Creative Stage Air Soundbar Review

Creative is well known for their computer soundcards: the SoundBlaster line. But they also have more excellent products in their soundbar line, as well as products in their speaker line. And they are known to be great bang for the buck. This carries over to their soundbars as well. Up for review today is their Creative Stage Air.

Features and specs:

Dimensions (H x W x D)

70 x 410 x 78 mm, USB Cord Length: Approximately 0.5 m, 3.5 mm Cable Cord Length: Approximately 0.5 m

Weight

910 g (2 lb), 3.5 mm Stereo Cable: 10 g, micro USB Cable: 10 g

Operating Temperature

0°C to 45°C

Power Output

2 x 5 W, Total System Peak power: 20W

Drivers

2 x Drivers

Frequency Response

80Hz ~ 20kHz

Battery Type

Built-in Li-ion, 2200 mAh

Battery Life

6 hours

System Configuration

One-piece

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

≥ 72 dB

Bluetooth Operating Frequency

2402 – 2480MHz

Operating Range for Bluetooth Devices

Up to 10 meters / 33 ft, (Measured in open space. Walls and structures may affect range of device.)

Bluetooth® Version

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth Profile

AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control), A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth)

Supported Codecs

SBC

Connector Type

Bluetooth, AUX-in

The Creative Stage Air came in a nice looking color printed box with photos and features on the box. Opening it revealed a well protected product held in place with a custom molded foam. Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic with some metal. Quality of materials used was very good, as was the fit and finish. Also included was the USB cable, 3.5 mm analog audio cable and owner’s manual.

I love the design of the Creative Stage Air. It’s a small soundbar that is designed for under computer monitor use. But it also has a built-in battery, analog 3.5 mm connection, as well as Bluetooth connectivity. So while it works great under your computer monitor, it also works great anywhere. Since it has a built in battery, you can use it with your smart phone or USB flashdrive or old mp3 player with analog audio cable, and truly listen to your music anywhere! MSRP is a really low $49, and the functionality you get for the price is mind blowing! Now let’s see how it sounds.

Since it is the Christmas season, I turned to a couple of my favorite songs. Mannheim Steamroller: Carol of the Bells,  the bells were crisp and fairly clean, with nice resolution.  The drums had nice impact and played sufficiently deep.  Brass was smooth with nice pitch definition and harmonics.  Mannheim Steamroller: Pat a Pan, the flute was nice and airy with better than expected resolution.  Strings were crisp and clean.  Drums and percussion were dynamic, with decent impact and low end extension.  Sound from flat screen TV's have come a long way.  But the Creative Stage Air proved to have better resolution as well as better bass response.  While they did not have a whole lot of bass, they sounded good for it's size, and had better sound than I expected for it's price.

The Creative Stage Air, while it has an MSRP of $49, it can be found online for even less. To be able to get this much usability and versatility is amazing at the price point. It’s also well made to provide lots of use. The Bluetooth also worked well, and was very easy to pair with my smartphone. Based on it’s design, features, quality and performance, the Creative Stage Air has earned our Value Award. And it’s a perfect holiday gift for a loved one. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.uscreative.com.