14 DAY TRIAL // Creative is doing its thing again, where it calls upon its extensive experience with audio products in order to create some new, multi-purpose device. One would think that a speaker can't really qualify as a multi-purpose product. After all, it is only meant to convey sound.
There is more than enough reason for the Sound BlasterAxx to be dubbed such, however.
The Bluetooth wireless connectivity support is largely responsible for that in fact, as it allows the Sound Blaster Axx to connect with iOS and Android devices, not just PCs.
That means that the speaker can serve computers, Mac Systems, iPhones, Android smartphones and, of course, tablets as well.
Design-wise, Creative's black speaker is shaped like a hexagonal rod meant to stand upright. That way it can perform the roles of antenna and audio source at the same time.
It also doesn't hurt that the dual-array digital microphones are easily accessible from that position (they are placed at the top and will work well for voice calls).
As for performance, the company implemented SBX Pro Studio sound technology, Smart Volume (automatically adjusts sound intensity), noise reduction and acoustic echo cancellation, to name a few.
"Sound BlasterAxx ushers in a whole new generation of Sound Blaster and marks a paradigm shift for the brand – for the first time ever, we have created a Sound Blaster that not only produces awesome audio, it actually listens to you and your audio environment. This paradigm shift unlocks a whole new world of useful and exciting applications," said Creative Chairman and CEO Sim Wong Hoo, creator of the Sound Blaster.
To make the Sound BlasterAxx possible, Creative built the SB-Axx1 multi-core audio processor, which adds Bluetooth support on top of older Soundblaster features. There will be three models up for sale, all of which can charge via USB. One of them lacks Bluetooth (SBX 8), but the other two (SBX 10 and 20) have the whole perk package, with the former being a bit smaller than the latter.
July is when sales will start, for $99.99 / 80.39 Euro, $149 / 120.59 Euro and $199.99 / 160 Euro, respectively.