Five speakers, two amplifiers, no wires.

It’s got some weight to it, and that’s about where the similarities end between Creative’s Sound Blaster Roar and most other wireless Bluetooth speakers.

For starters, the Roar doesn’t sound like a battery-powered wireless device, and if it does, it sounds like something that’s powered by eight “D” batteries that you carry on your shoulder.

In a tiny, compact, dense brick frame, the Roar delivers the sound quality you need at a price that’s comparable to the other major brands. On that note..there is certainly no shortage of competition, and most of the competition is garbage. (Hint: If it’s on sale for $20, it’s garbage.) The Magicbox is the only real exception to this rule. The most popular product in this lineup is the Jawbone JAMBOX at $150, and the best is probably the Bose Bluetooth Speaker III at $300. So at an MSRP of $200, you’d expect the Sound Blaster Roar to be right in the middle, and you’d be right.

However, the Roar is much closer to the Bose than it is to the JAMBOX. The JAMBOX is great, and it ushered in this style of product, but the Roar is so much better. It has a richer, fuller sound, better 6000mAh Li-ion battery that also charges your phone, and a microSD slot that lets you play your own audio library without a separate device or a phone, which also saves battery life.

87cda313-5e3d-461b-8271-4a7605a88adf.png._V308530266__SR300,300_There is a lot of versatility with the Roar as well. It charges via full-size USB and can plug into your computer to double as your computer’s speakers via USB audio. It has NFC technology, letting you tap your phone and play, rather than going through an often clunky pairing process. It also works with the PHONE function of your smartphone, doubling as an effective speakerphone.

What’s most impressive is the two amplifiers and five drivers. This makes it larger than the JAMBOX and most other “brick” speakers, but the sound quality is that much bigger as well. The second amp powers a subwoofer, and the other four drivers handle left and right stereo sound. The discrete drivers give the Roar clear highs and solid lows, even at low volumes.

You can find the Roar online for under $135, and I say go for it.

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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