Creative Pebble Nova Premium 2.0 USB Speaker Review

The Creative Pebble X Plus system uses the latest Creative App as seen in our Pebble X Plus Review. For our testing I installed the Pebble Novas directly through the Sound Blaster X5 External DAC as recommended on their site. This provided the Pebble Novas with extraordinary sound processing. I should note, no software is not needed if you are connecting using USB or the AUX cable (or at all really) the onboard tools meet your needs.

I tested the Pebble X Plus speakers both by Bluetooth and connected directly to my gaming PC. The speakers were placed to the sides of my monitor and unblocked at about 3.5 feet apart. This puts the distance to the primary sound stage at about 3 feet.  The office is about 12x12 and completely closed to let the speakers work with the acoustics of the room. Without the drivers or a DAC, the speakers sounded pretty clean with a clear sound stage and plenty of range.

To further test the audio, I connected directly to the X5 using the aux cable and set the DAC to low gain.  I set the onboard volume to about 25% and used the DAC to control volume.  I tested in both Direct mode and in the Music preset.

First, I fired up some of my favorite FLAC recordings. As always, I like to start with Pink Floyd’s Money to get a good impression of the richness of the sound stage and the positioning.   I found the sound stage warm and the bass punchier than I expected. Power was ample and I never needed to set eth volume of the X5 over 40%.

I also tried some tracks from Kraftwerk’s 3-D the Catalog.  Thee spacing is excellent with crisp almost shrill highs.  This sort of music is a really good fit for the Novas. There is more power here than I expected or probably need in desktop speakers!

The Creative Pebble Nova Premium 2.0 speakers represent a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Creative Pebble X Plus. With massive improvements sound quality, power output, and additional features like touch controls and attractive RGB accents, the Pebble Nova offers a more powerful and enjoyable audio experience for users without the need for a separate subwoofer.

Creative continues to push the Pebble series forward with even better sound quality packed inside those little round enclosures. With the Pebble Nova system you can get everything you need from a typical 2.0 system but in a stylish package that punches much harder than you would believe. Adding the USB-PD power source was an excellent decision to help improve both the sound stage and the frequency response.

I would definitely agree with Creative; to really get the best out of your Pebble Nova setup, you will need a good audio source. A premium onboard sound card solution will work but an external DAC takes the Nova setup to the next level.

Surprising Bass Besponse
Software Optional
Attractive RGB Solution
Tons of Power

No Headphone Support at Launch
A Good Sound Card is Recommended
Treble Can Be Bright