INTRODUCTION

   If you've happened to visit your local electronics superstore lately or if you've just surfed into Amazon to check all their latest offers then you should be well aware that wireless portable speakers are taking over the market and with good reason really since they provide a much smaller alternative to the old generation Boombox machines people had to carry around with them every time they wanted to party with their friends. Unfortunately technology hasn't reach the level required for one of those portable speakers to actually compare with those boomboxes in terms of raw volume power (some not so "portable" ones can however) but most of those devices make up for that by offering extra features like the ability to make/answer calls (speakerphone) and recharge other portable devices like your smartphone (PowerBank). Creative however seems set on changing that by squeezing even more extras into such devices and their latest Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 may just be the beginning.

   Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, wireless headphones and portable media devices. Today, Creative re-invents the Sound Blaster, which has a user base of over 400 million, with its ground-breaking Sound BlasterAxx that aims at the new mobile networked generation by bridging the worlds of the computer, smartphones, and tablets. Creative’s proprietary technologies, innovative hardware, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

   Creative is one of the very few companies that i really respect not only because they've been the pioneers in sound for the PC without which i doubt things would be the way they are currently but also because I’ve been using their products since the early 90's (it was still Creative Labs back then) starting with the Sound Blaster 16 and owning pretty much every single one of their models until the X-Fi Titanium HD which as many of you know i still use till this day. Of course through the years Creative has expanded into many other areas in the industry from speakers, headphones and headsets up to webcams and mp3/4 players so it was really a matter of time before they focused their resources towards the design and manufacture of portable wireless speakers. The Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 is not really their very first attempt to create a multi-function portable wireless speaker since there have been three more before that the SBX8, SBX10 and SBX20 models (unfortunately i never had the chance to test those so i can't compare them to the AXX 200). Specs-wise Creative has equipped the AXX 200 with their latest SB-Axx1 multi-core audio processor (offers real hardware acceleration), Bluetooth v2.1 (EDR/aptX/AAC), two vertically positioned 40mm stereo drivers, one passive radiator, quad-microphone array (used both to make/answer calls and for audio recording), touch-sensitive control panel, built-in rechargeable 5200mAh battery (can also be used to recharge your compatible portable devices), NFC (Near Field Communication) sensor and a microSD card slot which is connected to an integrated WMA/MP3 player. Thanks to the SB-Axx1 multi-core audio processor the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 also features Creative’s' proprietary SBX Pro Studio technology (intelligently enhances audio in real-time), Super Megaphone technology (not only allows you to boost and change your voice but can also be used as a karaoke machine when used with the integrated WMA/MP3 player) and also allows the speaker to be used as an external sound card. So Creative has definitely taken things further down the road, the only question is whether or not that's the road to take and as always we're here to find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Because of its design the Axx 200 comes packed inside a tall yet think cardboard box with a product image at the front right next to its list of features.

Using two pictures of the top and rear Creative is showcasing all the available buttons and connectors over at the left side.

A few words about the product by Creative’s' CEO Sing Wong Hoo are printed on the opposite side.

The product features are also listed in detail at the rear of the box.

Along with the AXX 200 you will also get an AC wall adapter, USB to microUSB charging cable, carrying pouch, quick start guide, handy guide and warning papers.

THE SOUND BLASTERAXX AXX 200

The hexagonal rod shape of the AXX 200 distinguishes it from most other portable speakers out there and although it's been a while since we've seen something similar in the audio department still we think it looks great.

Size-wise the AXX 200 measures 201mm in height, 66mm in width and 74mm in length while it weighs a total of 529g.

The product name is imprinted on both the left and right (on the glossy plastic area).

Checking the current battery state is very easy thanks to three small LEDs placed at the front of the base.

A clear sticker is used to quickly inform you on how to operate the device.

Creative has placed the NFC sensor on the right rear side of the AXX 200.

At the rear of the AXX 200 we find the power on/off/standby/Bluetooth pairing button, the play/pause button, next/previous track buttons, record and play/pause buttons (dedicated for recordings), microphone mute switch, normal/repeat mode switch, megaphone switch, passive radiator exhaust port, microSD slot, USB port (used to charge other devices), headphones and auxiliary/microphone 3.5mm jacks and the microUSB charging port.

Two of the four available microphones are located right above the power button (the other two are located at the top end of the fascia).

When turned off the touch-sensitive control panel at the top looks a lot like a polished glass surface.

However it's not until you turn on the device that you realize how good it really looks (on top of that it's very responsive).

THE AXX 200 DOCKING BASE

Creative also send over the docking base which basically allows charging of the Axx 200 without plugging it anywhere while the extra power plugs guarantee use all over the world.

Inside the box you will find the docking base, AC power adapter, 4 power plugs, microUSB to USB charging cable, user’s manual and warranty information papers.

The docking base has the same design as the AXX 200 and it basically has two small gold plated charging pins that come in contact with the base of the speaker.

Of course prior to doing that you need to remove the round rubber cover at the center of the base prior to using it (you can than mount it beneath the docking station for safe keeping).

