I just tested the Creative Pebble X Plus and it's the cheapest way to get speakers and a subwoofer — but might not impress audiophiles

A subwoofer can make all the difference to your sound setup and the Creative Pebble X Plus is one of the cheapest ways of getting a 2.1 channel system. These computer speakers are accompanied by a compact subwoofer, and they’re perfect for small spaces. The subwoofer produces meaty bass while the speakers give lead vocals lots of room to shine.

But while the bass and lead vocals are excellent, everything else feels lacking. The treble as well as the backing vocals feel like they’ve been pushed back, and the companion app doesn’t let you make any adjustments to the sound quality.

Are these still the best computer speakers for you? Read my full Creative Pebble X Plus review to find out.

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Specs

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pair of computer speakers with a compact subwoofer
• Who is it for? Anyone who wants a good-looking set of speakers for their space
• How much does it cost? $119 / £99
• What do we like? The lovely design, customizable RGB lighting, powerful subwoofer, and bright vocals
• What don’t we like? The unpolished treble and the lackluster companion app

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Price & availability

A part of Creative’s extensive lineup of speakers, the Creative Pebble X Plus are the only computer speakers that come with a subwoofer. For $119 / £99 at Amazon, you’re getting a 2.1 channel system, which is excellent value for money.

They’re priced similarly to the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX ($129), which also come with a subwoofer, but they don’t feature Bluetooth connectivity like the Pebble X Plus. Since the Pebble X Plus come with a sub, I’d recommend them over the pricier SteelSeries Arena 3 ($129) whose bass is severely lacking. If you like the Pebble X Plus’ design but don’t care for the subwoofer, you can get the cheaper Creative Pebble X for $99, but I highly recommend spending the extra money as without the sub, the bass is, in a word, non-existent.

But truth to be told, I’m not entirely convinced by the Pebble X Plus because of their unpolished sound quality, which I’ll get into in a minute.

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Design & controls

• Orb-shaped design
• Customizable RGB lighting
• Straightforward, tactile controls

The Creative Pebble X Plus look nearly identical to their cheaper stablemates, the Creative Pebble Pro ($69). They sport an orb-shaped design and are available in one color only: black with rose gold accents. They look great and fit right into my existing setup as they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves. RGB strips light up the speakers’ exterior, lending the speakers a funky, gamer-esque touch.

If you’re short on space, I’d highly recommend the Pebble X Plus. Each speaker measures 5.49 x 5.71 x 5.35 inches, so while they’re slightly bigger than the Pebble Pro, they still don’t take up a lot of space on your table. Even the subwoofer is compact, measuring 6.16 x 6.14 x 6.24 inches and weighing 3.74lbs. While the speakers on their own look plasticky, the subwoofer makes the system look premium, thanks to its inconspicuous all-black design.

Controlling the Pebble X Plus is extremely easy too, as the physical buttons and volume dial are well-placed and signposted. They give good tactile feedback when pressed or turned, and I found them responsive in my testing. The RGB lighting can be customized either via the app (more on that soon) or via holding the RGB button and turning the volume dial.

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Connectivity

• Plug-and-play interface
• Bluetooth 5.3 wireless and USB-C/3.5mm wired
• Two ports for headphones and mic

Connectivity options and modes on the Creative Pebble X Plus are plenty, and similar to the cheaper Creative Pebble Pro and the pricier Creative Pebble Nova ($265). Setting the Pebble X Plus is easy as all you need to do is plug the speakers either into your laptop, or directly into the wall to power them. There’s a single connection port on the subwoofer, so plug that in too, and you’re good to go.

Once that’s done, you can choose to listen to music via USB-C or 3.5mm wired connection, or over Bluetooth 5.3. The speakers are compatible with macOS and PC, as well as Android and iOS smartphones. Pairing is straightforward, too, via the Bluetooth button on the speaker, and you can swap between wired and wireless playback by pressing the same button.

Similar to the Pebble Pro, the Pebble Nova and the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX, the Pebble X Plus house two dedicated ports to connect an external microphone or set of headphones. This means that you can connect external peripherals without having to disconnect other cables, or ducking under your desk and fiddling with wire nests. This is a bonus, and even the pricier SteelSeries Arena 3 don’t have these ports.

