When we talk about computer speakers, you’d imagine having a left and right speaker, such as a 2.0 or 2.1 system right? But have you considered a soundbar for your monitor? Most soundbars in the market right now are made for TVs instead of monitors. And even if there is a soundbar for monitors, it’s usually expensive such as the Razer Leviathan or Creative Katana.
But enter the Creative Stage Air. Released in late September 2018, this soundbar speaker is targeted at consumers who want to use it for their computers or monitors. Available only at S$69, this soundbar looks like a great deal. I purchased one unit of the Stage Air directly from Creative and have been using it for about a month now. So is it any good? Let’s check it out.
Tech Specs
Dimensions (H x W x D): 70 x 410 x 78 mm
Weight: 910 g (2 lb)
Accessories: Micro USB Cable (0.5m), 3.5 mm Stereo Cable (0.5m)
Power Output: 2 x 5 W, Total System Peak power: 20W
Drivers: 2 x Drivers
Connector Type: Bluetooth, AUX-in
Frequency Response: 80Hz ~ 20kHz
Battery Type: Built-in Li-ion, 2200 mAh
Battery Life: 6 hours
Bluetooth® Version: Bluetooth 4.2
Supported Codecs: SBC
Unboxing
Inside the box, you get the Stage Air soundbar, a leaflet, 3.5mm audio cable, micro-USB cable, and a quick setup guide. The cables included are quite short so if your setup requires long cables, then do purchase replacements. I recommend buying these replacements from Aliexpress.
Design
The Creative Stage Air comes in a plastic glossy black finish surrounding the top all the way to the bottom, while the rest is covered a metal grille with a silver Creative logo right smacked in the middle. Personally, I prefer a matte finish as a glossy finish would be certain to pick up fingerprints.
If you look closely inside, you can see two dynamic drivers and a passive radiator. Along the right side of the soundbar, you can find 4 buttons for you to power on/off, change volumes and switch inputs.
Connectivity inputs
You can connect to the Stage Air via 3 ways.
- AUX through the 3.5mm audio jack: Simple, just plug and play.
- Bluetooth (4.2, SBC codec): SBC means that audio outputs a maximum quality 320 kbps. However, having said that, unless you’re an audiophile with all you music in FLAC, this won’t be a big issue. Most users like me will generally use the soundbar for Spotify or playing movies. Besides for only S$69, I think it’s fair.
- USB-A thumbdrive: You can only use a FAT format thumbdrive, with a maximum of 32GB storage. In this input option, the bluetooth button works as a play/pause button.
There will be a LED light shown on the right side of the speaker to indicate the current mode of audio input. Green means 3.5mm, blue means Bluetooth, purple means USB-A input. I realised that the LED indicators do not turn off after some time and there is no means to turn off the light, so this may get quite distracting for some with a bright light shining right at you.
Other ports
At the back, you’ll find the ports previously mentioned and a micro-USB port which is meant for charging. The USB-A port that could be used as an audio input also doubles as a port to install firmware updates.
Firmware updates
Speaking of firmware, the Stage Air I purchased initially came with a setting that automatically shuts down the soundbar after 10 mins of inactivity. Creative said this feature was meant to save energy but I found it was a serious deal breaker. Imagine you have to turn on the speaker every time you wanted to hear sound? Super inconvenient right?
I assumed many users made the same complaint which led Creative to release a firmware update that changed the auto shut down time from 10 minutes to 6 hours (ie. advertised battery life). If you’re wondering if continuously charging the Stage Air will prevent the auto shut down, the answer is no. The soundbar will still shut down after 6 hours of inactivity. In fact, Creative advises not to keep the soundbar plugged in all the time as it will deteriorate the battery life.
I found the 6 hours standby time to be sufficient. Unless you work from home or spend a lot of hours in front of your computer, I have yet to experience a time whereby the soundbar shuts down while I was still doing work.
Sound
But most importantly how do the Stage Air sound? Firstly, the Creative Stage Air is not super bass-heavy like what you get with the JBL Flip or JBL Charge. But that is expected since there is no dedicated bass speaker in the Stage Air, However having said that, the Stage Air is still able to produce a balanced bass sound which is a sound that I actually prefer when listening to music. The lows and mids are pretty decent as well, but the highs do suffer a bit even listening at higher volumes.
Overall, I found the sound produced by the Stage Air to be well-balanced and very enjoyable on the ears. For S$69, I feel you may be even getting more than what you’re paying for.
Here are some comparisons (some ridiculous ones) with the speakers that I have at home:
Of course these comparisons are by no means fair to the Stage Air considering huge disparity in prices. But you get to see how the Stage Air compares against the high-end speakers. And for me, I think the Stage Air does a fairly good job for the sound it produces.
Should you buy it
If you want to avoid the cheap options but do not want to pay hundreds for a mid-range option, then you should consider the Creative Stage Air. The sound and build quality for a product that costs S$69 (MRSP) is well worth it. But of course there are some drawbacks such as the inability to leave it charging or turned on all the time (which means you have to turn it on everyday). And if portability is your thing, then cheers to another benefit that you’ll get.
Moreover, if you’re in the market for a soundbar for your desktop there honestly aren’t many close to Creative Stage Air’s price point.
If you realised a soundbar isn’t for your desk, why not check out the Creative Pebble Plus 2.1 speakers.
Where to buy
The Stage Air is available exclusively on the Creative online store but given its price you won’t be able to hit free shipping. So, you might want to get a buddy to purchase a unit together with you since to quality for free shipping you need to spend at least S$79. Or if you fancy a new pair of truly wireless earbuds, the highly raved Creative Outlier Air is also an option.