Creative Pebble Nova Speakers Review – Spheres Of Connectivity And Musical Creativity
Creative Pebble Nova is a $279 USD pair of desktop active speakers, with two color variations available, and a 2.0 configuration, USB Type-C input and coaxial drivers. Today we will review the Pebble Nova and see how they fare in the market, along with comparing them with other similarly priced speakers including FiiO SP3 (349 USD), Tronsmart Bang Max (229 USD) and SVS Prime Wireless Pro (899 USD).
Introduction
While creative is best known for their soundcards and excellent electronics, they started making speakers and soundbars for a couple of years now, having some ultra competitive prices, excellent sound and beautiful designs. You can purchase creative products from Amazon, Aliexpress, their own online shop and usually electronic general shops like eMag and local shops too. The company is incredibly popular and has an outstanding warranty policy, usually being one of the safest choices for newcomers.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3ZbU0bF
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3SlRBJ9
Build Quality – Design
Creative Pebble Nova is a unique pair of speakers, looking, feeling and basically being spheres in design. This is not unseen, but it is a bold move, as they will give a bit of class and style to any setup. Creative makes bold promises in their marketing materials, as Pebble Nova is designed to shine and made to thrill. Pebble Nova is created to be paired with a Creative SoundBlaster X5, and they have the perfect angle for your desk, which is 45 degrees, using the series’s renowned 45 degrees elevated drivers, specifically angled to direct audio straight into your ears and improve the resolution as well as overall impact when listening and sitting at your computer.
At the base of the Pebble Nova speakers, you will find the stunning RGB lightning base, which spans the entire color spectrum and for which you can select from a range of presets for the right mood. Nova Pebble can be connected via Bluetooth, or Wired through USB or Line in. Technically, it is a 2.0 Speaker system with active amplification, a weight of 1.89 kG for each speaker, and multiple connectors including PD Adapter, 3.5mm aux input and USB Type-C input. For power, Pebble Nova needs a 65W input, and the power adapter brick is included in the package.
For the driver configuration, Creative uses one 3″ driver for the mid bass, and one 1″ driver for the treble, arranged in a coaxial layout, with a passive radiator for each speaker. This will produce a frequency response that spans between 55 Hz and 20 kHz, a SNR of 93 dB, and each satellite has a power output of 2 x 25 W for a peak total power of 100W. Bluetooth version is 5.3, with only the SBC codec supported by the Pebble Nova. Compatibility is wide, and includes Windows PC, MAC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Mobile phones via Bluetooth, PS4, and Nintendo Switch 2. This means that the speakers most likely use an UAC 1 connection.
Subjective Usage – Placement
Creative Pebble Nova comes with an automatic angling, so they are ideally placed beneath you, around 10 CM below you for for each 1.5 meters they are sitting away from you, so that their angle of fire will fire sound into your ears. They are not very sensitive to lateral dispersion, so it is not needed for the speakers to be aimed at your ears. As with most speakers, Pebble Nova relies on the quality of your room’s acoustics to produce sound, and they will sound far better if you’re in an acoustically treated room, but they are designed for nearfield monitoring, so most of the sound is consistent with the listening distance. The idea is that if you’re close to them, as per their design, the sound is really consistent and will not change with the acoustics of your room.
USB Mode and Bluetooth is recognized instantly, but usually the host device controls the volume, which is problematic a bit because those have a lot of maximum volume, and fine control is harder when the host is doing the control. There is no noticeable USB DAC delay, so Pebble Nova is great for playing video games, watching movies or live concerts of video clips for music. They are easy to place in a room, and the cable is long enough even for placing them next to my 65″ Monitor and they sound great when used nearfield with it. The most ideal listening position is an equilateral triangle having formed between you and the speakers.
There are no batteries involved, and the only other decision you have to make is if you’re keeping them as pebbles or speakers, as both a pebble direct support so they stay flat on the desk like balls, or on top of tall supports are possible choices. The LED ring at the bottom plays with colors and I have not figured out how to fine tune it, but it is not very visible nor too strong and there is a way to control it. The coaxial design means that sound always reaches you with 100% perfect cohesiveness and in phase. There is a pop sound every single time I play something new, or change the song I am playing, which means that the amplifier switches off when there is nothing playing. There’s a bit of hissing and background noise with no sound playing, but it is not noticeable and from a natural listening distance I cannot hear it.
