A review of the Creative Stage V2 Soundbar system with Wired Subwoofer.
Overview
The Creative Stage V2 is the second iteration of their Creative Stage soundbar product line and an improved version from the Stage 2.1 which was released earlier. Priced at just below $150, It is one of the least expensive soundbar solutions on the market today offering both TV and PC functionality. And there is nothing really cheap about the product or its package. Complete with a remote and subwoofer and cables. The Creative Stage V2 provides options for HDMI (ARC), Optical Cable, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB-C. Creative had done its home work well and offered one of the best budget soundbars in this price segment.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of the stage V2 can be described as in audiophile terms, as a stage comprising of a HIGH (elevated treble) and a LOW (deep bass) giving it a very PC like sound signature, given the fact that Creative is a PC sound audio company, the stage V2 is probably modelled to that mantra. Of course there is no way the stage v2 will satisfy any audiophile as it is targeted towards the mainstream home users. The Stage V2 audio is still audible and powerful and to the question whether it is better than the TV speakers or just an amplified version , the opinion can be subjective. One thing is for sure, No TV speakers can produce the bass of the supplied subwoofer. Creative Stage V2 really excelled with various content i played on it ( eg. youtube, TV programs and Online content) as opposed to the TV speakers. Creative includes its Sound Blaster technology in this one. And bass from this sound system seems to be stellar for its price. It is not exactly the most accurate or detailed , but almost a rattling bass deep and dark resonant one ( e.g a mix between a boomy and muddy one). The content i tried that clearly showed this is the youtube video :The starting few seconds almost knocked off the picture frames on the wall . Not only the bass volume goes up loud on scary or high parts only, and back to normal on the rest of the movie but also it does have that consistent deep smooth hum which can be heard in vocals too .
On the treble side it offers crystal clear, tonally clear audio with great balance but increasing the treble amount can result in unnecessary harshness and overly bright signature. However one of the major drawbacks for the price is that the main soundbar only included 2 speakers. As a result , the position of the sound bar with the room or hall requires a long period of learning and optimization to get the best soundstage treble and bass quality. Another drawback is that the sound is not very detailed but some decent effects come forward dependent on the content. Most notably , mids are still clearly audible somehow with an absence of a middle speaker. The whole sound resembles a extreme bright in the upper and dark tonality in the lower spectrum . Due to the nature of the tonality some poorly mastered content actually does well in terms of audibility .
These whole sound tuning is made for everyday home usage like watching downloaded movies YouTube and mp3s
There is also some transparency in the sound found in some higher ranged soundbars but only in average amount. At least there is no muddiness present. In music , the Stage V2 is also musical to an average extent .There is also a reasonably wide soundstage but not as wide as other bigger soundbars. Of course these issues can be expected in this price range and the dimensions. However playing around with the treble and bass controls results in different soundstages ( e.g V shaped or U shaped as u prefer). This aspect is one of the great features of the Stage v2. As u can prefer to adjust the sound according to the content , it gives u a very good control over the type of sound u want to hear.
The soundstage is also pretty wide and tall with the surround feature on and at times presents some good depth and height effects depending on the content. However the effect of sounds moving around u is not as evident as some higher priced soundbars and what u get is a expansive and satisfying soundstage with decent moving sounds at the price point , some depth articulation , left and right movement but still pretty good effect overall. , this nature is hard to beat. The sound also naturally follows the sound content thrown at it as the bar has a very balanced sound profile. If u throw a poor quality source ( like eg. badly recorded TV show) , the sound output is rather flat and constrained as compared to HD content. However the soundstage in most TV content is pretty good and it is hard to find fault with it given the price.
Conclusions:
To sum it , the sound signature actually resembles a pair of bookshelf type speakers The stage V2 might not be able to compete with the best higher priced soundbars but higher price dos not necessarily mean better. , but in terms of sheer raw value, creative stage v2 is the very best and holds its own in the budget segment. I have tried a few mainstream brands out there which are higher priced that 150 bucks, but they came up as short mainly lacking in treble energy . Generally speaking, in fact, there are only a few complaints worth noting. If my experience with this soundbar has taught me anything, it’s that if you want the most value for your money and don’t want to spend on big brand ones , Creative Stage V2 is a better solution than many others including those from the likes of JBL or SONY in the same price segment. Or at the very least, better than just about anything you’ll find in its price bracket. And that’s including soundbars costing all the way up to around the $200 to $400 range.
