The Roar 2 features the same internal specification as its predecessor yet it is 20% smaller in volume and 10% lighter in weight, will its ROAR be the same?
Product on Review: Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2
Manufacturer: Creative
Street Price: UK: £149.99, US: $169.99
Earlier this year we took a look at the Creative ROAR, oozing classy design and serious performance in a portable wireless speaker. Earning many accolades the ROAR rightly cemented its position against some of the top in the market. Improving upon this act would undoubtedly become a head scratcher.
Well, evidently the Creative team is filled with people up to the job of delivering, with the Roar 2 coming in that bit more compact (20% by volume) and 100g in mass which apparently had the design team running up against the laws of physics to retain the same acoustic properties. The most obvious design change is that the front is now solid, and all the drivers now fire up. The Roar 2 and be orientated on its front face with included rubberised sticky feet to allow for horizontal playback and easier access to the rear controls. Amazingly, the specification of the internal electronics remains identical with the same drivers for a powerful performance.
Overview by Creative
Meet the new variant of the critically acclaimed Sound Blaster Roar which has garnered thousands of 5-star reviews. The Sound Blaster Roar 2 is 20% more compact, for a real powerhouse that packs the former’s DNA into a smaller frame — the same five high-performance speaker drivers, with the same cutting-edge electrical design and the same battery capacity. This incredible feat is achieved without compromising the same mind-shattering room-filling audio delivered by the classic Sound Blaster Roar.
Technical Specifications
System Configuration
One-piece
Dimensions
Speaker: 51.0 x 188.0 x 109.0 mm (2.0 x 7.4 x 4.3 inches)
Power Adaptor Cord Length: Approx 1.7m
USB Cord Length: Approx 0.7m
Weight
Speaker: 1kg (2.2lbs)
Power Adaptor: 150g (5.3oz)
USB Cable Weight: 26g
UK Interchangeable Adaptor Plug*: 19g
CE Interchangeable Adaptor Plug*: 17g
Color: Black/White
Included Accessories
1 x Micro USB Cable
1 x Power Adaptor
2 x Interchangeable Adaptor Plugs*
*Supplied interchangeable plug(s) may vary according to region and country.
Recommended Usage
Wireless Streaming Yes
Movies / Music Yes
Outdoor Yes
Controls / Connectivity
Bluetooth® VersionBluetooth 3.0
Bluetooth Profile
A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth)
AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control)
HFP (Hands-free Profile)
Supported CodecsAAC
aptX
SBC
Near Field Communication (NFC): Yes
Multipoint: Yes
Connector Type
AUX-in
Bluetooth
USB
Volume Level Control: Yes
Features
Drivers
1 x 2.5″ Woofer
2 x 1.5″ Tweeter
2 x Passive Radiators
Design
Bi-amplified Design
Microphone
Built-in
Supported Platforms for Wireless Audio (Minimum Requirements)
Mobile/Smart DevicesMobile / Smart devices with A2DP -enabled Bluetooth technology
Computers Compatible with PC (Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1)
Apple Macintosh equipped with Bluetooth wireless stereo
USB Audio: Yes
Battery Specifications
Battery Type
Built-in Li-ion 6000mAH
Battery Life: 8 hours
Charging by Micro USB
Proprietary Adaptor
Charge Mobile Devices USB
1.0A Max Output
Others
microSD Slot: Yes (Max 32GB, class 4 or above)
Supported Audio Formats
MP3 (up to 320kbps)
WMA (up to 320kbps)
WAV (16 bit 48kHz PCM)
Other Features
Sound Blaster Control Panel
One-piece
Dimensions
Speaker: 51.0 x 188.0 x 109.0 mm (2.0 x 7.4 x 4.3 inches)
Power Adaptor Cord Length: Approx 1.7m
USB Cord Length: Approx 0.7m
Weight
Speaker: 1kg (2.2lbs)
Power Adaptor: 150g (5.3oz)
USB Cable Weight: 26g
UK Interchangeable Adaptor Plug*: 19g
CE Interchangeable Adaptor Plug*: 17g
Color: Black/White
Included Accessories
1 x Micro USB Cable
1 x Power Adaptor
2 x Interchangeable Adaptor Plugs*
*Supplied interchangeable plug(s) may vary according to region and country.
