Comparison Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2 vs Sony SRS-X5

— Bluetooth. Wireless technology for transmitting sound from mobile phones, tablets, etc. Allows you to connect a device wirelessly at a short distance from the signal source. The quality and overall capabilities of Bluetooth vary depending on the version:

Bluetooth 4. Each version brings improvements relative to the previous one. So in version 4.0, three standards were actually combined: traditional Bluetooth, a high-speed channel and an energy-saving mode for small amounts of data. This allowed us to optimize channel usage and battery consumption. In version 4.1. Noise immunity has been enhanced when working next to 4G LTE modules. And version 4.2 introduced mainly general improvements in speed and security.

Bluetooth 5.0. One of the most important innovations of the Bluetooth 5.0 standard is the expansion of the capabilities of the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) mode: if necessary, the device can increase the range by reducing the speed, or speed up transmission by reducing the range. In addition, a number of improvements have been introduced regarding simultaneous work with multiple connected devices.

- Bluetooth 5.1. A significant upgrade in version 5.1 was the ability to accurately position the signal transmitter (receiver). If previous versions could only determine distance, then version 5.1 can also determin...e direction. Thus, navigation began to function better and more accurately, which improved work with the smart home system, searching for connected devices, etc. In addition to this, the improvements again concerned saving energy consumption and simultaneous work with several connected devices.

- Bluetooth 5.2. The next update, after 5.1, is Bluetooth 5th generation. The main innovations in this version are a number of security improvements, additional optimization of power consumption in LE mode and a new audio signal format for synchronizing parallel playback on multiple devices.

— Bluetooth 5.3 The Bluetooth v 5.3 wireless communication protocol was introduced at the dawn of 2022. Among the innovations in it, they accelerated the process of negotiating a communication channel between the controller and the device, implemented the function of quickly switching between the operating state in a low duty cycle and a high-speed mode, and improved the throughput and stability of the connection by reducing susceptibility to interference. When unexpected interference occurs in Low Energy mode, the procedure for selecting a communication channel to switch from now on has been accelerated. There are no fundamental innovations in protocol 5.3, but a number of qualitative improvements are evident in it.

- Bluetooth 5.4. The version was presented at the beginning of 2023, the range and data exchange speed were increased. Also in Bluetooth v 5.4, the energy-saving BLE mode has been improved. This protocol uses new security features to protect data from unauthorized access, has increased connection reliability by selecting the best channel for communication, and prevents connection losses due to interference.

—Mini-Jack (3.5 mm). Standard Aux audio input for connecting speakers to an audio source, such as a laptop or smartphone.

- USB. The presence of a USB connector allows you to connect a flash drive, mobile phones, MP3 players and other similar peripherals to the portable speakers. Accordingly, such models have a built-in player and allow you to use connected gadgets exclusively as a drive.

- Card reader. Like the USB described above, this item implies the presence of a built-in player in the acoustics. And the card reader allows you to use memory cards as a drive on which songs will be recorded.

— FM receiver. A built-in tuner allows the speaker system to work as a full-fledged FM radio receiver - this is the range that is popular among music radio stations (in particular, due to the ability to broadcast sound in stereo format).

A band is a specific part of the frequency range reproduced by an acoustic system. In single-way acoustics, only universal speakers are used that are responsible for the entire operating range. The presence of several bands means the use of specialized speakers, “tailored” to certain frequencies: for example, in two-way speakers, separate high-frequency “tweeters” are most often provided, and in three-way speakers the frequencies are divided into low, medium and high.

For different frequencies, the optimal speaker design will also be different; thus, the multi-band design allows for better sound quality. On the other hand, single-way speakers are lighter, more compact and less expensive. This is exactly what most portable speakers are, since Hi-Fi sound is not alien to them.

The total power of all channels of the speaker system. The higher the power, the larger the size of the room in which the audio system can be used, however, more powerful portable speakers usually have larger dimensions and weight.

The range of audio frequencies reproduced by the audio system. The wider the range, the richer the sound, the more details the speakers can convey, especially in the low and high frequencies. At the same time, we note that the average human ear is able to hear sounds in the range of about 16 – 20,000 Hz, and it makes no sense to provide a wider range in speakers — a person simply will not hear it. Also note that a wide frequency range alone does not guarantee good sound quality.

Ability to work portable acoustics in power bank mode. This mode is only found in models with their own batteries (see "Power type"): it allows you to use this battery to power a smartphone or other external gadget. Thus, acoustics can play the role of an additional external battery, which is important in situations where it is not possible to charge a portable device in time.

Note that Power Bank speakers may only be compatible with certain phone models; this point should be clarified before buying.

The main material used in the construction of the hull.

— Plastic. Inexpensive and at the same time very convenient material for portable acoustics. Plastic easily accepts a variety of colours and complex shapes; the latter not only gives space to designers, creating speakers of unusual design, but also allows you to apply various tricks to improve sound quality. In addition, this material is not afraid of moisture. It is believed that the strength of plastic is not very high, but this disadvantage is easily compensated by the large thickness of the material or the use of special impact-resistant grades. Therefore, plastic is found in all categories of speakers, from low-cost to high-end and from "home" to extreme, designed for an active lifestyle and frequent outdoor use.

— Metal. The metal gives the speakers a solid and expensive appearance, and on the practical side, this material is remarkable primarily for its high strength. At the same time, it is much more expensive than plastic — also due to the fact that manufacturers have to use shock-absorbing inserts and other tricks to avoid an unpleasant "metallic" coloration of the sound; and the mentioned strength is most often not critical. Therefore, metal cases are much less common than plastic cases, mainly in rather expensive portable acoustics.

— Silicone. Relatively soft and elastic mate...rial, not afraid of moisture. Suitable for creating dust, moisture and shock-proof speakers; in addition, it is convenient for models with suction cups (see above) — the part of the body that has the appropriate shape can play the role of a suction cup directly. At the same time, silicone has no other noticeable advantages over plastic, so its use is limited to specific models of portable acoustics.

— Rubber. For a number of reasons, rubber is considered well suited for models with dust and water protection, almost all speakers made of this material are protected. In addition, due to the softness of the rubber provides good shockproof properties.

— Wood. Wood is considered the optimal material for speaker cabinets in terms of acoustics. However, the specificity of portable speakers is such that this moment is not decisive in this case, and the main advantage of wooden cases over others (primarily plastic ones) is their aesthetic appearance, with characteristic colours and patterns. In addition, many consider wood a more pleasant to the touch and “natural” material. But this option does not have any special practical advantages, despite the fact that it is quite expensive. As a result, portable speakers with wooden cases are rare — they are mostly designer models created based on the original design.