INTRODUCTION

   It's no secret that I’ve always placed 5.1/7.1 surround sound systems over soundbars, clearly because of things like positioning/surround audio accuracy, audio clarity and power output. At the same time however i'm also well aware that not everyone has room for a 5.1/7.1 surround sound system and many of the ones that do are not that eager to pass cables through their living rooms just so they can get better surround sound. This is exactly why soundbars made their debut many years ago in the first place and even though the really good Dolby Atmos compatible ones cost more or less the same as a 5.1/7.1 surround sound system (some even more) there are always more cost-effective choices, if you know where to look that is. Creative recently launched not one but two Dolby Atmos compatible soundbars, the flagship SXFI Carrier model and the Stage 360 which made its way to the lab almost a month ago.

   Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for driving the multimedia revolution - which established a user base of 400 million - Creative drives digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions that include premium wireless speakers, wireless headphones, powerful audiophile-grade digital amplifiers and next-generation home-theatre systems. Aiming at the new mobile networked generation by bridging the worlds of the computer, smartphones, and tablets, Creative continues to reinvent the Sound Blaster, with its ground-breaking Sound Blaster Roar series and USB-audio class of products such as the Sound Blaster X7.

   Just like the Stage V2 model which i reviewed a while back (review here) the Stage 360 (MF8385) is also a 2.1 soundbar which consists by 2 oval custom-tuned racetrack drivers featuring a frequency response of 180Hz-20KHz (9.8x5.7cm/3.85x2.25 inches each - 60WRMS total), long-throw subwoofer (wired) featuring a frequency response of 50Hz-180Hz (roughly 13.3cm/5.25 inches - 60WRMS) and a Class D amplifier (signal to noise ratio - SNR - is reported at ≥75dB). Still thanks to its Dolby Atmos technology the Creative Stage 360 soundbar can produce immersive virtual 5.1.2 surround sound, as long as the content you're watching on your screen supports Dolby Atmos of course. As for available connections Creative has equipped the Stage 360 with Bluetooth v5.0 (AVRCP/A2DP with SBC audio codec), single HDMI 2.0 ARC output port (TV - Dolby Atmos Digital Plus, Dolby Digital and LPCM support), two HDMI 2.0 input ports (Dolby Atmos TrueHD, Dolby Atmos Digital Plus, Dolby Digital and LPCM support), single optical (SPDIF - supports up to 24-bit/96KHz stereo PCM or Dolby Digital Audio) input port and an USB port (meant for firmware updates). So, let's move forward and see what Creative brings to the table with their latest Stage 360 Dolby Atmos Soundbar.