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Creative Sound Blaster GS5

A cheap gaming soundbar, but not bad at all.

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While I don't quite understand the concept of soundbars for a computer monitor, I do realise that space constraints simply leave no other options and that sometimes you have to do what you have to, especially on a budget. That's why it's also quite positive that the GS5 is made for not only your computer, but also your TV/console, as there is an optical input, and your mobile phone in the form of Bluetooth, and it even comes with a remote control. The Bluetooth only comes with SBC support, but let's be honest, it doesn't really matter here, if you have a Qobuz solution for around £19 a month, you're not going to play it on a soundbar that costs the same as a sweater on sale at a local shopping centre.

The price is worth a closer look; there are a few bargain hunters who charge less for it, but the standard price is £60, thanks to free market forces.

Creative Sound Blaster GS5
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For that money you get a 60-Watt soundbar, which should work with a USB-C cable, but comes with an external power supply instead. I already had a Creative driver installed, but I've read in several places that it doesn't always work well without it, so you might want to keep that in mind. On the other hand, it works fine with Bluetooth, and I've used it as the primary speaker in my office and occasionally in the living room. There is RGB, but you can switch it off. What I couldn't figure out how to change, however, is the light in the display; it's extremely bright and can be seen from far away. There's also a headphone output on the side, but I didn't think it made much sense to use it.

It doesn't take up much space: 51 centimetres in width, about eight centimetres in height and 10 centimetres in depth. The sound is "consistent" with "powerful bass" and "peak power of 60W". This means that there are 2x15 Watts of amplification, and they claim to go down to 65 Hz, although no SPL, frequency curve, or anything else is given. There are two full-range units, 3.35x2.16" in a so-called racetrack configuration, while the unit has been made square due to space constraints. This also means that there isn't the same bracing as in a traditional round unit, and there are far greater problems with break-ups and resonances in the membrane and the way the sound spreads, but in for a £60 soundbar, this is not a problem.

Creative Sound Blaster GS5

It's all controlled by a rotary switch system on the side or just the remote control, which has an unusually large number of functions for such a simple product. What you'll primarily use it for is to switch "Superwide" on and off at two levels, in addition to the volume, because it can play impressively loud for such a small product. The idea of "Superwide" is actually not bad; a DSP-controlled radiation pattern can control whether to play close to the user or far away. It's rudimentary, but also quite useful. There's even a button to change the treble/bass ratio to better suit the individual.

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Unsurprisingly, the sound isn't super balanced; the deepest bass is inherently lacking and there's a lot of emphasis on voices by default. Here you can choose different solutions: virtual surround, Bass Boost, Dialogue+ and more. But it's not bad for something that costs £60, and with optical input no less. In fact, it's not bad at all for music, as many other products with a gaming label tend to be. My recommendation is to turn the treble down a notch, put on some music - preferably something you can dance too - and set it to Superwide Far - then it can actually be used as a real soundbar on top of that. For those on a budget and with limited space, this is actually a great option.

08 Gamereactor UK
8 / 10
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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