Creative has a strong history of delivering excellent portable audio solutions, and while their premium portable speaker, the iRoar GO, represents a higher-end investment, their Muvo series offers a more accessible option. We previously featured the Muvo 2c in a giveaway and were impressed by its sound quality relative to its price and compact size. The Muvo Play is the 2019 successor, and we’re evaluating whether it’s a worthwhile upgrade.
The initial impression upon unboxing the Muvo Play is that of a solid, modern, and well-built device. Its compact, rounded design is somewhat reminiscent of Amazon’s smart speakers, featuring elements intended to deliver immersive, 360-degree sound. The speaker arrives with a fully charged battery and connects quickly and reliably to a source device via Bluetooth 5.0, offering improved stability, performance, and functionality. For stereo playback on the go, two Muvo Play units can be wirelessly paired. Creative lists it for 40 euros on their website, which, considering currency exchange rates and electronics taxes, translates to approximately 450-500 SEK.
Technology and Specs
The Muvo Play weighs a mere 360 grams, yet it delivers a sound that belies its size. We’ll elaborate on this further below. Internally, two 5-watt drivers provide a vibrant and engaging audio experience. As anticipated, it doesn’t reproduce the deepest bass frequencies, but performs adequately within the 70 Hz-20 kHz range. Bluetooth version 5.0 is implemented, which is a welcome feature. The speaker can also be connected via a 3.5 mm AUX cable and wirelessly paired with another Muvo Play via Creative’s proprietary system.
The Muvo Play charges via USB-C (cable included, to USB-A), a modern and desirable connectivity option. However, the 2,000 mAh Li-ion battery only supports 5W charging, precluding fast charging capabilities. This is a minor drawback. The specified battery life is ten hours, which aligns with our experience, although this is dependent on playback volume and connection demands.
The speaker boasts an IP7 rating, indicating its ability to withstand submersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. While we did not conduct formal submersion tests, we did expose it to rainy conditions, during which it performed reliably. Complete drying may take some time, potentially due to its stylish, perforated design. Therefore, unnecessary exposure to water should ideally be avoided, but users can be confident in its suitability for outdoor use and poolside environments.
A carrying strap is included, but a carrying bag is not. The latter would have been a welcome addition for protecting the device during transport.
Considering the target demographic and price point, the absence of an equalizer function is not unexpected. The Creative EQ app is also, unfortunately, incompatible with the Muvo Play at the time of this review (and potentially permanently), limiting options for tailoring the default sound profile, except perhaps through the source device’s software.
The Muvo Play is available in black, blue, and orange.
How Creative Muvo Play Sounds
Crucially, how does the Creative Muvo Play perform in terms of audio quality? The answer is, as anticipated, remarkably well, particularly given its size and price. Positioning the speaker on a stable surface enhances bass response, optimizing genres like pop. For example, Run Run Run exhibits impressive clarity and airiness, although the bass lacks the depth and tightness of high-end headphones.
Orienting the speaker on its side emphasizes the treble frequencies, which benefits genres such as singer-songwriter music featuring guitar, piano, and drums, as well as classical music, which sounded surprisingly nuanced on the diminutive Muvo.
The primary limitation is the bass response when reproducing genres such as hip-hop or metal, where the sound can become somewhat thin and shrill. However, well-mixed tracks with moderate tempos can still be reproduced with surprising clarity and presence. An example is Carolina Wallin-Perez’s rendition of Kent’s Pärlor.
Summary
Creative continues to impress with a speaker that delivers performance exceeding its price and size expectations. While it is not a replacement for a dedicated hi-fi system, it competes favorably with significantly more expensive brands. While the summer season may be ending, the Muvo Play can be utilized well into the autumn months (provided it is protected from freezing temperatures). It is also well-suited as a portable speaker in a child’s room, where it can facilitate music playback, dancing, and audiobooks. As retail availability is currently limited, precise pricing is uncertain, but if it aligns with expectations (around 400 SEK), it represents an almost unbeatable value proposition for those seeking portable audio at an affordable price point.
Så här sätter vi betyg på Senses