Creative Woof 3 Speakers: Review

Creative lugs one of these “Woof” speakers out every year. It's a godsend for anyone who doesn't have a lot of space to work with or is just looking to hit the road with the boys.

I’ve always loved the concept of Bluetooth speakers and wireless technology in general. The mobility that these devices give you and not to mention the diversity compared to analog or USB devices.

For the most part the speakers worked well at my leisure, there are times I absolutely loved these speakers, taking it around with with me everywhere, even cooking breakfast to my favorite tracks  but that would sometimes come to an abrupt end when the playback kept getting distorted almost like the “Fastforward button” was perpetually pressed.

The device comes in a sturdy plastic box, ideal for carrying the speakers around. Inside the box you’ll find a Creative Woof 3 speaker, a USB, a warranty card from Creative Labs and user manuals.

One thing I’ve noticed is that while I’d be tempted to dive right in and start using it, there are several reasons why reading the manual is helpful in this case. The lack of numerous buttons implies that Creative decided to integrate several functions on a single button, including rewind and fastforward doubling as the volume control buttons, holding the “answer call” button for about three seconds to hang up a call.

The unit also excludes a display, so there is no way to tell how much power the device has until it blips its integrated red light to show it’s about to die.

The Woof 3 gives you adequate control over music with the fast forward, rewind and play/pause buttons which control track playback on the device which the speaker is linked to.

Like most Bluetooth speakers, the Woof 3 has an in-build microphone to answer calls with a simple press of a button. I also used it while playing a few online games of “Dota 2” with mixed results, but as a gaming freak I’m obviously bias towards my headset. Also, this really isn’t a gaming device.

Setting up via Bluetooth was quite seamless, it was actually one of the quicker devices I encountered in pairing with my phone. The initial setup took me around 30 seconds after which the device connected automatically. There was an occasional stutter while playing music off one of my Android phones but I didn't notice it when I connected other devices to it.

For its size the Woof 3 is quite loud, though I did detect mild jarring at its highest volume. The speaker also sounds best if placed on a solid surface like a glass or wooden tabletop versus on a bed or sofa, for example. They are also stickers on the feet that need to be removed to keep the unit anchored.

The fact that the speaker integrates a USB port makes it ideal for seamlessly moving your listening experience from your desktop to your garden.

The playback time I got out of this device is absolutely incredible, this device lasted for about four days with a single charge which is hours above many other Bluetooth speaker I’ve tested.

While holding the device, I noticed it feels like you have a mug in your hand and the metal body isn't as slippery as I thought.

The fist-sized speaker doesn’t take up a lot of space, so you can place it just about anywhere.

The mono single driver gives no real sense of stereo sound, so keep in mind that you are sacrificing a stereo feel for size and mobility. What the device does do well is give good ambient sound.

Jazz and hip-hop work best on this device while genres that are bass heavy like Rock don’t do as well in my opinion.

Connecting it via Bluetooth was a breeze and the sound quality was decent but If you're not tech savvy and you need a speaker for your PC then you're probably better off buying something else.

What we liked: Decent sound, easy connectivity via Bluetooth, portable, integrated USB and Micro-SD, build quality, packaging box, easy to hold.

What we didn’t like: Jarring at high volumes, no display, lack of numerous buttons.