Creative Sound Blaster X4 Hi-Res 24bit/192kHz DAC USB Externo y Tarjeta de Sonido Amp, Multicanal, S

This has pretty mind-blowing audio when you set it up properly. At first, I didn't think very much of it at all and even considered returning it until I started playing with the dials and buttons Here's my pros/cons: + Likely the best sound delivery alteration implementation I've experienced yet + All *hardware* aspects feel extremely premium - Does take some tweaking/getting used to - Many features are not intuitive; you're going to have to fully read the manual and keep it around for reference for a while. -For whatever reason when I got it, I fully expected the LED ring to indicate the volume level in some way such as dimming as volume goes lower or turning them off around the ring as the volume gets lower. It does not. I know that was not an advertised feature in any capacity but to me it would just make sense that it should/would. Seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to just "feel right/satisfying" to have that physical indication of what you're doing on the unit itself at a glance - The apps (yes multiple) suck. There's really no excuse as to why you should have to use Location Data to connect to the unit -- Yes I know you use it for this reason or that reason (likely something to do with low power bluetooth connectivity). I don't care. I never have my location on unless I especially need it to preserve battery life and further, it's aggravating that the entire suite of apps is not compiled into a single one; that's multiple apps for both PC and the Mobile versions. People shouldn't have to have multiple apps/programs to control a single device - I'd very very much like to have some basic passthrough capabilities through the Bluetooth, such as being able to connect the x4 to bluetooth speakers so they can benefit from it using the app as a control to do so. To my knowledge, that is not possible. - Would very much like the microphone output and headphone output on the back or either side of the device instead of the front. Would also be okay with a set on each side of the device. It would be far more flattering on my desk than having my microphone input on the front Overall, despite criticisms, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. I am more than willing to trade ascetics for functionality, and I'm more than willing to spend the time to get the software side doing what I want and boy does the Soundblaster x4 ever deliver function. If I were to upgrade to the x5 down the line though, Creative will have to have a very compelling new feature set, or they'd have to remedy most if not all my cons above (2025 edit) Oh, this is way after the fact but an important note Fully functional on Linux *after* setup, softwareless. That was a very pleasant surprise.

Michael · 2022-11-26 · via amazon

I have had the Creative Z, Zx, ZxR and AE-9. I have the Logitech Z906 5.1 system and Sony MDR1AM2 headphones and the X4 sounds great with it. It may not be the BEST specs like the AE-9 but the AE-9's breakout box for XLR input is HORRIFYINGLY bad for XLR mics. I bought a Scarlet 4i4 and then moved on to the Wave XLR because I wanted to stream and the Wave XLR has amazing software that replaced Equalizer APO and Voicemeter because the Wave XLR supports VSTs and audio routing. I really wanted this to remove the sound card from my system so all my fans would hit my massive 3090ti and the X4 allowed me to do just that. The X4 has all the features I need, optical out and a great headphone DAC at a way cheaper price than the AE-9. SXFi is a gimmick but it has its uses, just not really for me. To get 5.1 with the Z906, you need to click Playback then click Speakers (line out) and SPDIF Out you need to click "Set Default", then go to Device click Encoder and select Dolby Digital Live. To use heaphones go to Playback and click Headphones and under audio quality click "Set Default" for Speakers, then go to Device, Encoder and turn OFF Dolby Digital Live. I dislike having to click 3 things in different menus to accomplish this when on my AE-9 I literally just had to press one button of push the volume nob on the breakout box for 3 second. The software is also not as intuitive as the Sound Blaster Command Center but this very new so maybe they will fix a few things in the future. What I want to see is when I click the three dots for Speakers (Line Out) give an option to set to toggle the DD encoder and the same for Set Default for SPDIF Out, there should be an option to click use the DD encoder or not. When I click headphones or Set Default on Speakers, I should be given the same DD toggle. If they make those changes I would say this is literally perfect.

Tech Geek · 2022-05-28 · via amazon

I have an old Logitech THX 500W speaker system that still sounds fantastic, but unfortunately, the analog inputs stopped working. The optical SPDIF connection still functions, but as many know, SPDIF typically only supports stereo, not surround sound. I had been using the Sound Blaster Omni USB, but the software was a bit glitchy on Windows 11. I decided to upgrade to the Sound Blaster X4, and I’m seriously impressed! Right out of the box, the software natively restores surround sound over SPDIF using Dolby encoding—something that most sound cards don’t offer. If you're looking for true surround support over SPDIF, this absolutely delivers. Just make sure to update the firmware, switch to speaker mode (not headphone mode), and enable Dolby encoding in the software settings. Highly recommended if you want to breathe new life into your existing speaker setup!

Harry R. · 2025-02-22 · via amazon