The Creative Airwave is a feature packed wireless speaker that sports convenient one-touch pairing using NFC. Can it stand up to our expectations?
Product on review: Creative Airwave
Manufacturer: Creative
Street Price: MSRP £89.99
Wireless speakers are quickly becoming popular and Creative have seized the opportunity to create a portable yet powerful implementation that promises simplicity and ease of use, that is, the Creative Airwave. Available in four colours (Blue, Green, Pink, Graphite) for the standard version or in red and black for the HD version, so there is a good choice to suit most preferences. Today we have the more subtle graphite version to look at.
Overview by Creative
Portable Wireless Speaker with NFC
Simplify your life with the Creative Airwave. Unlike other regular speakers, you can experience the convenience of one-touch pairing with its Near Field Communication (NFC) feature. You can also enjoy your music wirelessly on the go, as it comes with Bluetooth® and a rechargeable built-in battery. This uniquely designed speaker, packed with these amazing features, is available in four vibrant colors.
Simplify your life with the Creative Airwave. Unlike other regular speakers, you can experience the convenience of one-touch pairing with its Near Field Communication (NFC) feature. You can also enjoy your music wirelessly on the go, as it comes with Bluetooth® and a rechargeable built-in battery. This uniquely designed speaker, packed with these amazing features, is available in four vibrant colors.
Specifications & Features
– System Configuration: One-piece
– Dimensions: 110.0 x 260.0 x 110.0 mm (4.3 x 10.3 x 4.3 inches)
– Weight: 890g (1.96lbs)
– Bluetooth® Version: Bluetooth 3.0
– Bluetooth® Profile: AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control), A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth), HFP (Hands-Free profile)
– Supported Codecs: aptX, SBC
PACKAGE CONTENTS
– Creative Airwave speaker
– Micro USB Cable
– Quick Start Guide
– Dimensions: 110.0 x 260.0 x 110.0 mm (4.3 x 10.3 x 4.3 inches)
– Weight: 890g (1.96lbs)
– Bluetooth® Version: Bluetooth 3.0
– Bluetooth® Profile: AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control), A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth), HFP (Hands-Free profile)
– Supported Codecs: aptX, SBC
PACKAGE CONTENTS
– Creative Airwave speaker
– Micro USB Cable
– Quick Start Guide
FEATURES
Three ways to play your audio
Tap and play!
The Creative Airwave features NFC technology which allows for easy, one-touch pairing by simply tapping your NFC-enabled Bluetooth smart device on the speaker.
Pair and stream
As for your smart devices that are not NFC-enabled, you can easily pair them with the Creative Airwave via Bluetooth using the conventional method.
Integrated Aux In
You can also enjoy your music by connecting directly to the speaker via the integrated analog Aux-in connector.
Go places with your audio
Party all night long on a single charge! The Creative Airwave gives you up to 12 hours1 of playtime, so don’t stop the music!
With a built-in Lithium polymer battery, your Creative Airwave is truly portable and you’re free to place your speaker almost anywhere you please. You can check your battery levels with voice prompts and the speaker LED also alerts you when you’re low on battery. In addition, the battery level icon is displayed when paired with selected smartphones2. The battery can be easily charged via a standard micro USB connection.
Hear and be heard
Great sound
The Creative Airwave houses two efficient 3″ full-range drivers that produce stunning, room-filling sound despite its small size.
Clear voice calls
Turn your speaker into a speaker phone with the built-in concealed microphone for dialog clarity in your voice communications.
Make a statement
The Creative Airwave’s unique design is a radical departure from the usual rectangular-shaped speakers. The chassis is constructed to minimize vibrations and the optimal 30-degree front baffle tilt projects audio directly to the listener. Available in four bold colors, its unique triangular-styled construction, geometric face panel design and smooth curves make it a refreshing addition to any setting.
*1 Actual battery life will vary with use and volume settings.
*2 Currently supported on iOS devices only.
Packaging & First Look
The Airwaves packaging
Inside, the speaker is suspended by two foam end holders that give plenty of squishy protection and support. The box material feels high quality and robust so the Airwave should arrive intact if ordered online. On the front of the box we can see an image of the product as well as a few features including battery life, bluetooth support, near-field communication support, integrated microphone and more.
Included accessories
The Creative Airwave is shipped with a USB charging cable and a quick start manual. A little light for this price point, would have been nice to see a small protective sleeve/bag/pouch as well as the actual charging plug, though many are likely to have a USB charger available from their smartphones and such, so isn’t a major issue.
