CREATIVE Pebble SE Minimalist 2.0 USB-C Powered PC Speakers

These are decent budget speakers. Nice design that should fit in with most pc setups. The lighting on the bottom looks awesome. Sound quality is alright, nothing to write home about but certainly an upgrade if you’re coming from using your monitor’s built-in speakers.

Ordered via vine. I’m an audiophile and my computer already links up to a 2500 odd mini Hi-Fidelity fully sound proofed sound studio in my room – which by Audiophile standards is not even very expensive, but it does sound amazing. So I honestly have no use for some entry level computer speakers, I have cable interconnects that cost twice as much as these, but i’m going to try and give some relevant and insightful recommendations, covering a broader range of different Laptop/Computer users, to demonstrate how and when I think these might be worth purchasing.

Creative is a well known brand specialising in sound cards and computer speakers for decades now and I was interested to see what these Pebble SE mini speakers sound like. Creative do a higher end version of the Pebble series which would have been more interesting to review, and more worthwhile I would imagine but let’s go.

Now for 24, these do look very nice, they certainly look good and they were a bit heavier than I expected as I took them out of the box which means they have some decent magnets inside them.

I don’t know the exact specs on the woofers etc, only that they’re 10W. But via a visual inspection, they come with integrated cables that cannot be detached, not the end of the world but these are entry level.

Powered vis A USB-C which has to connect either into your computer or a USB plug (not supplied) there are 3 black ables, with the 2nd being a standard 3,5mm to be connected into your PC/laptops 3.5mm stereo/combo jack. And the 3rd black cable connects the right speaker to the left, so I’m guessing the amplification is within the primary right hand speaker, which also has the volume dial and RGB effects mode control. With the other left speaker with the creative logo being passive.

On the front side of each we have two very cute light/bronze coloured mini woofers, they’re only around 1-2″ diameter and I have no info on the materials used or drivers but thats fine. These are plug and play as soon as they’re powered and connected with no drivers or installation necessary.
On the the underside of each we have the RGB ring, which by clicking the mode change button can remaining static flashing your preferred colour otherwise it will cycle through all the colours available.
The surface I tested this on isn’t very reflective or ideal, but these days RGB must be on everything as that’s what buyers want.
And in my opinion, the Pebble shape and overall design looks great, the inner shiny plastic easily gets finger marks on it but the rest of the speakers a more matte finish, yet they don’t look tacky and if these were 50 I wouldn’t know any better from the design and quality.

On the rear side of each speaker we have a second driver of some kind, i’m pretty sure this one is designed to produce to bass and mid-bass, it has a black circular thing in the middle of the woofer that must resonate, and the rubber can be seen either side of both front and rear speaker so I’d imagine this has quite a high cross-over and is basically a second lower range speaker.
The smaller front almost light golden speaker/driver is smaller and must be designed for the mid-range to upper/high frequencies almost like a tweeter but I think these are both almost full range speakers, they will not have any DSP but the high frequencies and vocals must come from the front of each speaker, which it does.
But the rear black speaker is not a dedicated subwoofer producing only below 120hz, it’s also a full range speaker that is larger has quite a high cross over, yet it seems to be playing midrange and as much sub-bass as it can produce, also contributing to the overall volume. The volume knob is on the right speaker and turns on when turned clockwise, and it’s volume increases the more you turn it.

Sound Quality:
I have to really lower my expectations here to be realistic, I certainly cannot compare them to my setup, you can see an 8″ subwoofer in the background. So these speakers are inevitable limited by their small size, however the maximum volume is not too bad at all, although it does begin to distort near maximum. And I did play Tidal Max Hi-Fi @ 24bit and 192hz when testing these, and that alone is the best quality you can get from any of the streamers, which would have enhanced the sound significantly vs regular lower bitrate MP3s or regular Bluetooth.
Also because they dont have space for a dedicated tweeter, the frequency response and upper range on these isn’t great but it’s pretty much what i’d expect for the price. Because if they have included a dedicated tweeter, instead of 2x full range-ish speakers, then they’d not achieve any volume at all. I was able to get the woofers to flex at max volume, and the front light bronze smaller speakers certainly produce more of the upper frequencies, but they also need the rear larger midrange/sub bass speakers for support and overall volume, even though they’re facing the wrong way. If these are up against a wall then some of that is going to reflect upon the wall or you’ll hear it.

This breaks many audiophile rules, and without knowing the frequency response of each I can only guess logically that the rear is a larger midbass/sub bass driver except it would be better facing forwards.
I was considering connecting these to me 500 DAC for improved sound quality, sound stage and so on but I think that would be pointless. And even the cheapest decent dongle DACs with a good chip would cost as much to over twice the price of these speakers. The money would be better spent buying better speakers.

However, it is true that these sound far better than my laptops integrated speakers, which are absolutely tiny, but then my Dell Latitude 5500 i7-8556U is a 4-5 year old business laptop.

So the best advice I can give, is if you have a 3-5 year old basic, business or non gaming,non-high end laptop. All laptops vary but these go much louder and do sound much better than any integrated laptop speakers.
BUT, if you have a very modern and expensive laptop, in 2024 some high end laptop models come with very, very good integrated stereo speakers already. So the overall difference in sound quality, volume, and performance will be far less if you have a very high end Gaming laptop that has some very good speakers in them already – though actual bass you will never get from even the best laptop.

However, if you have an average laptop, or PC with no speakers at all, and you just want to listen to youtube or general audio louder, with improved sound quality, improved sound stage as you can put these speakers much wider and further apart then integrated laptop speakers… As long as you are not expecting fantastic Hi-Fidelity sound for music listening or gaming. But if you just want a cheap way of simply increasing the volume and SQ from your laptop by 3-4 times for casual listening of movies, youtube etc. Then these 24 speakers will sound far better than your average laptop speakers.

