Creative Inspire S2 Wireless Review
Good quality wireless speakers, but are way too expensive
Positive: Compact design, wireless connectivity, good audio quality
Negative: No remote controller, right speaker permanently connected to the subwoofer, expensive
Expert Rating: 3.5 Stars
EXPERT REVIEW:
Intro:
You may remember that last year we reviewed the Creative Inspire S2 2.1 speaker system. We were impressed by its performance, especially considering the size. Although Creative had internationally launched the wireless version of the Inspire S2 along with the standard version, it took them almost a year to bring it here in India. But now that it is finally here, we took it for a spin to see how it compares against its wired brother.
Bundle:
Design:
Let's get one thing out of the way; the Inspire S2 Wireless is not a completely wireless system. That is, the satellite speakers are still connected to the subwoofer through wires. Only the connection between the source and the speakers is wireless. Now that that's clear, let's get on with the design.
The Inspire S2 Wireless looks identical to its wireless brother. In fact, the only distinguishing factor between the two is that the Inspire S2 Wireless has volume buttons on the right speaker instead of a rotating dial on the Inspire S2. Apart from adjusting the volume, the volume buttons also assist in pairing the speakers to Bluetooth devices. Next to the buttons are a headphone jack and an aux input.
The speakers on the S2 are really tiny and can sit comfortably in your palms. The subwoofer itself isn't too large either; it is about the size of a football. Unfortunately, as was the case with the Inspire S2, the right speaker is still permanently connected to the subwoofer, which makes placing the speaker tricky. For example, if you have holes drilled in your desk to route the speaker wires then they are useless as you won't be able to pass the right speaker through them.
The tiny satellites get 7W RMS of power each, while the subwoofer gets 19W RMS. The subwoofer on the Inspire S2 Wireless uses Creative's DIRECT-THROW technology. The subwoofer is designed in a way that takes advantages of a wall behind it to bounce the sound energy and create a more pronounced bass from a smaller enclosure. For this to work, you will need to place the subwoofer close to a wall and preferably in a corner.
The Creative Inspire S2 Wireless has built-in Bluetooth A2DP support for connecting to mobile audio devices, but it also comes with a USB dongle that you can connect to your computer. This dongle then bypasses the on-board audio on your computer and then passes the pure audio signal directly over the air to the speaker, which is then processed and played back. The USB dongle uses a more sophisticated audio compression algorithm for this called apt-X, which works over Bluetooth, but has a lower latency and compression compared to standard Bluetooth A2DP audio found in most devices and hence offers better audio quality.
One thing we missed sorely on the Inspire S2 Wireless is a remote controller. We had to reach out for the volume control on the speakers or the master volume control on Windows or Mac to adjust the volume every time. Also, it's impossible to know at what volume the speakers are set at, so you always have to start at a lower volume on the source, so you don't blow your ears off if the speaker is set at a higher volume.
If that wasn't bad enough, the + volume button on our review sample stopped working after a while. This was rather unfortunate as it is also required while pairing other devices to the speaker system.
Performance:
One thing we missed sorely on the Inspire S2 Wireless is a remote controller. We had to reach out for the volume control on the speakers or the master volume control on Windows or Mac to adjust the volume every time. Also, it's impossible to know at what volume the speakers are set at, so you always have to start at a lower volume on the source, so you don't blow your ears off if the speaker is set at a higher volume.
If that wasn't bad enough, the + volume button on our review sample stopped working after a while. This was rather unfortunate as it is also required while pairing other devices to the speaker system.
Performance:
The original Inspire S2 was a sweet sounding speaker system and the Inspire S2 Wireless is no different. Using Bluetooth takes a bit of edge out of the sound, wherein it sounds a wee bit softer and lacks the energy of the wired version. But that is only noticeable if you have heard the wired version. In fact, even we noticed it only when we connected the Inspire S2 Wireless to our Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 through the auxiliary input on the side, which made the sound more powerful. But then if you are going to use a wire then it makes no sense to go for the wireless version.
We noticed that the apt-X enabled USB dongle sounded noticeably better than what we could get from other Bluetooth devices that did not support this codec. It wasn't much better, but the minor clarity in audio makes us wish more devices support the apt-X codec. Bear in mind that the regular Bluetooth audio on the S2 wasn't terrible, and to be honest, most people would barely notice any difference.
In case you don't know how the S2 sounds in general, here is a quick description. Starting with the bass, the small subwoofer is optimized for mid-bass rather than deep bass and Creative has clearly mentioned this on their website. The mid-bass is surprisingly powerful and punchy and even at high volumes the subwoofer continues to astonish you with the bass. You begin to wonder whether there are three more of them hidden somewhere in the room.
Eventually you will notice the lack of low-end bass, especially when the sound just drops from a mid-bass note to a deep bass note and you suddenly won't hear anything. This becomes even more glaring on the S2 because the mid-bass is so good, you don't expect the audio to just disappear but it does and no amount of adjusting the bass knob at the back can help. In fact, it is best not to take it beyond the 50 percent mark as then the bass just becomes boomy.
