What Reddit says about Creative

“I use pebble speakers because: They're dirt cheap. Less than $20 when I got them They're tiny They take up no room on my desk at all and aren't blocked by my monitors. They sound good enough for background music or youtube audio. Anything I need better sound for, I'm wearing headphones anyway. my monitors dont have built in speakers. they look nice enough to sit on the desk and not be an eyesore”

“The Pebble V3’s with usb c are pretty decent although costs around 40”

“I got them for 34 euros in my country, they were on sale usually they go for 40 euros, LOL. I think 97% of people who judge the CREATIVE Pebble speakers as badly or even mid needs to actually put them next to something good, the V3 are actually exceptionally good, for their size they output extremely good quality audio and are VERY loud for what they are. I grew up with speakers that were 3 times bigger and sounded 70 times worse. The fact that these tiny speakers have bass is to me crazy but then again Asus ROG Phone 6 also has a lot of bass for a smartphone. Are the CREATIVE Pebble V3 great sound quality? No, they sound a muffled in mids at times, their lows can get buried in bass, its struggles to separate the finer tunes. In the old days (15 years ago) we used to call that character, the Pebble are a lot warmer in tonality which is good for general music, not the best for classics. The Pebble is not designed to be the Rolls Royce of speakers either, its designed to work with any device, bluetooth, 3.5mm or USB-C. You wont find exceptional speakers with that kind of hardware, for better or worse. I did find the Pebbles to perform the best on Asus higher end laptops or desktop PC because Asus provide their own tuned DAC's and people forget but Asus used to be an audio company, Asus still does audio really well even to this day except their low end stuff is something to stay away. If you connect the Pebbles to an external DAC, you can recover a lot of the mids and the lows at cost of volume, I am frankly not sure why people go with clinical high performance speaker systems that have zero character in them, then they proceed to play a Vinyl on it; because the joke writes itself.”

“Because they´re quite good, often trading blows with more expensive speakers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FDRfFWJty8 Close your eyes while listening, if you´d be able to tell a difference. That yt channel has multiple different variations of the testing. Also, their insides are interesting. I´m using Creative T10 at TV (because TV speakers are literal sh!t and that´s NEW TV bought few months ago) and that thing has Cambridge audio speakers inside. They´re not typically slim either. While they´re not as great as my studio monitor speakers i´m using on my main rig, i´m still able to figure out, if i´m using integrated or dedicated sound card there. Integrated audio is just mushy - once more than 3 instruments are playing, the initial clarity and resolution will drop and integrated audio will start mixing it together (once you can hear it, you cannot un-hear it; unless you´re getting deaf).”

“I bought the V1 for $6 at a thrift store. If you travel, they are sufficiently small and light, with respectable output. I have NX Waves installed on my laptop, and the combination is pretty amazing. In my experience the soundstage is very engaging and the modest bass boost complements the frequency response of the pebbles just the right amount. It is a very pleasant surprise. I do have high-end gear, but considering the cost in money, space, and weight you would be very hard-pressed to do better. If you have very little money to spend, these represent money well spent. Install equalizer APO (free) and tweak the sound to your liking if the NX Waves app is too much. Don't expect to be rattling walls, but you can expect a quality listening experience.”

“Creative pebbles are great for the price many people recommend them because of that. Infact because of this any pc speakers that are over £100 sound similar. Particularly if you opt for the plus option which comes with a subwoofer which really improves their quality along with the bass. I also use a Robert’s stream 94i which allows me to listen to music at higher qualities along with my JBL xtreme 2 which are a lot more punchy, along with my Sony xm4 headphones for Minecraft and coding. Whilst the creatives don’t compare to these for obvious reasons, for their price point and size they are great, Don’t criticise them they aren’t audiophile options but they are impressive and I would recommend them to anyone.”

“I got a creative sage sound bar a few years back and it's pretty decent. I used to be right into sound and had my PC hooked up to home theater systems with 5.1 and 7.1 etc but it's kinda not worth the effort these days.”

“Becuase the vast majority of time im using my PC and need good audio, i will be using headphones. The Pebbles are just there when i need some external audio and dont want to hassle with getting the headphones on.”

“I own the Creative Pebble speakers with the subwoofer and honestly, I think I got them for something like £30. I don't know how much they are elsewhere, but I previously did own a 7.1 surround sound desktop Logitech system and that would've been well over £100 at the time. Yes, I know they were Logitech but for me at the time, they were brilliant. The Pebble speakers are great for the price. But when listening to music, I usually wear my ATH-m50x's... That's my take on them anyway...”

