Creative unveils 'new genre' of audio device: Sound BlasterAxx
Creative will release a new line of USB-powered speakers later this summer, some of which will have Bluetooth streaming capabilities.
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
Not surprisingly here at CNET we get a ton of press releases e-mailed to us announcing new products. Most are fairly bland, but Creative's media pitch for its upcoming Sound BlasterAxx line of speakers is one of the more amped-up ones I've received lately, reading like an ad for a new energy drink. In fact, I think the PR person who wrote it had three Red Bulls before he or she started typing.
Here's a little taste. Careful, it's rich:
Creative Technology Ltd today announced the Sound BlasterAxx, a whole new generation of Sound Blaster and a new genre of audio device that the world has not seen before. Specially designed and engineered to meet the audacious demand for simplicity and coolness by a whole new generation of networked mobile device users, the Sound BlasterAxx shifts to a new paradigm of literally producing great sound and becoming a great listener of sound while keeping everything amazingly simple. The sound produced by the flagship Sound BlasterAxx, a unique one-piece elegantly designed hexagonal device, simply blows people away, and yet mind-bogglingly, no power adapter is required.
That's just the first three sentences. I don't know if it gets worse or better after that, but you do get a lot of pumped-up lingo describing the various sound modes and enhancers. Suffice to say there's a lot jargon packed into these speakers. (I'm not going to get into the BlasterAxx name, but it is a mouthful).
Anyway, it took me awhile to figure out they were three different sized USB-powered mini tower speakers with built-in microphones. The two higher-end models, the Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 and SBX 10, offer Bluetooth streaming. Meanwhile the entry-level SBX8 seems to be more of a portable speaker that plugs into the USB port on Mac and Windows PCs.
Creative says that along with supporting Mac and Windows PCs, the Sound BlasterAxx is also designed to work "intelligently" with smart devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Android phones, and Android tablets (you can read all about the specs and various sound-enhancement and other features here).
The good news is that like most Creative products, the speakers are affordable. The flagship Sound BlasterAxx SBX 20 ($199.99) will be available in August while Sound BlasterAxx SBX 10 ($149.99), which is just a smaller version of the SBX 20, and the Sound BlasterAxx SBX 8 ($99.99), will be available in July.
If you're so inclined, you can also check out this promotional video, which features the proverbial hipster photographer. Note that Creative, a global company, ups the hipster ante by using an Australian.