Verdict
The Creative Pebble X are a fantastic set of sub-£100/$100 speakers with a fetid design , seemly connectivity choice and powerful audio with brilliant soundstage and meaty low - goal . They lack a little moment of top - end finesse and sheer quantity of connectivity choice , though .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
originative ’s Pebble line of speakers has been around for a while as a reliable and useable option for more affordable computer speakers , with the Creative Pebble X look to add another compelling optionto the serial .
With this in brain , the unexampled Pebble X is priced at £ 84.99 / $ 90 , Creative is perhaps aiming a little higher than previous models , boast uprated 2.75 - column inch drivers , fun RGB kindling and Bluetooth connectivity . That ’s a average price for such a subject set of speaker , especially when all - in - one budget soundbars such as theEdifier MG300aren’t of necessity a patch on these .
I ’ve been testing the Pebble X for the last few weeks to see how well they perform , and whether they ’re worth your hard - gain cash . get ’s find out .
Design
As with previous Pebble speakers , the Pebble X is a pair of dinky , spherical mold desktop speaker with a small cutout for the drivers . The smattering of RGB present on the side in a grille - fashion pattern is pleasing too as it shines through the translucent plastic , and give the Pebble ex some welcome flair .
The cutout spherical design also has the benefit of raising the drivers into the speaker enclosing , and angling them to an optimal 45 degree angle , according to Creative . The gold colour on the equipment driver themselves offers some welcome flair alongside the RGB lighting too .
At just 136 mm tall , they ’re also rather stocky , and can be placed virtually anywhere without any fuss . I ’d also wager you could put these in a suitcase and take them on your travels if you wanted to have desktop - style audio frequency with a laptop . They also press just 1.2 kilo , making them significantly more portable than the ilk of theMajority D80 .
Features
As much as the Pebble X follow Creative ’s excogitation terminology for more simpler background speakers , they offer a bit more than that when it derive to feature . Connectivity is treat either by USB - ascorbic acid or 3.5 millimeter for pumped up options ( with the option to connect a mike ) , while there is alsoBluetooth 5.3wireless support .
The physical remark are found on the back of the right handwriting talker , and oddly , there are two USB - cytosine port . This is strong , but the likes of Majority D80 have a more extensive selection of connectivity options .
The reason for two USB - C ports is because one is designed to handle only 30W of power – i.e. what you ’d get from a USB - C porthole on a laptop or desktop PC – while the other declare oneself a way of capture to 60W of peak power . 60W of tip king is a lot for more thickset speaker like this , with the knock - on effect of making audio sound bigger , and with more basso , allowing the RGB lighting to get bright .
On - board controls are otherwise minimal with a small book dial and tiny dedicated button for Bluetooth pairing and changing the RGB lighting effects . There is also fellow software system for Windows which offers canonical functionality such as choosing from predetermined strait mood , fiddling with an EQ or choosing RGB lighting presets .
A companion app for iOS and Android also exist , although its feature set is despoil back to just allowing you to upgrade the firmware and customise RGB lighting effects .
Sound Quality
Plugged into a USB - C PD port to provide the maximum 60W of powerfulness , the Pebble X ’s audio is powerful for such a small unit , expect great deal of volume . They ’re quite a fun - sound set of desktop speakers that also carry a fair amount of bass , such as on Simply Red ’s Ring That Bell . Let ’s channel from Earth , Wind and Fire was up-and-coming with a strong low - destruction , although sub - freshwater bass is a little lacking .
As for the mid - range , James Taylor ’s Walking Man declare oneself self-coloured handling of vocals with reasonable preciseness , with clear-cut strings in the track ’s background alongside frizzy acoustic guitar lines . It was the same history with Jimmy Buffett ’s Tonight I Just Need My Guitar , while impress over to Get On Your Feet from Gloria Estefan march this with the rail ’s energetic synth horns carrying plenty of poke .
In certain instances , the treble on offering here lacked a moment of refining in equivalence to the rest of the soundstage , such as the rhythm section on Get On Your foot or the light cymbal work on Steely Dan ’s Doctor Wu . It is n’t as snappy as with other speakers I ’ve test , but still perfectly serviceable .
Where the Pebble X excels most though is with its terrific soundstage . It ’s here where I ’m thankful for the longer cable between the two speaker , as it allows for precise positioning on your desktop so you get the welfare of classifiable separation with plenty of room to rest between a track ’s item-by-item component .
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Should you buy it?
For such little unit of measurement , the Pebble X impress with hefty sound recording with bountiful low - final stage , while also being able to get rather meretricious if you want them to .
As much as the USB - C , 3.5 mm and Bluetooth option for connectivity are upstanding on the Pebble X , larger Speaker can offer the likes of HDMI ARC , RCA short letter - in and more .
Final Thoughts
The Creative Pebble X are a fantastic set of sub-£100 / $ 100 speaker unit with a prissy blueprint , adequate connectivity choices and powerful audio with smart as a whip soundstage and meaty low - end .
They miss a little bit of top - end finesse and sheer quantity of connectivity pick , though , against the like of theMajority D80 , for instance . For a set of smaller wireless speakers though in a more low-cost price category , these are a great choice .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every speaker we review soundly over an drawn-out period of time . We use diligence standard tests to liken features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
receive out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
The Creative Pebble X weighs 1.2 kilogram in total , with each speaker press just 600 g .
Full Specs
