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Creative Soundblaster X4: Gaming effects AND audiophile sound?
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
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A review of the Creative Soundblaster X4 including how it performs for music and audiophile purposes, sound effects and virtual surround sound, battle modes and gaming features to improve competitive gaming success.
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00:00 Glamour video
01:04 Introduction
02:23 Pricing and product tour
05:00 Sound quality (audiophile)
06:02 Sounblaster X4 vs EarMen Eagle
08:54 Super XFi app and functions
28:35 Gameplay: Satisfactory
36:50 Music & movie effects
41:40 Final conclusions
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#audiophile #audioreview #gaming
The Sound Blaster Pro sound card in the early 1990s was my gateway drug into the audio world. The journey has been very expensive ever since. :)
I hear you!! It's a relatively cheap starting point on an expensive journey. 😂
Sound Blaster Audigy coupled with the Klipsh Pro-media 5.1.
Fun fact: I thought the previous model of the Soundblaster was so bad and overpriced (like all "gaming headphones" by the way) that I researched it extensively and eventually became an audiophile. I am very grateful to Creative Labs for that. 🤗
That sounds rather similar to my journey after I realised what I was missing with my original Soundblaster 😂
Great review Lachlan! This was a unexpected and pleasant surprise.
I used to pair a Hel 2E with the Dolby Access App to get good sound quality with "gaming" features/optimizations and of course Dolby Atmos for Headphones. Things like EQ Presets optimized for Gaming, Music, Movies added that level of sound enhancements I needed for PC Sound and Gaming in general.
Something like a Fulla E + Dolby Access would be right at this price bracket and I don't think too far behind my original setup. I wonder how the sound quality of that pair would compare to the Soundblaster.
As you know, I recently upgraded from the Hel 2E to the Playmate 2 for gaming. I understand it is a whole different price bracket. I consider this latest setup "end-game" for me and I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks again for pointing me to Burson.
Glad I could help and glad you liked the review, Chino!
Finally a worthy review it's a awsome little buddy.. i actually use it with iloud micros and hd599 while the ilouds profit from the cristilisation and the bass enhancement my headphones are either used with surround or pure - its better than a inbuild soundcard and even i can hear that without beeing audiophile and i guess as long as your not its enugh for anyboodys need
Great video 😊 I’m using stereo also as I’m a Dj, after using line out I found the sound low so I switched over to the headphone ! that also was low but after changing to High Gain the sound is perfect. Cheers
Glad you got it working well for your setup!
so happy you did this ive had the same curiosities as you since switching to an external dac (dilvpoetry dt-1) its really decent for the price you should check it out.
i really do miss the dsp functions especially crystallizer, i was hoping that you would use the spdif out to a better dac to see if you can get better sq and keep the dsp, also even maybe if the x4 would even act as an additional usb filter, pc-x4-dac vs pc-dac better worse neutral maybe if you find time you can let us know
thanks for sharing
Those are both great points. There was SO much to cover on this one, but I believe there's a new one coming soon so we'll see if I can check it out for that one...
Hey Lachlan I just shouted out to you on my vid for my huge surprise to my father tomorrow who is struggling from Meniere's disease yet he absolutely loves his music even if it makes him dizzy. Thanks for the years of teaching me through your channel. I'll tell you how it goes. I have saved and saved and hopefully the surprise Utopia 2022 tomorrow will be perfect for my poor 75-year-old Dad! Have a good one. ❤
That's so cool that I could help (a little bit) with something like that. I hope your present is a hit and will look for the video!
I've been using a sound blaster g5 for years now. It doesn't have super xfi but it has the accoustic engine's virtualization. From what I understand, you choosing 7.1 virtualization and surround sound are two different things. The first one is how many speakers you supposedly have. For instance, if you choose 5.1, games will detect a 5.1 system. If you choose, say, 5.1 or 7.1 while you have surround sound off, the sound will be stereo. I don't know the logic in that, it just is. The number on the surround sound setting is how wide your stage is (how "far away" the virtual speakers are). This is getting confusing but I'll try to make it simple:
-stereo and no surround: stereo
-7.1 and no surround: stereo but games detect 7.1
-stereo and surround sound: stereo but the sound stage is wider (as wide as the number you choose surround sound to be)
-7.1 and surround: virtual 7.1
At least that's true in my experience and testing, I could be wrong
You might be right and thanks for sharing! I have to admit that I didn't dig too deep into the channels setting area. Appreciate you explaining it so clearly!
