Creative has had a long run making entry-level audio for the PC market. Their latest entry is the Creative Pebble Plus – a modern take of the traditional PC speakers. It is being positioned for the budget-oriented market with a 2.1 channel sound system for your desktop just for above PhP 3,000 in the Philippines.
| Drivers | 2-inch Full Range Speaker Drivers with Subwoofer |
| Number of Channels | 2.1 |
| Satellite Speaker Dimension | 116 x 122 x 115mm |
| Subwoofer Dimension | 150 x 195 x 202mm |
| Cable Length | 1.2m (Right to Left Speaker, 3.5mm Jack, USB-A Cable), 1.8m RCA for Subwoofer |
| Power Output | Up to 8W RMS, Up to 16W Peak Power |
| Others | High Gain Switch |
| Connectivity | 3.5mm Audio Jack |
| Accessories | N/A |
There’s nothing much in the way of accessories bundled with the Creative Pebble Plus, presumably to keep costs down. It is still packaged properly with cardboard and plastic bubble wrap. Encased inside are two satellites, its subwoofer, and documentation.
Its two satellites are spherical in design to for a more modern design. They are angled upwards as to deliver a proper listening experience to the user instead of blasting audio to the chest like other speakers.
The right speaker has all the controls with the volume knob also acting as its power button and at its underside is a slider that switches gain from low to high. It also acts as a hub as the USB-A (for power), 3.5mm jack, left satellite, and subwoofer cables all run to it. This might make cable management harder depending on your setup.
Its cuboid subwoofer is fairly standard. It comes with a 4-watt downward-firing driver with a ported just beside it for improved bass. Unlike the satellites, however, there is no volume knob here so bass levels can’t be adjusted.
Creative’s Pebble Plus only supports a 3.5mm audio jack for output. There is no wireless connectivity to be found here. These are primarily desktop speakers, so that might not put off some users. Those who have laptops or smartphones without a jack will need an adapter to use these speakers.
The setup for the Creative Pebble Plus just takes a few minutes as only need to plug the cables into their respective ports and maybe clean up the cables. The satellites are not omnidirectional and thus will only direct audio where you face them, which is acceptable given that they are desktop speakers.
Performance is nothing to scoff at even though they are entry-level speakers. They won’t be able to fill the whole room with equal audio but its mids and trebles are decent. Listening to select tracks like Spiritbox’s The Summit and Jaded churns out good-sounding vocals and a bit of bass.
Bass may be a bit weak but that depends on the track being used. The highs can be harsh and can be easily detected by listening to cymbals as they can come out a bit aggressive especially on heavier songs.
You may also need to keep the volume knob down as increasing it to higher levels may introduce distortion to the audio. In the case that volume isn’t enough, however, you can switch the gain slider to high to get a healthy boost of volume and bass on the speakers.
The Creative Pebble Plus is a decidedly affordable 2.1 channel speakers. At PhP 3,000 in the Philippines, it is one of the standouts in the budget market from a reputable brand. Its minimalist design should be able to fit any home or office setups if you can manage to hide its cables properly.
As for audio, they are decent enough for an entry-level speaker. You get decent mids and bass but you may need to back off on the volume at times to prevent experiencing distortion. Some may be turned off by its lack of Bluetooth connectivity, but that’s to be expected to keep its price low.
The Creative Pebble Plus is now available in the Philippines via Creative’s official Shopee and Lazada stores, and authorized retailers nationwide.
