Creative Muvo Go review: The focus is on high end—frequencies

There are a lot of water-resistant (to the point of submersible) Bluetooth in the $80 price range that the Creative Muvo Go competes in. None boast a more attractive industrial design or produce clearer sound, but this one is a bit light in terms of both bass response and ancillary features.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best Bluetooth speakers.

How is the Creative Muvo Go designed?

The Muvo Go is a flattened cylinder measuring 2.4 x 8.03 x 2.87 inches (HxWxD). It’s available in three color schemes: black with orange highlights, blue with lime/yellow highlights, and green with the same accent colors. It features dual 45mm full-range drivers with passive radiators on each end. It weighs about 1.25 pounds.

It’s a svelte portable speaker that will fit nicely in a backpack or any similar carrying container. I’d also say it’s one of the better-looking speakers in its class. The outside of the unit is split between hard material and grating, with the majority of the surface consisting of the latter. There’s also thick shoestring lanyard, that on our test unit was already tied to an anchor point on the back of the speaker.

The multi-function controls are split between the top of the enclosure and the back: Volume-up, volume-down, and play/pause buttons on the front; Bluetooth/TWS on the back next to the single USB-C port for charging its onboard battery. Unusually, said port has no protective plug–it’s simply waterproof as is. Creative includes a 4-foot USB-A to USB-C cable for charging.

The Muvo Go falls a bit short in terms of amenities: A Bluetooth 5.3 connection is the only way to play music on this speaker. There is no 3.5mm analog aux input and no microSD card slot for playing music from flash storage. And without an onboard microphone, the speaker can’t be used as a speakerphone. Finally, you can’t tap the speaker’s onboard battery to charge another device–such as your smartphone–because there’s no USB-A port for that purpose.

Each of those missing features has become pretty standard fare for Bluetooth speakers in this price range. I wouldn’t call the absence of any one of them to be a deal-breaker, though; you should just be aware, especially if you’re moving to the Muvo Go from another speaker.

Creative powers the Muvo Go with a 2600mAh battery that the company claims will facilitate playback for up to 18 hours at a modest volume. Without RGB lighting taxing the energy cell, I’m inclined to believe that claim. Time to a full charge is 4.5-hours.

Note that I’ve heard from some users saying that charge times are often optimistic. They are. Manufacturers assume you’re charging with an adequately powerful charger or a computer port. Charge anything using a low-power port and it will take considerably longer.

Does the Creative Muvo Go sound good?

I was quite taken with the the Muvo Go’s high-end clarity, but this is a smallish speaker, and it doesn’t put out a lot of bass even with its passive radiators. What’s there is musical, but it won’t get the party started via pure thump-itude.

That said, the Movo Go definitely gets loud. Its onboard amp delivers a full 20 watts RMS average (40 watts of peak power); in fact, it was uncomfortably loud when I first turned it on only a foot away from me. Be careful if you buy one (Creative should consider lowering speaker’s out-of-the-box volume setting).

Stereo separation was better than I expected to hear from a single physical unit, and it was excellent when paired with a second Muvo Go that Creative sent along (the speaker supports TWS: True Wireless Stereo). Speakers always sound better in stereo pairs. That’s a fact.

Note that the Muvo Go’s sound is directional, as most small speakers are. You’ll want to lay the speaker flat with its power button in back (i.e., pointing away from you) for the most sonorous results. In general, you should use whatever means are available (wedges, stands, or what have you) to position speakers so they’re aimed at your ears to achieve the best sound.

Battery life was right on track to reach Creative’s claims. I had the Muvo Go playing for a good 8 hours with no sign of it giving up the ghost.

The Creative Muvo Go is good, but the competition is stiff

The Creative Muvo Go is a good speaker best suited for listening at moderate volume levels–despite its ability to get loud. It’s also handsome, very portable, and able to withstand a dunk in the drink. That said, competitors like the Earfun Uboom L and the Tronsmart T7 offer all those things plus deeper bass and several other non-essential features that are nonetheless nice to have.