The Biggest, Baddest, Boldest Sound Blaster Ever
The Sound Blaster X7 is the ultimate upgrade for pro-gamers
and audio enthusiasts. This feature-packed ultra-High Resolution Audio (HRA)
device acts as an external USB DAC and a powerful audio amplifier with
low-latency Bluetooth® connectivity and Dolby Digital decoder.
The spec list for the Creative Sound Blaster X7 is quite
extensive so I’m going to have to cut it short just a bit and give you guys the
important stuff. The X7 is an external powered USB DAC & AMP with 2 passive
speaker outputs pumping 100w (2x 50w @ 4Ω). There is an impedance switcher for
4Ω to 8Ω to suit your speakers. The X7 also comes loaded with a 24-bit Sound
Blaster Audio Processor and is certified for Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding. The
high-fidelity DAC supports up to 24-bit/192kHz which should suit any type of
user. The built-in 600Ω Headphone amp delivers powerful and pristine audio with
enough power to drive high end headphones. The X7 also comes with some standard
Creative feature sets like CrystalVoice™. As an added sweetener the X7 also
comes with built-in Bluetooth which can be connected to a mobile device with
the software that lets you control the settings on the X7 all through your
mobile device, pretty neat feature and with my experience, seems to work quite
well!
Alright so let’s have a look at the physical unit, around
the front side you’ll find a large round knob which is your volume controller,
dual-array mic just below that and microphone and headphone input/outputs.
You’ll find 2 headphone outputs for both 3.5mm and 6.3mm headphone jacks. The
front is basic, clean and simple. My only gripe with the front would be the
volume knob, it doesn’t have much weight to it and no start and end point,
there’s also no click or any sorts of force feedback to give a bit of extra
feeling to the knob.
Around the back is where you’ll find all your outputs (and inputs).
Starting at the top you’ll find 2 passive speaker outputs for a pair of
bookshelf speakers. This is where my first gripe with the X7 begins. Creative
should’ve ditched the passive speakers for a pair of TRS outputs for powered
monitor speakers. This would be much more appealing to audio professionals who
generally run powered monitor speakers. The good news for gamers is the X7 does
come with surround sound outputs to suit pretty much any generic speakers
system on the market.
As for inputs you get a standard optical and RCA suitable
for game consoles and external media players. You’ll also find a neat little
headphone stand which attaches into the rear of the X7. It’s nothing special
and just a simple single piece of metal rod but it adds a good look and
definitely comes in handy.
Luckily for I was also provided with a pair of E-MU XM7
bookshelf speakers which is touted to be the perfect companion for the Sound
Blaster X7. The XM7’s kind of both impressed and left me wanting more. Don’t be
worried about the compact size, the XM7’s are LOUD, very loud in fact and will
definitely be a huge upgrade over the standard surround systems going around
these days. They do however lack good bass response. With 5” speakers its
already expected that you’re not going to be getting a bassy sound, but the
XM7’s don’t handle it well and if you don’t have a subwoofer connected the X7
it can start to get a tinny sounding at high volumes. Which leads me to my next
point, you have to connect a subwoofer to the X7 to really enjoy the XM7’s. the
XM7’s are a good mix between a standard hifi system and proper studio
monitoring speakers. I pitched the XM7’s against my personal KRK Rokit’s and
although the XM7’s aren’t as refined and flat sounding as the KRK’s, they do
offer a better ‘hifi’ experience, they’re louder and have a wider stereo sound.
This is good for people who are intending to use this more for a gaming and
entertainment setup.
The X7 with the built-in mic also gives you an awesome upper
hand. If you’ve got a high end pair of headphones chances are it aren’t going
to have a mic. The beauty in the X7 is the built-in microphone which can be
setup to record just in your direction, eliminating external sounds. By having
a quality mic built the X7 allows you keep your current high end headphones
without the need to buy another separate mic device. The built-in microphone is
very clear, concise and will an awesome job for in-game chat, live broadcasting
and even YouTube videos.
What the Creative Sound Blaster X7 provides is an all-in-one
like entertainment hub. It’s got enough inputs and outputs to connect all your
needed accessories all packaged in a neat USB case. The X7 is however powered
by a wall outlet so it will chew up one of those. My only other gripe with the
X7 is the software, not so much the interface software (which is actually very
good) but the ASIO drivers. When I picked up the Creative Zx Sound Card one of
the first things I noticed was a lack of ASIO drivers and constant hissing,
buzzing and cracks. They eventually added in ASIO support but by the time that
happened I had already moved on. With the X7 although it comes with ASIO
drivers, something just isn’t right about it. Cubase simply didn’t like it and
was causing constant errors, hangs and crashes and was generally a pain to work
with. It does feel like Creative haven’t really put too much effort into their
ASIO drivers which is a real shame because their high end boards like the Zx
and ZxR have potential to be great devices for both gamers and audio producers.
The software of the X7 is really well made and a huge
improvement over the original software that came with the Zx series cards. The
menus are clear, easy to understand and have plenty of options to suit all
types of users. Personally I turned off all effects and SBX Pro Studio filters,
I found them all to water the sound down too emphasizing certain frequencies
too much over others and generally just giving a muddy sound.
Overall you’re probably asking yourself is it worth it? Well
that depends on what gear you have right now and what you’d like to achieve. Do
you want an external soundcard that delivers exceptional sound? Do you have a
high end headphone and need something good enough to power them? Do you want
the best experience in games and entertainment? Do you want to connect a
console or media player to your speakers?
If you answered ‘maybe’ or ‘yes’ to any of those questions
then the Creative Sound Blaster X7 is probably suited for you. It is on the
pricey side, however it does offer a whole lot more features than your standard
sound card, it’s also external which is good for those with small cases or
those running multiple GPU’s. the Sound Blaster X7 will be your long term sound
card, it’s got enough features to be future proof for a while and it performs
great. There’s a big chance your current speakers will work with the X7 so you
won’t need to fork out extra for the XM7 bookshelf speakers which is a great
plus. Make sure to consider the Creative Sound Blaster X7 for your next
upgrade.
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