thatit’s trying to limit sibilance, but
theeffect is overzealous, so we
raised it closer to the neutral point
n the EQ and found a nice balance
withsome increased bass.Gaming
Wedidn’t do that with gaming,
though. We tried various presets,
ikethe Footsteps Enhancer when
playing Wolfenstein: Youngblood,
andthe Call of Duty one while
shooting our way through the
atest Modern Warfare title, and
iked the results.
On a PC, the 7.1 virtual surround
delivers as advertised. When we
were being ambushed or shot at
from behind, the sound made it
feel like that’s exactly where it was
coming from. It’s the kind of
startling sound effect we crave
when playing in a tight situation.
Gamers who like recording
voiceovers while playing can easily
do that with the X3 by using the
microphone jack. We did some
tests and came away surprised at
the resulting clarity. We’re not
entirely sure how low you can go
on mic quality, but if you have
something decent, you should be
able to get something good
enough to post online.
The Sound Blaster X3 is an
external sound card built to work
in stationary situations, where
you’re parked in front of a
computer. More alignment
between the desktop and mobile
apps would be nice, and Super
X-Fi, great as it is, would only get
better if users could fine-tune it
how they want.
Still, if you’re in dire need of an
upgraded audio experience on
your PC, this DAC/amp combo is a
solid choice.Perhaps not for everyone, but well
worth it if you’re tired of bad-
sounding computer speakers.manage the PC connection. The
key is that the X3 has to be plugged
into the computer. Not a big deal if
you have spare connections, but a
nuisance if you have limited ports,
like on any recent slim laptop you
can think of. Creative packs in more
settings and features in the desktop
app compared to the mobile app,
but much of what you really need
is in both.
Performance
From an audio perspective, the X3
can handle up to 32-bit at 192KHz,
putting it above just about any pair
of headphones you probably own
(audiophile gear notwithstanding).
The amplifier inside is a nod to
more discerning audio listeners,
where Creative says the DAC and
Super X-Fi are able to push out
great sound to them.
We like Super X-Fi for the simple
reason that it makes audio sound
like nothing else does. Everything
resonates, and the wider
soundstage is easy to appreciate.
Sure, there is extra reverb that does
sometimes make a studio track
sound like it’s live, but we dig it
anyway. Mind you, that’s not
necessarily Creative’s intention. It
wants to emulate what a room
sounds like, not a concert hall, and
in that regard we would say the
results are entirely subjective. The
headphone profiles are slowly
growing, but at least popular ones
from Apple, Beats, Sennheiser,
Bose, AKG and Sony are in there.
We’d love to see way more, but at
least it’s not a barren list. We tried
at least eight different headphones,
from over-ears to in-ears, to gauge
how consistent the X3 could be
under varying conditions.
The one thing we’d like to see is
for Creative to open up Super X-Fi
to more personalised preferences,
or at least custom presets. If theeffect is already mapped to the
user, then it shouldn’t be a big ask
to be able to adjust certain details,
rather than just a basic EQ. It’s hard
to lower the reverb effect, for
example, which we suspect may
not suit everyone’s taste.
For movies or shows, the X3 only
does 5.1 with Dolby Digital Live.
There’s no Dolby Atmos 7.1, nor DTS
support. Fortunately, 5.1 surround
is common, and so we tried it while
watching season four of The Man in
the High Castle, and came away
feeling like we were missing the
full gamut.
We noticed some nuances when
comparing music playback with
gaming. For reasons we can’t put
our finger on, the music preset dials
back treble significantly. We get“We like Super X-Fi for the simple reason that it
makes audio sound like nothing else does”
t t r i w G W t l p a s l l
Upgrade
Creative Sound Blaster X3
March 2020 | |^85
CreativeSoundBlasterX3
Supplier http://www.creative.com
Power source USB-C
Dynamic range 115 d B
Connectivity Optical out, mic-in, USB
type-C, headphone, line-in, 4x line out
Dimensions 129mm x 129mm x 40.6mm
Weight 330gSpecs as reviewed