At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their iRoar Wireless Intelligent Speaker for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About Creative:

 

“Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.

 

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

 

Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.

 

Creative is now well recognized as a global leader for product innovation in the audio and PDE segments, offering consumers a complete, high quality digital entertainment experience through Creative's hardware, software applications and services. Finding the perfect balance between form and function, Creative strives for every product to be a sensory feast for the eyes and ears.

 

Today, Creative is spearheading new product categories with its groundbreaking Sound BlasterAxx audio enhancement devices and solutions, highly-acclaimed Creative D5xm Signature Series of modular Bluetooth wireless speakers, Aurvana premium headsets, Sound Blaster wireless gaming headsets, and cross-platform Sound Blaster Recon3D for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC or Mac.

 

These products and solutions are marketed to consumers and system integrators through a worldwide distribution network that includes traditional marketing channels, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Internet.

 

Moving forward, Creative's mission is to expand its leadership role in the lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment market, using groundbreaking technology and leading-edge designs for not just the technically-savvy consumers, but for everyone who enjoys entertainment. With strong focus on user-friendly interface, multiple features and cool industrial designs, the Creative brand is synonymous with lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment.

 

Creative's global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. It has regional business units in the US (Milpitas, California), Europe (Dublin, Ireland) and Asia (Singapore).

 

Creative is a public listed company on the main board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) since June 1994.”

 

BLASTERX ACOUSTIC ENGINE

 

BlasterX Acoustic Engine for iRoar

Expect the perfect blend of architecture and intelligent software to deliver great audio beyond your imagination.

 

The BlasterX Acoustic Engine is designed to boost the acoustic performance of your audio for your heightened listening experience.

 

CUSTOMIZATION

 

iRoar Dashboard

 

Intelligence Meets Customization

The iRoar is not just a powerful speaker; it is also an intelligent one. Most Bluetooth speakers allow for audio streaming from your smart devices. With the iRoar and the iRoar Dashboard app for iOS and Android, you can personalize your audio.

 

Its features and functions are fully accessible via the Dashboard app, so you feel like you're interacting directly with your audio.

 

Customization is the name of the game - from the equalizer to the level of immersion and clarity of your audio. Take joy in creating your own sound signature wherever you go.

 

The Dashboard app saves your most recent configuration. When you pair with another iRoar speaker, your personalized configuration will be automatically loaded into that iRoar!

 

You can make on-the-fly adjustments seamlessly!

 

Custom Audio Profiles for Your Entertainment Needs

The Dashboard app offers multiple sound characteristic profiles that are designed to heighten your audio experience - be it for movies, music playback or your virtual gameplay. Simply select the profile of interest and the iRoar will automatically adjust its settings to deliver the selected characteristic profile accordingly.

 

It is Really Smart

Ever wanted to hear every detail of your audio, even at the lowest volume? With Smart Volume, you can achieve that with just a press of the button.

 

The iRoar comes with two modes. When Auto Mode is activated, your audio playback is constantly monitored so you can enjoy your songs at a consistent volume you've configured previously. It also compensates for low quality audio sources with its frequency analysis adjustments.

 

Are you a night owl? Love watching movies at midnight? The Night Mode lets you hear all the details, even when you have reduced the volume. Enjoy the best, while the iRoar takes care of the rest.

 

SPEAKERPHONE

 

Your Personal Speakerphone with Mic Beam Technology

Be heard loud and clear with the iRoar's beamforming microphones.

 

The Mic Beam technology features two modes that let the speaker pick up sound all around the speaker and within a certain parameter.

 

The 360° mode captures sound all around the speaker, no matter where you are. Alternatively, the Private mode reduces what you do not want to hear. It focuses on picking up sound within a predefined acoustic zone so sounds within this zone will be isolated from your surroundings.

 

Add a Touch of Voice Morph

Change your voice in fun and amazing ways with Voice Morph. Take advantage of this feature and play a prank on your friends! Amplify and blast your voice on the fly, be it for grabbing attention or directing a crowd. There are many voice effects to choose from!