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Sound quality

• Bass with subwoofer is powerful
• Lead vocals have lots of room to shine…
• …leaving the treble in the dark

For just over $100, the Creative Pebble X Plus are a great addition to any setup… as long as you don’t mind the treble taking a backseat. These speakers are designed to be used with the subwoofer, and the sub does a fantastic job at delivering powerful bass. The speakers themselves are fitted with two 2.75-inch full-range drivers, while the subwoofer utilizes one 3.5-inch flat-cap with dual passive radiators, to cover a frequency range of 45Hz-20KHz.

While you can use the speakers just fine plugged in directly into your laptop, I’d recommend using the included PD adapter. The adapter delivers up to 30W RMS in total and 60W peak power, so you’re maximizing the speakers’ and sub’s full acoustic capabilities. With the speakers plugged into the wall, I listened to music over a USB-C wired connection, on Qobuz, which is the best music streaming service for hi-res audio.

The Pebble X Plus are meant to be used in conjunction with the subwoofer as without the sub, the bass is non-existent — and the sub excels at delivering punchy and meaty bass. I kicked things off by listening to ‘Holy Mountains’ by System of a Down. This is a heavy track that starts with an ambient sub-bass drone, and the subwoofer does a lot of heavy lifting here. Through the Pebble X Plus, this never sounded thin. Throughout the song, the bass sounded crisp and detailed, with a metallic feel to the plucked strings.

Vocals have plenty of room to shine when listening to music through the Pebble X Plus. As the speakers don’t have to reproduce bass, they can spend their energy reproducing crystal clear vocals instead. The vocals in ‘Wolves Without Teeth’ by Of Monsters and Men sounded loud and vibrant, packed with detail. The sibilance (“s” and “t” sounds) sounded energetic and bright, and the Pebble X Plus do a respectable job of balancing the higher vocals with the lower-pitched ones, ensuring that you hear two distinct lead voices at all times.

Backing vocals, however, struggle, especially in tracks like ‘Labour’ by Paris Paloma. While Paris’ lead vocals sound detailed, it feels like the backing vocalists in the bridge and the final chorus feel pushed back, and you can barely hear them. The track, therefore, loses its power. Towards the end of the track, it feels like all the instruments and multiple voices are fighting for space.

But while lead vocals are placed front and center, everything else gets lost — mainly the treble. This is surprising (and disappointing) because all the speakers need to focus on are the melody, harmony, timbre, treble, and so on, as the subwoofer is taking care of the bass. This became very clear while listening to ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd. It’s a track I find impossible to fault, and yet, here I am complaining about how it sounds through the Pebble X Plus. Due to the lack of tweeters, the track lacked its usual ultra-fine resolution, and I missed being able to hear the micro-details, such as the quiet echoes.

Overall, the Pebble X Plus are awesome for bass-heavy tracks, but listeners and audiophiles who appreciate micro details in song will be left wanting more. If I’m honest, the cheaper Creative Pebble Pro do a better job of delivering well-balanced sound across genres.

Listen along to my review with the Creative Pebble X Plus testing playlist:

Creative Pebble X Plus review: App

• Free Creative app
• But it doesn’t do much
• All you can do is adjust the lighting

The Creative Pebble X Plus suffer from the same issue I had with the Creative Pebble Pro: their app is awful. These speakers are supported by the Creative app, available for free on Windows, iOS and Android devices. The Creative app enables you to customize the RGB effects and colors… and that’s about it. You get no control over the EQ or any audio adjustment, which is disappointing. I’m not sure why Creative has chosen to reserve extensive audio adjustment for its most expensive model, the Creative Pebble Nova.

If you want the ability to customize the equalizer, I’d recommend the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX or the SteelSeries Arena 3 — but keep in mind that the latter’s bass is nothing to write home about, even with the bass bumped up.

Creative Pebble X Plus review: Verdict

For casual listeners, the Creative Pebble X Plus are decent-enough speakers for the money. They come with a compact subwoofer which delivers punchy lows and bass that far outperform standard computer speakers. Combine that with the crisp, vibrant lead vocals and customizable lighting, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic space-saving 2.1 channel sound system.

While the Creative Pebble X Plus are a pleasing choice for listeners who prioritize bass, audiophiles will be left wanting more. This is because the audio profile is far from balanced, as micro details get lost and the treble feels muted, and complex harmonies struggle. There’s no EQ customization through the lackluster companion app either, so serious listeners seeking a nuanced soundstage should consider other options, like the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX.

If you aren’t fussed about the finer details and prefer bass-heavy tracks anyway, the Pebble X Plus should be more than enough for you.