INTRODUCTION

   I've always enjoyed good sound in both games and movies alike so because of that since the late 90's I’ve used a total of 7 Dolby surround sound systems (5.1/7.1 - Atmos is next). Because of this i never did think highly of soundbars. Of course, i always understood the reason people chose them (space restrictions primarily) but i could never consider them to be nearly as good as a complete surround sound system. This changed last year when i had the chance to use a Dolby Atmos compatible soundbar that came ready with a pair of detachable rear speakers. Now i know that this effectively makes 3 individual speakers in total instead of 1 (5.1 based on the number of drivers) but still it made me realize that there are soundbars out there which can actually produce very good audio results. This is also the reason i decided to check the latest Stage V2 2.1 Soundbar by Creative out and that's what today's review's all about.

   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.

   The Stage V2 Soundbar by Creative is a 2.1 model (3 drivers total) that consists of two 2.25inch/57.15mm stereo speaker drivers (mid-range) placed inside the main body (soundbar - wall mountable) and a 133.35mm subwoofer driver placed in an separate box (wired connection with the main body). This driver combination gives the Stage V2 a frequency response range of 55-20000Hz, signal to noise ratio (SNR) of less or equal to 75dB and a maximum power output of up to 80WRMS (always according to Creative). Aside featuring pretty much every connectivity option one would expect including HDMI (ARC), optical (SPDIF), USB and 3.5mm the Stage V2 is also Bluetooth v5.0 compatible (AVRCP/A2DP) meaning you can feed it with audio content wirelessly from a range of up to 10m/33ft (only the SBC audio codec is supported). Finally, the Stage V2 features Creative's Sound Blaster technology for virtual surround sound and clear dialog both of which are aimed towards enhancing movies and games. So, let's see just how good the 2nd Stage soundbar by Creative really is.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As expected, the front of the box is taken by a large product picture located beneath the company logo and over the main product features.

The contents of the bundle along with two stickers with the product serial numbers and barcodes are located on the left side.

You can find the technical specifications of the Stage V2 on the right side in 7 languages.

Moving at the rear we find yet another product picture and the product features printed in 7 languages.

Contained inside the box are the Stage V2 soundbar and subwoofer, remote control (AAA batteries not included), 1.2 meter long USB-C cable, 1.2 meter long aux cable (3.5mm), 1.5 meter long power cable, quick start guide and the warranty information papers.

THE STAGE V2

The Stage V2 soundbar is made primarily out of plastic and metal, weighs a total of 2Kg and measures 680mm in length, 100mm in depth/width and 78mm in height/thickness.

Creative has placed their logo on the far left side of the soundbar.

Behind the metal grille Creative has placed 2 mid-range speaker drivers (far left and right end) and a small VFW screen (center) used to display the current input, volume levels and surround/clear dialog modes.

Turning the soundbar around we see the USB-C, HDMI (ARC), 3.5mm (AUX), optical (SPDIF), subwoofer and power ports.

On the right side Creative has also placed control buttons (on/off, bluetooth pairing and volume up/down).

The soundbar is also wall mountable so it has holes on the rear left and right.

Of course, the soundbar can also sit on your desk since it has two large rubber feet on its base.

The subwoofer box seems to be made by MDF and measures 423mm in height, 250mm in depth and 116mm in width.

Typically, the vent/port is located at the front whereas the subwoofer driver is located on the right side.

CONCLUSION

   I’ve been using the Stage V2 with both my primary test rig and my TV set for over two weeks now with overwhelmingly positive results. Yes, this is not the soundbar to blow you away with its surround sound and volume levels (doesn’t begin to compete with the Atmos soundbar I used a while back) but for people on a budget it’s a great addition to any TV set. Audio quality is very good (not the best highs but can’t expect miracles from just two drivers), bass is more than acceptable, volume levels are quite strong (not to throw a party but more than enough to fill a medium-sized room) and in terms of surround sound it actually works very well if you’re sitting right in front of the soundbar (the clear dialog option does emphasize vocals but not by much). The only tiny issue I came across was with the input changing from optical to aux every time I stopped playback on my HD Dune media player (yes, I tried every single connection) thus I had to switch back to optical by using the remote (doesn’t take time but I did find it somewhat annoying after a while).

   With a current price tag set at USD109.99 inside the USA (Creative Store) and at 109.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Stage V2 2.1 Soundbar by Creative is very affordable and thus could easily become a best seller in 2021. Honestly after 2 full weeks of testing i can’t find anything wrong with it, not when Creative has priced it so aggressively. Yes, it can’t compete with some soundbars that cost at least 3-4 times as much but the same can be said for most things in the industry. That being said however the Stage V2 just might be the perfect companion for your TV set or PC and since I really think it delivers everywhere that matters it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Audio Quality/Accuracy
- Volume Levels
- Available Connectivity (Bluetooth v5.0/HDMI ARC/SPDIF/3.5mm)
- Surround Sound & Clear Dialog Sound Blaster Features
- Wall Mountable
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- High Frequencies (Clarity/Accuracy)