Closer Examination and Build Quality

The Creative Stage V2 consists of a soundbar and a passive subwoofer. Both parts of the system are compact and can fit pretty much anywhere, including a smaller table underneath your monitor. The soundbar is 680 millimeters wide, 100 millimeters deep, and 78 millimeters high, and weighs 2 kilograms. As such, it is narrower than most TVs, as well as 32" and larger monitors. The entire front of the soundbar is protected by a metal mesh with glossy black plastic on top, which is a massive fingerprint and dust magnet. Too bad Creative didn't cover the top of the soundbar with the same matte black plastic it uses on its sides, as it would then be easier to keep clean. The overall build quality of the soundbar of the Stage V2 is good—it feels sturdy and looks pretty sleek, too, assuming you keep it fairly clean. Behind the metal mesh are two 2.25-inch dynamic speaker drivers. Creative doesn't specify which materials they're made out of, nor is it possible to remove the metal grille without damaging the soundbar, so this aspect of the Stage V2 remains a mystery.


Behind the metal mesh is also a simple monochromatic display, which informs us about the currently active input, sound volume, level of bass and treble, and the Surround and Dialogue features being on or off. While the addition of this display is undoubtedly nice—it's completely unobtrusive, yet easy to read—its execution could have been better. You see, every option is represented by only two letters, so "Ub" is USB, "Hd" is HDMI, "BA" is bass, "tr" is treble, and so on. This complicates things as you have to memorize a weird naming scheme; if the display were capable of showing four letters, the overall user experience would have been even nicer. While not a big issue, it's an issue worth mentioning nonetheless.


Due to its compact size, the Creative Stage V2 can be positioned underneath a TV, but also a PC monitor. When the latter is the case, instead of looking for the supplied remote control, you can simply reach to the right side of the soundbar and use the physical buttons to adjust the volume, switch to Bluetooth mode, or cycle through the inputs. The input switch button doubles as a power button; pressing and holding it turns the system off. The input/power button is slightly indented, so it's very easy to navigate the buttons without looking.


The connectivity is one of the strong suits of the Creative Stage V2. On the rear of the soundbar is an analog 3.5-mm AUX input, optical (TOSLINK) input, USB-C port for the easiest possible desktop/laptop PC connectivity, and HDMI ARC port, which massively improves the experience of using the Stage V2 when connected to a TV, assuming the TV also supports the HDMI ARC technology (most newer models do). An obvious benefit of the HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) feature is that you can use the HDMI interface to deliver sound from your TV to the Stage V2. Equally important is the fact that an HDMI ARC-connected soundbar automatically turns on and off with the TV, and it is fully controllable by the TV's own remote control. In other words, when using the HDMI ARC interface to connect the Stage V2 to your TV, you won't have to reach for Creative's remote to adjust the volume of the soundbar. You will need it to switch inputs and use other features of the Stage V2 system, though.


The soundbar has two hooks, which can be used to mount it to a wall. Creative doesn't supply any screws for such an installation, so you'll have to buy them on your own.


The subwoofer looks like a narrower and shorter PC case. Its dimensions are 423 x 116 x 25 millimeters, and it weighs a total of 3.3 kilograms. It has a front bass-reflex port and a side-firing 5.25-inch speaker driver, hidden behind a layer of acoustically transparent fabric. It's a passive subwoofer, meaning it gets its power and amplification through the soundbar. The subwoofer and the soundbar have to be connected by a 2-meter cable affixed to the subwoofer. I found the length of the said cable sufficient for all common scenarios: when the Stage V2 is connected to a wall-mounted TV, to a TV that sits on a cabinet, or when it's sitting underneath a PC monitor. Positioning of the subwoofer is simple—due to how low-frequency sound waves travel through space, you can put it pretty much anywhere you prefer. It doesn't have to sit in any specific position in relation to the soundbar.


The supplied remote has all the necessary buttons to control the Stage V2 from a distance. It's compact and ergonomically solid. You should do your best not to lose it because there's no other way to activate and deactivate the Surround and Dialogue features or increase or reduce the bass and treble. The remote can turn the system on, mute the sound, switch between all inputs (including Bluetooth), control the volume, switch between songs (in case of a Bluetooth connection), and reset the system to its factory defaults. The volume control is instantaneous, while the input switching takes approximately 1.5 seconds, counting from when the appropriate button is pushed until the actual input switch takes place.