Creative Muvo Go (Blue)

Yes 5.3 Bluetooth is good… but 1) no app yet supports custom configurations of frequency response bands (nowadays this is something that most speakers allow) 2) extremely annoying discourse performed by the speaker at startup: long and loud discourse to notify the user that the speaker is on, then that it is in pairing mode, and then to notified where a pairing succeeded. All of that extremely loud, and unavoidable and undimmable (volume-wise)… bringing the customer experience down to 0

This speaker has dual passive radiators on the side, this design seems to have a different sound compared to the large passive radiator in front and back design. This design gives you more mid bass which gives you an overall fuller sound. The downside to this design is that elevated mid bass typically makes the overall bass sound a bit weak because most modern songs focus on sub bass. I have two other portable speakers that I’ll compare to this speaker, the Bose sound link mini and the equally priced earfun uboom L. The Bose has a front and back passive radiator design which makes the bass sound louder and reaches lower frequencies but the voices don’t sound as full and there is noticeable loss in clarity in the mids compared to this speaker. The uboom shares the same side passive radiator design so the sound is more similar to this speaker. Both speakers sound very similar unless you update to oluv’s firmware. Oluv’s tuning noticeably improves the sound by making everything sound smoother and more natural sounding. The only downside is that you need to know how and where to get the firmware to even upgrade it. Out the box this speaker sounds fuller and clearer than the Bose, the Bose has more bass but the bass is what makes it have less clarity. This speaker sounds very similar to the uboom with factory firmware. This speaker gets louder than the Bose by a bit but is a bit less loud than the uboom. The build quality of the speaker is very good, the plastics feel good and the mesh also feels good. It charges using type c which is nice to have and the top buttons are easy to see and press. Pairing to a second speaker requires a few steps but they pair perfectly in stereo, I have two of these speakers so I was able to test that feature. Overall I like the speaker, it has a very nice build and a good full sound. The only quirk it has is that it has a creepy start up sound like something off a scary movie. And the only downside it has is that they added an unnecessary and annoying voice prompt at start up.

The media could not be loaded. These are my impressions of the Creative Muvo Go. Sound quality: I played a few songs on the Muvo, then played the same songs on my Amazon Echo+. I’d say they sounded about on par, which isn’t surprising considering the size is about the same. You’ll only get so much out of a speaker this size. But you can use some simple tricks to boost the sound quality (see my tips below). I only have a single Muvo Go, so I couldn’t test the TWS stereo function (you can pair a second Muvo Go for stereo). Adding a second speaker for stereo separation would greatly improve what is already a good sound output. Build quality: It feels very well constructed. It has a nice weight and feels like a quality device when you hold it. The top buttons for play/pause and volume up and down are nice and big and easy to see in dim light. The side buttons for power and Bluetooth aren’t so easily visible but are still very easy to find and press once you know where they are. I love the look of it, and I love that they left the passive radiator speakers exposed on the ends so you can watch them vibrate with the thumps in the bass. Other benefits & likes: I love that it’s portable. They can be placed anywhere inside or outside without worrying about running power cables. That also opens possibilities for speaker placement that might not be possible with a device like an Amazon Echo (like inside my fireplace, see my tip below). I also like that it supports adding a second Muvo Go to create a stereo pair. From what I understand, it works the same way as a pair of TWS Bluetooth earbuds. But that, of course, means you need to buy two of these to achieve that. Problems & things I dislike: It wouldn’t pair with my Amazon Echo+ (1st gen) or Amazon Flex. Perhaps a future firmware update will fix this? Also, the lack of an AUX port is a disappointment because, at the very least, I could have connected a wire from my Echo Flex to the Muvo even if the pairing didn’t work, but without an AUX port, that’s not possible. The only codec supported is SBC. I think it would have been nice if they had added a low-latency codec like aptX-LL, maybe with a gaming mode switch. Then I could use it for tv or gaming. Tip: Place it in a corner or inside a box to improve the sound, especially the bass. Or, if you have an unused fireplace, put the Muvo inside. You’ll be amazed at the difference in sound quality. I’m uploading a short video so you can hear what it sounds like. I also did a side by side comparison with my Bose Soundlink Color II speaker (IMO, the Muvo Go is as good or better at a much lower cost). If you buy one, you'll love it. If you buy two for stereo mode, you'll love it even more ;^)

