When it comes to the best soundbars we've ever tested, there's one that stands out in the compact category – the Creative Stage Pro.
We only reviewed this model in February, but quickly found the soundbar and subwoofer combination surprisingly potent for TV use and incredibly affordable.
And almost unbelievably, it's back down to its lowest-ever price of just £113 at Amazon. That's a cool 13 per cent off for a dinky soundbar that delivers a surprisingly cinematic audio performance.
The Creative Stage Pro is an unexpected soundbar from a brand best known for its computer accessories.
But, while Creative's entry may be small, it's ready to compete with the big-hitting brands such as Sonos, Sony and Samsung. In fact, the Creative Stage Pro has quickly found a place amongst our best budget soundbars list and the best soundbars we've tested.
Consisting of a main soundbar that measures 8 x 55 x 11cm (hwd) and a slender subwoofer that comes in at 42 x 12 x 27cm, the Creative model is incredibly compact. And that forms one of its biggest selling points, tucking in neatly under a desk if you plan on pairing the system with a PC.
In terms of connectivity, the soundbar features HDMI ARC, optical, USB Type-C and 3.5mm auxiliary inputs. Bluetooth 5.3 is on board, too, with support for the A2DP and AVRCP profiles. There is no support for wi-fi streaming from the likes of Tidal, Spotify or Apple Music, though.
But, how does it sound? In our full review, our expert testers said: "We’ll lay our cards on the table here; our expectations going into the Stage Pro were fairly low. A soundbar as affordable and basic as this on paper doesn’t inspire oodles of confidence, and yet we’re quickly corrected when we actually get to hear how this bar performs.
"Starting with the 4K Blu-ray of Blade Runner 2049 via our Oppo UDP-203 disc player, we find that the Stage Pro delivers a surprisingly cinematic sound despite its small footprint. The challenging bass section towards the start of chapter two is handled with surprising oomph, and while it isn’t the most defined bass that we’ve ever experienced, it remains controlled, tonally balanced and, most importantly, doesn’t distort even at higher volumes."
And listening to music also produces an enjoyable experience that's underpinned by a pin-sharp sense of timing and impressively clean vocals.
But our experts did caution that the sound is pretty localised to the bar, with it struggling to push the sound out to deliver a truly immersive experience.
Considering its low price tag, though, it's still a great choice that we're happy to recommend for those looking for good audio quality. And for just £113 at Amazon, that recommendation just got even easier.
MORE:
Read our full Creative Stage Pro review
Check out the best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts
And the best budget soundbars: cheap bars, tested by our experts
