Setup, Design & Observations
Out the box, the size of the iRoar Go is visually impressive as it truly looks and feels like more like a speaker that one would regularly carry around with them. Though it is also significantly lighter than all the previous Roar models, it retains that quality construction and comparable density that makes one think 'wow, this feels powerful'.
The buttons feels nice to press and as they are hard buttons, they don't suffer from any slight delays as observed with the iRoar. The source button is convenient to swap between all sources instantly as indicated by the LED lights. The only real annoyance I observed was when trying to open the I/O covers, if you have no fingernails, you will likely need to look around for a little tool to act as a lever.
As with the other Roar models, the iRoar Go features various power management features, including going into auto standby after 28hours of inactivity while plugged into the mains. This can be deactivated by the mobile/desktop app should you wish. If there is no activity for 15minutes via any source, it will auto power down to protect the battery, this mode cannot be disabled.
Battery life seemed fairly reasonable, it had at least 7 hours continuous use, then intermittent use over two days before telling me the battery is low, so from full charge a 10-12 hour lifespan seems reasonable depending on situation. It is worth noting I had ROAR! mode enabled the whole time, which is likely to diminish the battery quicker.
There are various features that aren't included with the iRoar Go, though one could argue whether or not they are essential features or not. One is that it doesn't seem like there is a sleep timer, which is a battery saving and convenient mode for those that like to sleep with music, or even use music to put their children to sleep. I was hoping Creative would expand on this feature to even include an actual clock/timer/alarm mode or even digital radio.
We also feel it is worth discussing the lack of the aptX codec which seems like a carefully considered action by Creative. As the realm of audio codecs is something that is fairly complex, I guess we can trust them in its relevancy. The aptX codec is a proprietary wireless codec that compresses audio for the purpose of wireless transmission. It's omission may be due to reducing costs, or simply it may not be needed, either due to the implementation of Bluetooth 4.2 or because most contemporary devices can compress/decompress files with fair competency. Regardless of the actual reason for its omission, we didn't notice any issue with wireless audio playback.
Splash testing... That's a splash right? Well, after a pint of water thrown over it, we observed no problems and was happy to continue playing music while splashing water back at us. No negative effects were observed during our testing time, and it ended up drying out fine. I guess the result would be a little different if it was a sugary soft drink, but I would just recommend dousing it with water to clean it off after. Just don't submerge it in water, it is not rated to do that so don't risk it.
Multimedia
Playback is as impressive as you would expect, loud, room filling audio with the clarity and accuracy that is enjoyable. The bass has a good presence from low volume (thanks to the auto Terabass), to its maximum volume with ROAR! mode enabled. The super wide modes were interesting, as they rely on room acoustics and positioning the iRoar Go in a specific manner. Though the difference was noticeable, giving a wide, stereo experience when in the correct orientation, giving the illusion of a large presence than the relatively small iRoar Go. However for outside listening, this is fairly null. Outside, the iRoar provides good presence as those far field speakers do their job at projecting the sound. The bass did seem like it was a little weaker at travelling farther distances, that being said, it is perfectly reasonable for room/garden size occasions.
Microphone
As standard the iRoar Go features an integrated microphone which is perfectly acceptable for conversation and conference calling via your phone. Via PC, the microphone remains reasonable, but won't I wouldn't recommend as your go-to solution unless you have no alternative. It lacks some of the fancy features that the integrated microphone in the iRoar has, but the simplicity makes it more user friendly for conventional purposes while doing away with any of the potential problems that could arise with the various microphone modes the iRoar has. Of course, should you wish to, there is also a voice recording mode that will be saved onto your SD card.
Out the box, the size of the iRoar Go is visually impressive as it truly looks and feels like more like a speaker that one would regularly carry around with them. Though it is also significantly lighter than all the previous Roar models, it retains that quality construction and comparable density that makes one think 'wow, this feels powerful'.
The buttons feels nice to press and as they are hard buttons, they don't suffer from any slight delays as observed with the iRoar. The source button is convenient to swap between all sources instantly as indicated by the LED lights. The only real annoyance I observed was when trying to open the I/O covers, if you have no fingernails, you will likely need to look around for a little tool to act as a lever.
As with the other Roar models, the iRoar Go features various power management features, including going into auto standby after 28hours of inactivity while plugged into the mains. This can be deactivated by the mobile/desktop app should you wish. If there is no activity for 15minutes via any source, it will auto power down to protect the battery, this mode cannot be disabled.
Battery life seemed fairly reasonable, it had at least 7 hours continuous use, then intermittent use over two days before telling me the battery is low, so from full charge a 10-12 hour lifespan seems reasonable depending on situation. It is worth noting I had ROAR! mode enabled the whole time, which is likely to diminish the battery quicker.
There are various features that aren't included with the iRoar Go, though one could argue whether or not they are essential features or not. One is that it doesn't seem like there is a sleep timer, which is a battery saving and convenient mode for those that like to sleep with music, or even use music to put their children to sleep. I was hoping Creative would expand on this feature to even include an actual clock/timer/alarm mode or even digital radio.
We also feel it is worth discussing the lack of the aptX codec which seems like a carefully considered action by Creative. As the realm of audio codecs is something that is fairly complex, I guess we can trust them in its relevancy. The aptX codec is a proprietary wireless codec that compresses audio for the purpose of wireless transmission. It's omission may be due to reducing costs, or simply it may not be needed, either due to the implementation of Bluetooth 4.2 or because most contemporary devices can compress/decompress files with fair competency. Regardless of the actual reason for its omission, we didn't notice any issue with wireless audio playback.
Splash testing... That's a splash right? Well, after a pint of water thrown over it, we observed no problems and was happy to continue playing music while splashing water back at us. No negative effects were observed during our testing time, and it ended up drying out fine. I guess the result would be a little different if it was a sugary soft drink, but I would just recommend dousing it with water to clean it off after. Just don't submerge it in water, it is not rated to do that so don't risk it.
Multimedia
Playback is as impressive as you would expect, loud, room filling audio with the clarity and accuracy that is enjoyable. The bass has a good presence from low volume (thanks to the auto Terabass), to its maximum volume with ROAR! mode enabled. The super wide modes were interesting, as they rely on room acoustics and positioning the iRoar Go in a specific manner. Though the difference was noticeable, giving a wide, stereo experience when in the correct orientation, giving the illusion of a large presence than the relatively small iRoar Go. However for outside listening, this is fairly null. Outside, the iRoar provides good presence as those far field speakers do their job at projecting the sound. The bass did seem like it was a little weaker at travelling farther distances, that being said, it is perfectly reasonable for room/garden size occasions.
Microphone
As standard the iRoar Go features an integrated microphone which is perfectly acceptable for conversation and conference calling via your phone. Via PC, the microphone remains reasonable, but won't I wouldn't recommend as your go-to solution unless you have no alternative. It lacks some of the fancy features that the integrated microphone in the iRoar has, but the simplicity makes it more user friendly for conventional purposes while doing away with any of the potential problems that could arise with the various microphone modes the iRoar has. Of course, should you wish to, there is also a voice recording mode that will be saved onto your SD card.