| | |  | Sound BlasterAxx | Home » » » Creative Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 Sound Blaster with Bluetooth Wireless and Dual-Array Microphone | | | | | | | Description: | | A whole new generation of Sound Blaster We have combined the legendary audio quality of Sound Blaster and our high-performance wireless speakers into one revolutionary product. Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 will not only transform the way you experience your music, movies and games, but also how you communicate in your voice calls! Together with its accompanying software suite, Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 brings to you a whole new level of engagement and interactivity with your devices. Watch how Sound BlasterAxx fits into your life. Redefining voice communications Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20's built-in microphone, combined with our advanced CrystalVoice™ technology, lets you communicate in a whole new way. You're no longer bound to your computer seat nor have a phone stuck to your ear during voice calls. What's more, all communication is maintained in unbelievable clarity. Learn more about CrystalVoice technology here.  You're always heard With the Smart Volume Management feature enabled, your voice can be picked up even when you're speaking from the other end of the room - with no drop in volume or voice quality perceived by the listener. You're free to move around while still engaged in a conversation!  You're "in focus" There's also a Voice Focus feature, where you can customize the acoustic zone, so that only your voice is heard when you speak within this zone. You won't have to worry about your kids screaming or dog barking if they're out of the focus area!  Only noise-free, crystal clear calls Enjoy crystal clear conversations even in noisy environments. CrystalVoice's noise reduction and echo cancellation features mean you'll always be heard clearly as unwanted background noise such as that from a nearby vacuum cleaner or hairdryer is being eliminated.
Absolute control & flexibility We've included a comprehensive suite of software for both your computer and smart device that will enable you to get the most out of your Sound BlasterAxx.  Customize your movie, music and game audio Experience superb audio realism and stunning 3D surround effects in your movie and gaming audio with SBX Pro Studio.  No more rude shocks Never miss anything again when you're watching your movies, or fall off your seat at an unexpected explosion. Adjust settings that let you hear barely audible movie dialog, or conversely, subdue sudden high-volume events so that you won't wake the whole family in the middle of the night!  Audio control from your smart device or computer With the free Creative Central app for iOS and Android™, you'll get extensive audio control right in the palm of your hand! Use it to manage all your Bluetooth® devices, adjust and control Sound BlasterAxx's audio settings and even watch videos that'll teach you how to get most out of your app and your Sound BlasterAxx. If you wish to control audio from your PC or Mac, and want more flexibility in your audio customization, download the free Sound BlasterAxx Control Panel software here.  Go ahead, have fun! Take on another persona and surprise someone in a voice call! CrystalVoice FX enables your voice to be altered on-the-fly with a variety of effects, creating interesting accents, or be made to sound like a completely different person. For PC users, we've included the "What U Hear" plugin for the Sound BlasterAxx Control Panel, which lets you record a mix of your Karaoke track and your voice as you sing along with the track!
Own a technological marvel Great technology needs to be supported by equally awesome hardware. Not only is Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 equipped with the most advanced hardware, it is specially designed for maximum usability and audio delivery.  It listens to you Sound BlasterAxx's high-quality dual-microphone array functions as its ears. It accurately picks up your voice, and together with the applied technology, intelligently adjusts the audio.  An unparalleled listening experience At the heart of Sound BlasterAxx lies the SB-Axx1™ chip - Creative's most advanced multi-core voice and audio effects processor. This boost in audio processing power translates to a dramatically superior listening experience for your music, movies and calls that is simply second to none.  Big sound from a USB connection Be amazed by the impressive sound and thumping bass generated by a device that is powered only by a mere USB connection! This is made possible by the highly energy-efficient circuitry that's being incorporated within the intelligent amplifier design.  Innovative and intuitive design Sound BlasterAxx's "Stacked Stereo Acoustic Design" combines two speaker drivers vertically into one chassis, making it not only space-saving and aesthetically pleasing, but delivers a great stereo experience as well. Easily access the main functions using the intuitive, touch-sensitive control panel, which is conveniently located at the top. Have a 360° look at the Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 here.
Wait, there's more…  Stream high-quality Bluetooth audio Wirelessly stream music, movie or game audio from any compatible stereo Bluetooth device such as your smart devices, PC or Mac. With iOS devices, you can also stream with Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) for seamless high-quality, low-latency wireless audio.  A whole new way of audio interaction Because of the advanced audio pick-up capabilities of the Sound BlasterAxx, you can utilize it to speak to iPhone's Siri® or Voice Actions for Android to make a call, play your music or many other voice-activated functions with greater accuracy. It will also work with other readily available voice-activated apps like Voice Assist™ or Vlingo®.
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 7.38 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.38 inches | | Product Height:
| 17.84 inches | | Product Weight:
| 5.45 pounds | | Package Length:
| 18.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 7.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 5.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 23 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 23 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Looks better than it soundsDec 12, 2012
By Tim W
Industrial design: 4/5
Electrical design: 1/5
Sound quality: 1/5
Features: 3/5
First, let me say that I am a big fan of the retired Creative D200. Surprisingly great sound in a tiny package. My wife and I received the BlasterAxx SBX20 as a gift, and I was pretty excited to open it and try it out. I was thinking it'd be the new and improved D200.
