REVIEW: Creative Sound Blaster Roar - musical monster the size of a book

This summer Layfhaker almost at full strength rested on ULCAMP-2014. We seemed to have provided all but completely forgotten about the music. Smartphone glass for sound amplification - not a panacea to the nature in the presence of large numbers of people. Fortunately, the neighboring company turned a thoughtful man who brought with them some sort of boom box. The station is stuck iPhone, and the surrounding begin to hear the sound that is comparable in quality with the least expensive speakers Genius... In short, we can not live, and we have decided once and for all solve the problem with music for relaxation and Travel.

We knew what to look for and who to contact. Anyone older, at least a little familiar with the world of computers, knows what Creative. Creative - this Sound Blaster, and Creative Sound Blaster - this Ogogo! Over time, the production of this legendary company dilute including necessary to us wireless speaker system with an independent power source. We appealed to the Russian official online store Creative with a request: "Please give me your best portable wireless speakers." As a result, our office she came -

One of the most important practical parameters for portable devaysa are size and weight. To evaluate the size of the device is easy in this picture.

As you can see, Roar speaker system is quite compact and with no problems even fit into a small backpack or laptop bag with extra pockets. Weight - 1.1 kg. Not the easiest device, but when you consider the functionality that engineers were able to lay the inside of the boxes, the dissatisfaction with the original replaced by surprise.

We do not really want to call the Creative Sound Blaster Roar a wireless speaker system, because it really is a multifunctional device that combines:

• the actual portable speaker Bluetooth-system;
• amplifier for music playback on the wire;
• a spare battery, which can be charged and to feed anything;
• alarm clock;
• Dictaphone;
• speakerphone during a call;
• an independent stand-alone audio playback from the memory card;
• desktop speakers to play the sound from your laptop / desktop.

The rear panel disposed Roar ports for connecting a device in the above-mentioned qualities, as well as control buttons for the recorder player and the alarm.

Analog input and a pair of USB-microUSB slot complemented by a microSD memory card. Specifications indicate support for cards up to 32 GB inclusive.

On the upper panel there is a most pressing buttons: switch, volume control, mode amplification Roar music as well as a multifunction button for synchronizing with and receiving smartphone call.

Visualizing the activity of a particular mode, and the battery level indicator color is performed. NFC icon, you guessed it, it is here for those who are too lazy to synchronize the mobile device with the acoustics in the old via Bluetooth.

After synchronization Roar works as usual Bluetooth-device.

Design

Now you need to tell us about the performance of the body and materials. The fact that not only captivates the Roar sound quality. The dark part of the body feels like velvety rubber. It does not get dirty and dust. Touch it very nice. Such as rubber pads on the bottom panel there, allowing Roar firmly on any surface, and the device does not turn out to brush away from the table of random motion.

Front panel - a metal mesh, like shavers Braun. Beneath them lies the active music filling. On the sides of mesh and larger framed chrome inserts.

Taken together, this design gives the appearance without compromising the luxury of rigor and brevity of execution. Metal - this is a safe choice, and Apple products are evidence of this. Agree to contemplate, much less touch the thing out of the ordinary plastic is not so nice. And then the major candy bar, one-piece, with no hint of backlash, the creaking and other constant companions of cheap Chinese handicrafts.

Sound

So we got to the most important in terms of setting functionality - sound quality. When the device is turned on at full volume, the present office employees simply prifigeli. It feels like playing no small box, and a full desktop speakers with subwoofer. It is with a subwoofer. The last thing you expect from such a compact device, - the presence of bass. But they are there, with those that are felt when touching the table on which the Roar. Here involuntarily ask a question: "How?".

We do not have got to disassemble the device, but found on the site Creative image with the indoor unit.

As you can see, the sound sources are not two or three. There is a large 2.5-inch speaker. He is responsible for the mid-range frequencies. Two front speakers give high sounds, and the side panel hides the two "successor" sound, including low frequencies. Unfortunately, there is no acoustic engineers, and we do not really understand how the implemented features listed in the description limit the issuance of high frequencies with increasing distance, and bass boost, but as ordinary people, we felt quite objectively the resulting sound quality: it is uniform throughout the room (a room in our case - it is not 3 × 4 meters, and at tremendous openspeys Many people). In general, the Creative engineers did not just eat their own bread, and we as end users still amazes power and depth of the bass, escaping from tiny boxes.

By the way, Roar button is also the name of the model - this is the boost that is, an increase in sound power. Bass becomes even more guitars roar, no rattles and overloads.

alternative use

Roar speaker system is good as a spare battery. In itself, the device is charged via the 15 V adapter rather quickly, and inside the box is hidden battery on 6000 mAh, which in our case was enough for four hours of music and two charging Nexus 5 approximately 30-50% of the total charge smartphone. Surprisingly, after all this, the acoustics Roar showed that its battery is still charged by two-thirds. It does not meet the characteristics in eight hours of music listening to the complete discharge of the battery. The battery may be discharged more slowly due to the fact that a completely new, or we were doing something wrong, but that in any case is not a minus.

In addition, Roar works great in conjunction with laptops. Own acoustic laptop is quite weak, and after connecting devaysa get a good, powerful, rich sound.

Other features such as voice recorder, standalone player and an alarm clock, we did not test because they do not consider them a priority. In the end, we wanted it high quality acoustics for hiking, trips to the country and other recreation and got all this, plus a convenient spare battery for all occasions.

We thank the online store YOMO.pro for providing the test equipment and advise lovers Creative buy equipment just at them, because it is the only Russian official online store Creative. Buying such a wonderful acoustics somewhere else - is a guaranteed "Seryakov" without warranty, vehicle certificate and associated services.

Creative Sound Blaster Roar