For the price, the Creative Stage V2 is much better than it has any right to be. The separate subwoofer ensures a more full sound stage that's far better than any built-in TV speaker efforts. The killer feature for me is Clear Dialog, and I suspect it'll be hard to go back to one without it. Imagine, finally being able to hear what they're saying!

Specifications
  • Brand: Creative
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
  • Ports: HDMI-ARC, TOS Optical, USB, 3.5mm AUX
  • Power: 80W total
  • Subwoofer Output: 40W
  • Speaker Arrangement: 2.1, from dual 20W mid-range drivers
Pros
  • Clear Dialog feature is superb for hard to hear movies and TV shows
  • Performance for the price is superb
Cons
  • It's short, meaning little stereo separation from further away
  • Volume buttons aren't sticky (so you have to click multiple times)
Buy This Product
Creative Stage V2

I was an excitable young boy in the early days of computing when my father brought home a Creative Soundblaster Multimedia Upgrade kit. With two desktop speakers, a CD-ROM drive, and a soundcard—what a glorious thing that was, as we ushered in the new "multimedia" revolution on Windows 3.1.

Nowadays we take it for granted that a motherboard should have 5.1 surround sound built-in, but I'm glad that the Creative brand has managed to stick around and continued to innovate beyond simply providing good quality sound for everyone.

The Creative Stage V2 is an affordable ($110/£99) 2.1 stereo 80W soundbar that performs far better than it has any right to at that price. It features a separate subwoofer, and one killer feature that I love: a Clear Dialog setting to enhance vocals in difficult-to-hear or badly balanced TV shows and movies.

Thanks to Creative, we're also giving one lucky reader the chance to win a Creative Stage V2. Just pop your details in the competition widget at the end of this review, and be sure to check out the review video for some bonus entries.

Creative Stage V2 Design

Among soundbars, the Creative Stage V2 is unique for an unusual reason: it's incredibly compact. In fact, I wasn't sure what the mysterious package was when it arrived at the door, because the box was unlike any soundbars I've tested before.

At just 27 inches long, the main body is made from shiny black plastic. It feels a little cheap and tends to attract dust and fingerprints, but since it's is likely to be hidden away under your TV or monitor, the looks shouldn't be a big deal. At this price point, I don't expect brushed chrome and real wood. Internally, there are dual 20W 2.25" full-range drivers.

creative stage v2 - box contents

In addition to hiding it under your TV (and at just over three inches high, this shouldn't be an issue), you'll also find screw holes for wall mounting it. The power plug and various ports are inset on the rear panel to accommodate this.

The front of the Creative Stage V2 is a black metal grill, with the only discernible features being the Creative brand badge and a simple two-digit LCD panel hidden in the center. When on, this usually shows the current input, but changes to reflect the volume as you adjust it, or as you turn on or off Surround Sound and Clear Dialog.

creative stage v2 - logo side

On the right-hand side of the main soundbar are a few rubber-covered buttons for volume, power, and Bluetooth pairing. You can't adjust the EQ or activate the Clear Dialog and Surround features from here though, so you'll need to keep the included remote safe.

creative stage v2 - buttons

The separate subwoofer doesn't require its own power, drawing instead from the single cable connection to the soundbar. It too is unashamedly compact, at a slim-but-tall 4.57 inches (116mm) wide, 16.65 inches (423mm) high, and 9.84inches (250mm) deep. The main body is laminated MDF, with a fabric mesh covering the 5 1/4-inch 40W bass driver on the right-hand side, and a reflex port of the bottom of the front panel.

creative stage v2 - subwoofer

Connections For Anything

As a soundbar, the primary connection will be to your TV; through either HDMI ARC or a TOS Optical link.

Intriguingly, there's also a USB-A port, which you can use with PC or PlayStation 4 for a direct digital output. Bluetooth 5.0 provides connectivity to mobile devices, while a standard 3.5mm stereo AUX rounds off the selection as a default for everything else.

creative stage v2 - inputs

Included in the package is both a UK and US power plug, as well as a USB and stereo audio cable.

creative stage v2 - inputs 2

An optional extra provides further connectivity for wireless audio when it wouldn't otherwise be possible: the BT-W3 adaptor plugs into USB-C (such as from the Nintendo Switch), then streams wirelessly with aptX LL HJD, AptX, or SBC protocol.

