Are they Magic 8 Balls? Lawn bowling balls? I don’t care, I want Creative’s wild new desktop Pebble Nova stereo speakers

1 week ago 3

Creative Pebble Nova speaker illuminated to look like a comet on starry sky backdrop

(Image credit: Creative)

Creative's Pebble Nova is the latest in the brand's Pebble series
Coaxial drivers; Bluetooth 5.3; USB audio; Aux-in
A premium offering, priced £239.99 (so around $305 or AU$478)

Not so hot on the heels of its highly successful Creative Pebble Plus offering (which launched in early 2022), Creative Technology is back with some new desktop speaker Pebbles, with the launch of the Creative Pebble Nova.

What Creative calls a "unique angled design" looks to me for all the world like two lawn bowling balls with RGB halo lighting at their base plus included stands – and I say that as high praise. I want that; I want their coaxial tweeter/woofer drivers either side of my desktop PC… if they sound good.

The new speakers also represent a significant step towards a more premium range from Creative (yes, there's quite a price hike over the 2022 Plus-suffixed model) but if they sound as good as they look, I'm very interested.

The elevated drivers are positioned at 45-degrees to achieve a sweet-spot to each of the listener's ears, and you love to see it.

Pebble Nova is available priced at GBP 239.99 and is available at Creative.com.

Champagne Pebble Nova

Two Creative Pebble Nova speakers on dark, night-sky background

According to Creative, that RGB lighting spans 'the full color spectrum', but glows different colors to denote how you're connecting them. On that, your options include Bluetooth 5.3 streaming, USB audio playback, and a universal 3.5 mm AUX input, so they're potentially a good shout for multi-media stereo speakers.

To me, they don't look dissimilar to Cabasse's very high-end Pearl speakers, or even Devialet's also-more-pricey Mania solo speaker option, so despite the new pricing bracket for Creative, there's a very good chance of value-for-money here too.

Its makers tell me the Creative app also unlocks access to the company's proprietary Acoustic Engine audio tech, including Surround, Smart Volume, Bass, Dialog+, and Crystal Voice, enabling users to tweak the audio settings and lighting to suit their preferences.

Pebble Nova is available priced £239.99 (which is approximately $305 or AU$478, although pricing and availability for these regions isn't yet set in concrete).

Are they about to become some of the best computer speakers, the best stereo speakers or indeed among the best Bluetooth speakers we've ever tested? We're working on that. Watch this space.

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

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