“The pebbles happen to be the best speakers I’ve used so far, but that’s only because I’m not listening to music on my computer, I’ve got headphones and my phone for that. It’s just a quick audio solution, i only use them when I play some single player games and don’t want to wear a headset or watching YouTube videos”

“I want something decently low priced Pebbles are $20-$35 Doesn't sound like shit "They sound okay" Why do you guys keep buying low end speakers? Because a ton of people use headphones primarily and just want speakers occasionally Why are you mad that the $20 speakers you bought aren't incredible? People recommend them because they're literally a fraction of any decent bookshelf speaker”

“I am a content creator and gamer, I use pebbles, they get the job done. I have headphones some low end Bose brand, and a shure mv7 mic. Honestly I don’t even have the pebbles hooked up currently because I game and work with video with headphones on. The only reason I would even use the pebbles is to play music when Im getting chores done around the house but I have a budget audio system that I put together a few years ago with Bluetooth so I just connect my pc to that if I need the loud.”

“Personally, it's just because of how cheap they are. We all have our pair of headphones for when we're gaming. After shelling out so much for nice headphones, I'm content with my pebbles whenever my ears get tired. Plus they have a small footprint and look pretty nice on a desk.”

“Pebble v3 better than the insignia speakers they replaced and better than the crappy laptop speakers those replaced. I have better headphones but for simple work/productivity and I need to be not attached to my computer (wired headphones) I like my tiny desktop speakers. Good for what I need them for but far from the best. Not everyone is looking or can afford to listen to the quality of better. Plus the space they save is a good option for those with little space. I will continue to recommend pebbles for those who will benefit from their features.”

“I'm actually getting creative pebble tomorrow. I have a daughter and I'm tired of her dropping my HD6XX on the floor. When I'm watching her I won't be pulling out the sennheisers. Just the pebbles, out of reach behind the monitor.”

“I highly recommend the Creative Stage Air or Creative Stage Air V2. I recently purchased the Creative Stage Air for $39.99 for one of my builds. Let me tell you that you will be blown away with the sound quality and put a smile on your face on how much you saved. The V2 has improved bass, but I haven't actually had a chance to listen to it. https://us.creative.com/p/speakers?filters=2458 FYI - Also happen to have Edifier USA e25 Luna Eclipse 2.0 on one of my builds. Although the Creative will not have the volume matching my Edifiers, it really sounds great in comparison.”

“Creative Kratos S5 was their best”

“Sorry to Necro this thread. I recently purchased pebble V3s because I could power them through the monitor's USB and switch from Xbox to PC with ease. I thought about the Pro, but the uplift from $30 to $60 didn't seem worth it.”

“People responding to this are like "Yeah those $30 speakers sound like shit, buy these for $200, best budget speakers around". Yeah no shit speakers that are 6x the price sound way better. Pebbles sound great for the cost and they look kind of neat. No reason to get all uppity about it.”

“I mean sure, those are a great brand. But the whole point of Creative Pebbles is they're really good for being under $50 . Edifiers are a different price point entirely.”

“Sorry to respond to your 6 month old comment. I have done some research on desktop speakers and I saw the Edifiers, and they honestly look outdated and something I'd use for a home theatre setup for a budget, not a PC. Ended up buying the Pebble Pros and am happy with them. Does what I want it to do and nothing fancy for listening to music while WFH.”

“Seeing the comments recommending $100-$400 speakers to replace $20 speakers is kinda hilarious tbh. The reason Pebble is recommended is because for $20 you are going to be hard pressed to find anything better. They are small, have a decent amount of volume, and does a good job without having any real drawbacks for the price. And as someone who's had to use cheap Insignia speakers or built in monitor speakers, the Pebble are way better. Especially for this sub where most people have a fixed budget, $80-$100 is enough to put you in a higher tier CPU or GPU (or both depending on what you buy).”

“The best for the price hands down. BeLow 100. Use them at work. There is no off button though. The one thing they are missing. Close in quality to my home set : Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer which used is over 200 usd today.”

“I've had gaming rigs since the early 90's. Have spent anywhere from $50 to $300 on speaker setups for my PC's over the years. This last build, what did I get? Pebble speakers. They're better than those built into a monitor, they're small and don't take up much room, I no longer force half the house and neighborhood to listen to my gaming through high-end speakers and, they work just fine for the situations I use them in. But the biggest reason I don't bother with a high-end speaker setup would be because I use my Corsair HS 80 headset for the majority of my gaming. $100 and they sound better than any standard speaker setup I've had while not having multiple speakers and a big ass sub to place around my office.”