Boy was I wrong.
Power adapter:
It starts with the fact that this thing is powered up with a standard USB cable (5VDC), but DOES NOT COME WITH AN AC ADAPTER! Sure you can just plug it into your old iPhone or Android cell phone charger that has a USB output if you've got a spare one handy, but how can you really ship a product without all the things you might need in order to turn it on? Will a $2 adapter really kill your margins, Creative?
Design/build:
Once I get over that aspect of it, I am actually pretty impressed with the design. Sleek-looking, feels solid, and nice that it stands vertically as to create a small footprint on your desk/table/nightstand. The capacitive touch panel is nice too, in line with the user interfaces of this generation's mobile devices.
Engineering shortcomings:
Back to the power issue. Per the manual, I give the thing a standard 5V 1 Amp USB power supply. But when I listen to music at moderate volumes, the lights on the display panel actually DIM with each hit of bass! I'm not blasting music, the song is not super bass-heavy, and the output of the speakers really doesn't lead me to believe that it should be trying very hard. But this is a classic case of not enough current being supplied to drive the load. Even as a mechanical engineer, I am somewhat appalled that Creative's electrical engineers wouldn't have thought to use either a bigger power supply, or add some capacitors to the power regulation inside the speaker to help with this. Pretty pathetic.
Sound quality:
As I said before, the D200 is a great Bluetooth speaker and is case-in-point that small, portable systems don't have to necessarily sound that way. Having said that, I have not heard anything that costs $50 or more that wouldn't blow the BlasterAxx SBX20 out of the water. The highs are muffled, bass response is pitiful, and when you turn the "SBX" feature on, it just distorts the pitiful amount of mid-bass that it does manage to produce. I tinkered for about 30 minutes, hoping that it just needed some TLC to get it set up properly. Alas, no amount of playing with settings or EQ on my audio output device was able to make this setup sound any better.
Features:
I will say that the Bluetooth paired perfectly on my first try, and every subsequent try after that. This is important to me for Bluetooth speakers, as they are all about convenience. I tried to take one call with it, and it worked just fine, so kudos for incorporating a mic into this as well. Personally, I would never need to use this feature but it's a nice-to-have.
Final impressions:
If you are seriously considering the BlasterAxx bluetooth speakers, RUN the other way. The D200 sounds way better, and at a fraction of the price. Heck, even the battery-powered D100 sounds better than this thing in my opinion. Sorry, Creative - you blew it on this one.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Terrible sound quality, requires an app to use correctly. Terrible value.Feb 15, 2013
By Doc Stew
I really wanted to like this speaker! I LOVE Creative products, and for a $200 speaker, I had very high hopes. According to the specs, this thing does it all - plays music via bluetooth or 3.5 mm aux in, and you can use it for phone calls. But the old adage "jack of all trades, master of none" applies here.
First and foremost, this is a speaker, so sound quality is most important. And sadly, this speaker disappoints immensely on that front. This speakers is lacking so much in bass that I thought it was defective. Turns out I'm not the only one that thinks that. There is ZERO BASS or low end worth mentioning. The speaker is tinny and distorts at normal volumes. The Creative SBX feature (which supposedly creates a soundstage) makes the music so unpleasant that I can't listen for more than a minute. The other EQ settings are worse. I simply could not fiddle with any setting to get a good sound out of this thing.
You MUST download a app in order to control the speaker with your phone (e.g. volume, skip songs, etc). It's a cumbersome app at best, and just totally unnecessary. My phone is already littered with apps - I don't need more of them. But trying to control volume or skip tracks without the app is impossible - you just can't do it.
The bluetooth functions are OK. However, the person I was talking to said my voice sounded terrible (tons of static) and made me stop using it. This has happened repeatedly. Their voice clarity was pretty good, however.
The touch controls are very clunky. They're slow and unresponsive at times. Would buttons have been a terrible idea if they worked better?
One odd thing is that there is no ON/OFF button. You have to either unplug the unit or disconnect it via BT from your phone. There are also no "skip forward" or "skip back" buttons - you must use your phone. But you can use the touch buttons to answer a call or change the EQ or mute the speaker. It's just too random.
The speaker has a small footprint and isn't that tall, so I guess it would be a good option if you're really limited on space. The fabric is a dirt/hair magnet though. We have a lot of animals, and it shows by looking at this speaker.
I honestly can't recommend this speaker. For $200, there are FAR better options (the Soundfreaq SFQ-01 Sound Platform Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Black)is amazing). Sure, those better speakers don't offer a microphone for BT phone calls, but since that feature isn't all that useful to 99% of the population, does it really matter? Sound quality and convenience are most important to most people, and this one fails miserably on both accounts.