Had to comment and add my experiences with a old shuttle pc gaming pc I bought many years back that has a upgraded sound blaster audigy (one of the first generations I think) sound card. Added foobar 2000 as an experiment with some flax files and was sorta shocked how well it drives my efficient audeze lcd X planars. Haven't tried some of my inefficient high impedance headphones as that wouldn't be fair but I was shocked how noiseless the background was with how much noise gaming pcs can generate. Just for fun, I looked up some of the specs on some of these cards were pretty decent for the day. Thanks for the review !
I'd forgotten the old Audigy cards. I used to use those too and you're right, they weren't half bad
Nice video! I don’t know if there’s much interest, but I would definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on other “gaming” audio devices. The new Audeze Maxwell is a very interesting offering.
Waiting for my Maxwell... They've been on order since they came out for pre-order late last year. Just got an email from Audeze stating that the XBOX version is shipping soon. Will share impressions with Lachlan as soon as I receive them and break them in. I am upgrading from the Penrose. I have high expectations.
Sadly, I don't have access to Audeze (long story).
@@PassionforSound Oh that's sad indeed. I am such and Audeze fan!
Yeah, I know - it's definitely not my choice
I'm actually really interested in the creative x5 and what you think of it.
I'll be getting one in I think so stay tuned... 🙂
A tip for future videos, maybe use Voicemeeter with or without virtual audio cable to record your desktop audio directly (after DSP).
Thanks for the tip!
I have the X3> SPDIF > DAC/AMP. All the control, GUI, surround and fantastic sound yet I don't use any of the hardware in the Soundblaster. Be nice if I could've just bought the software.
Yeah, that would be nice. I wondered if any of the DSP is being done inside the SB device - I think it must be or they'd sell the software separately too I expect.
Nice video.
I miss any mention of using it aa a 5.1 soundcard (lineout) for active 5.1 7.1 home cinema speaker usage :(
Yes, I'm not setup to test that, but you can absolutely use it that way. 🙂
15 a 20 años atrás la mejor alternativa para PC la tenían
Asus Xonar card and
Creative SoundBlaster
Yes. I haven't looked into any of those cards for a long time now.
Will you be reviewing the Soundblaster X5, which as an RCA output for connecting to a Stereo Amplifier, it seems most of these PC DACs are focused on headphones rather then speakers, for there is no RCA analog output on the X4. Its very confusing how to get PC audio into a Stereo Amplifier out to passive speakers.
I actually received it in just this week so, yes - stay tuned 🙂
Just use 3.5 jack to 2x RCA cable connected to "Front" line out jack port. It's really simple.
You can definitely do that, but it's not as neat and headphone stages are generally designed to drive lower impedance loads than what an amp presents.
@@PassionforSound "Front" 3.5 port (and other speaker ports) outputs line level signal. Same as RCA line out would.
The front output is a headphone jack, unless I'm mistaken, and therefore can output line level of the volume is set correctly so that's true, but it's also setup in a different way to drive lower impedance loads. It's not bad to run a second device from it as such, but it's going to send the signal through two different amp stages which is unnecessary.
I'd be perfectly fine if you chose to record all future videos with the Elderly filter in place.
Don't joke about it!! ;)
Van you help me why my x4 always chang back from 5.1 to 2.1 after i restart my pc ?
I can't answer that - sorry. Sounds like a question for Creative themselves.
@@PassionforSound i found the problem, System = Sound=All sound devices=Properties //
Audio enhancements , turn OFF .
@@C.KrisztiánThanks, I just ordered an X4 for my Beelink SER7. Will keep that information in mind.