“I bought the creative pebble speakers based at least partially on aesthetics, and honestly i'm pretty pleased with the sound quality. sure it's not as good as a studio monitor or something high end, but they're decent, clear, can get plenty loud without sounding like ass, and they don't make it sound like you're inside a tunnel. I've seen significantly worse quality for significantly more money on plenty of occasions.”

“I quite like my pebble v3, when sounds really matter I do play with headphones anyway. What I like about the pebble: compact, sound okayish, cheap, easely arranged on my cramped desk, much better than my build in monitor speakers and the plain design. Anything that would be better and as small does not really exist, bigger and better is pricier and I wouldn't have space for it on my table.”

“In any case, the Creative Pebble V2 are superior to all the cheap shit from Edifier/Presonus that influencers are quick to take pictures/make sponso videos on Youtube/Instagram. Not at all ! Presonus and Edifier are so GoOd, BeSt QuAlItY pRiCe ! No. Just, no. The Pebbles have no coil whine like a lot of Edifiers on standby, no treble that pierces the eardrums like the Presonus 3.5~ No distortion in the bass like the Presonus (when they are placed in front of the wall) Why do people choose Pebbles? (and mainly V2) because : They cost nothing They are super minimalist/pretty An on/off button that acts as a volume at the same time! and on the front. They have mediums! (which the majority of Edifiers don't have, Edifier is often V shape) Easy to clean Once EQ with APO on PC we get a very correct sound for the price! Best spatialization for the price But yes they are missing : Much of the Low spectrum Distortion at very very high volume No analytical treble A little too light (weight) But for me, they are more balanced than Presonus speakers which costs +100 euro, they have a nicer mid than the Edifier speakers (overated) In any case, if you want REAL balanced speakers, you take big Focals or something like that, you don't take crap like "eDiFiEr" which for me remains a Chinese "no-name" brand.”

“Pebbles are great for their price”

“And here I am, still using my Creative 5.1 from 20 years ago.”

“If you just need reliable speakers that are decent anything in the creative pebble line works fine and sounds pretty good for $30–50 depending on if you get the one with a sub”

“Bought the Creative Pebble Plus 2.1 with the subwoofer. I don’t need audiophile quality sound in my office and these meet my needs.”

“Those Pebbles are actually pretty good desktop speakers for how cheap they are. I've also been using a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones for a little over ten years now.”

“Me too they're fantastic not at all what I expected for the price”

“Oddly enough, Pebble. Had them for Xmas. They reviewed very highly so was happy to recommend them for my wife to buy for me.”

“Pebble as well, also got them for Christmas. Compact and a punchy bass with the sub. Couldn’t go wrong for sub £40, but I don’t know enough about high end equipment for me to make a suggestion!”

“I’ve been using the Creative Pebbles por a couple of years now, and they have been great so far”

“If they're just computer speakers for general use and not meant to be audiophile type, I love the Creative GigaWorks T20. I've had mine for over a decade and they're still great. Plenty good enough for music, and whatever else. And they aren't even expensive. They're way better than their price would suggest.”

“If you're looking to spend $100 on a soundbar get the Creative Stage V2. It's pretty much bang on $100 and you won't find a better soundbar + subwoofer for that price. It punches well above its weight.”

“Been using them since the pandemic. Great speakers for such a low profile.”

“Like everyone suggested, get an Edifier. I had a Creative T20 Series 2 that lasted a decade, and the one who posted the T40 Series 2 is also another great option. I replaced mine with an Edifier R1000T4 and it's great as well, however I forgot before the MR4 was released. I would have gotten the MR4 back then.”

“These are great, I had the T20 S2 for almost a decade before it died. It was small yet powerful, great audio as well.”

“I can vouch for the T40. I've had them for 5 years, they're pretty darn good for the price. I've even attached a small sub to them, which made them even better.”

“While I haven't tried the T40, I own the T20 and am super happy with them. Awesome stuff, especially for the price. I can only expect the T40 to be even better.”