Face view of the Creative Airwave
From the front, we can see the attractive geometric design of the speaker cover being used as a nice feature with all the controls aligned at the top. The plastic is two toned between a metallic fascia and a smooth glossy plastic at the sides that runs along the top creating a separation.
The Creative Airwave
Shaped like a triangular prism, the Airwave is very space efficient in terms of design around the dual 3″ drivers. Attractive yet functional.
Closer Look
Control features
From the left. there is an integrated microphone, volume controls and a multi function button. Pressing and holding the multi function button will turn it on/ search for bluetooth device/ turn it off and a double tap will give you an indication of the battery life.
Underneath
Rubber pads are used for the feet, protecting the surfaces where you place the speaker, as well as cutting out vibrational noise. Seems strange notion that the Airwave wasn’t designed for various orientations, such as being used upright on its side for tight spaces, still, a horizontal orientation will be most stable and most used by those taking their speaker out and about with them.
Rear I/O
At the back with have the charging port, aux in jack and the bass port. Bewildered face at the ready o_0.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Using a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery to power the dual 3″ drivers that provides up to 12hours of use is a neat consideration and use of latest technology. Charging up using the provided cable is easy if you have a USB plug sitting around, if not you will have to source one or use a PC with a high current USB port specifically for charging mobile devices. Coming in with a mass a little under 1Kg, this is not a product for everyday carry and portability, though is small and convenient enough to move around with relative ease should you be attending any event with the need for some casual background music to which anyone can pair their wireless device to and play music. The buttons require a fair bit of push down to click and do not feel as strong or tactile as one would hope, but after repeated spamming they seemed to hold up well. Turning it on seems to take forever by holding the multi-function button and turning it off seems even worse, almost like it is intended to never be switched off ever! To switch off you need to hold the button for 4s to enter bluetooth pairing mode, then press and hold the button again for another 4s to power off. The double tap to reveal battery life is a neat feature, though if you are using an iOS device, the battery life will be displayed to you. The NFC feature works well, simply tapped the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the device and they are paired! Easy. Bluetooth and line in connections are just as easy but take (just) a little longer to set up.
Multi-Media
Music was surprisingly punchy with a decent volume level, even the bass was surprisingly good. Overall sound quality across all ranges was fairly balanced. If I was to stop there, this item would recieve a gold award no question. The downside is, there is a fairly noticeable amount of distortion from around medium all the way to max volume. To many the level of distortion will not be a huge worry as the sound quality is perfectly acceptable for general use, though to those fussy about their audio quality, this level of distortion would be an annoyance. Listening through various playlists the Airwave competently handled all music thrown at it. Using the Airwave to watch movies and play games on the move is certainly a viable option too. Certainly a huge improvement to any integrated solution. Overall the volume level and sound quality was surprising from this size of unit, and while it will not fill a room with party thumping beats, it is definitely a great item to add background music for any occasion anywhere.
Microphone
When paired with a phone, you can use the integrated microphone for your calls too. Voice pick up was good quality and didn’t give too much of that distant echoy effect as many integrated loudspeaker modes on handsets offer. A nice added feature.
Conclusion
Wireless speakers such as the Creative Airwave will increasingly become popular maybe even replace ‘docking’ systems due to their universal connectivity and superior audio quality and output. The Airwave could be considered a little plasticky, however, the design is arguably attractive and the various colours available will offer that bold and youthful statement that many enjoy. The dual 3″ drivers powered by the LiPo battery gives an unexpected sound level and quality for the product size.
The only thing that is slightly confusing with the Creative Airwave, is as to why a USB charger was not included. Though there is a cable included and many are likely to own one already, based on that assumption being wrong, it cannot be used out the box. At the suggested price of £89.99 (can be found for around £71) it may seem fairly pricy, though, even after considering the downsides, compared to most other options available the audio quality, volume level, battery longevity and ease of use will place it at the forefront of portable, wireless speakers. Worthy of our Silver Award and strongly recommended if you are looking.
The Creative Airwave is a bold, attractive and easy to use portable speaker with impressive features that packs a surprising punch for its size.
Pros.
+ Simple easy pairing with NFC technology
+ Up to 12 hours battery life
+ Punchy balanced output
+ Attractive design
+ Integrated microphone
+ Portable
Cons.
– Small amount of distortion
– No USB charger included
– No included protective carry bag
+ Simple easy pairing with NFC technology
+ Up to 12 hours battery life
+ Punchy balanced output
+ Attractive design
+ Integrated microphone
+ Portable
Cons.
– Small amount of distortion
– No USB charger included
– No included protective carry bag
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Creative for providing today’s review sample.
