Creative Pebble Pro speakers pump up Mac mini sound

As good as some speakers built into computers and monitors sound these days, it’s often still beneficial to use external speakers on your desktop. Today’s setup includes the powerful M4 Pro Mac mini—with an improved built-in speaker, no less—but the user still opts for the Creative Pebble Pro speakers in the computer’s setup.

Creative Pebble Pro speakers outperform built-in Mac speakers in setup

Redditor pseudosuto (“PS”) showed off his M4 Pro Mac mini setup in a post titled “New Mac mini, new desktop configuration” Their new Mac mini is the M4 Pro model with a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD. And while the little Mac has an improved built-in speaker, the PS still chooses the PC’s external speakers—the Creative Pebble Pro—for its setup’s audio.

Otherwise, the Mac mini controls a pair of 4K displays via the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub. The 11-inch iPad Pro also serves as a third display. And high-capacity portable SSDs/HDDs from Samsung and LaCie help you back up your data.

Relatively inexpensive installation

“For more than two years I saved money for the table of my dreams. I lost my job earlier this year and for many months I had to use my savings to cover all my needs,” PS said. “After selling my old Mac mini M1 and purchasing a new Mac mini M4 Pro, I was able to find cheaper items to complete my desk for graphic design + photography projects and hopefully remote work. I’m very happy with how it turned out and I won’t have to make any improvements anytime soon!”

We recently talked about PS Mac mini and external 4K displays. Then we looked at portable storage solutions and a device that helps keep the installation’s peripheral devices running at high connection speeds, CalDigit Element Thunderbolt 4 Hub. Now we’ll look at the Creative Pebble Pro speakers, which offer great value.

Creative Pebble Pro speakers

Creative added Pebble Pro speakers to Pebble’s line of round and angled desktop USB speakers in December 2022.

Creative Pebble Pro speakers feature updated full-range drivers and digital amplifiers that are louder than their predecessors. This means no subwoofer is needed (according to the company; your mileage may vary).

Featuring Creative’s proprietary BassFlex technology, the new speakers deliver more than three times the bass power of the Pebble V3 series. Moreover, with the help of an add-on you can make them even louder. Simply add a Creative 30W power adapter to get the richest sound possible at 60W peak power. And thanks to a design that tilts the output signal upward by 45 degrees, you can direct that sound straight to your ears.

Speakers receive decent reviews. PC Mag claims they produce loud sound without distortion and are worthy Editor’s Choice Award for Inexpensive Computer Speakers.

Of course the main reason to get them for a pair HomePod minis this is the price. At $60 a pair, they’re significantly cheaper than two HomePod minis, which cost $99 each.

Bright RGB lighting

Another update the Creative Pebble Pro has seen since release? RGB lighting in the base with adjustable color spectrum and three lighting effects – single, cyclic or pulsating.

Connectivity options for the speakers include advanced Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology, a 3.5mm AUX port, and a USB-C port for audio streaming and power.

You can take calls through the speakers via the microphone port, and the headphone jack allows you to listen privately.

Creative includes a 5.9-foot cable connecting the speakers, allowing for a variety of desktop or desktop placement options. The included 4.92-foot cable connects to your computer.

Mac system requirements macOS 10.12 or later: at least 600 MB of available hard drive space and a USB-C or USB-A port. The speaker system also works with Windows, PlayStation 5 and PS4 series, and Nintendo Switch. You can use the speakers with mobile devices via Bluetooth 5.3.

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