Creative, renowned for its popular Sound Blaster sound cards, has introduced a new desktop speaker known as the Pebble Nova. This model is distinguished by its two-way coaxial driver, designed to deliver an expansive sweet spot, making it particularly appealing for users who intend to position the speakers adjacent to a computer monitor. Additionally, the Pebble Nova incorporates programmable RGB lighting in its base.
Coaxial drivers consist of multiple drivers aligned along the same axis, with the most typical arrangement featuring a tweeter situated at the center of a midrange driver, thus forming a two-way coaxial driver. While three-way coaxial drivers are available, they are less commonly utilized. Historically, coaxial drivers were primarily found in high-end audio equipment, but their adoption is becoming more widespread. A key benefit of this design is that sound from both the tweeter and midrange reaches the listener’s ears simultaneously, regardless of their position relative to the speakers. Consequently, even if the listener is not perfectly centered between the speakers, the sound image remains largely consistent. The sweet spot of a coaxial driver is notably broader than that of two separate drivers.
The Creative Pebble Nova can be placed on a desk on either side of a computer screen, but according to the manufacturer it is also suitable to fill a small to medium-sized room with sound. The spherical housing counteracts resonance and standing waves and the coaxial driver promises a wide sweet spot.
The Pebble family’s 45-degree elevated drivers work to accurately direct sound toward the user’s ears, creating a personal and immersive listening experience, according to the manufacturer. The included stand allows users to elevate the speakers as needed. The Nova also features RGB lighting that displays a wide range of colors, adding ambiance to any party or social occasion.
Music signals can be received either digitally through USB-C or analog through the 3.5 millimeter jack input. Additionally, the Pebble Nova features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
The Creative App, which is available for both Android and iOS devices, provides users with access to Creative’s proprietary Acoustic Engine audio technologies, such as Surround, Smart Volume, Bass, Dialog+, and Crystal Voice. This enables users to tailor audio settings and RGB lighting to their personal preferences.
The Creative Pebble Nova is priced at a suggested retail value of 280 dollars on the Creative website.