I can't get the sound to the speakers at all. hi-fi system with a denon receiver , but the sound is not output at all. I installed the x 4 as the default input device, wherever possible . there is sound through headphones , but there is silence in the speakers, although Windows shows that the sound is coming . can you tell me what the problem might be? or maybe the problem is in the X4 itself? the motherboard has USB 3.2 version, maybe it doesn't fit? msi z790 edge wifi motherboard
With the X4, it shows as two different devices in Windows: one is the SPDIF output from the X4 (e.g. optical output) and the other is for the analog line outputs. Maybe check to see if there's a different X4 output option in Windows that you can select.
there are both of them. both linear to the speakers and optical . I tried both outputs , set it by default . and in the mixer , I changed the outputs to different channels . from stereo to 7.1 .windows sound scale shows that there is sound , but no sound is supplied to the speakers . maybe defective ?@@PassionforSound
Good.. atleast you took this device and reviewed it for audiophiles. Did you reviewed Neumann ndh30 and Audeze maxwell yet ?
No, I currently have no access to either brand ☹️
Please try to list Australian pricing.
It's too much to try and cover all different locations that are likely to watch this channel and unfortunately for us Aussies, the USD is the most commonly used pricing worldwide so I need to work with that. Sorry!
Do you happen to know how to make the card stay on when the PC is turned off?
You'd need to power it via the USB socket with a dedicated power supply.
Can i control the output volume through standard Windows volume control? Or do i have to control that with the button dial?
You can use Windows volume with this IIRC because it interfaces with the control on the device to prevent any quality loss.
@@PassionforSound Thank you for the info!
X4 is better than onboard sound on midrange motherboards, portable, and can be used with laptops. So is nearly any other DAC. It's not the best, not the worst, but it works great.
We'll summarised! I've got the X5 here now too and it's looking to be a step better I think
I have the X3 here and after I bought my UA3 , I just sticked with the UA3 much cleaner source and better for Iem's. Its pretty unsable for low impedance Iem's but for Headphones kinda okey , if Gaming is priorized. I just paired it with DT770pro 250ohm and it delivered there a long time.
That sums it up pretty well. Thanks zDennii!
@@PassionforSound I have a stupid Questions that I was asking my self for a while but maybe you have a answer to it. Im using the UA3 on Desktop and they recommend a Driver for it but if I install it , the Volume is much lower for Iem 60-70% and with normal windows Driver it is 10-22%. Is it normal for a mobile dac to behave like this? And which Bit/Hz you recommend , I tried the full 32 bit 385khz but it seems the Treble is much sharper and pircing ears. But would it give a advantage for upscaling by music/gaming? Thanks if you answer :))
It was a interesting topic for me because the bigger "Desktop Dac's" have mostly a XU208 Chip or something that maybe deletes my behavior? because only unit gives Volume than and the Windows be always on 100%?
It sounds like the system output is reducing the volume in Windows. Installing the driver shouldn't alter the volume, but might have changed the device settings so maybe go into the sound settings and see what you can see.
I'd also recommend sticking to something like 48kHz, 24-bit output from Windows because it won't have a good upsampling process. If you're using audio playback software like JRiver or Roon, that changes things a bit so let me know which software you're using if it's a dedicated player software.
@@PassionforSound I use only Streaming Services yet , started Months ago for audiogear hobby and had no idea how to get any music local on my Computer (Flac files) to get advantage from software :) // Yes that was weird for me to , when I deinstall software it goes normal to the 10-20% Its like it changes Volume to the Impedance that got sticked to it. I had both on Windows 10 and 11. But thanks for the quick Answer. :)
ı have gsp 500 , it's 28 ohm Can ı use x4 ?
That impedance will be fine. I don't know the headphone to say anything more than that, but the impedance won't be an issue.
@@PassionforSound good news . thank you boss
A suggestion I'd make is to use text or subtitles during the game, your voice makes it quite difficult to hear the sound that you're demoing.
Can you recommend me a soundcard for music at the same price?