If you want more than casual listening or more significant improvements, then you could either look at more expensive mid-range PC speakers.

Although if your budget is between 150-300, and you want to really enjoy powerful, Hi-fidelity, Hi-Res music, and audio from movies and gaming – Then 24 speakers are not going to impress you, especially if you have a modern/high end laptop already, some of which have very good speakers that might not quite beat these in terms of volume and sound quality, but the improvement will be marginal.
But if you have a 3000 modern laptop or a high end Computer, then these 24 entry level speakers are only good to essentially increase the volume for casual audio listening, and chances are you have the budget for a true audio and musical immersive experience.
If that’s the case and if you really enjoy listening to high end music for hours at a time then you’d be much better off buying something like some Edifier 350db/360db bookshelf 2.0 speakers with an 8″ sub – Or even some Hi-Res certified Headphones for around 100 will be a cheaper option.
If you want actual computer speakers to drastically enhance your sound, then rather than looking at Computer/Laptop speakers, you get much better for your money with something like the Edifier S1000MKIIs, which are very large and powerful 2.0 bookshelf speakers, for around 300 that will give you significantly more enjoyable sound for music, movies and gaming. Plus they will play music from all your devices, not just a laptop or computer. As these active Hi-Fi speakers already have 4 or 5 inputs including USB in, RCA digital in, Digital Optical in (for TV), RCA inputs, and Bluetooth input.

To be honest, it’s a well known fact that true Hi-Res certified 2.0 or 2.1 bookshelf speakers such as the Edifier range, vastly outperform both expensive Soundbars and any type of Logitech or other computer speakers, even the “high end” soundbars and dedicated PC speakers cannot compete with proper Hi-Fi bookshelf speakers which are an all round solution for any device you might have.

Returning back to computer speakers. Alternatively, if you are more of a casual listener but want bigger and better sound, then it would be worth checking the flagship model of these Creative Pebbles which I think are around 80, or something more expensive than these entry level 24 speakers.

So in conclusion, since I am reviewing these impartially for the entry level 24 computer speakers that they are. If you have an ordinary laptop for general usage, especially over 3-5 years old then by spending 24, this as significantly better than any integrated speakers you might have. And if you only want greater volume, some improved sound quality for casual listening only. Then these will be a significant improvement, and may be worthwhile.
I’ve not owned or reviewed and similarly entry level speakers to say they are the best you can buy for 24, but they certainly look nice, with RGB and look sufficiently premium to greatly improve your Laptops sound, for casual gaming, YouTubing or to add entry level/mediocre sound to a computer.

Though bear in mind, the most high end and modern laptops, especially gaming laptops have surprisingly good integrated speakers, more than sufficient for casual and general listening in this case the difference in performance will be significantly less.
If you want greater than average music, movies and gaming audio that you can truly enjoy then you could either buy some higher end computer speakers, such as the more expensive Pebble series, Logitech and so on. But as an audiophile, my advice is that if your budget is 100-200 you’d be far better off (ignoring Soundbars) buying some Hi-Fi Bookshelf and Hi-Res speakers, such as the Edifier series, all of which unlike dedicated computer speakers will provide fantastic audio not just for your computer/laptop, but an all in one solution for your TV, Smartphone (via bluetooth or cable), Vinyl players, CD/DVD players and any device you own will be covered.

Though to give a rating to these 24 Creatine Pebble SE, I think they perform as well as i’d expect for an entry level set of mini computer speakers. They look great, the RGB is clearly aimed at gamers, and if you’re a casual gamer they may sound satisfactory. If you have any high end gaming and expensive Laptop or Gaming rig, chances are you want something more expensive, with realistic and immersive sound – Either some good headphones or higher end Computer speakers, or better yet Hi-Fi musical speakers.

Though if 24 is your budget which is a logical assumption if you’re looking at these, and if you simply want a bit more oomph and volume and some midrange bass to your general use computing experience, then these will achieve that and I cannot fault them at all. Prospective buyers subjective expectations on these, especially if buying computer speakers for the first time will vary greatly. Depending on how important or necessary good sound and music is based on their specific usage. And according to whatever criteria, high or low standards their personal preferences for overall sound quality, volume and performance happens to be – And in 2024 good sound doesn’t cost as much as it used to.
So if I only had my Laptop, and no other speaker systems at all, i’d be perfectly happy paying 24 for the additional performance these achieve. But once you become an audiophile addict and when you hear what really great audio sounds like, you cannot go back.
Though for entry level computer speakers, I think these are pretty good.

This product was sent to me to review, as part of Amazon Vine. The below is my own real-world experience of using it.

In terms of build quality, the set appears to have been well-made – it is very robust, and has a sleek finish. The compact design allows both speakers to fit well on any desk, without taking up too much space (I was able to put them at either side of my monitor).

Once connected, they are very easy to use, with simple controls for both lighting and volume (the light can also be switched off, if you prefer). I have them connected to the back of my monitor, which powers them and uses them as an audio output.

I would say that the audio quality is perfectly fine for everyday use (such as watching videos, listening to music, etc.). There is a little bit of bass because of the mini ‘subwoofer’ that forms part of the speaker’s design, but you can’t push it too much.

In summary, a good value item, with fun RGB that would be an ideal addition to any budget gaming/computing setup.

As budget speakers go, these are pretty good, but remember, they are very much budget speakers.

The USB-C is for power only, with the sound coming from the 3.5mm auxiliary cable.

Sound quality is good enough for video calls or watching YouTube, there really isn’t much in the way of bass in the sound. Voices are clear though.

For the price, I am pleasantly surprised by them. Though I would prefer to have seen sound sent over USB, leaving just one cable.