 

REMOTE

 

Your iRoar Remote Assistant

Turn your Android phone or iPhone into an iRoar remote control with the Remote Assistant app!

 

Apart from performing music playback from your phone's media library, the app also allows you to access audio content stored in the microSD card in your iRoar.

 

The best part is that you can view the current track playing from your microSD card - on your smartphone!

Your Personal Recorder

You can remotely trigger iRoar to record via the app and save your audio sessions into the microSD card.

 

5-DRIVER DESIGN

 

Clean, Powerful Bass

The active 2.75″ driver pumps out impressive bass. Directing the audio upwards not only stabilizes the speaker, but also provides for a wider soundstage that doesn't require the listener to be situated in the audio sweet spot.

 

Even More Bass Enhancement

It is further enhanced with dual opposing, side-firing passive radiators that widen the soundstage dramatically.

 

Acoustically Optimized Speaker Design

The rigid monocoque endoskeleton chassis has fewer internal components that vibrate individually. This translates into lesser energy wastage and better audio quality.

 

Powerful, High Frequency Drivers

Durable and lightweight improved high frequency drivers deliver balanced highs. These dual 2″ premium drivers are also designed to provide far-field high frequency dispersion.

 

SB-Axx1™ Digital Audio Processor

Of course, such a collaborative sound system could not be made possible without the intelligence of our proprietary processor, SB-Axx1™. The SB-Axx1 is an audio Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that enhances your audio experience with clarity.

 

A custom-built audio processor is utilized across all our top performance Sound Blaster products such as the Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster X7 and the Sound Blaster E5, SB-Axx1 processor provide the computing power required by the iRoar to enhance your audio in real time, giving you superior listening experience for your music, movies and voice calls.

 

Bi-amplified Design: Two Amps, Not One

While many other portable speakers produce small, constrained sound, the Creative iRoar is designed to deliver powerful space-filling audio. Most portable speakers utilise a single amplifier to reproduce the entire audio spectrum. With the traditional single amplifier design, much demand goes into reproducing the lows and mids, which compromises the delivery of the highs.

 

Through much research and development, the iRoar is designed to accommodate five speaker drivers, including an active 2.75″ driver, into a compact booklet-sized form factor. Dual lightweight high-frequency 2″ drivers project far-field high-frequency dispersion while a top-firing active 2.75″ driver pushes bass outwards; and this is enhanced by two side-firing, opposing passive radiators that spreads out the bass even further. The compact powerful iRoar also features 2 high-performance amplifiers - one dedicated to driving lows and mids, another solely for delivering highs - producing clear, spacious, well-balanced audio without compromising on the bass.

 

AUDIO PERFORMANCE

Space-filling Dispersion

The result of all this is that iRoar is able to deliver powerful room-filling audio that is not sweet spot-dependant. When it comes to the speaker stability at high volume levels, the iRoar comes second to none; unlike top-heavy, front/rear-designed speakers that vibrate and move position at high volume levels, the iRoar is stable as a rock even while blasting at maximum volume.

 

Designed for acoustic performance, the top-firing active 2.75″ driver is laid horizontally which increases stability while its rigid monocoque endoskeletal chassis reduces internal components that can vibrate individually, so what you hear is pristine music from an extremely stable speaker, free of annoying vibrations and rattle.

 

ROAR Mode: Instant No-holds-barred Audio Power

Don't be fooled by its size! By default, it produces balanced, high-fidelity audio, and in scenarios where sheer audio power is needed - in large parties and social gatherings, for instance - users can press the ROAR button that instantly boosts the loudness, depth and spaciousness of the audio.

 

All you need is to tap on the ROAR button and let the iRoar take care of the rest.

TOUCH CONTROLS

Intelligent Touch Controls

Intelligent Touch Controls are adaptive and context sensitive based on the selected mode of the speaker. The relevant buttons light up to show the relevant controls that matter to you.

 

IROAR MIC

 

Next Generation Wireless Personal PA System

Specially made for professionals, this powerful Bluetooth speaker doubles as a wireless personal PA system, helping you deliver a compelling performance in your presentation, conference, classes, or even karaoke sessions! Simply connect the iRoar to the iRoar Mic (sold separately), and you are all ready to take the stage.

