Introduction

Well known for their audio solutions, Creative has now come up with another. Called the Sound BlasterAxx 200 Axx, it is a portable speaker much akin to the UE BOOM we reviewed a while back, although the 200 Axx is slightly different. Where the BOOM aims at ease-of-use, it is clear that Creative has gone for the slightly nerdier crowd, which is a good thing. The 200 Axx is jam-packed with features and has a neat little display on top, which also allows you to touch-control several functions, and it obviously comes with an Android and iOS app that can control all of the features on board.

The Package

Creative ships the 200 Axx in a box packed with stuff.


You also get the charger, a cable, and a carrying bag for the 200 Axx.


Besides the 200 Axx, Creative also has a small dock solution, which is pretty neat. It is currently priced at $59.99, which is a bit steep.


The bundle for the dock also includes an even heftier carrying bag.

Closer Examination

Creative has taken the classy route with the 200 Axx's design. The unit we got was white and black and looked really sleek.


The dock is quite slim and blends in with the device, which definitely makes it a good buy if you plan on using the 200 Axx at home.


Creative supplies their own charger with the device, and the charge time is fairly quick. A full charge only takes around 3 hours and gives you roughly 15 hours of play time if you play the music at moderate volume levels and from a phone. We got around 12 hours under mixed conditions, which is pretty impressive.


A side-by-side comparison of the Sound BlasterAxx 200 Axx and the UE BOOM reveals that they have quite a bit in common in terms of size and design as both use a mid-range speaker and small separate tweeter. They both also have a bass port, although cloth covers it up on the UE BOOM.


The back of the device holds the more advanced controls for integrated players and the recording function.


Quickly turn major features on or off and adjust the volume via the controls on top of the device.


The 200 Axx has an analogue-in and a headphone-out, which is somewhat unusual for a wireless speaker. Right above the inputs and outputs is its micro SD slot. This is quite a smart feature because it allows you to save your music onto a card instead of connecting a phone to reproduce your music. Also worth noting is that the 200 Axx can act as a portable battery that can charge your other devices on the go. With its 5200 mAh battery, you can use it as a power bank if need be.


The construction materials used are a bit underwhelming as only the mesh at the front is out of metal. The back is made out of slightly dull plastic.