We were underwhelmed by the Creative CB2530's sound quality. Treble detail for guitars and cymbals was in short supply, and bass definition was muddy compared with what we heard from Logitech's Bluetooth Wireless Headphones for MP3 ($130), which produced a clearer sound. A brief shoot-out with Ultrasone's wired iCans headphones ($129) was even more dramatic, its vivid sound and punchy bass smoking both Bluetooth headphones. More gripes: Even with our iPod's volume cranked all the way up, the CB2530 never got that loud. The wireless sound was static-free, but the music was frequently interrupted with sputtery noises for up to 20 seconds at a time. With Logitech's Bluetooth headphones, sound dropped out only occasionally. We weren't able to do a side-by-side test with our favorite iPod-only Bluetooth headphones, the Ten Technology NaviPlay.
The sound was better at home, when we plugged the Creative CB2530's transmitter into an Onkyo TX-SR504 A/V receiver's headphone jack. The first thing we noticed is that we could get a lot more volume out of the Creative headphones. The King Kong DVD's ferocious soundtrack roared to life, and the bass seemed deeper and tighter than what we achieved over the iPod. We still felt the treble lacked sparkle and clarity. The best part of the CB2530 is its wireless technology--just keep your expectations for sound quality low.
What You'll Pay
- Set Price Alert