Just a small microUSB charging port is placed at the rear of the docking station.

While on the charging base the AXX 200 measures roughly 215mm in height.

USING THE SOUND BLASTERAXX AXX 200

If you plan on using the Sound BlasterAxx Axx 200 as a microSD player or as a speakerphone/recorder then you need not do anything prior. However if you want to use it as an external USB sound card then you need to head over to the official support page to download the latest available drivers.

Creative has designed a nice looking control panel for the Axx 200 as you can see from the above picture.

Via this control panel you can look at the current battery level of the Axx 200, set and/or edit the SBX profile of your choosing (you can only have 1 enabled at a time), set and/or edit the CrystalVoice profile you desire (again you can only use one at a time), test the speaker, play around with the mixer option and finally enable/disable Bluetooth auto connection and siren in Super Megaphone mode (pay attention to the auto connection mode since if not enabled the device can't pair automatically with devices you've already paired it with).

By default you can stream music onto the Axx 200 just like with every other wireless speaker in the market. For those however who want to have more control over what they hear Creative has designed a little control panel for iOS and Android compatible smartphones and tablets but although it did connect with our tablet we were unable to access any of the advanced features no matter how many times we tried (these features/settings are pretty much the same seen with the PC version).

CONCLUSION

   When Creative informed us that they'd be sending the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 over i have to admit that i was expecting something larger and so when i took the speaker out of its box i was somewhat disappointed. Certainly by "normal" standards the AXX 200 is medium in size but having reviewed large and very large wireless speakers like the A73 Boombox by TDK and the Solemate MAX by Jabra i don't really consider size to be extremely important (just as long as the weight is right). Fortunately thanks to the SBX feature the AXX 200 actually packs a larger punch compared to its size something which becomes really evident once you use it as an external USB sound card. Of course it can't compete with the X-Fi Titanium HD connected to a home theater like the setup in my room but it did perform much better compared to the built-in Harman Kardon speakers of my Toshiba Qosmio laptop so i expect many people to use it the same way. I was also quite surprised to see that although the Axx 200 has a limited amount of bass (the exhaust port pushes air all the time but obviously the radiator is not powerful enough) it produced excellent mids/highs with very clear dialogs when used with HD movies. We did experience some audio distortion with the volume level turned all the way up but that's not really news to me since it has happened more times than i care to count with many other wireless portable speakers. If i could improve one thing about the speaker system used in the Axx 200 that would be to add at least one more driver and reposition all of them in order to give the device 360 degree sound. Moving to the quad microphones they also work as advertised and much better than most (if not all) wireless speakers we've reviewed to date since the people on the other end reported crystal clear audio quality. On the other hand however i can't say that i used the Super Megaphone feature a lot. Using it can certainly be fun and it does deliver on what it promises but i doubt I’d ever use it (unless if i wanted to pull a prank to someone). The microSD slot with the integrated WMA/MP3 player (a USB port attached to that player would make a fine addition for people who have their media lists in flash drives) is a very nice touch but i still can't figure out why Creative didn't include a next/previous track button on the touch-sensitive control panel. Using the rear buttons can be somewhat hard when you’re not very close to the unit so next time i hope Creative remembers that. As for the 5200mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery well it gives the device up to 12 hours of playback time at almost maxed out volume levels and that's quite remarkable especially when the average battery life for such devices is set at around 8 hours at max volume levels. The only serious "issue" we came across while testing the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 was with the Android application which didn't make all tabs available to us but even if this is not an isolated event I’m certain that Creative will eventually fix that bug (if not you can still use the Axx 200 in normal streaming mode just like every other wireless speaker out there).

   As we speak Creative has the Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 Intelligent Wireless Sound System for sale at USD149.99/149.99Euros (from the usual price of USD299.99/299.99Euros) on their online store and although the original price tag is indeed set quite high for this speaker this one is actually very good for all the things you're getting. Unfortunately the charging base is still sold separately and although usually Creative has it for sale at around USD29.99/29.99Euros whenever they have the AXX 200 for sale right now it's still listed at USD59.99/59.99Euros a price tag which is just too high for my taste especially for what the base offers. The Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 is far from being the perfect wireless speaker (if you just want a powerful wireless speaker then there are better solutions in the market currently) but it's so much more than just that so thanks to its very good audio quality (not for content rich in bass however), large number of features and very affordable price tag it's actually more like the jack of all trades which is why we give it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Excellent Mids/Highs/Vocals (SBX Pro Studio Suite)
- Volume Levels (SBX Pro Studio Suite)
- Quad-Microphones
- External USB Sound Card
- Touch-Sensitive Control Panel
- Super Megaphone Feature (Voice Masking)
- Battery Life (Up To 15 Hours)
- MicroSD Port With Integrated WMA/MP3 Player
- Voice Recording (Onto The MicroSD Card)
- iOS & Android Control Application
- Current Price Tag (For Some)

CONS

- Bass Levels
- Original Price Tag
- Charging Base Price (For Some)