Creative Omni, a WiFi speaker at an excellent price

Finding a speaker that fits your sound and portfolio preferences is not an easy task, and even worse when you want it to have a feature that is still in short supply today: WiFi connectivity. It has been many years with this type of technology in loudspeakers but in the vast majority of cases it is reserved for high-end models at very high prices.

For all this Creative has hit the nail on the head with its Omni speaker: very good quality and WiFi connectivity at a very contained price, more typical of Bluetooth speakers. Presented at IFA 2017, this multi-room speaker is ideal to pamper yourself this Christmas or to look great with someone who deserves it.

Discreet, two-position design

Available in black and white, it is a very discreet speaker, without great fanfare or bright colors. Just three LEDs in the upper part that are hardly noticeable and a front completely occupying the speaker grill. You have the possibility to use it in two positions: vertical for a 3D sound and horizontal for a conventional stereo sound. Personally, I like it more vertically for aesthetics, but I can't tell the difference in sound between one position and the other.

Despite having a "not very sporty" design compared to other very similar speakers (it is inevitable to compare it with the UE Boom 2), this Creative Omni is resistant to splashes, so you can take it outside without problems, place it close to the pool or even enjoy music in the bathroom. Thanks to its WiFi connectivity, wherever you have coverage from your home network you can enjoy your music, no matter where your computer, iPad or iPhone is. Of course, it also has Bluetooth in case you want to use it in a more conventional way. You can also connect two speakers to enjoy true stereo.

Integrated services and AirPlay

By having a direct connection to the internet this Creative Omni speaker allows you to use it directly with services like Spotify, iHeart Radio or Tidal. From the Creative application that you have in the App Store (and Google Play) you can give them access to these services. You can even control Spotify from any device with the remote control function that the Spotify app itself offers you. Of course, you must have a Premium service to be able to use it in this way. If you are an Apple Music user, don't worry, because although the service is not integrated into the app, you can always use AirPlay to pass the audio from your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV to the speaker.

Where Creative should improve is in the design of its application, since it is quite poor, in addition to not adapted to the screen of the iPhone X. The Creative Omni also allows the MultiRoom function: connect all the speakers you have at home to the network WiFi and control what plays on all of them. You can move around the house enjoying music anywhere in it. What we do not know is if it will be compatible with AirPlay 2, the new version of the Apple protocol that is yet to come, so we will be waiting for it.

Superior sound quality

As I said before, this speaker is comparable in design and price to the famous UE Boom 2, although the latter only has Bluetooth connectivity. That is why when it comes to talking about sound quality I have directly compared them by having both. The sound is very similar, which is good news for Creative's Omni, and I would risk assuring that even something superior, although this may be influenced by WiFi connectivity, which offers a higher quality than Bluetooth. This Creative Omni has very good bass but that does not hide other sounds from you, and you only hear some distortions with the volume turned up, which is very high so you shouldn't worry as you will hardly ever reach that level.

Plus old Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity you can connect a microSD to the back of up to 32GB, and it also has auxiliary input, so you can even listen to music without an internet connection. In that same space you will find the microUSB charging connector. On the back of the speaker you will also find controls for playback and for Bluetooth and WiFi connections.

Editor's opinion

By design, specifications and sound quality you will not find a speaker even similar that costs what this Creative Omni. Creative has done a great job with this speaker, and has put it in a price range where it will have no competition. The Creative Omni is priced at € 117 en AmazonAnd while some speakers at that price may offer comparable sound quality, none have WiFi and AirPlay connectivity. Its autonomy of 8 hours and the possibility of using a microSD to use it completely independently are also very differentiating points and that make it one of the most complete models on the market in this price range.