Creative SoundBlaster Roar 2: Small Package, Big Sound

They call it Roar for a reason. The Creative SoundBlaster Roar (and this is version 2) has a big sound for something that small. It's about the size of a medium radio, but way thicker at about 2 inches. And it's heavy. In fact, taking it out of its casing, I was delighted to find it wasn't lightweight because the heft surely implies good sound.

Most wireless speakers are minimalistic and don't go beyond the most basic controls -- pair, play, volume, forward and back tracks, and a few connection options. But uniquely, the Roar 2 does. You can choose to just go the simple way and pair it with a device and play. But if you want to and you should if you pay the Rs 16,999 for it, you can do a lot more with this speaker.

But first, its sound quality. For its size, it sounds great. But so do a lot of other small speakers. In fact, the Roar 2 competes with several models from Bose's wireless speakers, including the SoundLink Mini. While Bose has a more refined and balanced sound, the Roar 2 is for those who love bass without it ruining the sound. Meaning, it isn't just a loud thump you get with this speaker with the bass slapping you in the ears but a true bass that while not the best, is really good, specially for the price. I didn't have any speakers around for comparison but my Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A2 which sounds a world better -- but then it costs Rs 23,000 too. Hardly a fair comparison but done out of curiosity.

The Roar 2 has a trick to deepen its bass. It has a TerraBass mode which you turn on with a dedicated button. It's also the same button that turns on the Roar feature, opening up the music and making it louder. Often, the difference can barely be detected, but apparently the change is done intelligently, making up for what the music lacks. It's supposed to make it possible to hear that bass even at very low volumes -- and it definitely does exactly that.

The Roar 2 has a classic speaker look. You can't mistake it for anything else when it's not playing. When you sent it down for listening, you can choose between placing the speaker horizontally to send the sound up and around or vertically for louder and more directed audio. On the sides, you can see the passive radiators pulsing and vibrating with the sound and bass -- and I rather like placing my fingers on these for a quick massage.

The Sound Blaster Roar 2 builds on the original and has the same 5 drivers and the same 6,000mAh battery. It's 20 percent smaller and lighter. It lasts for about eight hours, but you can always connect it to power, use a PC or use it to charge a phone. It's honestly not that portable. It weights a kilo and while you can definitely move it about, it's not the type you'd slip into a bag or rucksack on a trip unless you don't mind the extra weight. As long as there's no long bouts of carrying it though, it's a gadget you can take wherever.

Coming to the features that other speakers don't often have, the Roar 2 features an integrated MicroSD WMA and MP3 player that allows you to play audio directly from a MicroSD card, just in case you don't want to use up your phone for music just then. The player even allows you to skip music folders so that you can navigate songs faster without having to tediously cycle through individual tracks.

Then, there's a built-in microphone for 360° voice pickup, because the Roar 2 is able to take calls when connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. There's also an Integrated Voice Recorder that uses the speaker's microphone to one-touch record of all kinds of calls, general voices, or streamed music ? saved to an insertable MicroSD card. The feature is nice for recording voice memos, lectures, interviews, teleconferencing sessions, and business meetings.

NFC-Enabled Bluetooth with Multipoint and HD Audio Codec Support

The speaker is able to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth, and utilizes the aptX® and AAC codecs for the highest quality audio and lowest possible latency. The sound booklet also features the latest Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, allowing users to quickly and easily connect to Bluetooth devices, requiring only a simple tap from an NFC-enabled smart device to the speaker to pair and establish a connection. Users can also connect two Bluetooth devices to the Sound Blaster Roar 2 simultaneously.