Creative Halo, sound and lighting at a very interesting price

Creative has just announced its new speaker, Halo, a portable speaker with Bluetooth connectivity that boasts a compact design, more than surprising sound with good bass, and that also has a surprise: lights of more than 16 million colors on the front that move and blink to the rhythm of the music so that your parties are more lively than ever.

For a very balanced price, only € 69.99 in the official Creative store, the truth is that after hearing this speaker the first thing that surprises is its sound. We have tried it and we tell you our impressions about this new Creative speaker that will exceed the expectations of many.

Compact and portable design.

The speaker is a perfect size to take anywhere, but it is large enough to consider using it in a room in a fixed way. Its integrated battery promises up to 8 hours of autonomy, something that I have not been able to verify because after several days of use, after an initial full charge, it is still maintained with half a load, so you can forget about connecting it to the mains and placing it where you want. With an exterior finished in dark gray textile material (nylon) and a front in which only the small mirror frame stands out, it will not be a product that attracts excessive attention, at least a priori. Its weight is barely half a kilogram (510gr), so transporting it is easy, it also has a small tape on one side so that if you are going to carry it in your hand for a while you do not run the risk of falling.

At the top, without hardly highlighting the rest of the speaker, we find a rubber part in which we have the device keypad. The power button, a LED that illuminates when connected, volume and playback controls, and lighting control. In short, everything you need to control the music played by the speaker without having to use our iPhone. Obviously we can do the same control from our smartphone, even the volume. The speaker also allows us to answer phone calls, thanks to the microphone that is also in this upper part.

The back is almost a mirror of the front except for the frame, which here is not in mirror but in black plastic. This will be where we will find the microUSB connector to charge the device (the cable is included in the box) and the 3.5mm jack connector to connect any other player that does not have Bluetooth, like our old iPod or a computer, using the corresponding cable (not included). There are no more connections, nor USB to be able to use some memory as an audio source. But we do have a standard thread at the bottom to place it on a support.

Amazing sound with good bass

This Creative Halo boasts two speakers that cover the entire spectrum and a passive subwoofer to offer good bass. The truth is that both size and price, the first thing you notice when testing the speaker is that the sound is quite surprising. The basses may be a bit exaggerated, although this goes for tastes, but the speaker behaves very well even with high volumes, without distorting the sound. Tested with the successful UE Boom 2, perhaps one of the reference speakers in this segment, the sound of this Creative Halo does not diminish at all, and its price is almost half.

16 million color integrated lighting

But the surprise of this speaker is on the front because (if you wish) you can illuminate your party with the more than 16 million colors that this speaker has, with different animations and the possibility that the lights "dance" to the rhythm of the music. Personally I am not a big fan of this type of lighting, but the young people of the house have been enthusiastic. Luckily this speaker can please everyone, since animations can not only be chosen from a simple button but can also be disabled. He showed you some samples in the following images.

You have 12 different animations that you can customize thanks to the Creative Xpectra application that you have available on both Google Play and the App Store, completely free. With the application you can vary the colors of each animation, make it move to the rhythm of the music, vary the brightness and speed of the animation, etc. As we said before, switching between one animation and another is as simple as pressing a button at the top. There are illuminations for all tastes, from fixed and discrete to “dancers” and colorful.

The application basically works only for lighting control, and although the customization options are many, it is missing that it had incorporated an equalization option to also be able to customize the sound from the speaker to your preferences. It will also allow us to enable notifications on, off and link.

Creative Xpectra

Creative Technology Ltd

Free

Editor's Opinion

The Creative Halo speaker offers almost everything that can be asked of a portable speaker: good autonomy, good sound (especially if you like to enjoy the bass), compact design and good materials, with the extra lighting that, if If you wish, you can liven up your party at night or contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere thanks to its customization options. The fact that it can be deactivated is also an advantage for those who do not want such ornaments. With an official price of € 69.99 and available on the official Creative website, it is a Very good alternative for those who want a good portable speaker that allows them to enjoy good sound at a very contained price. Although some options like a USB input or an equalizer in the application are missed, it is a product that will not disappoint those who buy it.

  • Editor rating
  • 4.5 star rating

€ 69.99


  • Creative halo
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Pros

  • Compact and well finished design
  • Good sound with emphasis on bass
  • Customizable lighting
  • Autonomy of up to 8 hours
  • Very interesting price

Cons

  • No possibility to equalize the sound
  • No USB port to play music

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