“Got pebble, it's not listenable without eq, the treble is way too harsh with distortion, which tricks noobs into thinking they have soundstage and "clearity" lol”

“Yeah they suck I don't get why PC guys waste their money on Creative and Logitech crap when they could get a decent passive set up (or some active speakers from a decent hi brand at least)”

“I don't. They're garbage. If you're actually committed to a good setup then here's your answer: Buy yourself a small amplifier board, something with a TPA3116 amplifier chip. These range from about £3 up to about £20 on Aliexpress depending on the amount of 'completeness' they are. Some require assembling and soldering and a case, others are pre-built and have all the stuff in the box. Next, buy yourself or freecycle yourself some decent speakers. I got myself a set of very smooth Kenwood bookshelf speakers for free because of one of them had a hole in the side. I filled the hole with some wood filler and painted it. You can't tell unless you look close and it's on the side not in view. Don't get crap. Good speakers cost pennies these days because people are so willing to get rid of old stuff because feelz. Wire it up and enjoy the best music experience you'll ever get from your PC. Stuff like Creative Pebble or these other 'desktop speakers'... they're just shit. Absolute garbage. I was once given a set of PC Boston Acoustics with component speakers + Subwoofer... GARBAGE.... just garbage. Trust me. Build your own set using the instructions above. It'll cost you between £20-£40 but you'll get a great sound and not break the bank.”

“Great to start your audio journey with. They have cheap offerings that far surpass other computer speaker manufacturers like Creative or logitech for similar prices. But not really hi fi.”

“these are terrible recommendations wtf lol. tiny overpriced audioengines that will sound worse than monitors half the price, and some weird shit from creative? the presonus monitors are the only thing on this list that makes sense.”

“Depends on your budget and expectations. At under $100, I think they’re definitely good enough for general PC use and gaming (better than anything Logitech or Creative have at that price point). I used them for a couple of years before upgrading to a pair of JBL 530s and a Loxjie A30 amp (massive upgrade, btw, but also a little over 3x the price altogether) They’re not going to compare with a decent amp and passive speaker setup, but they are excellent value. Edifier also had some good entries at the $100 price point, so would be worth taking a look at the R1280T or R1280DB when it goes on sale.”

“You should consider alternatives to the usual "computer speakers". A good set of small diameter monitor speakers will perform much better than a set of logitech/creatives, and imo, look pretty dank on the desk/wall mounted. I was recently in your boat, and I decided on a pair of M-Audio AV32. https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-10-Watt-Compact-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B00X741TKG . They are the smaller brother of the acclaimed AV42, and coupled with an decent DAC, can outperform (in any sense) a pair of overly expensive "computer speakers". Due to the acoustics around my PC, the bass is plentiful (even overkill sometimes, and I have to use the mobo's sound software to dial it down using the EQ). However if you feel its lacking, M-Audio do a subwoofer for the same system.”

“Pebbles like all USB powered speakers are held back by the lowest common denominator in terms of power from a USB A port without PD so I assume apx 10 watts (5v 2A?) at most and then take in to account the amp in the speakers isn't %100 efficient. So likely under 5 watts per speaker. Not a lot of power. Pebbles are convenient for laptop setups if you just want a slight improvement over the built in speakers and don't want the extra wires of an AC powered set. I'd never buy or use them but I want a lot more out of my desktop speakers! Edifier 1280 or 1700 powered bookshelf speakers are decent or a pair of unpowered bookshelf speakers and a class D mini amp or DAC/amp combo.”

“If you want quality sound then you're not the target consumer for the Pebble speakers, they're under $50 and you won't be getting high quality sound from them but for people who only care about audio being good enough If you want a higher level of audio you'd be spending way more and you're not who the Pebble is for”

“I love mine - two complaints that you will find about these are 1) They do not have an on/off switch and 2) The volume knob (potentiometer) will eventually wear out and introduce noise when adjusting the volume. I have the unit connected to a smart plug so I can turn off when needed via voice command or app, and I also have them running through a Dynasty ProAudio PMC-1 which allows me to turn them up or down and mute them, as I have a separate amped set of Sennheiser HD 558s with independent volume on my desk. Between both, I think these will last a long time, and I will definitely buy another set if they're still making them.”

“They are about as good as you can get for their price. They are still a cheap low end speaker. I like the Bose Companion 50’s as a reasonable 2.1 setup that’s good all round and not too large on the desk. However even these are not as good as an equivalently priced monitor speaker setup but they are massive in comparison and not practical for many desks/setups. They also won’t have the bass of the Companion 50’s but should be better through the rest of the range.”

“Creative A250 Don't judge, I have low standards for sound”

“I got the Leviathan V2 a little over a year ago. I really like it. The Creative Katana was a bit louder though, but sound quality to me seems pretty equal.”