Sound Quality
Pairings – As Creative Pebble Nova is an active pair of speakers, they are not designed to be used with an external DAC and have their own internal DAC, so the best way to connect them sonically is via Type-C USB cable, or Bluetooth. To drive them, I have paired the Pebble Nova with the Khadas Mind 1 mini PC, as well as my main workstation computer. For Bluetooth, you only have SBC, so that could limit the max resolution and clarity of the sound compared to using Pebble Nova via USB.
Overall Signature – We just reviewed multiple speakers with a similar size and design, like FiiO’s SP5 and SP3, and the idea of having a good pair of speakers for your desk is an important one, but it comes with the caveat that most speakers in this size have a limitation to the bass driver size, and Pebble Nova has a driver 3″ in size, not overly large. This being said, as it fires straight into your ears and there are large passive radiators on the back, the speakers are actually able to create a sound that is quite wide, and can climb down to 55 Hz with most of the impact starting at 60 Hz. They sound natural, vivid, but they need to be firing at you generally for the sound to be ideal. As all drivers are rounded and firing coaxially, even if you somehow miss the sweet spot laterally or vertically, you get a very complete stereo image and soundstage, which is just super nice compared to most standard bookshelf speakers. The sound is vivid, natural, a bit bright and open, fast and detailed. Both drivers are quite snappy and move easily, reacting to impulse. Using each stand changes the sound, as if you use them in pebble mode, your desk acts as a resonating box, while if using them with stands, that resonance is transmitted less, which creates a tighter but lower bass.
Bass – Bottom end of the Pebble Nova starts at about 55 Hz, with actual audible bass starting at about 60 to 65 Hz, and with most of the bass energy being between 60 Hz and 110 Hz. At first you will notice the lack of sub-bass extension mostly in EDM and synthetic music, where Pebble Nova cannot reproduce the full depth for artists like Apahse for example. But with burn-in that improves and they get better and better, to the point where you really don’t miss the bass at all. Bass can be incredibly deep and resonant at lower volumes, where the passive radiator at the back and the mid woofer can together create extension lower, down to 55 Hz, but once you increase the volume, they struggle to create that extension. Bass improves drastically over the first 10 hours of listening, and the more I hear them the less I feel like the bass is limited.
Midrange – Mids are clean and crisp, incredibly detailed, and instrument separation is also insanely good. It is likely that both midrange and treble are rendered by the tweeter, depending on where the crossover point is. This creates a sound that is almost as detailed as speakers 10 times the cost, like Aurender S5W creates. Both male and female voices have a similar level of clarity and crispness, and presence while all instruments are also super crisp and natural. Despite it being more of a gamer / consumer product, Pebble Nova reproduces orchestral music beautifully and besides the lack of bass which gives a slightly hollow body to instruments, those create what I consider to be an almost perfect tonality, sweet, playful, but fast reproducing the attack of orchestral instruments faithfully.
Treble – Top end is rendered faithfully, crisp, sharp and detailed, with a ton of energy and audible extension up to 18 kHz. Treble is basically perfect, with nothing lacking, maybe it is a tad sharp and too crisp at times, which can reveal fatiguing elements in music, but I am willing to trade this for having an excellent clarity and high resolution.
Dynamics And Textures – There’s a slight compression effect in Pebble Nova which makes the sound more engaging and increases resolution. It even works really well for classical music, but it works well for EDM and modern music too. Textures are different between the two drivers, and while the bass driver moves fast, it is sloppier, deeper and moves more slowly compared to the mid tweeter which moves really fast, is crisp and a bit sharp. The treble texture is metallic / sharp and not overly silky, which keeps all music interesting. The closest comparison I have is with Pylon Audio Diamond 30 mkii, which has a similar tweeter tuning.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – You can bring Pebble Nova quite loud and make them create over 110 dB sound in a 12sqm room, and over 105 dB in a 30sqm room. This sound is crisp, clean and has perfect tonality, with no audible distortion, and above this point they can start to distort. It is best to keep them under 50% of max possible volume as that is where they have best performance, but they get plenty loud at 50%. They also sound great when quiet, and I don’t have a particular preference for listening to them loud or quiet. Sound is louder in the voice range, but it is overall clearly audible and loud, perfect for playing games, watching movies or doing casual activities. Speakers of this size are not made for a party, unless you’re a student in a student room and using a room that is less than 10sqm. Creating such a strong sound from such a limited body is impressive and I can’t help but commend Creative for their excellent work with Pebble Nova.
