Creative Sound Blaster Free Review: Portable outdoor Bluetooth speaker that's loud but lacks clarity

Creative has quite a range of Bluetooth speaker options in its arsenal. We reviewed Woof 3 and quite liked it but felt it lacked bass from its tiny little speaker for a more rounded sound. Sound Blaster Free, on the other hand, has a bigger foot print and more speakers (three inside); we hope it can fill the shoes which Woof 3 couldn’t. Build and Design:8/10 When at first handling the speaker, you’ll instantly feel the sturdiness of it; it can definitely take a few knocks and yet run like it should. After all, this is an IPX4-certified splash proof design and this shows. The speaker will not work if submerged in the pool though, but will certainly stand more than a few splashes and bumps. [caption id=“attachment_295597” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Of the two colour options, white-sliver looks the nicest[/caption] You’ll notice that the splash proof design sense lends itself to the protective rubber flap that protects the slots well. The flap is sturdy and doesn’t at all feel tacky, neatly sealing itself when closed. [caption id=“attachment_295598” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The rubberised panel does a good job to protect the ports[/caption] The speakers’ controls are well designed and thoughtfully placed. Everything runs from the back of the speaker. Though this means that you’ll tend to turn the speaker around to play, skip etc., learning the controls through feel is the best way to handle it once you are familiarised with it. [caption id=“attachment_295599” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] All the essential controls right at the back[/caption] All other essential controls such as Bluetooth sync, volume, battery light indicators, are all on top when the speaker is placed vertically. Creative seems to push the vertical orientation of this speaker more, perhaps due to the “360-degree sound” feature (more on that later). [caption id=“attachment_295600” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Control Bluetooth, volume, power and battery light indicators on the top of the unit[/caption] These speakers aren’t your small portable discreet speakers, they are meant to be used outside in the open where ruggedness and loudness matter more than clarity of sound. Pool parties, at the beach or bicycle ride singing Queen’s “I want to ride my bicycle loudly” is a perfect fit for this speaker’s usage. Performance: 5/10 So how’s the sound? Does it offer better bass than the Creative’s Woof 3? To answer the first, the sound is okay but not particularly good. To answer the second, oh yes, it definitely has more bass and oomph than the Woof 3, but not the clarity. [caption id=“attachment_295590” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] These truly are outdoor rugged speakers[/caption] When listening to any track on these speakers, it sounds a little too mid and bass heavy, making the sound overall muddy. There isn’t as much clarity as Woof 3 has in the mids and highs. There is definitely “more sound”, but not the kind you’d associate with good sound. Since everything sounded muffled, it was time to test it if it can be corrected with an EQ when connected to the phone; and it definitely helped the matter immensely. The speakers began to have a lot more life in them so to speak. Loud Mouth The Loud mode actually helps the matters a bit; it adds a bit of oomph and pizzazz to the sound, but of course not clarity. Creative says it “Boosts volume and spaciousness of sound”, meaning the bass will feel pushed back, giving mids and highs more prominence with a louder volume. This was especially prominent in tracks like Breathless by The Corrs which has sufficient bass and good vocals to go with it. [caption id=“attachment_295591” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The Loud mode is a hit and miss depending on the track being played and your preference[/caption] Applying EQ to the Loud mode for sound correction does help but it fails at higher volumes where the speaker cannot keep up with the bass, it starts to sound as if it’s gasping; very evident in Enigma – Voyageur (Club mix). When tracks with high energy are played, you can make out the loss in clarity in sound separation. Tracks like Owl City – Fireflies and KMFDM – She moves in mysterious ways sounded noisy and mixed. So what’s to like? There are certain features that are notable in the speaker, such as the orientation of the speaker which makes a difference in the sound. When in horizontal flat mode, and at a lower volume, the speaker sounds bass heavy but also nice adding a pleasant background music effect when working. Woof 3 clearly showed the lack of bass, this one doesn’t and with EQ correction it can sound better. [caption id=“attachment_295592” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Horizontal orientation makes the sound bassier[/caption] In vertical mode, it has a better throw. It has the effect of “360-degree sound” which Creative touts. With Loud mode, this would work well in an open space party. Being vertical means, it can be knocked down easily too, which isn’t much of a bother owing to its study nature. Creative has thoughtfully provided non-slip surfaces for both orientations. [caption id=“attachment_295593” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The best mode for 360-degree sound and better throw of sound overall[/caption] MicroSD card support Creative seems to be the only one to give microSD card support in its Bluetooth speakers which is a real nice touch. Surprisingly, the microSD card player supports MP3, FLAC, and WAV files. Thankfully Creative doesn’t try to blatantly market this feature unlike Creative’s Woof 3 FLAC support. It is worth noting that there is no EQ that can be applied when playing from the microSD card, you get what the player and speaker is capable of. PC/Mac support Creative goes a step ahead and even provides a downloadable package called SBX Pro Studio to improve sound for your PC/Mac. Basically, hook up the speaker with the microUSB cable and it works as portable speaker enhancement. The software enables better sound output with an EQ option. These little thoughtful touches do go a long way. It is worth mentioning that the cord length is short for such a speaker, as this speaker does have volume and needs to be at length, unlike smaller speakers like Woof 3. [caption id=“attachment_295594” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The SBX Pro Studio for PC & Mac to enhance sound output[/caption] Call Quality: 6/10 The call quality was good overall. When testing, there was no complaint nor distortion that caused any discomfort in communication. The listener expectedly found my voice a bit “distant” when compared to speaking directly through the phone. The speaker itself was clear enough, though not as crisp as Creative’s very own Woof 3 . Battery: 7/10 The lithium-ion battery lasts about 10 hours as stated. Basically, you’ll never have a battery complaint with these speakers as they go on for quite a while. You’ll need your phone charger or Sound Blaster Free plugged into your laptop to charge it through a microUSB cable. Verdict and Price in India So would I recommend these speakers? Not really. I liked the ruggedness, features and the overall package but did not like the sound coming out off in particular. I’m positive Creative can do better than this; in fact, I’d love to test their other Bluetooth speakers which are more expensive and have better sound apparently. Coming to the price, this costs Rs 8,000 MRP which is too much for this quality of speakers. At Rs 6,500, it would make a better deal. But nonetheless be aware of what you get.