creative soundworks radio cd

Flinty

I saw (heard) this on display in Arnotts yesterday and i have to get one. €299.
The sound was unreal, it has a built in subwoofer.

http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=261&subcategory=262&product=10276&nav=0

I'm not much of an expert on these things, anyone got an opinion on it, or why I shouldn't buy one?

i had a browse for reviews and as it is quite new to the market, there are only a few, but all seem very positive.

TempestSabre

Ok sound for the price and package. Main critisim seems to be the lack of stereo seperation, because the speakers are so close. You can probably buy a tradition mini hifi for about 270 (in the sales) thats sound slightly better and you can seperate the speakers, but there wouldn't be much in it and the soundworks is much neater. I tried out a few of these small stereos' before xmas and you really have to pay about 250-300 before you get something with decent sound. Main problem is the huge bass but lack of midrange. I think the systems without a sub but with decent sized speakers sound best. While a proper HiFi would be better they are bigger and you really need to spend 400-500 to get a decent budget hifi.

Flinty

cheers TempestSabre, I think for what I am going to use it for (bedroom or kitchen) it is probably fine. it is right in my price range and from what i heard in the shop, the quality is far better than anything I have at present. 400-500 just isn't an option.

I'll have a good look at the other options before purchasing, so thanks for the tips.

_CreeD_

Ultimately trust your instincts, and your ears.

But without hearing it I would be a bit warey of it. For one the quality of an integrated subwoofer I imagine would be pretty dodgy - Subs need to push a lot of air, slowly and with precision, they do require a fair amount of space and efficiency to do this (Or they end up just blasting 'baffle' at you). Also it is going to wreak havoc on the CD transport. They may have enough error correction in place to counteract the vibrations but you'll still be moving away from what was actually on the CD, even if you don't hear distinct pops and clicks.
Lastly at no point on the product page do they list the audio spec.s. THD?

Again though trust your ears - I demo'd a set of high end audio cables to my parents before and did an A-B test with the stock cables, the difference was night and day, even to them it was crystal clear....but they preferred the dullness of the stock cables, for them it meant more bass and less mid/high range definition, which suited their tastes fine . If you still like it after listening to a few alternatives then forget anything else.

TempestSabre

CreeD - the problem is finding a similar sized compact alternative that sounds as good if not better for the same price or less. Its €300 in the stores. Best I heard was a 269 for a Sony micro, which I prefered to the sound works. (More accurate IMO) But like I siad its not as neat. Theres a few panasonic micros that are bi wired but I prefered the sound of the Sony.

In smaller house as and apartments space is an issue, as is sound travelling/sound polution. Big bass subs really travel, so people turn down the sub and then the sound is terrible, because it shows up how bad the speakers actually are.

Darwin

My father-in-law purchased one of these about a year ago. I ordered it from amazon UK - it works out about 270ish if you want to save a few euro. Anyway the sound is fantastic - you won't be disappointed. It's basically a cheaper version of the Bose waveradio, but with mp3 capability.

Flinty

Cheers all, some good advice there. I do like the fact you can play mp3s, thats a big plus.

Cheers Darwin for the input, its always good to hear from someone who has first hand experience of them.

I hear what you are saying CreeD, but I did like what I heard. i certainly wouldn't have a 'technical' ear, so most players sound good to me, just this one sounded very powerful.

TempestSabre, this will be for an apartment. From what you say above, this could be too powerful??

greglo23

you could also have a look at these. http://www.tivoliaudio.com/home.php. they all support mp3 and the sound is supposed to be excellent.

TempestSabre

Flinty wrote:

...
TempestSabre, this will be for an apartment. From what you say above, this could be too powerful??

Well it doesn't have a seperate sub woofer so what I was saying doesn't really apply to the soundworks. I've only ever tried them in the shop so I've no idea how loud it would be in an apartment. In store if you turn it up too loud theres a rattle from everyone I tired.

I reckon it would be perfect for a small room. My dentist use the BOSE model its based on, and that does sound good for the size of single unit.

dalk

Bought the 740 in the sales for my kitchen... Its an excellent box for its size. More than adequate for a medium sized kitchen. Having aux inputs was a major point when purchasing (for streaming mp3). Radio reception is excellent.

I would descibe the sound as very listenable and pleasant. I wouldn't descibe it as particularily hifi/accurate. The bass can get boomy and fairly 'fake' sounding (a 'thump' rather than an actual note). Having said that, i'd recommend it as a kitchen or bedroom radio. Its sound quality is above average for its footprint, and its cheaper and better sounding that the overpriced bose radios...

Darwin

Dalk...can you tell us where you got it from and how much you paid? Thanks..

dalk

Think i payed €269 in Peats sale, which is about the same as you would pay buying from the net... The cheapest i could find at the time.

Its normally €300ish.

Darwin

Thanks Dalk. I see their sale has ended and its back to 300 again

RintPete

Does anyone know where to buy this online, in Ireland?

Thanks.