I never thought I could enjoy listening to a gaming soundbar, but Creative never fails to surprise me with their innovation. In fact, not just Creative, I have reviewed a handful of products designed for gamers but they turn up to be excellent uses for work and for leisure. Probably the only thing that might put the non-gamers off is the design. Therefore, if the gaming products have conservative designs, then non-gamers could be attracted to get them.
The Sound Blaster GS5 looks just like a normal home soundbar – all black, discreet outlook with a volume wheel at the right side and a few buttons positioned around it. You could even say that it looks boring for a gaming soundbar.
Well, the one feature that sort-of makes a product fall under the “gaming” category is the RGB light feature, which the GS5 comes with. The light strip is located below the soundbar, which when turned on will bounce the light off the table surface. There are several lighting modes that you can toggle using the remote control, or you can customise from the Creative App. While I find the lightings a little “extra”, I honestly don’t mind the peak meter.
You have many ways to connect to the GS5 – the pure USB digital, the analog AUX-In, and even the Optical input, plus Bluetooth 5.3. You can also choose to connect headphones to bypass the soundbar, for some listening privacy.
The control knob is located at the side. Other than the large volume control and the click to mute audio, the other buttons around it can hardly be seen. Unless you can remember the location of each button, it would be easier to control the soundbar via the remote control.
I find it so easy to control the soundbar with the remote control. I can simply power up and down by pressing the button instead of hold-press on the soundbar knob. It is extremely useful especially when you are sitting 3 feet away from the soundbar to enjoy the immersive audio.
And I am really impressed with the SuperWide technology. The “Near Field” mode spreads the sound stage wide, high and most suitable when you sit close to the soundbar. It is as if the sound is coming from two separate bookshelf speakers in front of me. I can actually hear instrumentation better as the Creative sound processor separates the instruments and dialogues based on the stereo mix and brings them out to fill up the room. The sound feels large and forward and I don’t even have to turn up the volume to hear. In fact, I barely turn above 10 (out of 32 steps).
The “Far Field” mode spreads the left-right mix even wider while the mono instruments sound more centered. At the same time the treble is clearer, midrange and upper bass are slightly reduced so it overall sounds less heavy while more surrounding. This mode is better used for watching movies and impactful content which can also be enjoyed when you sit close. I just toggle around to find the ideal sound stage depending on which one sounds better to me.
After listening to the SuperWide modes, the soundbar sounds feeble when turned off. While the off mode is the most original stereo mix, the sound is coming directly from the soundbar itself, basically no imaging. All the musical elements just collapsed into the small box.
What makes the GS5 listenable besides the widening of the stereo imaging is that it manages to keep the lower frequencies engaging and supportive in the sound mix, so I do not miss the booms and the impacts that creates the aural excitement when watching movies or gaming. Compared to larger soundbars with multiple units, I find the GS5 offers some cohesion without excessively exaggerating the sound. It basically tries to emulate discreet speaker units instead of doing a mock surround.
I would take it as an entertaining listen and not an accurate stereo mapping. For instance, the mono mix can be overpowered by the left-right mix at times, so you hear more background instruments than the main vocalist. As of any sound processing technology, some songs do not work as well as others.
Besides the SuperWide sound mode, you can apply other sound processors that are commonly found in Sound Blaster audio devices, like Acoustic Engine, Sound Mode, and Equalizer.
Between this and the Pebble X, I definitely like the GS5 sound design a lot more.
Verdict
The Creative Sound Blaster GS5’s SuperWide sound mode makes this soundbar a compelling choice to replace your audio entertainment system with a single unit. I am thoroughly impressed at how big the sound turns out with the SuperWide sound enabled, considering it is delivered by a 60W compact soundbar no longer than 51cm. At S$119, the GS5 delivers believable massively immersive sound that elevates the entertainment joy without increasing the speaker footprint nor budget.
Get more information on the product and its latest price from the Creative Online Store. Link: Sound Blaster GS5 RGB Gaming Soundbar