Creative really dropped the ball on this one. Their previous D200 BT speaker was phenomenal. This one is just terrible. Here's hoping they keep it simpler next time and just produce a good sounding speaker.
*Update 5/1/13*
I loathe this speaker. Even my wife, who absolutely cannot tell the difference between good sound and bad sound, said she can't stand to listen to music through this thing. This is the worst BT speaker I've ever owned, and I own a $30 fist sized no-name BT speaker.
The sound is so muddy and tinny that it's ear-piercing. I can't stand to listen to music for more than 10 minutes before I want to unplug it (because there's no on/off button of course).
Overall, this is a hunk of junk and WAY overpriced for its feature set. What was Creative thinking??!!
 Mediocre Sound, Good SpeakerphoneMay 16, 2013
By Bradford Schmidt
I wanted to like this thing. I'll admit I entered this review period with a bit of a bias: I like actual stereo, with two speakers, considerably more than this sort of a set up. But I had an open mind and thought that this might be really good.
Sadly, it didn't meet my hopes. First of all, sound quality for music is only mediocre. I don't find it as terrible as some have claimed here, but it certainly wasn't great. Overall balance is poor, with the upper-mids and high end ill-defined and bass is lacking depth and definition (as others have said - though it certainly isn't "non-existent"). So for music, it's not my bag.
For gaming, it's not bad (or so my 12-year-old tells me), though again there's no true stereo here - just two speakers that fire in different directions stacked one on top of the other. Phasing tricks help provide what Sound Blaster calls "stunning 3d" - um, that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Where I do find it useful is as a BT speakerphone or Skype (or other chat) interface. In this setting, it's just fine. Voices sound dandy, and it pairs quickly and easily with any phone I've tried it with. The voice focus thing seems to work ok, though it's not a mind-blower.
One other negative that I find relevant is that due to the fact the SBX20 is exclusively USB-powered, you need to either plug it into your computer or use the included adapter to plug it into the wall. Do the former, and as long as your computer is on you're good. But if you use the aux-in port for, say, a PS3, you'll need to either unplug it from your computer and plug it into the wall, or turn on your computer just to feed it power. Bogus. Of course since you can only control individual inputs or make source select changes via the software control panel, you may have your computer on anyway. Either way I'm not a fan of this implementation.
So - for speakerphone it's fine. For games it's OK. For music, not so much. Is that worth almost $200? For me, no: I'd be very disappointed with this at that price.
Communications SpeakerApr 06, 2013
By Schwartz
Each speaker comes with a braided USB cable that while looking nice are a bit stiff. The top surface is a touch sensitive white LED back-lit (nice white LED) interactive control panel giving you easy access to the most desired controls. The front and sides of the body are covered entirely in typical speaker grille fabric from top to bottom. How this will hold up over time is to be seen. On the back you have a bass port, Bluetooth pairing button, USB, headphone, and AUX / MIC in jacks. The bottom has a non-skid rubber pad to help keep the unit in place.
Over the time I have spent with this speaker I have found that it and its siblings aren't very good for music, even when using the desktop app to adjust things. They are certainly better than most laptop speakers that I have heard but don't expect amazing sound here. They are adequate for general PC use including web videos and casual gaming.
I didn't have any problems using the PC or Android software to control and adjust the speaker and mic. It did tend to have a little lag when jumping from setting to setting quickly but nothing I couldn't acclimate to. Pairing the speaker with my phone was easy and worked without a problem. The speaker would also always reconnect to my phone when I was back in range, no problems there.
The place that I have found this speaker series to shine is in desktop communications. These speakers are good for having online voice chats similar to using a speakerphone. You have a multitude of adjustments for controlling the microphone so you can get the best pickup for your environment. I also found the speaker to work equally as well when connected to my cell phone.
When I look at the overall package and the sound quality versus the price I'd have to say this is an average unit overall. It does good for communications apps and talking when connected to a cell phone so if that is what you are looking for and can find it for a good price it might be worth checking out.
 Nice speaker with built in mic for office, iPad, etc.Apr 05, 2013
By James Korsmo
"developing theology"
This is a nice compact speaker unit. It's about two feet tall, so it's not real small, but it packs a decent punch for its size. The speakers are ported, so they have a relatively rich and full sound, definitely an upgrade from most built-in speakers, and better than many standard external speakers. It has a quite clear sound. One nice feature is a built-in mic, so this unit can serve as speaker for Skype or FaceTime conversations. The pickup of the mic seemed fine in my experience. The unit is either powered through USB hookup or can be operated via bluetooth, in which case it must be charged via USB beforehand (no wall-charger converter is included, so you'll have to re-purpose another one if you want to charge via an outlet). The unit has volume, mute, phone, noise-reduction, and SBX (meaning enhanced bass, basically) buttons on the top, so these can be controlled right on the unit. I think this could make a really great unit for an office or as an accompaniment to a tablet or MP3 player, and can even be paired with your phone as a hands-free device. The sound really makes it worthwhile. It certainly won't replace a home sound system, but it will fill a room really well.
See all 23 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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