 

Lightweight Unidirectional Mic

Weighing at 30 grams and with a battery life of up to 10 hours, the iRoar Mic can be held, clipped or hung for versatile and convenient speech delivery and performance. The iRoar Mic also comes with a line-in jack that allows you to mix music from your mobile device, giving you wireless karaoke sessions!

 

CONNECTIVITY

 

Bluetooth® HD Audio Playback

The iRoar supports Bluetooth aptX Low Latency codec in addition to AAC, which are advanced HD codecs that deliver high quality audio for Bluetooth transmission. These codecs — supported by branded Android phones and the iPhone, are crucial for great wireless audio and they are not even found in many premium wireless speakers. With low latency, you can enjoy your games or watch movies without delays. In other words, no interferences with your video and virtual gameplay!

 

Plus, the Creative Multipoint lets you multi-task with up to two devices connected simultaneously.

 

MP3/AAC/WAV Playback

You can play your entire music collection directly from the iRoar without relying on your mobile phone. Simply insert a microSD card that contains your favourite songs and press the Play button to enjoy a fantastic listening experience.

 

Optical Input

Boost your TV audio by connecting an iRoar easily via optical cable.

 

Enjoy powerful high-fidelity digital audio stream directly from your TV with minimal effort required.

 

Asynchronous USB Audio

iRoar is more than just a Bluetooth speaker. When connected via USB, it delivers precise, low jitter USB audio6 from your PC, so audio artifacts are minimised.

 

AUX-input

Even with wireless connectivity options, you can put an old school charm in the music you love. The iRoar comes with an integrated 3.5mm AUX-in port for connecting to other analogue audio devices.

 

Improved NFC Connectivity Experience

Ever experienced pairing your Near Field Communication (NFC) yet you can't seem to get it right? With the iRoar, you will not have to shuffle your phone around to initiate NFC pairing.

 

The NFC zone is atop the speaker, thus allowing a wider coverage for pairing. Tap your NFC-enabled phone onto the black rim of the speaker, and it will pair instantly. Simple.

 

MEGASTEREO

MegaStereo: Wider Sound Stage for Your Enjoyment

The iRoar delivers amazing stereo audio performance on its own. Now, imagine your audio performance with two units of iRoar! Using the MegaStereo Cable7 (sold separately), you can connect two units of iRoars to create a mega stereo experience of left+left and right+right channels to achieve a wider sound stage, giving you even more powerful, all-encompassing audio for your entertainment!

 

BATTERY

 

Fast-charge Dual Purpose Battery

The iRoar comes with a built-in 9000mAh Li-ion battery that provides up to 20 hours of playtime. It is also able to charge mobile phones and tablets quickly with a high 1.5A output.

 

IROAR ROCK

 

Docking Subwoofer for the Creative iRoar

Designed to unleash the full potential of the iRoar, the Creative iRoar Rock (sold separately) is a powerful docking subwoofer that is part of the iRoar Ecosystem. Get more out of your audio when you dock the iRoar via the Docking Expansion Port. This feature further extends and enhances the mid-range, bass and surround performance of the iRoar. Quick and simple, the iRoar Rock also acts as a wireless charging solution for the iRoar without any fuss.

 

DEVELOP YOUR OWN IROAR APP

 

Develop Your Own iRoar App

Want a speaker that does exactly what you want? Yes you can! Add all sorts of interesting functions that stretch the potential of your iRoar's hardware - pushing its capabilities, pushing your limitless, innovative imagination.

 

With Add-ons, you can control everything from what you want to display, the sound from your iRoar, to actions that trigger it. Create your own innovative Add-ons with the iRoar Software Development Kit (SDK).

 

Product Specifications:

 

Creative has recently brought into focus their flagship portable speaker again, iRoar by including a very nice reduction in price. This is definitely one of their most interesting offerings in this segment and features modules for upgrade such as the iRoar Rock subwoofer or the lightweight unidirectional microphone.