Using the Creative Stage V2

Operation is simple and responsive. One thing I've found on other soundbars is that the remote control can be sluggish, often taking a few button presses to actually switch inputs or change the volume. With the Creative Stage V2, the remote was very responsive, and not once did I have to do a dance trying to find the optimal line or sight, or jiggle the batteries because it felt like they were running out. Switching inputs was immediate, and Bluetooth connected promptly and without issue.

creative stage v2 - remote

On the downside, the volume buttons don't repeat when you hold them, which means if your input levels or media varies a lot, it can be a pain to press the buttons through the 35 different volume levels. For me, this meant 15-20 button presses to normalize between some old TV shows we watch through Plex which are far too quiet, and YouTube. If you forget to normalize the volume back, you're in for an auditory bomb. If I had one feature request, it would be a set of programmable buttons to store all current settings, such that with one button press I could swap to a specific input, change the volume to a favorite level, and adjust my EQ. That's probably a bit much to ask from a soundbar that already offers so much at such a great price point, but one can dream.

One other point worth noting is that if you've set a custom EQ, you lose it when power is off. This isn't a problem for most people, but if you believe that "phantom power" from small LEDs and standby modes eats a significant amount of electricity (it doesn't), then this might frustrate you.

Clear Dialog and Surround Sound

The Creative Stage V2 a 2.1 speaker system, which means it has two main speakers for stereo output, plus a subwoofer to enhance the bass.

It also has a "virtual" Surround Sound feature that you can enable to emulate a more full sound stage, but like most virtual surround sound systems, I found this element disappointing. It does fill the environment a little, but these systems tend to also introduce a sort of ethereal quality to the sound, a floatiness that never quite sounds right to me. The Creative Stage V2 is no different, and after some initial tests, I left the virtual surround feature off. This is perhaps down to individual taste, and if you've experienced this sort of virtual surround before and know you like the outcome, you'll appreciate the inclusion of this feature.

creative stage v2 - logo and lcd

Ultimately even a budget 5.1 surround sound speaker setup will be superior to any emulated attempt from two speakers, whether that's in a soundbar or high-end pair of headphones.

Clear Dialog is the real killer feature here. With this activated, the Creative Stage attempts to identify voices and boost them. I don't know if it's just because I'm aging and spent my youth in clubs, or if sound engineers are genuinely making dialog harder to hear in movies and TV shows (so I'll assume the latter), but I'll tell you this: I turned on the Clear Dialog feature when I first started testing the Creative Stage V2, and can't turn it off.

I don't mean the button is broken; I have tried turning it off multiple times to see if it was just my imagination. But every time I've thought "nope, now I can't hear what they're saying".

Is Clear Dialog just an EQ setting to boost the mid-range? I don't think so. At least, I didn't notice other abnormally loud sounds in the mid-range with the feature enabled, which you would expect if it was just a blind EQ boost. There does appear to be some sort of processing going on, as with the faux-surround feature.

Sound Quality and Stereo Separation

I ran the Creative Stage through a variety of audio tests from audiocheck.net, and while there's nothing major to report, frequent parts of the low-frequency spectrum sweep seemed to dip in volume noticeably, even with the subwoofer plugged in. In normal use, I didn't notice anything unusual.

The overall range was good however and more importantly, playing some of my favorite tracks over Bluetooth resulted in a pleasingly crisp sound stage, with booming bass and clear, crisp vocals. Even at higher volumes, there was little distortion. It sounded great overall; not remarkable by any means, but good. It's also been plugged into our kitchen TV for a month or so, and provides much clearer dialog than the previous budget soundbar we'd been using. This one's a keeper, for sure.

creative stage v2 - featured 2

But the Creative Stage V2 won't be right for every use case. Soundbars tend to be extremely long so as to accommodate stereo speakers, directing distinct sounds to each ear in clearly separated left and right channels.

The problem with the Creative Stage V2 is that it's just a little too short. If you're sitting close to it, this isn't a problem. But from about 6 feet away, the stereo separation is difficult to discern. I tried a blind test, in which I had someone play a sound from either the left or right channel, and sat about 6 feet back. I couldn't tell which was which unless I heard the opposite channel shortly after for comparison. This isn't a huge problem for a lot of TV content, nor for music, but you wouldn't be getting an ideal movie experience. At a normal distance from the TV, it's more like a 1.1 speaker system, than 2.1. On larger TVs, the stereo separation may even be worse than the built-in system.

Should You Buy the Creative Stage V2

For the price, the Creative Stage V2 is much better than it has any right to be. The separate subwoofer ensures a more full sound stage that's far better than any built-in TV speaker efforts. The killer feature for me is Clear Dialog, and I suspect it'll be hard to go back to one without it. Imagine, finally being able to hear what they're saying!

But while it's certainly better than any built-in speaker solution, set your expectations appropriately: it is a budget soundbar, even if it's a really good one. You can't get stunningly good sound from two mid-range 20W speakers and a small subwoofer. It's also on the short side, so stereo separation is not ideal. Personally, I wouldn't put this in my home cinema; it's worth saving up for a full surround system there. It is, however, perfect for a secondary display (I've been using it with a smaller TV in the kitchen), where you want decent sound but without spending hundreds.