At the other end of the audio spectrum the treble is crisp and clean and sounds natural. The mid-range is slightly muffled though and at times the mid-bass tends to overshadow it. There is also distortion in the sound when you take it beyond the 60 percent mark. Still, overall the audio quality is very good. We especially liked the soundstaging of the speakers, which was very wide and the speakers would just disappear from the picture.
Verdict:
The Creative Inspire S2 Wireless is priced at Rs. 9,499. In comparison the standard Inspire S2 is priced at Rs. 5,999. We feel that the price difference is a bit too much for wireless connectivity, especially considering the fact that the speakers themselves aren't wired but just the source can be connected wirelessly to them. You can get a Bluetooth enabled phone in that price difference.
What's worse is that in the US both the wired and the wireless versions cost half as much as they do here. We don't understand why Creative wants to sell the same speakers for the twice the price here. There is no doubt that they are good and if you want good quality wireless speakers these are your best bet. But we are not comfortable recommending them at this price, especially knowing that someone in the US is buying it for half as much.
Specifications:
Product Type: 2.1-channel Wireless PC multimedia speaker system
bundled with: Bluetooth USB dongle
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Details: Satellite speaker : 2.9 in x 2.9 in x 4.1 in / 11.2 oz, Subwoofer : 9.1 in x 7.1 in x 7.9 in / 2.2 lbs
System Components: 2 speakers, Subwoofe.
Speaker Type: Active
Nominal Output Power (Total): 33 Watt
Response Bandwidth: 40 - 20000 Hz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 75 dB
Audio Amplifier: Integrated
Connectivity Technology: Wireless - Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Bluetooth Profiles: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Transmission Range: 30 ft
Interface Type: Bluetooth
Controls: Volume, Power on/off, Bass
Speakers Included: 2 x Right/left channel speaker - 7 Watt - Wireless,
Subwoofer - 19 Watt - Wireless
Connector Type: 1 x Audio line-in, 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
The diagram on how to connect the cables of the Inspire S2 Wireless Speaker. Please see image below:
Eventually you will notice the lack of low-end bass, especially when the sound just drops from a mid-bass note to a deep bass note and you suddenly won't hear anything. This becomes even more glaring on the S2 because the mid-bass is so good, you don't expect the audio to just disappear but it does and no amount of adjusting the bass knob at the back can help. In fact, it is best not to take it beyond the 50 percent mark as then the bass just becomes boomy.
At the other end of the audio spectrum the treble is crisp and clean and sounds natural. The mid-range is slightly muffled though and at times the mid-bass tends to overshadow it. There is also distortion in the sound when you take it beyond the 60 percent mark. Still, overall the audio quality is very good. We especially liked the soundstaging of the speakers, which was very wide and the speakers would just disappear from the picture.
Verdict:
The Creative Inspire S2 Wireless is priced at Rs. 9,499. In comparison the standard Inspire S2 is priced at Rs. 5,999. We feel that the price difference is a bit too much for wireless connectivity, especially considering the fact that the speakers themselves aren't wired but just the source can be connected wirelessly to them. You can get a Bluetooth enabled phone in that price difference.
What's worse is that in the US both the wired and the wireless versions cost half as much as they do here. We don't understand why Creative wants to sell the same speakers for the twice the price here. There is no doubt that they are good and if you want good quality wireless speakers these are your best bet. But we are not comfortable recommending them at this price, especially knowing that someone in the US is buying it for half as much.
Specifications:
Product Type: 2.1-channel Wireless PC multimedia speaker system
bundled with: Bluetooth USB dongle
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Details: Satellite speaker : 2.9 in x 2.9 in x 4.1 in / 11.2 oz, Subwoofer : 9.1 in x 7.1 in x 7.9 in / 2.2 lbs
System Components: 2 speakers, Subwoofe.
Speaker Type: Active
Nominal Output Power (Total): 33 Watt
Response Bandwidth: 40 - 20000 Hz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 75 dB
Audio Amplifier: Integrated
Connectivity Technology: Wireless - Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Bluetooth Profiles: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Transmission Range: 30 ft
Interface Type: Bluetooth
Controls: Volume, Power on/off, Bass
Speakers Included: 2 x Right/left channel speaker - 7 Watt - Wireless,
Subwoofer - 19 Watt - Wireless
Connector Type: 1 x Audio line-in, 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
The diagram on how to connect the cables of the Inspire S2 Wireless Speaker. Please see image below:
Reference:
- - Right Satellite Speaker
- - Left Satellite Speaker
- - Subwoofer
- - Bass Level Control
- - To Analog Audio Source
- - LED Indicator (Off - standby, Green - On)
- - Volume (+/-)
- - Power/Standby Button
- - Auxilliary Line-In
- - To Wall Outlet
* Optional (Sold Separately)