The product does ship inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, which is quite heavy for a portable speaker this small (iRoar itself is 1.1 kg) and the manufacturer is mentioning on the top cover that this particular model does take part from the Professional Series. Here we will also learn that the iRoar does incorporate a SB-Axx1 Digital Audio Processor, used across other high-performance products such as the Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster X7 and the Sound Blaster E5:

 

 

 

On the side of the box, the manufacturer has listed the product code name, the power rating but also the obligatory serial numbers and the manufacturing date:

 

 

 

The iRoar components are also presented to the customer, which do include the MegaStereo pairing, the optional microphone, the subwoofer dock but also the SDK for developing personal apps:

 

 

 

Depending on the usage mode and optional hardware modules, we can use one of the presented apps:

 

 

 

Creative does also advertise supported technologies such as Bluetooth, NFC and compatibility with a wide range of devices:

 

 

 

The main product highlights are noted on the bottom layer of the box, with the necessary explanations:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will be first able to spot the documentation:

 

 

 

We do have two documentation leaflets available, since the manufacturer has decided to explain the operating procedure of iRoar in multiple languages:

 

 

 

 

A Worldwide Warranty document is also supplied for the customer:

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the supplied bundle:

 

-a carry pouch

-the power adapter

-power adapter plugs for different areas

-the USB cable for use via PC

 

 

 

The supplied soft carry pouch is very handy when traveling with the speaker:

 

 

 

The supplied power adapter was manufactured by FUJIA and is very versatile thanks to the interchangeable plugs:

 

 

 

On the output, the adapter does supply 15V at 1600mA:

 

 

 

On the other end of the cable, we will spot the adapters’ power jack plug:

 

 

 

 

Creative iRoar does feature an elegant look, with bronze-colored lateral frames. Its dimensions are 57 x 120 x 225 mm and features a middle top-firing 2.75’’ woofer:

 

 

 

In the top left corner we do have the Power button that does also have different other functions:

 

 

 

Around the woofer, Creative has mounted a frame that helps with the NFC functionality:

 

 

 

To the left and right, we will spot three holes, which are practically the dual microphone ports:

 

 

 

The frontal area of the unit, Creative has mounted two tweeters for delivering crisp high frequency responses; thanks to the rigid monocoque endoskeletal chassis, iRoar will not vibrate at high volume levels:

 

 

 

On the sides, we do have passive radiators, covered by a metallic black mesh:

 

 

 

 

On the back of the iRoar, we do have several interfaces available for use:

 

 

 

A closer inspection does reveal the DC-IN port, the USB port for connecting the unit to a computer, a switch for enabling Shuffle mode, a microSD card reader for reading formats such as MP3, AAC and WAV. The MP3 format is supported with a bitrate up to 320kbps, while the AAC format is supported up to 320kbps and variable bitrate files can be used as well. The Audio-In jack does allow usage of external analog sources, while the Optical-In port enables playback via optical cable (handy when using along TVs, computers or other hardware that supports this type of interface). iRoar does also support charging other devices via the supplied USB port:

 

 

 

On the bottom area of the unit, Creative has mounted two long rubber feet, so the unit will remain steady on the surface we will use it on:

 

 

 

A careful inspection will reveal the gold-plated contacts for attaching the subwoofer dock:

 

 

 

After charging the unit completely, we turned it on; depending on the mode we are in, a different LED icon will appear on the left side and an assortment of capacitive control buttons will appear for us to work with:

 

 

 

 

The ROAR feature is meant to boost loudness, depth and spaciousness of the audio content, useful when doing large parties or social gatherings; thanks to the Mic Beam technology iRoar does incorporate, we can set the 360 mode audio pick-up during conferences or we can enable Private mode for picking up sound within a predefined area:

 

 

 

A specific button is available for taking phone calls and lastly we do have the option to adjust the audio volume via the +/- buttons:

 

 

 

If the capacitive buttons are not used for some time, the system will go in a “sleep” mode:

 

 

 

The first mobile application we could remind of is Dashboard, which allows extensive control over our speaker:

 

 

 