So, I got the blue option. Initially, I thought I would hate it. But after a while, it’s grown on me and now I see the deep blue color as kind of fun to look at. It surely looks sporty and something that would hang out the back of a backpack. It’s certainly small enough to fit into the water holder. It is also built like a tank and rated IPX7 waterproof, reducing my worry about carrying it around exposed to the elements or by the pool (or bathtub). The speaker features Bluetooth 5.3, which adds a bit of future-proofing. It connects super easily to my Android phone and iOS tablet. I did not experience disconnects or hiccups during playback or at long distances. There were slight lag and sync issues when playing video content or games from my laptop, but that’s not really what the product was made for. Sadly, there wasn’t a 3.5mm jack to resolve this, and it’s strange that the cheaper MUVO Play does have it. The battery is what you’d expect from a mobile speaker of this size -about 18 hrs. It’s been a few days and it’s still kicking. I could not find if the speaker had a fast-charge option, as it takes over 4 hours to fully charge from empty via USB-C. So be sure to charge before long trips! The controls are well exposed and have a good tactile clicky feel to them. They are also very responsive. While you can control the speaker via phone or tablet, the simple controls can also control everything from volume to skipping and rewinding. Most importantly (at least for me), is the sound signature. I’ll be honest and say right away that it’s not the best in this form factor. While there’s definitely some bass, which can be precise and punchy in some instances, there’s room for a bit more bass extension to add more body. The midrange is where this speaker shines, though. It comes through loud and clear, and certain classical, vocals, and funk music sound great. The treble is there at a good level, and it’s never harsh or fatiguing. It may not matter to some, but I would’ve liked an app with EQ options. Having two drivers and two passive radiators, stereo imaging and channel separation is rather dim. It’s kind of expected. However, you can also get a second MUVO Go to create a more filling stereo experience. That’s not to say that this speaker is bad; just not as good as other small portable speakers I have. I did find that I enjoy this speaker as background audio when I am not being critical about the sound signature. Again, great for playing poolside or camping ambient tunes. I like that it can get pretty loud with its 40w RMS peak power. In the end, is it worth the asking price? Comparing it to other speakers in the same range, I’d say yes. It definitely has the best build quality. I have other small speakers that sound better, but they also cost a lot more. I’d say you would not be disappointed if you get this for those outdoor activities, which is what this was made for.

I compared this with a Tribit MaxSound Plus (https://www.amazon.com/Tribit-MaxSound-Bluetooth-Exceptional-Waterproof/dp/B07MQWG3PR/), which is roughly the same size. They're similar speakers, in that they're both small enough to be portable, but are powerful enough to provide reasonable volume in most rooms (or in constrained outdoor settings). On features: Tribit gets the edge, based on: * Tribit has aux-in port, but no aux-in port for Creative Muvo * Tribit has three different user-selectable sound profiles, but there's just the default sound setup for Creative * Creative has a very loud and (to me) annoying music clip that it plays every time it powers up, plus it uses loud spoken-word updates to characterize bluetooth connection status. The Tribit, on the other hand, uses a less intrusive series of beep tones to signal power-on and bluetooth connection. I prefer the latter. Transportability: * Creative gets the edge. It's lighter than the Tribit Water-proofing: * On paper, these are on par (both claim ipx7 rating) ... but I didn't have occasion to actually test this Battery life Very similar claims (18-20 hours). I didn't approach that range with either speaker (I got closer to 8-10 hours... volume level is a key determinant), when I had the Tribit and Creative set at comparable volume levels, the Creative gave longer play time by over an hour. Sound: I compared the Tribit to the Creative MUVO side-by-side with multiple sources (pop, jazz, classical). Down the line, I preferred the sound of the Tribit speaker, which has (to my ear) a flatter response curve, more resolution in the midrange, and more coherent/focused bass sound. I A/B tested this with a dozen or so songs, and I picked Tribit over Creative every time. It's not that the Creative sound is inherently really bad... if I wasn't comparing it side by side to the Tribit speaker, I'd say it sounds fine. But side-by-side, it suffers from less controlled (borderline distorted) bass, significantly recessed mid-range, and generally lower resolution and detail across the spectrum (experienced as less differentiation between and depth of detail in instrumentation). The Creative speaker does get a bit louder, though. Between these two little bluetooth speakers, I'd say the Tribit gets the nod if sound quality and general functionality are priorities. It's also less expensive. The Creative gets the nod if light(er) weight and longer battery life are priorities.