Soundstage – Despite their rather pebble size, Nova can create a huge sound, holographic, vivid and punchy, with excellent instrument separation, depth and actual imaging. This also makes them perfect for both gaming and casual listening.
Comparisons
Creative Pebble Nova vs FiiO SP3 – (279 USD vs 349 USD) – Starting with the shape and size, you will have to pick which looks better to you. From a soft / hard POV, SP3 is slightly superior, more DAC tech, better bluetooth, but the USB Type-C on Pebble Nova works a bit better, and they also look a bit better to me (subjectively) as I like the novelty factor. Sonically though, Nova is quite a bit more revealing, more punchy, and more vivid in the midrange. Both speakers create about the same bass, but SP3 is heavier, slower and a bit darker, creating a sound that is more colored, while Pebble Nova is more transparent, has a higher transmittance, and also sounds more crisp.
Creative Pebble Nova vs Tronsmart Bang Max – (279 USD vs 229 USD) – Bang Max is like a parody idea, but it ends up being the main way I enjoy music while listening portably in my car, so it is a serious option if you have a desk and want lots of low-end boom and punch. The two speakers couldn’t be more different constructionally and in design, but your choice will still likely include both at some point due to the similarity in price. Sonically, Pebble Nova is far far more detailed, more crisp, sharper and cleaner with a more holographic sound and much better overall impact. This being said, Pebble Nova is far more limited in the bass, where Bang Max reaches down to almost 20 Hz, sounds full, punchy and kicks heavy, even in a car, creating a much higher SPL and louder sound, and being far better for loud listening.
Creative Pebble Nova vs SVS Prime Wireless Pro – (279 USD vs 899 USD) – While Prime Wireless Pro promises a lot more features for their sound, including complex streaming, larger drivers and a beautiful piano black finish, I somehow end up liking the look and design of the Pebble Nova more, it is simply sexier and more attractive thanks to their smaller, but more playful approach. Sonically, despite SVS Prime Wireless Pro costing much more, they sound more wooly, less defined and more vague, bigger, wider, but having a much bigger bass woofer driver, I expected more impact, yet Pebble Nova has a higher impact, much better resolution, cleaner, more crisp midrange, and a sharper treble with far better detail. Overall, Pebble Nova does lack around 5 Hz of extra sub bass extension, but considering the price difference and increase in overall resolution, Pebble Nova is a much better choice right now unless you want the extra fluffy features that Prime Wireless Pro has like streaming.
Value and Conclusion
Creative made an excellent pair of speakers that are beautiful, sound excellent and are affordable too. Connecting everything via Type-C USB connections is also great, and they even put in Bluetooth, with two stand options, one that makes them spheres and one that lifts them off the table, so value is insane. In fact, they positively compete with speakers 10 times the price literally, so Pebble Nova is a top product with insane value for speakers.
Especially if you don’t mind the slightly limited bass extension in the sub-bass, Creative Pebble Nova works well for all music styles, especially in smaller rooms, and will make metal raw, EDM fun and bouncy, and give orchestral the soundstage needed to be vivid and real. They are a top choice for speakers right now, and a favorite pair of mine.
PROs
- Unique design that is pretty and practical
- Long enough cables for a standard desk
- Wide and holographic soundstage
- Two support options, one raised and one as spheres sitting on your table
- Nice RGB effects that can be changed
- Dynamic, vivid and engaging sound
- Coaxial provides insane accuracy and ultra low distortions
- Passive radiators enhance bass depth and impact
- Improves a lot with burn-in
- Insane value compared to the market
Cons
- Due to the driver size, they cannot produce bass below 55 Hz
- Bluetooth limited to SBC only
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3ZbU0bF
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3SlRBJ9
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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