Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers Review

With so many available products in the market, it’s hard to find quality speakers without a huge compromise.

If you are on a tight budget and looking for an alternative to powered speakers, you might consider high-quality portable desktop speakers.

Portable speakers are convenient when you want to amplify sound without taking up a large space. Furthermore, you can carry them with you anywhere you go.

This Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers review will help you tick all the boxes on your checklist.

Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers Review

The Creative Pebble 2.0 USB-powered speakers are a feature-packed speaker set that is compact and light.

It has a minimalistic aesthetic design that fits most modern homes, workspaces, and offices.

Creative released this product in 2017, with its second and third versions released in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Although it is the first version of the three, it delivers quality audio while being the cheapest and consuming the least power.

Who Is This Product For?

If you are someone looking for affordable speakers with decent sound quality, the Creative Pebble speakers are excellent for you.

These budget-friendly speakers look like a premium product due to their solid audio output and minimalist design.

On the other hand, these speakers are also the right fit if you’re looking to save valuable desk space. Both speakers don’t take up that much space on your desk, so you can have more room for other peripherals.

The Creative Pebble is also an excellent option for on-the-go consumers because of its portability.

What’s Included?

Right out of the box, you’ll receive two hard-wired speakers that are light and compact.

There is a wire connecting the speakers, a USB cable for power input, and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting to your device.

It has passive radiators at the back to add an extra enhancement to the bass when playing audio.

Included in the box are a user manual and a warranty with an option to add the Creative 30W PD adapter for an additional charge.

Take a quick look at this unboxing video before deciding to make the purchase.

Overview of the Features

The Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers have some great features despite the low price.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll get with the Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers:

• Japanese Rock Garden Design

From its looks, the Creative Pebble has an aesthetically pleasing Japanese rock garden design, which makes it feel expensive.

You can choose between the white or black version depending on your preference.

Creative manufactured the exterior of the speakers from a hard plastic shell with a matte finish, making its ball shape easy to grip.

While the black plastic ring at the front is appealing, leaving some stains, such as your fingerprint, is highly probable.

• Weight and Dimensions

These speakers are compact, each having dimensions of 4.5 x 4.8 x 4.5 inches, which don’t require much space on your table.

With a weight of 1.4 lbs, the speakers are portable, and you can carry them from room to room if you wish to use them in another setup.

• Design

The speakers have an LED indicator at the front with a volume dial to switch the speakers on or off and adjust the volume.

Creative added some rubber rings at the bottom to hold it in place and stop it from sliding around.

It also has left and right speaker indicators just above the wires.

Unlike other speakers, the Creative Pebble doesn’t have a mesh covering the speaker driver, leaving it exposed to external forces.

• Speaker Wire

Consider that these speakers don’t have detachable cables since they are hard-wired.

The wire connecting both speakers is 3.9 feet, while both the USB-A and 3.5mm audio wires lengths are 4 feet.

While the length of these wires can create a cluttered desk, simple cable management solves the issue.

If you truly wish to eliminate these pesky wires, you can purchase another similar product that only slightly differs in price from the Creative Pebble.

• Input

The Creative Pebble has a 3.5 mm AUX jack that allows connection to any device for playing audio.

While it has a USB-A port, you can only use it to provide power to the speakers.

Other speakers have one port that can do both simultaneously, which is a bummer with the Creative Pebble’s features, which take up additional space.

• Audio Performance

These affordable computer speakers have a far-field speaker driver solution to enhance the sound delivery while it sits at your desk.

Additionally, the speakers have a 45° angle to direct the music towards the ears of the listener, maximizing the expelled sound waves.

As a bonus, Creative added passive radiators at the back panel to add extra bass to its audio from the 2-inch 4.4-watt drivers.

The sweet spot with the Pebble is at moderate volume. It plays a rich and full sound compared to crappy laptop speakers or phone speakers.

Furthermore, it delivers balanced and immersive audio when playing music and movies, which is a good deal for its price.

While it has a premium sound at low to medium audio levels, raising it too high might cause muddy audio, losing its crystal clarity.

Tutorial

Using the Creative Pebble 2.0 Desktop Speakers is straightforward. It is essentially a plug-and-play device.

Since the cables are hard-wired, you don’t have to worry about finding which port to use for each wire.

Find a place on your desk where it would fit nicely and plug the USB-A and 3.5 mm audio jack into your device.

If you’ve purchased the optional 2.0 USB-A speaker adapter, you can plug it into a wall socket to save port space on your computer. 

To access power switching and volume control, just turn the knob at the front of the main speaker.

Alternatives

While you might find some features a deal-breaker, the pros outweigh the cons of this product, given its low price.

If you’re still unsure about these speakers for your desk setup, we have some alternatives to help you simplify your search.

1. Dell AC511 SoundBar

The Dell AC511 SoundBar is the perfect set of speakers that don’t compromise any of your valuable desk space.

It’s a soundbar that you can simply hook as an attachment to the bottom of your Dell monitor or pair with any monitor or TV.

Compared to most desktop speakers that come in pairs, this is a sound bar, which means it has a single, linear form factor.

It measures 16 x 1.5 x 1.9 inches, which fits near the base of most monitors on the market.

Its lengthy size enables it to deliver a crisp and clear sound, which is perfect for music and movies.

Compared to the Pebble, the AC511 only requires a single USB connection both for power and input, minimizing the need for more ports and cables.

Aside from the AUX input, this speaker also has a jack for headphone output, which the Creative Pebble lacks.

The downside is that it’s more expensive than the Creative Pebble and is only compatible with specific Dell monitors for the hook attachment.

2. Moloroll USB Powered Speakers

The Moloroll USB Speakers are smaller and more compact than the Creative Pebble.

Each speaker measures 3.15 x 3.15 x 3.15 inches and weighs only 1.15 lbs.

This speaker set saves up more desk space than Creative Pebble while still having audio clarity.

Unlike the Creative Pebble with exposed drivers, the Moloroll has metal meshes to protect the frequency drivers inside.

The Moloroll also has a better surface finish from the fine rubber oil painting, adding an extra decent look and a better feel.

Like the Creative Pebble, the Moloroll has a passive membrane at the back to enhance the bass output.

In terms of the purchase price, it is almost the same as the Creative Pebble.

Should You Buy The Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers?

Based on our Creative Pebble 2.0 USB Powered Desktop Speakers review, the speakers impressively deliver performance despite the low price.

Unlike many cheap speakers on the market, the Creative Pebble will give you your money’s worth.

Also, unlike bookshelf speakers that require an extra-wide surface, the Creative Pebble only needs two saucer-sized spaces near your monitor.

As a set of budget PC speakers, it’s an excellent upgrade to your low to mid-quality stock speakers without having to break the bank.

While the wires may clutter the desk, cable management and a few clips will do the trick.