Creative Announces New Wireless Audio Products & Media Player Zen Style M300

Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd has launched a slew of products - ZiiSound Dx Series wireless modular speakers, the WP series of Bluetooth headphones and Zen Style M300 music and video player. Techcircle.in brings you an in depth analysis of all three products, pricing and availability.

ZiiSound Dx Series Wireless Modular Speakers

This new product in Creative's series of ZiiSound Dx speakers comprises of the ZiiSound D5x one-piece speaker, the ZiiSound D3x one-piece speaker (which is the younger brother of the D5x) and the ZiiSound DSx subwoofer. All three are wireless devices and can be connected independently or together with stereo Bluetooth devices like the iPhone, Blackberry, Android phone, iPad or the recently launched Creative Ziio tablet.

While the other devices can be directly connected via Bluetooth, the iPhone will require a Bluetooth connecter. The D5x also works as a dock to charge your iPod or iPhone while playing music and the Creative Ziio tablet has a shortcut on the home screen for quick access and connection with the speakers.

The speakers and the subwoofer can be combined in different set-ups as per the needs of the consumer, or you can buy them independently.

According to the company, the perfect combination for a complete multimedia experience will be a combination of three D5x speakers (left, right and centre channel) and the DSx subwoofer. As of now the speaker setup can only be done up to 3.1 but they are working on a 5.1 speaker system.

TechCircle.in tested the speakers and the sound quality turned out to be pretty decent given the price, although when listening at full volume the sound did become a little harsh.

The USP of the product lies in the fact that it is wireless and you can setup the speakers and the subwoofer in any combination as per your need, if you want to share your music with family members in the other room all you have to do is place a speaker in their room, connect it with your speakers wirelessly and then the same music can be played and controlled in both the rooms via your music player.

The D5x, D3x and the DSx will be available in India from August this year and will be priced at D5x for Rs.17,999, D3x for Rs.9,999 and DSx for Rs.9,999.

Zen Style M300 Wireless Portable Media Player

The latest media player from Creative has a 1.45 inch TFT screen with touch sensitive control buttons and is just 55x44x12mm in size making it a very portable device. With the help of 2.1 Bluetooth Wireless connectivity, users can add up to 32GB of additional music. The player will come with an internal capacity of 4GB and 8GB and will be available in red, yellow, black and white colours. Creative promises a battery life of 20 hours.

The media players will be available in India from July this year and will be priced at Rs.3,499 for the 4GB model and Rs.4,999 for the 8GB model. The media player is cheaper than the iPod Nano, but lacks originality.

Creative WP Series of Wireless Headphones

There are three new models in the WP series, the WP-450, the WP-350 and the WP-250. All of them are Bluetooth headphones for listening to music and voice communication with an invisible microphone embedded into them. Like the wireless speakers, these can also be paired with the smart communication devices via Bluetooth.

The unique feature of these headphones is that they provide high quality sound for music playback and can be used for receiving calls too. And due to the invisible mic (which actually mean that the mic is built into the earpiece), you don't have to worry about the placement of the regular boom mic as in other devices and can have a complete wireless experience. While the WP-450 and the WP-350 are formed like normal headphones the WP-250 has the in-ear and behind the neck design. Additionally the WP-450 promises a music playback of up to 8 hours and talk time up to 9 hours.

The pricing of the headphones were not disclosed as of now but Creative did indicate that they will be launched in September this year.

Ernest Sim, Regional Sales Manager for the Indian Subcontinent, Creative Technology Ltd, said, "The latest Pure Wireless range of devices will redefine the way in which consumers experience music, movies and games enabling a hassle free and unparalleled entertainment both at home and on the go. With the ZiiSound Dx series of wireless modular speakers, consumers can enjoy the flexibility and versatility of starting with one speaker and expanding to a multi-channel home audio system. Couple it with the stylish Bluetooth enabled Zen Style M300 and WP range of headphones, we have opened the floodgates in pure wireless multimedia experience."