The GUI allows us to work with Sound output options, adjust the Voice settings but also install Add-Ons, if needed; the sound signature can be changed from the Sound Experience menu, we do have the possibility to work with the Roar function but also enable Smart Volume:

 

 

The audio profiles can be configured in detail, or we can select one of the preset profiles:

 

 

Each setting implies working with the EQ, Immersion and Dialog+ settings:

 

 

The boost function, Roar can be enabled or disabled by just pressing a button:

 

 

Smart Volume allows turning on Night Mode in order to adapt the speaker for late hours of watching multimedia content:

 

 

The Voice section does allow the user to configure Mic Beam but also Voice Morph features:

 

 

Add-ons can be installed on the iRoar for enhancing the functionality of the speaker:

 

 

Each application comes with a short description and the usage model:

 

 

The Dashboard application does also feature a menu on the left side of the screen:

 

 

The Speaker Settings option does allow the user to configure the voice prompts or update the firmware (if available):

 

 

The iRoar Remote application is handy for controlling the multimedia content on the speaker from the distance; the first tab controls the audio sent via Bluetooth:

 

 

From the second section, we can control the audio content stored on the SD Card; the application does display the current folder, currently playing audio file, battery charge status, microSD storage information but also how many hours of music are stored on the card:

 

 

The interface does also allow the user to record and playback previous recordings:

 

 

The Dashboard application for Windows is identical to the mobile app; it can be used while iRoar is connected via USB and allows the user to configure Sound and Voice settings:

 

 

The EQ settings can be customized with our preferences or we can go ahead and choose from one of the presets:

 

 

 

 

Surround and Dialog+ settings can be fine-tuned next:

 

 

Instead of using the capacitive controls on the speaker, we can enable Roar mode from the GUI:

 

 

Smart Volume can assist enabling Night Mode, for reducing explosive impacts:

 

 

Mic Beam is also present here:

 

 

With Voice Morph, we can choose one of the voice altering presets during calls, in order to have fun with our friends:

 

 

The GUI does also allow changing the interface language, updating the application or the iRoar firmware, but also the Audio Prompts. If something is not working as intended, we can also perform a Factory Default Reset:

 

 

After fully charging the iRoar as soon as it arrived, we have connected the speaker via USB to our computer, in order to try out the Dashboard but also to check for the latest firmware updates. The software has updated the speaker firmware in about a minute and we were ready to rock! After listening plenty of clips on YouTube, some TV shows and the Death Wish movie with Bruce Willis, we were quite surprised how loud the speaker can get. After enabling Roar mode, everything got boosted, including the bass effects, which is a treat during action scenes. The speaker can deliver when playing games as well, thanks to the multitude of drivers (active (subwoofer driver and the two frontal tweeter drivers) and passive (two radiators on the side)).

 

The second stage of testing included connecting the speaker to our P10 Plus smartphone from Huawei; the connection stage is pretty straight-forward and the iRoar does also include a voice assistant to guide you through the steps. The multimedia control buttons are easy to work with and we can navigate through the smartphone tracks with it (including the YouTube app playlist).

 

On the third stage, we inserted a microSDXC card with plenty of tracks and enjoyed the music coming from the unit; thanks to the multitude of configuration options coming along the mobile apps (Dashboard, Remote), we can modify the audio signature quite a bit in order to fit our style. Even if the speaker does not have a dedicated display to show the currently playing track, we can see this information in the dedicated Remote Android/iOS app and we can also record conferences in 360 mode or Private mode as well.

 

Finally, we did connect our TV to the iRoar via an Optical Cable and realized the quality difference right away versus the stock speakers. In this mode, we did only miss the fact that you cannot turn off iRoar remotely when you are not using it anymore via the application, but possibly this will be a feature to add in the near future.

 

The iRoar does also come with some optional upgrades such as the “Rock” dock with a dedicated, larger subwoofer speaker, or the iRoar Mic that doubles as a wireless personal PA system.

 

The iRoar has currently dropped quite a bit in price to about 199 Euros, which makes it very attractive considering the audio quality, build and plenty of features.

Creative iRoar Wireless Intelligent Speaker is Recommended for:

 

We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!