The Creative Pebble Nova is a compact and powerful speaker system. With its distinctive design and easy connectivity, the Pebble Nova delivers a much deeper and richer soundscape than its size suggests. With 100 W of peak power, a combined 50 W RMS, full connectivity support and surprisingly strong coaxial drivers, Creative has managed to produce impressive audio from a compact package.
Keeping with the general design of the Pebble lineup, the spherical speakers are heavier than expected. Weighing 1.89 kg each, the Nova feels sturdy in hand. Creative designed the Pebble Nova to project audio at a 45-degree angle, allowing for ideal positioning on a desk or table. For listeners who want their speakers elevated, the included extension poles make it easy to raise the system to suit a wider range of setups.
Along with the aforementioned speaker extension poles, the Pebble Nova also comes with two weighted base plates. Setting up the system is exceptionally easy thanks to the Nova’s slotted mounting system. Essentially, the baseplates only slot into the base of the Pebble Nova one way, allowing for an easy drop-and-click action during installation. The system essentially works the same way when adding in the extension poles, with the one added step of threading them into the base of the Pebble Novas.
“Creative has managed to produce impressive audio from a compact package.”
Power is managed via the USB PD input rated for 56W. The included power adapter provides approximately 6 feet of cable for power delivery, making it ideal for desktop setups. Once powered on, the system will notify you that it is ready to connect. From here it’s simply a matter of selecting the source and playing those sweet, sweet beats.
In typical Creative fashion, the Pebble Nova has a uniquely layered speaker design, which helps create additional distinction in the speaker’s overall design. A diffused RGB ring light adorns the bottom portion of the Nova with full customization available via the app. The right Speaker features the system’s onboard controls, giving the user full control over power, source, lighting and Volume control without ever opening an app.
As for connection types, the Pebble Nova comes with three modes of connection: USB-C, 3.5mm AUX and Bluetooth 5.3. A small LED indicator light informs you of which mode is currently selected, meaning you’ll never have to guess. The onboard controls allow for easy selection with instantaneous source swapping.
Creative has packed an impressive amount of tech into the Pebble Nova speakers. Each speaker contains a single 3-inch driver and a single 1-inch tweeter. Positioned with a Coaxial layout, this speaker system offers a centralized audio source, with lows, mids, and highs all emanating from a single point in the speaker. The advantage of this design in the context of the Pebble Nova is two-fold. It creates an incredibly crisp and detailed audio presentation while also reducing the overall size of the system.
Additionally, the team at Creative opted for a passive radiator design, another key element that helps the Pebble Nova punch above its weight class. A passive radiator removes the standard voice coil and assembly used in a traditional speaker system, eliminating the need for an amplifier to power the setup. Well suited to sealed speaker designs, the passive radiator moves air inside the chamber as the drivers engage, effectively amplifying the produced frequencies.
In layman’s terms, a passive radiator creates more ‘boom in the box’ without extra power or space needed. Each speaker on the Pebble Nova includes a passive radiator that moves in and out while audio is playing. This technology is used in a fairly wide range of compact speaker systems, such as the excellent Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker.
When brought together, the result is a design that punches way above its weight class. The Pebble Nova sounds incredibly detailed, rich and crisp. Frequency testing revealed consistently clean audio across the 55-20,0000 Hz range with no notable noise. The low-end frequencies were incredibly punchy while remaining clear and tight. Considering its relatively small footprint, the Pebble Nova produces some seriously impressive bass.
The mids and highs, likewise, offer a detailed and clear profile leveraging the aforementioned Coaxial design. When brought all together, the result is an impressively clear, balanced, and detailed mix. I’ve been most impressed with just how full the soundscape is during my testing. I honestly didn’t expect this level of depth and richness, considering both the Pebble Nova’s size and price point.
At its core, the Pebble Nova is built to play music exceptionally well, and it achieves that goal marvellously. However, the fun doesn’t stop there. Connecting the system to my Gaming PC, I discovered that the Pebble Nova can also handle gaming audio like a champ. Sound effects feel weighty and powerful while a game’s musical score pushes through, loud, clear and detailed.
“Considering its relatively small footprint, the Pebble Nova produces some seriously impressive bass.”
Things start to get interesting when you dive into the Creative Labs app, available on PC, iOS and Android. From here, both lighting and equalizer settings can be adjusted with ease. The lighting tools offer the level of control you would expect from an RGB system with full-spectrum support. There are several presets as well, such as Scycle, Aurora and Chasers, along with per-zone control for each of the speakers’ six RGB zones per unit.
The equalizer, though, is the real highlight of the app. While you can adjust the frequency bands to create a custom mix, Creative includes an extensive list of presets designed for both music listeners and gamers. I was especially impressed by the number of game-specific audio profiles available, including everything from Path of Exile 2 to Hogwarts Legacy. It may seem gimmicky at first, but the profiles sound great when paired with the titles I tested.
The point is that Creative has gone out of its way to make the Pebble Nova appeal to a wide range of listeners in one of the simplest setups I have tested. It is a smart and easy-to-use app that enhances the overall listening experience. I am impressed with the system as a whole.
The Pebble Nova is a strong addition to Creative’s audio lineup. Punching above its weight class, this compact desktop speaker system sounds far better than its size suggests. From its smooth connectivity to its crisp and powerful soundscape, the Pebble Nova is an impressive package that earns its $279.99 price tag.
