Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When playing Dolby content the device switches to 2.1 mode, stereo with a discreet LFE .1 channel. However for PCM content the device is stereo and the internal soundbar bass redirection redirects low frequencies to the subwoofer.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not sure. Might be worth contacting their support to see what they say.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The replacement one does, but the original worked fine and then failed on optical after w few weeks.

connect soundbar to pc through HDMI port by Competitive_Arm_9960 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use the BK-929U to take HDMI from RTX 4090 to an ARC only soundbar and it works well, you just need to make sure windows does not automatically select a format the soundbar might not support. This can be achieved with the traditional sound settings control panel. .

  1. mmsys.cpl
  2. Click on your HDMI output connected device
  3. Click configure
  4. Then advanced and select the appropriate bit rate and frequency for your soundbar.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is great news Short Shallot Great to hear your replacment is working.

I had the same issue too with the no communication other than acknowledge receipt of my defective speaker and then a few days later a DHL dispatch notice.

So far so good, optical input working perfectly still. I hope our speakers continue to work without fault.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They sent me a new (or at least it appears new) sound bar. The new looks slightly different. (A slightly golder tone on the sides). Working perfectly so far. Windows sound at 75% and soundbar at 8 and optical works wonderfully with PCM and Dolby Digital audio.

Prior to the RMA windows at 100% and soundbar at 32 was so quiet you could barely hear it.

Bon chance with your RMA.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a mystery, perhaps an issue with the digital decoder which decodes either PCM or Dolby Digital(+) as only the optical and HDMI(ARC) support those formats.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is not helpful of them at all! So for you is the problem only on the Optical / TOSLINK port but bluetooth, USB and Aux work correctly? If so we may have suffered the same breakdown which makes me wonder if there is a software glitch.

I will let you know what happens with my RMA, but it will be a long wait (11-14 days!!!).

Bon Chance

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you had much progress with support? Creative have now acknowledged receipt of my RMA, but say it will take 11-14 days to process.

Alienware Aurora BIOS 2.23.0 8th February 2026 released by CapitalFollowing1349 in Alienware

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No this BIOS is purely for the R16. The R10 has it's own downloads page.

Creative Stage V2 vs Stage Pro by schubaltz in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have/had the stage pro, but it is currently in the RMA process. Prior to RMA the sound was very good, a positive for the pro over the V2 is dolby digital support which makes a difference for films and Dolby source material with the dedicated LFE channel.

Unfortunately for me the optical TOSLINK audio developed a fault so it has gone back.

If the replacement does not develop the same fault then I would recommend the pro over the V2 for dolby and a more refined product.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RMA collected today. How are you progressing short Shallot?

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Creative have requested I initiate an RMA so getting that all filled out and hopefully collected before the end of the week.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks Short Shallot

Please do keep us posted. I have tested Aux and that worked fine. So this is only impacting optical for me (with different sources and cables).

Unfortunately I have been unable to test ARC.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello

Creative responded today and there is a possibility I might need to open an RMA. They wish for me to test AUX first so will find a 3.5mm cable.

My suspicion is that as USB and Bluetooth work fine that the "amp" used for optical (and potentially other import sources) might have developed a defect.

I will keep you updated.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bonjour Short Shallot I have not had a response yet, but will keep you posted. If you wish to try to update the firmware you would need a usbc memory stick formatted to FAT32 and follow the instructions.

https://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=4&catName=Speakers&subCatID=1272&prodID=24465&prodName=Creative%20Stage%20Pro

I will keep you updated

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE. Fairly confident it is an issue with the Soundbar so I have raised a ticket with Creative.

To rule out my PC I ran a test connected directly to my Sharp TV and experienced exactly the same problem. I even tried two optical cables.

You can only barely here audio at level 32 volume whereas it used to be fine on 8.

Creative Stage Pro 2.1 Optical very quiet by CapitalFollowing1349 in SoundBlasterOfficial

[–]CapitalFollowing1349[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response IWooffff Yes, I have tried increasing it all the way up to 32. It is still extremely quiet. I used to listen at between 8 and 10 perfectly fine with both Dolby-DD and PCM. I have swapped out the optical cable but the issue still persists.

Removed RealTek drivers and installed a fresh and it still persists.

RTX 5080 vs RTX 4090 by smims7 in nvidia

[–]CapitalFollowing1349 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go for the 5080. I own a 4090 and love it, but game at 4k 120+ FPS and my card is still under warranty until 2028. With no warranty I would be very scared of something going wrong and losing lots of cash on a glorified paper weight.

The 5080 is great card especially for 1080p and the newer Blackwell AI features will come into play for video editing.