Homegrown tech brand Creative has been a constant presence in the audio space, with its offerings spanning headphones, earbuds, speakers, sound blasters, and more, each designed to meet various user needs. The Stage lineup of soundbars, for instance, presents a space-saving alternative for smaller spaces, as it looks to marry performance with an under-monitor form factor.
The Creative Stage Pro, coming in as the latest addition to the family, continues to tick all the right boxes. The device is decently sized at 550 x 80.7 x 112.1 mm, which makes it more compact than the Stage V2 and Stage 360, but slightly taller and wider than the original. It offers five different connectivity options (optical, HDMI Arc, Bluetooth, USB-C, and a 3.5 mm audio jack), and can be paired with an accompanying subwoofer that measures 115 x 265 x 420 mm.
Lean doesn’t necessarily mean a compromise, however. To that end, the Creative Stage Pro features the company’s new SuperWide technology, billed to expand its soundstage, alongside 160W of power, so expect loud, far-travelling output when hooked to an audio source. The lack of support for a companion app, and by extension, EQ control, is a bummer, but it packs good value overall at S$200.
Check out the above video as the soundbar is put through its paces, covering all the good, the bad, and everything in between.
GEEK REVIEW SCORE
Summary
The Creative Stage Pro exhibits great potential with its decent performance and pricing, but the lack of app support and the unpolished proprietary “Super Wide” technology dull its appeal.
Overall
7.4/10-
Aesthetics - 6/10
6/10
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Build Quality - 8/10
8/10
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Performance - 7/10
7/10
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Value - 8/10
8/10
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Geek Satisfaction - 8/10
8/10
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
Zinho De Costa
