Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
The Creative Stage Air V2 is the successor to the Stage Air, which we have not reviewed before. However, we can make comparisons to Creative's other soundbars that we have reviewed, along with comparing it to what we know of the original Stage Air. Starting off with the general design, we can see the Stage Air V2 has a metal front mesh grille across the front with the Creative logo off to the left side. Like other Creative soundbars, the top and bottom have a glossy finish, which makes fingerprints and dust show easily.
Measuring 410mm in width, 75mm in height, and 94mm in depth, the Stage Air V2 is large for a portable speaker, but small for a computer soundbar. The shape is similar to that of the Stage V2, taking on a wedge shape, although the Stage Air V2 is ultimately smaller in size. Weighing in at 2.71 pounds, the Stage Air V2 is also lighter than the Stage V2, which suits the "Air" part of the name. Despite being made from plastic, with the exception of the front grille, the Creative Stage Air V2 feels solidly built.
Unlike the Stage V2, there is no seven-segment display behind the metal front grille. However, there is an LED behind the front grille that will glow blue, purple, or green when the soundbar is powered on and connected via Bluetooth, USB, and aux-in, respectively. It will blink or pulse blue depending on the Bluetooth connectivity status. This LED will also glow red when charging and turn off when fully charged. No wireless remote control is included, since this is a mix between a under-monitor and portable speaker.
Unlike the Stage V2, which had custom-tuned midrange drivers, the Stage Air V2 contains full-range racetrack drivers. The frequency response of the Creative Stage Air V2 is 80Hz to 20KHz. Signal to noise ratio is specified at ≥75dBA. We will see how these specifications translate into actual listening experience later on in our review.
From the backside, you can see exactly two physical inputs into the Creative Stage Air V2, which is less compared to the Stage V2. The first input is a USB Type-C port for charging and powering the soundbar along with connecting it to a device of your choice. Since the Stage Air V2 does not use that much power, especially considering it does not have a subwoofer, it does not require an external AC power adapter to operate. The second port is a 3.5mm audio jack.
On the right side of the soundbar, different controls can be seen. These buttons are used to power on the device, control the volume, and connect to Bluetooth. The buttons are intuitive to use. Holding down the power button for two seconds will turn the device on or off, while pressing it once will cycle through inputs. Holding down the Bluetooth button will place the device into pairing mode for when you plan to connect it to a new wireless device.
Further diving into the Bluetooth capabilities, the Stage Air V2 supports Bluetooth 5.3 operation. It is limited to the SBC, or Subband Coding, protocol for audio transmission, which means we miss out on support for other codecs like AAC, aptX, or LDAC. The AAC, aptX, and LDAC codecs were designed to improve audio quality and latency.
When it comes to the internal build, the Creative Stage Air V2 has a 20W peak power amplifier located inside. The power output for each of the drivers is 5W RMS. Meanwhile, a 2200 mAh battery keeps this soundbar going even when there is no power source.
The photo above displays the two cords that come with the Creative Stage Air V2. The first cord is a 1.2m aux cable for the 3.5mm audio jack. The second cord is a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable for both USB audio input and charging the soundbar. Aside from these cables, the soundbar did not come with any other accessories.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