Recommended Usage
Wireless Streaming Yes
Movies / Music Yes
Outdoor Yes
Controls / Connectivity
Bluetooth® VersionBluetooth 3.0
Bluetooth Profile
A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth)
AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control)
HFP (Hands-free Profile)
Supported CodecsAAC
aptX
SBC
Near Field Communication (NFC): Yes
Multipoint: Yes
Connector Type
AUX-in
Bluetooth
USB
Volume Level Control: Yes
Features
Drivers
1 x 2.5″ Woofer
2 x 1.5″ Tweeter
2 x Passive Radiators
Design
Bi-amplified Design
Microphone
Built-in
Supported Platforms for Wireless Audio (Minimum Requirements)
Mobile/Smart DevicesMobile / Smart devices with A2DP -enabled Bluetooth technology
Computers Compatible with PC (Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1)
Apple Macintosh equipped with Bluetooth wireless stereo
USB Audio: Yes
Battery Specifications
Battery Type
Built-in Li-ion 6000mAH
Battery Life: 8 hours
Charging by Micro USB
Proprietary Adaptor
Charge Mobile Devices USB
1.0A Max Output
Others
microSD Slot: Yes (Max 32GB, class 4 or above)
Supported Audio Formats
MP3 (up to 320kbps)
WMA (up to 320kbps)
WAV (16 bit 48kHz PCM)
Other Features
Sound Blaster Control Panel
Packaging & First Look
The packaging is great quality, and nestles the speaker on a bed of velvet highlighting the main selling points, it is smaller, lighter and arguably sexier than its predecessor.
Underneath we get the back story about the Roar 2 and a list of all its features.
Inside, the accessories are very similar to the previous Roar, featuring the customary guide book, a power adaptor with two fittings, in this case we get the UK and CE plug adaptors, as well as a USB to microUSB cable which can be used to either connect the Roar 2 to your PC or to your phone.
The Roar 2 wireless speaker. First impressions are of less meshed area, this would be due to the new design which fires all speaks up vertically, whereas previously the stereo drivers fired forwards, while the subwoofer fired vertically. This design does however mean that it can now be orientated on its front face too.
We also get to take a look at the Carry Bag for the Roar 2 also, available from the Creative shop. The Roar 2 fits perfectly inside the neoprene bag and the padding is durable enough to afford light protection on the go. There are two sized straps included, one for over the shoulder and one for hand carry. To put the Roar inside is akin to choking a frog and there is no zip or velcro to fasten, the design makes it snugly fit around the speaker. The carry bag is stretchy and can be turned inside out if you want to change to a lighter colour. Unfortunately there isn’t a mesh carry bag like what was available with the original Roar, which allowed for use without having to remove it from the bag, there is however a protective silione case available in 6 colours.
Closer Look
We have the white version of the Roar 2, also available in black. It does away with the soft rubberised textured coating seen on the previous version and is noticeably smaller in size.
At each side is a passive radiator, which helps create a wider soundstage.
The button arrangement on the top is more streamlined, yet keeps the charging, pairing LED indicators from before, with the NFC position on the right hand side.
The arrangement of controls is similar to the original, this time however, the Tera bass button doubles as the Tera bass/Roar button, selecting Tera bass first. The Roar 2 is also missing the security lock key, a feature which victims of blue-jacking may very well want.
On the left and side, there is, power in, aux-in, USB DC out, microUSB and a micro SD card slot. There is no mention of the Roar 2 being compatible with the megastereo cable.
Moving over to the control panel section, there is a media select key (USB or storage), the Roar/Tera Bass button, the built in play/pause and skip buttons as well as the microphone/voice recoring controls.
Software
The software is the familiar SBX control panel by Creative and is available to download from the product page. It includes familiar Sound Blaster technologies which, in this situation really does help to customise your audio experience. You can choose from a list of defaults from the tiles displayed, or you can customise your experience using edit option to access the equaliser.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Most of the functionality of the original ROAR remains.
You can pair 2 devices via Bluetooth simultaneously, either by holding down the pairing button or via NFC, it uses aptX and AAC high definition wireless codecs so you can trust you will get the best playback quality. You can connect an MP3 device via 3.5mm jack, or you can simply save your favourite MP3/WMA/WAV audio tracks to a 32GB microSD card and use the speaker itself as an MP3 player. You can connect it to your PC/laptop/Mac or PS4 via the microUSB port for audio playback and there is even software available for PC and Mac OS. Within the Roar 2 is a microphone for speakerphone, to which you can answer your phone by pressing the answer button on the Roar 2, or you can cancel the call by holding the answer button for 3 seconds. The microphone also allows for voice recording directly to the SD card.
