2023-06-12 07:20:04
The ‘Creative Pebble’ was captivating from the start. It’s small, the sound quality is great, and it’s only $25, so I couldn’t help but like it. Since then, Creative has released several versions of the Pebble, one of which was the Pebble Pro, which was released last year. It is an upgraded product from the basic speaker with an amazing variety of features and fantastic sound quality.
‘Pebble Pro’ design and size
When you take the Pebble Pro out of the box, two things first catch your eye. First, it has a sleek, round shape with similar proportions to other Pebble devices, and is about the size of a grapefruit (12cm x 12cm x 11.7cm). At the bottom, there is a round rubber pad to prevent slipping, and a rainbow-colored LED strip surrounds it. A control on the right speaker lets you adjust three lighting patterns and colors.
Second, there are many ports and jacks. On the back of the right speaker is a standard USB-C port that can transmit both audio signals and power, a USB-C Power Delivery (PD) port that can amplify the speaker output (no audio signals can be transmitted), a 3.5mm external input jack, and There is a wired cable connecting the two speakers. On the side of the right speaker are two 3.5mm jacks for headphone and mic passthrough. Bluetooth 5.3 is supported, allowing pairing with PCs, smartphones and other devices.
A button to switch between the different connection types is right next to the volume dial on the front of the right speaker. Press this button to switch between USB, Bluetooth and external input modes. Depending on the type of connection, the color of the LED to the left of the volume dial changes to purple, blue, or green.
How is the sound quality of the Pebble Pro?
No matter which connection method you choose, the sound quality is fantastic. Along with crisp and clear highs, the bass is also rich and balanced. The Pebble Pro reproduces voices, TV and movie lines, phone calls, and more accurately, and even more surprisingly, it retains that quality even at maximum volume. Generally, low-end speakers suffer from distortion, but this product does not.
Also, the sound of the Pebble Pro fills the room. That’s thanks to a 2.25-inch driver rated at 10 watts RMS (the original Pebble rated for 4.4 watts, the newer Pebble V3 has 8 watts). Even when powered from a standard USB-C port. Switch to the USB-C PD port and use the external input or Bluetooth mode to boost the speaker’s output even more (Creative recommends its 30-watt power adapter, but if you already have a similar one, you can use it).
This allows you to enjoy louder volumes from these tiny speakers, and most interestingly, not only does the maximum volume increase, but also the volume at low volumes. In an unofficial test (measured from a distance of about 25 cm using a smartphone’s sound measurement app), with a standard USB-C connection and Windows 10 volume set to 100%, the Pebble Pro’s volume reached 74 decibels. On Creative’s 30W power adapter (using USB-C PD and external input), I averaged 80 decibels.
However, the volume increase was larger when the volume was 40% and 60%. This is an increase of about 20% when using a USB-C PD port and power adapter. This means you can still enjoy rich sound even with the volume set relatively low. Normally, this is enough, and when you have a party, you can turn the volume up to maximum and output sound that fills the entire living room.
If you connect 3.5mm headphones, you can hear good sound quality just like using the speakers. However, it may be different depending on the headphones you use. One thing to note is that the speaker’s volume dial also applies to the headphone volume, so if you’ve turned the speaker volume up to maximum, you’ll need to turn it down before putting the headphones on. If you are not careful, you can be exposed to incredibly loud sounds.
How does the Pebble Pro’s mic passthrough perform?
The Pebble Pro offers the useful ability to pass a 3.5mm mic’s feed through in USB mode. You can use Creative’s software to automatically mute/unmute during calls, filter out unwanted noise, and more.
The noise cancellation is amazing and applies to both incoming and outgoing audio. Creative says the noise-cancelling feature is most effective at removing static background sounds like fans, vacuum cleaners, and even lawn mowing, so you can talk or listen without distractions. In our tests, it worked well even with mechanical keyboard sounds. When I listened to the recording of the non-stop typing sound, I heard almost nothing except for an intermittent rattle for a few seconds.
Should I buy the Creative Pebble Pro?
You can get a sub-model of the Pebble Pro for under $35. But if you want more advanced features, we recommend the Pebble Pro. This speaker provides pleasant, clear sound, rich volume, and practical additional features that enhance the PC environment. Plus, it’s fun to see the RGB lighting.
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