Creative Technology’s Pebble series is their most successful speakers line. They are so affordable, iconic, and sounds pretty good as a fuss-free audio replacement to the laptop. After the release of the best-sounding Pebble Nova in 2025, I expressed my enthusiasm for Creative to develop a more serious desktop speakers that caters to the more discerning audio lovers who do not fancy the Pebble design. After all, Creative has had decades of experience in making speakers, like the T60 and the T100, both I have reviewed and sounded good for the price.
And they finally did it. The Creative XF1 is the latest desktop speaker that is quite different from their usual product line. The speakers have 72W RMS with separate amps driving the 0.75-inch tweeter and the 3-inch woofer. Certified Hi-Res Audio that supports up to 24-bit 96kHz over USB, as well as Hi-Res Wireless via LDAC. It also supports 3.5-mm Aux-In and a dedicated subwoofer output which I think is needed to elevate the audio experience (more on that later). Retailing in Singapore at S$249, it is also the second most pricey 2.0 speaker under the Creative catalogue. So is it worth the value?
I was surprised at how compact the retail box is. They are less than 10cm wide and just 19.1cm high. The packaging keeps the drivers from getting damaged during shipping. The cabinet body finishing feels silky and dense, achieving a premium tactile feel. The cork stand is a basic but essential accessory that offers more placement options.
The XF1 requires a new software application called Creative Nexus to manage the hardware, moving away from the “Acoustic Engine” that Creative has included on most of their audio products, so the XF1 is devoid of all the legacy audio enhancements like Surround, Crystalizer, Dialog+ which I never used them. The software is available on Windows, Android and iOS, and the features are identical. In that app, apart from the usual firmware updates, the one best function must be the Parametric EQ.
Creative team designed it so well that it is a shame not to use it. You can add up to 10 EQ points and each point is denoted by a colour which made sense when using it on a small smartphone screen. Tapping the colour block or point will bring up the EQ settings – you have the gain, frequency, Q-value, as well as the EQ filter that influences the curve. It makes the EQ adjustments easier to understand. For instance, adjusting the Q-value can be done by dragging the horizontal bar. The filters work just like a professional EQ: choose a “Low Pass” filter and the upper frequencies will disappear from the audio output.
On the smartphone app, since the EQ curve chart is too small, you adjust by selecting the colour corresponding to the band, and then you can modify the values. To make things easy, you can also choose an EQ from over 100 presets. Once adjusted, the EQ will apply to all input sources.
So how does the XF1 sound? Its performance is limited by the size. Being compact is advantageous as they do not take up as much space, but the audio quality will be a compromise. When I switch from the Pebble Nova to the XF1, I immediately experience the treble unveiled, bring more clarity to the mix. The bass does not feel as full and immersive compared to the Pebble Nova. The outcome is that the XF1 delivers better fidelity while keeping the mids and bass clean and controlled.
The avail of over 140 presets tuned by Creative highlights the versatility of the speakers. Since the Parametric EQ is so user-friendly, it would be a waste not to use it. I went through some of the presets and I liked the “Tube Warmth” preset. I then used that to further fine-tune to a sound that I like. I prefer the XF1 to produce a warmer sound, stronger bass, fuller midrange. I adjusted the upper mids to tame the vocals, and added the highs to balance the bass boost.
Compared to the KEF LSX, the XF1 obviously could not hold a finger to the power and impact, but my daughter actually prefers the smaller speaker because she likes the balance of highs and lows while recognising that the LSX produces a bigger sound. I admit the LSX is over-speced for my study room, which is why I usually listen to it at a low-mid volume level so I tuned the treble to be rounder. In a study room setting and listening from less than a metre away, the XF1 offers the best balance. Since the XF1 supports sub-out, I believe getting a subwoofer will provide a better overall sound experience. That will be my next purchase.
Verdict
Speaker reviews are more subjective than headphones because the room acoustic and speaker placement are crucial to achieving a good sound. The Creative XF1 makes EQ adjustments so convenient thanks to the easy-to-understand Parametric EQ which saves the curve into the hardware so you get your personalised sound across all input sources. It reduces the risk of buying a pair of speakers that do not meet your sound expectations and cannot easily EQ it without third party tools. The compact size allows creative (pun intended) placement within cluttered spaces. For me, I sat the speaker on its sides so that the two drivers are directed to my ears on the same horizontal plane.
Retailing in Singapore at S$249, the Creative XF1 is more affordable than the Pebble Nova, looks more conventional, and delivers a better overall sound after applying EQ. It’s a good beginning for Creative speakers team, and I hope future speaker models will support additional digital inputs like HDMI eARC.