How Much Does it Cost?
Creative actually sell their stuff direct to the customer at a reasonable price. You can get it for just £99.99 directly from their website. However, they also have an Amazon store if you want to take advantage of Prime delivery, and it’s still the same price of £99.99. Honestly, you’re going to be hard pushed to find a bigger sound for this kind of money, and the fact it’ll work just as well with your gaming PC or your TV setup is a huge advantage. If you need something a little smaller, the Creative Stage (V1) is just £79.99.
Overview
Creative continues to dominate the audio market, and more so, the Stage V2 is the first real setup that could replace my Creative T20 speakers; they’re 10+ years old and looking pretty beaten up, but still sound superb. I tried the Pebble V3 recently, but they just weren’t punchy enough. However, the Creative Stage V2 has way more power than I’ll ever use, but importantly for me, it sounds full-bodied at lower volumes and really immersive too.
I was apprehensive of having a subwoofer under my desk, but thankfully it’s slim and tall rather than wide, so it never really gets in my way. It complements the sound well with the lower frequencies, but because the V2 has larger drivers and a larger body itself, it doesn’t feel like it needs the subwoofer as much as the V1 did. The two work together very well though, and if you do want big volume and bigger bass, it’ll certainly leave you surprised.
I like the design too, it’s pretty standard soundbar stuff to look at, but it looks and feels well made; because it is. The mounting system is easy to figure out on your own. You can likely get it on a wall in five minutes with two spare screws you have stuck in a drawer somewhere. The recessed cable ports make that much easier too. For me, however, USB and Bluetooth are all I’ll need so the setup couldn’t have been easier. The addition of the remote is certainly welcome too.
While this isn’t the most advanced Creative soundbar I’ve tested, it’s by far my favourite. We reviewed the Katana years ago, and I used it a lot… but it was too aggressive, too powerful and always threatened to take my head off… most likely where it got the name Katana. The V2 is all any of really need from our desktop audio. It looks great, it sounds great, and it doesn’t cost a fortune. It’s as simple as that, and I love it.
