size. This Sib range of speakers comprises a complete home theater system of satellite speakers with an active subwoofer.

Focal chose to expand its range of home theater products by providing an extra feature to its Sib line—the two-in-one Atmos enabled speaker. “The Sib Evo Dolby Atmos speaker is the second generation of Focal’s iconic Sib range that launched in 2002, and keeps in line with the design codes of the range with a style that is futurist, but timeless,” said Ben Jensen, president of Focal North America. “Our Sib range of compact speakers has been a reference in the home cinema universe. It became the go-to system in the 5.1 home cinema sector with its timeless design which has set the trend for nearly two decades.”

The Sib Evo line is a system for first time or pre-existing installations. It’s available in various configurations depending on needs and budget. It tops out with a system comprised of five bookshelf speakers, two Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers and a 200 watt active subwoofer.

Sib Evo is a two-way bass-reflex satellite speaker equipped with a 5″ Polyflex woofer and a 1″ silk dome tweeter. It’s ABS housing has a matte and lacquered finish. Everything is integrated into a sizeable enclosure giving it extended frequency response. This gives Sib Evo an advantage of being ideal for reproducing music with or without a subwoofer.

In addition to the Evo speaker, the Sib Evo Dolby Atmos features a 3″ full-range Polyflex speaker driver dedicated to reproducing only Atmos effects. It was designed with more rear volume than the Evo speaker to give it even more extended frequency response.

The Cub Evo subwoofer has an 8” speaker driver driven by a 200W Class D amplifier. The Cub Evo is equipped with a crossover, phase inverter, ON/OFF auto power function, and LFE input. The Class D amplifier allows Cub Evo to deliver powerful, controlled bass with a frequency response that extends as low as 35Hz. (that’s low). Cub Evo is an ideal companion for all varieties of home theater systems.

Extensive research has gone into making Sib Evo easy to install. The speakers are equipped with a connector system with push buttons to make it easier to hook up to an amplifier. There are also double connectors instead of single connectors for the power supply.

Focal’s Sib Evo products are made up of five differently priced packages:

Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 system – $1,299 US. It has 5 Evo Bookshelf speakers, an Evo powered subwoofer, and 2 Evo Dolby Atmos enabled speakers.

Sib Evo 5.1 – $999 US. It has 5 Evo bookshelf speakers plus an Evo Powered Subwoofer.

Sib Evo Dolby Atmos 2.0 system – $599 US. This add-on package has 2 bookshelf Dolby Atmos speakers with ceiling directed speakers. These speakers can be added to any 5.1 Theatre system.

Sib Evo 2.0 (2 Bookshelf Speakers) – $299 US.

Cub Evo powered subwoofer – $379 US.

All Sib Evo products will be available in August, 2017. Visit www.focal.com for more information.

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