The differences between the Roar 2 and the ROAR, on first appearance, is that inside the literature bagging (IE where the guidebook is), Creative has included extra sticky rubberised feet for the front face, so you can mount it on its front face. This orientation has several benefits, including changing the direction the drivers fire, as well as having easier access to the control panel at the rear. These feet may make it difficult to fit inside the carry bag however. Alternatively you wouldn’t need to use the feet at all if you opt for the silicone skin.
The buttons are different, in a good soft and squishy sense, each requiring a firm but pleasing amount of force. The Roar 2 has no security lock, opting for a direct pairing method as to remove any need for such alternating security functions, though some may prefer the choice provided by the ROAR.
The sleep mode makes an appearance again where the Roar 2 will automatically fade out over 15 or 30 minutes while playing back audio from the SD card. This can be useful for end of day listening, or even for children, as a suggested use, you can voice record yourself reading a bed time story for playback, then set it to automatically shut down.
The integrated volume controls on the Roar 2 acts as an independent master volume, allowing you to limit the maximum volume of the Roar 2 speaker from your connected phone which can be rather handy. It is also worth noting that the maximum volume level is higher when it is plugged into the mains.
One thing that did catch our attention, was that the exposed side radiators, as beautifully finished as they are, seem rather exposed and may be easily damaged from a small awkward drop or fall where it may end up landing on the sides and so requires a little attention to how you handle it.
Multimedia
Connecting up my mobile phone, and playing through various known music playlists, the Roar 2 proves that, by some magic, has still got all the grunt of the original. The high quality audio playback from the bi-amplified design really shines as the drivers are tuned almost to perfection, delivering well balanced mid/highs while the subwoofer delivers that impressive bass/low mids. The Roar 2 is not to be taken lightly and is something one could happily use anywhere in and out of the home.
The bouncing side radiators do well to spread the sound, increasing the presence of the Roar 2 which makes it seem much larger than the small book sized object that it is. Playing games and watching movies is certainly feasible with the right positioning proving its versatility once again as the ROAR did before it.
Microphone
The microphone is just as good as the previous ROAR, and the voice recording mode gives a natural, warm tone when played back. In phone calls, again I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest that it could be used in a meeting as a conference device should someone not be present.
Conclusion
The Creative ROAR originally came in to contend with the top flight of wireless speakers and you could arguably say it did so in terms of features and performance at a great price (currently retailing for £129). The Roar 2, takes this same recipe and cuts it down in size, improving its portability and versatility. This is a win-win.
Visually, and materialistically, the Roar 2 is a touch superior to the original ROAR. The layout and buttons too are improved, it does away with some arguably needless features like the security lock and combines the ROAR and Tera bass modes into a single button. It seems like a shame that there hasn’t been a direct improvement to any existing features such as the battery life being rated for the same 8 hours with the same 6000mAh battery. This is no reason to overlook what the Roar 2 contains in its vast repertoire of features and the great value it provides.
The audio quality is outstanding for this type of product, though it could be argued in terms of raw performance and value it is beaten by the original ROAR. Though at £149 the Roar 2 is competitively priced and its smaller and lighter frame will make for a more attractive proposition. The audio performance is well tuned, the Tera bass/ ROAR modes do their job at giving that extra presence when needed. Some may want a more bass heavy experience from their speaker and so may prefer to opt for something known for their subjectively ‘improved’ bass response. Even at full volume the Roar 2 is never harsh and simply sounds great.
It is a shame that by default, being a compact speaker, it will never quite have the same presence as a dedicated speaker system within the home, though this will never be the intent of a portable speaker. Considering this, Creative have done an excellent job with the Roar 2 and it requires a true amount of subjective criticisms to put any faults to it. As with its predecessor the real issue is with what it has not got, being the lack of an included carry bag. The extra cost of the protective carry bag/silicone case at £30 a piece can make the overall price jump quite high.
The Roar 2 loses in all the right areas, size and weight; retaining its big performance and huge list of features!
Pros.
+ Smaller and lighter than the previous Roar
+ Packs the same great audio experience
+ Attractive design
+ Microphone Voice recording/Phone
+ Can be used with a line in, Bluetooth, mass storage and by USB
+ Sleep mode
+ Long battery life
+ Can be Charged via USB and by mains (added volume boost)
+ Can charge your phone
Cons.
– Carry Case not included
+ Smaller and lighter than the previous Roar
+ Packs the same great audio experience
+ Attractive design
+ Microphone Voice recording/Phone
+ Can be used with a line in, Bluetooth, mass storage and by USB
+ Sleep mode
+ Long battery life
+ Can be Charged via USB and by mains (added volume boost)
+ Can charge your phone
Cons.
– Carry Case not included
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