Usually for metal or dark techno.
And i have an Audio-technica m50xbt2 and a gamer notebook.
I haven't played with soundcards for years - sorry
@@PassionforSound And a dac/amp?
Something around 200$
The FiiO K7 is a great option: bit.ly/fiiok7global
Can this power something like HiFiman HE560 V4?? thnx
I haven't specifically tried it with the 560. Those are fairly inefficient so the X4 might struggle a little bit. Sorry that I can't test it to be sure either way
@@PassionforSound thnx for the reply, yea ill probably just try to get schiit valhalla to power these things since they are very hungry.
Greetings from Asia Minor. Teşekkürler for the review
Glad you liked it!
when I use the X6 for gaming I would turn off all those features and made the eq flat. I had better results for FPS games
Yeah, I like the ability to tweak the sound, but not sure it's necessary when compared to a quality DAC/amp setup.
@@PassionforSound it’s cheap. As long as use hd560s or hd600 you still can get satisfaction. My first dac amp was neo tech from Amazon $30 and I loved it. Then sound blaster g6 I loved it way more and then su6 and su7. Now sh9 and my interface and I am completely in love. I need that chord Dave lol sound blaster just came with x5 and suppose to have two Dac’s in it
Yep, every step up brings new revelations. Part of the fun and part of the challenge!
I hope to have an X5 here soon so we'll see if the trend continues or if they can actually crack into audiophile sound.
@@PassionforSound if you can get Apos to send you different interfaces and experiment with their Dac’s would be interesting and fun. Some interfaces have really amazing build In Dac’s. The way to connect an amp to an interface is xlr to trs to the monitor out of the interface
Apos don't carry any interfaces as far as I'm aware
Too bad the gameplay demonstration is completely killed by that buzz and low game volume...
What's that game?
I was playing Satisfactory. It's a really fun exploration and building game.
I love your reviews, but as a computer nerd, your low framerate and spongey sounding keyboard hurt me on the inside. If you want some graphics card and mechanical keyboard recommendations, let me know. Cheers and have a great afternoon.
Sorry about the framerate issues. I think I recorded this while I was working on a different workflow which (as you have seen) didn't work out.
As for the keyboard, I'm all good there. I deliberately chose softer sounding mechanical keys because my office is next door to my young son's bedroom so I need to be noise conscious.
@@PassionforSound I didn't take that into consideration I apologize.
All good 🙂
I used the sound blaster X6 for a almost a year both for music and gaming. you are not a gamer lol good video
Well what is a gamer? That's a matter of definition. A gamer is playing games is mine
@@Think-Tank_Denkfabrik people who would invest into a sound blaster are FPS gamers. People who play other games don’t even need a headset unless they need a gaming headset just to communicate to other players.
@@crate718 I see that completely differently and consider your statement to be quite subjective. Not only FPS please the ear. Anyway, everyone should have their own opinion ;)
@@Think-Tank_Denkfabrik is there something wrong with you? If someone who doesn’t play fps games are not going to spend a lot of money on audio they don’t need. A simple gaming headset would do the trick. FPS. Players use audio to help them win 🏆
@@crate718 No I'm fine. Thanks for asking, thats very kind of you! 👍
I just disagree. Although I'm also an FSP player. Maybe I don't fit the cliché
Was hard to watch. Wish was 2 minutes Long instead of 44 minutes. I Lasted 13 minutes before couldn't takeout anymore.
Looks like you need better graphics card.
No, that was an issue with the capture software ☹️
The Unstable voice mod is literally just a woman. Checks out.
Creative is a joke for audiophiles , all these fx are useless and will destroy your sound.
and a joke for software developers - miserable
Good for some of the features and functions for gamers and on video calls/voice chats, but I agree it's not great software and not great sound quality.
Bla bla bla bla...
Could you use at2040 mic with this
I'm not sure. I haven't used the AT2040, but I'm guessing it has an XLR connection which the X5 doesn't so I think that's a deal breaker. The X5 is designed more for gaming headsets and similar boom mic type comms devices.