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This space-saving soundbar/subwoofer combo from Creative might not meet the lofty demands of an audiophile, but for anyone who wants more sound from their movies or television, it ticks a lot of boxes.
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Selling for $170 on Amazon, the Stage Pro is a midrange soundbar that does one particular thing very well: ensure you can hear every word of dialogue spoken, an issue that frustrates some to the point of watching with subtitles on. Thanks to this soundbar, though, you won't have to do that any longer.
Let's chat about what this soundbar can do.
My experience
First off, the bar has been set very high for soundbars in my house, thanks to the JBL Bar 1000. That soundbar produces amazingly accurate and rich sound, and I've yet to come across one to best it. Of course, the Bar 1000 sells for $1200 on Amazon, which is beyond the budget of many.
Thankfully, there are plenty of low- to midrange soundbars to choose from, and although the Stage Pro resides in the upper low-end spectrum of devices, it sounds significantly better than its price would suggest.
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As soon as I received the Stage Pro, my immediate thought was, "This is small." Because of the "Pro" name, I assumed it would be at least as large as the Bar 1000. Alas, the length of the sound bar is a mere 21 inches long. You might think that would preclude it from producing enough volume to be usable, but you'd be wrong.
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