From Creative Technology – the Singapore-based company behind the widely successful Sound Blaster line of audio cards and more – comes a portable Bluetooth speaker with just about every type of useful technology you could imagine. The clumsily-named Sound BlasterAxx AXX 200 has a plethora of features both unique and surprising, including a microSD card-ready integrated voice recorder, megaphone, siren, smartphone charger, and voice morpher. While Creative’s Sound BlasterAxx SBX 8, SBX 10, and SBX 20 models achieve similar goals, they are bulkier devices designed for more stationary purposes, and they don’t feature near the amount of features, both the practical ones and the more novel capabilities.
First and foremost, the AXX 200 is a speaker. A Bluetooth/NFC-enabled speaker designed to fit in your pocket and go wherever you go. The two 1.5-inch drivers and rear panel’s subwoofer outlet push sound like any other Bluetooth speaker – and we’re sure it’ll perform just fine, given Creative’s 25 years of experience in the audio industry. But it’s the device’s supporting cast that makes the AXX 200 shine.
The speaker’s microphone allows conference calls (now a near-standard feature Bluetooth speakers these days speakers), but also doubles as a megaphone and Dictaphone. Conference calls are enhanced by Creative’s proprietary CrystalVoice Focus (the tech hones in on and favors voices over ambient noises). And for those certain situations in which you need to empty a crowded room or wake up that teenager who won’t get out of bed, there’s the “loud siren” feature. Finally, you’ll be able to “morph your voice into different creatures” – we’ll have to give this a try ourselves before making any judgement calls.
The device’s app is both iOS- and Android-supported, and with a USB port for device-charging, users should rarely find themselves tuneless or phoneless. The BlasterAXX 200 is available now for $150 via Creative’s online store and at Amazon.
