Creative Pebble 2.0 vs Mackie CR5-XBT

These speakers are exactly what I expect $40 speakers to sound like. Their biggest crime is that they are extremely bright (very pronounced mid-highs), so if you like rock or metal, you're going to have a bad time; when I'm in my car, I tend to consume content with lots of human speech (bright speakers are great for speech) and I otherwise often listen to synth-heavier music, so I'm overall fine with this sound profile for my use. The bass extends down well enough, but isn't controlled well, so an EQ setting that eases up on bass will be appropriate. Before receiving these in the mail, I worried about how I'd mount them, as they're shaped so that the sound aims upwards towards a user when placed on a desk, and I would be placing them above a curved section of gear cluster with the drivers aimed 45 degrees outwards from myself

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright and clear through the CR3-X. There’s the slightest added bass depth in the lows and low-mids, but it’s very subtle. The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals claim far more of the spotlight, and the high-frequency detail is ideal for mixing.

It's just not amazing. It's alright bass. I needed these because the stereo I had in the bedroom is way too loud, the bass is too strong (Not too mention I cannot adjust the bass level) and I do not want to bother my neighbors. These work just fine and I like how portable they are

Sound is excellent for desktop speakers. I'm playing FLAC files of classical music and jazz through the standard motherboard audio, no fancy DAC or anything. Deep clean bass, sharp clear transients, plenty of power. Crank up Buxtehude's Praeludium for Organ in C major played by Hans Davidsson and the bass will knock books off the shelves! Flaws in poor recordings become painfully evident, you'll need an equalizer to rescue some of them

So annoying that they didn't do removable cables. I broke the USB-C connector on my Creative Pebble v2. Support wouldn't tell me the wiring or pinout.

Now to jump straight back into our video today, I'm going to be comparing the Mackie Crxbt range, which is a pair of speakers studio monitors designed...

The volume on the computer could never get to a point that she could hear; even with hearing aids. These speakers have helped tremendously and the design is attractive. I would recommend!

I likely won’t buy from Mackie in the future and I am now unsure if I should trust Wirecutter reviews. They have never steered me wrong before. UPDATE: Mackie sent me a new pair and they have the same issue. This tells me that the hissing is likely a design flaw in the speaker itself