Pebble X Plus review — Stylish speakers provide great sound and RGB lighting effects

The Pebble X Plus from Creative is a set of aesthetically pleasing and relatively powerful speakers. While mainly made for use with your PC, it’s compatible with most Bluetooth-enabled devices, along with modern consoles and more via a simple USB-C connection and, to a lesser extent, AUX. Adding to the package is an included compact, but robust, subwoofer capable of producing surprisingly deep, throbbing bass, along with easily customizable RGB lighting options and subtle, yet eye-catching design bolstered by a modern black matte finish. So sure, the Pebble X Plus looks great on a shelf, but is it worth purchasing?

Let’s start by diving into the Pebble X Plus’s specs. The Pebble X Plus offers both wired and wireless modes, with wired options utilizing either a USB-C connection or an analog connection via the universal 3.5mm AUX input port, while wireless playback utilizes Bluetooth 5.3. Thanks to dual communication ports on the speaker, the Pebble X Plus does also allow for microphone and headset use. The part that really matters on a speaker, though, is the audio technology, and the Pebble X Plus is no slouch in this department – even if it may not quite be as high-end as the price tag may imply. The Pebble X Plus features BassFlex, Acoustic Engine, EQ, Dialog+, 2.75” full-range drivers along with a 3.5” subwoofer and dual passive radiators to provide a full, vibrant sound which does a great job of filling up a smaller room.

The speakers themselves are quite sleek and make an artistic choice to be set at a 45-degree angle, which does help the Pebble X Plus to stand out when seated next to other speakers. The Pebble X Plus is also inlaid with clusters of customizable RGB and coated in a smooth black matte finish. The customizable RGB is what most users and guests will first notice, and for good reason, as it boasts 16.8 million color selections along with six built-in presets, and a dial which allows you to quickly alter the brightness depending on your mood. While I am not a person who needs to have RGB lights installed on all my products like the world seems to insist on lately, I did find the stylish and subtle use of RGB on the Pebble X Plus to be a welcome addition which really adds to the professional feel of the product.

Creative inexplicably made the decision to force the Pebble X Plus to be dependent on USB-C for power while providing no adapter, which I believe is a huge miscalculation, as it is sure to cause frustration amongst most users. While I have a seemingly never-ending supply of USB adapters lying around, USB-C adapters are not as widely used and not something I often have lying around. It’s a minor inconvenience, sure, but for the price point I expected an adapter – especially when Creative highly recommends using an adapter rated at 30W or higher if you hope to maximize the speakers’ capabilities (30W RMS and 60W peak). Also, the included AUX really only works when connecting in specific scenarios but did not work when I attempted utilizing it with my record player or even projector, despite most cheap speakers I have lying around working via AUX in both those scenarios.

That said, the USB-C connection does work if you connect directly to a video game console, and did fine providing sound, but after a few hours of testing the speakers with various products it became quite clear that the Pebble X Plus speakers are ultimately meant to be used via Bluetooth.

Thankfully, this is where the Pebble X Plus shines. Connecting to any product via Bluetooth is incredibly simple, with you needing only to push in the volume control on the speakers for a moment to start pairing. Pairing never took more than a few seconds, no matter if I was connecting to a phone, a laptop, a projector, or any other product and I never experienced any faulty connections, nor did I even once get hit with any errors or inability to connect messages. That’s more than I can say about nearly any other Bluetooth product I currently own.

When connected via Bluetooth, the sound was impeccable, providing crystal clear music and sound effects no matter if I was playing a game, watching a film, or streaming music. I’m not a sound aficionado, so I certainly can’t attest to how the Pebble X Plus may compare to higher end sound systems, but for my personal use I found that the Pebble X Plus was more that capable of providing rich sound and dynamic tone, along with a deep bass that you could feel the thump of when in close proximity. The Pebble X Plus certainly outperformed any of the other speaker sets I had lying around my house, and as such has now become my default daily use sound system.

While I do wish that the Pebble X Plus allowed for more connection variety, I am well aware that many products connect via Bluetooth now and as such, that is the most likely way these speakers will be used. I also lament the use of USB-C as a power source while not providing a 30W adapter, as that will certainly cause frustration. That said, I found the Pebble X Plus to be more than capable of connecting to a variety of products easily, while also boasting great sound and fun lighting effects, all wrapped up in a sleek looking package.

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