Creative Labs iRoar Bluetooth Speaker Review

On the surface it appears the Creative iRoar only has a single power button available.  This is because the rest of the controls are capacitive and only light up when they are needed. Multimedia controls appear when you are listening to an audio source. Phone controls appear when an incoming call is detected. And when using the SD card you have additional record options via the dual microphones on top.

A helpful set of Hot Glow LED lights in matching orange will display simple symbols to identify which mode you are in when multiple sources like Bluetooth and audio are available at the same time. The iRoar will also provide occasional audio help telling you when you are connected via Bluetooth or identifying an incoming call for example. One possible negative of all this connectivity is the iRoar will helpfully play from any available source at the same time. 

The iRoar does mute the playback when using the hands free phone features to answer a call.

With a little help from Creative we can look at the technology that is driving the Creative iRoar inside. From the ground up the iRoar was designed to provide the maximum sound quality from such a small footprint. There is a method to the madness as they say!

The chassis design is built around a monocoque endoskeleton design often called a single structural skin.  This allows the core construction to minimize energy waste and vibration while carrying most of the stress.  This is the same technology found in aircraft or sports car design.

Speakers are provided as two front facing 1.5” balanced high frequency drivers and a center mounted active 2.75” driver.  Tuned opposing, side firing passive radiators help amplify and disperse the bass and create the impression of a much larger sound stage.  The end result is the iRoar gives the illusion of a much larger and more diverse set of speakers filling the room with sound.

The iRoar also contains 2 separate high-performance amplifiers.  One dedicated to the bass and mids through the 2.75” driver and another to power the two front 1.5” tweeters for delivering crisp highs.

Of course all this speaker technology would be wasted without a top audio processor.  Creative has paired the iRoar with a proprietary processor. The SB-Axx1™. The SB-Axx1 is an audio Digital Signal Processor (DSP) is utilized by all the premium Sound Blaster products such as the Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster X7.  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.