CREATIVE Sound Blaster X7 USB DAC with Bluetooth Headphone Amplifier

Product Information

Sound quality is naturally going to be dependent on what you connect to the X7 and the sources you’re listening to; it can decode Dolby Digital signals and the DAC supports high-resolution, 24bit/192kHz audio. We tested with an array of headphones, including the Philips Fidelio M2BT and the Sennheiser HD 700, which both sounded fantastic. The latter have an impedance of 150 ohms and only required about 30% of maximum volume, so there’s plenty of overhead for more demanding cans. With USB host mode the X7 makes it viable to use more demanding headphones with underpowered devices, such as smartphones, that would otherwise not provide enough volume. het optimale opnameniveau instellen met de functie voor de automatische analyse van het bronniveau. Even listening with the Steelseries 9H headset, which is built for gaming, the X7’s crystalizer processing made music sound livelier and more full. It was a noticeable difference from running the headset with Direct Mode enabled (pure audio, no effects). I can’t say if the crystalizer was actually restoring the “true” sections of the audio waveform lost when a song is converted into a compressed digital file, but MP3s sounded consistently better, without a hint of artificiality that I could detect. Your taste for crystalizer will vary based on the sound equipment you have and the music files you listen to. If you exclusively listen to FLAC files on a pair of Sennheiser 598s, this setting is most definitely not for you.

Comparing E-MU XM7 and Chane A1rx-c is a matter of personal preferences. E-MU XM7 is slightly less transparent with more bass; Chane A1rx-c is more transparent with slightly less bass. Both are excellent sounding speakers. Better quality microphone input to accommodate good quality microphone (for recording, karaoke, etc.). http://www.head-fi.org/t/756102/creative-sound-blaster-x7-detailed-review-impressions/645#post_11765134 Bluetooth 4.1 low latency is built-in, letting you connect a Bluetooth device to effectively turn any connected speakers into wireless ones. An NFC pairing point on the side pairs compatible devices in a matter of seconds. Because the X7 uses the less-lossy aptX codec, it should maintain the audio fidelity of your source, and the low latency component ensures there’s minimal delay. This is crucial if you’re watching movies with the audio synced through Bluetooth, and in our testing worked perfectly.

Sound Quality and Performance

Sound Blaster X7 is an impressive multi-platform, all-in-one solution for music, movie, and gaming. As a USB DAC, X7 works with most of today's operating system, Windows, Mac OS, and newer version of Android, & iOS. But what makes X7 stands out from the USB DAC's crowd is the SB-Axx1™ multi-core Digital Signal Processor (DSP) that adds many unique audio processing features to the Sound Blaster X7. I also did a comparison between SB X7 and SB X7 LE line output, they are practically sound the same, and I couldn't hear any differences. But the RMAA loop test measurement shown some differences between SB X7 and SB X7 LE on the very high frequency response (on the Features & Measurement section below). But RMAA test is dependent to the line input used to measure / record the line output. In this case, I don't know if the difference is due to the different frequency response of the line output or the line input. To my ears, both SB X7 and SB X7 LE line output sound practically the same. Audio fidelity is just as important as visuals when it comes to immersion, but it’s often overlooked; your PC or laptop’s on-board audio chip can often be an area where manufacturers make cost-savings, resulting in compromised sound quality. Creative’s Sound Blaster X7 bypasses these integrated DACs completely, and will also work happily with other devices including your TV, games console or tablet.

I'm more of an audiophile, and not a gamer, so I won't review X7 from the gaming perspective, but more on SB X7 overall sound quality and main features. And 5.1 configuration was not tested either since I don't have 5.1 receiver and speaker setup. Admittedly, the best-sounding setup I had while testing the X7 was when I was using a pair of ultra-fine Cambridge SoundWorks speakers lent to TechRadar by Creative. When I switched to something a little more plausible, like the Razer Leviathan sound bar, the difference in sound quality was less pronounced.

Different volume, PC is louder, even if the Android phone volume control is set to max, and also on the mixer of SB X7 control panel the USB Host volume is set to max. The difference is quite a lot. Using Beyerdynamic T1, playing from PC, I set the SB X7 volume to 40% (high gain), while for the same song streaming from Android, I set the SB X7 volume to around 55%. For midrange and vocal, SB X7 sound signature is again, in between micro iCAN and micro iDSD. micro iCAN vocal sounds smoother while micro iDSD leans to analytic. One more thing, performance of those speakers is depending on the quality of the amplifier. Therefore result of this test is limited to pairing with Sound Blaster X7. Those speakers may sound better or worse with other amplifiers. I also setup Zoom H6 with MS capsule, and binaural microphone MS-TFB-2-11847 Master Series by Sound Professionals. The binaural microphones were connected to mic input 1 & 2 of Zoom H6, using a DIY cable. Input 1 & 2 phantom powers set to 12 VDC. The binaural mics were positioned in my ears during recording. Don't know about SQ differences between USB and PCIe. My guess there is not and the actual implementation is much more important than the protocol is send over.

while the AE9 is sure a clean and very controlled soundcard, with all those filters options(roll of etc) in soundblaster command, the sound is sure controlled, well organized, but sorry creative...the ZXR with the right opamps is a class of its own.. think of more like the ZXR is the analog choice while the AE9 is the digital version.What I observed, playing the same songs, streaming from Android (Samsung Galaxy S4, PowerAmp player 2.0.10, equalizer, tone control, & limiter off) through USB Host port, and PC (foobar v1.3.3) through USB port, non-Direct Mode: The Sound Blaster X7’s Bluetooth feature is only for receiving audio signals from Bluetooth devices, it can’t be used for transmitting audio signals to Bluetooth speakers and headphones. It’s possible to adjust the extent of each enhancement and we found that adding in a touch more surround and increasing the bass slightly provided the best experience with our test headphones and speakers. Once you’ve set the levels using the app or desktop software, they’re saved to the X7 itself so toggling the SBX mode on and off will remember your settings. For gamers there’s also Scout Mode that enhances the in-game sounds, such as the sound of footsteps, to give you a gaming advantage. High gain - volume 66% - eq +12 dB @ 250 Hz (50 Hz automatically reduced for optimum loudness ratio to 250 Hz): Standard unbalanced line input maximum input voltage is 2 Vrms. SB X7 line input can only take 2 Vrms without clipping when the input volume is set to 50%. At 100% input volume, maximum input voltage is only 1 Vrms. I guess the extra 6 dB input gain is to accommodate some low output sources. Anyway, what's important is the sound quality.