Creative Sound Blaster X1 Review

Verdict

The Sound Blaster X1 is a strong, cheap, and versatile DAC from Inventive that boasts a transparent and detailed efficiency with whichever headphone it’s partnered with. The Tremendous X-Fi tech is extra miss than hit, and the EQ choices don’t all the time have as large an impact on the sound however regardless the X1 delivers a constant expertise.

Introduction

Inventive has had an extended presence within the audio market and the Sound Blaster X1 acts as considered one of its inexpensive options for enhancing sound high quality.

Audio is consumed in varied methods, from laptops, tablets, to smartphones, however usually we join our headphones on to a tool, which means most aren’t conscious the sound may very well be improved with only one small gadget.

And that’s what Inventive’s Sound Blaster X1 appears to be like to do, not only for music however for watching motion pictures, taking video calls, and taking part in video games – a jack of all trades at a low-cost value.

Design

• Light-weight
• Onboard buttons
• Ok building

The mass of the principle casing is mild (15g), the primary signal of its moderately humble asking value, however the building right here is nice sufficient – it’s not overtly plastic or low cost in look. It’s greater than the THX Onyx or Earmen Eagle, however that’s as a result of it comes with onboard buttons.

There’s a multifunction button (play/pause in addition to mute on/off), quantity management and activation of the Tremendous X-Fi function, all of which offer good, clicky suggestions when pressed and I’ve had no compatibility points utilizing them on Android, iOS, and Home windows PC units.

There’s a pleasant shiny end to the Tremendous X-Fi button that additionally helps in finding it. The lettering on the housing is in gold which supplies a pleasant look in opposition to the black background. The silver trim at both finish additionally provides a pleasant contact. There’s a bit LED mild subsequent to the X-Fi button that signifies whether or not X-Fi mode has been activated or not.

At one finish is a USB-C port and on the different is a 3.5mm headphone out. The previous is for attaching a USB-C to USB-C cable to attach and energy the Sound Blaster X1 and is the one technique of connection as there’s no USB-A attachment offered.

Options

• Integrates X-Fi holography know-how
• Helps 600ohms headphones
• Two apps: Inventive and Tremendous X-Fi

Like plenty of Inventive’s true wi-fi and full-sized headphones, the Sound Blaster X1 helps the corporate’s X-Fi holography know-how. This upmixes stereo content material into virtualised 3D sound to present the impact of audio showing across the wearer. It’s supported throughout PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Swap, although so far as I can inform the PS4 doesn’t have a USB-C connection…

Powering the efficiency is an AKM 4377 DAC that helps as much as 32-bit audio, although the Sound Blaster X1’s max sampling fee hits a ceiling of 24-bit PCM as much as 96kHz.

Frequency response is 10 – 20kHz and Inventive says the DAC can drive headphones as much as 600 ohms. There’s no assist for MQA or different hi-res audio codecs.

There are two apps, the principle one being the Inventive app that’s accessible on PC and Mac. Right here is the place the efficiency might be customised. You may change between completely different sound modes, together with ones constructed particularly for video games comparable to Fortnite and Overwatch, in addition to music and film EQ settings.

The Acoustic Engine function is basically enhancements by one other identify, providing a selection on whether or not to concentrate on voice, enhance or lower the bass, enhance vocal readability, and improve digital encompass sound, of which the Sound Blaster X1 claims to have the ability to create as much as 7.1 channels.

Crystal Voice goals to boost the readability of calls with its two-way noise-cancellation that removes undesirable noise, although this function is just for Home windows PC and Mac. Scout Mode is a gaming-focused function that highlights element so you possibly can hear extra of your environment, just like the footsteps of a participant behind you. To me that appears like dishonest.

The opposite (embedded) app is anxious with the Tremendous X-Fi holographic audio the place you possibly can obtain and mate your listening profile to the Sound Blaster X1.

Sound High quality

• Clear, balanced efficiency
• Punchy bass
• Spacious soundstage

So far as the advantages of plugging within the Sound Blaster X1, it’s a strong however unspectacular efficiency. If all you’re after is a better sense of element and an expanded soundstage, that’s precisely what the Sound Blaster X1 offers.

A take heed to the Mrs Coulter monitor from Alexandre Desplat’s Golden Compass, the Inventive treats the tinkly piano notes delicately, the trailing edges of treble notes hold within the air, properly fading away. Shifts within the dynamic vary are dealt with astutely, with a pleasant weight to the booming string devices that instantly settles down, the leap between loud and quiet is dealt with properly.

With Lee Scorsbee’s Airship Journey I discover myself wanting to show the sound up even louder (in a great way). There’s a clear, exact tone to the string devices, with first rate weight offered to the percussion – I may need for a bit extra depth to the low finish of the frequency vary, however the steadiness achieved is nice with nobody side of the frequency vary hogging the limelight.

The tone of the Sound Blaster X1’s efficiency does rely upon the headphone it’s partnered with. With a Sivga Robin SV021 over-ear it sounded lean, crisp, and fairly sparing, particularly with the midband of frequency vary. A excessive impedance headphone within the Sivga SV023 (300ohms), and the Sivga asserted its personal presence with extra heat to low frequencies, with smoother vocals smoother too; whereas with a pair of Meze Traditional 99, and the sonic signature of the headphones was principally unruffled.

The Inventive Sound Blaster X1 doesn’t search to rework the soundstage as such, merely to feed music with a finer sense of element, readability, and growth. Past that it isn’t essentially the most adventurous-sounding DAC – it doesn’t assault Detach from Interstellar with a lot zeal – the Inventive appears comfy with actually amplifying what’s there moderately than ‘tampering’ with it.

With Kendrick Lamar’s United in Grief from Mr. Morale & The Huge Steppers, the midrange is provided with good readability – I can hear each phrase of Kendrick’s fast-pitched rhymes with readability – bass is punchily described and by no means overbearing, whereas the Sound Blaster X1 preserves rhythmic circulation with the fixed drum beat within the background.

With different tracks from the album – N95 and Die Laborious – there’s extra physique to the bass however the tight and taut sense of punchiness stays, with the bass including to the power ranges of Die Laborious specifically.

Phoebe Bridger’s vocals within the Stranger within the Alps album are ably elevated above the remainder of the instrumentation. The Inventive enlarges and extends the scale of the soundstage, bringing her vocals nearer to the ear and digging out a bit extra element from her gentle vocal intonations. The small particulars missed listening via the three.5mm jack have a better presence on the Sound Blaster X1.

With an iPad Professional and podcasts on the prepared I discovered the Sound Blaster X1 offers clear and clear efficiency with vocals, together with first rate weight to bass, spacious soundstage, and pure tone. You may anticipate the identical with video content material – watching Seinfeld on Netflix and Silo on Apple TV+ (with weightiness to the Apple TV brand). It’s persistently clear, clear, and detailed.

The virtualised 5.1 and seven.1 doesn’t yield the efficiency I’d have thought, not less than with YouTube movies and PC gaming. It’s spacious however I can’t decipher a lot distinction by way of the place the sound is coming from or positioned.

Switching to Tremendous X-Fi, there’s a bigger sense of distance in relation to foreground and background sounds, and it doesn’t unduly alter the tone of the characters’ voices. I discover the bassy register of Frequent’s voice is a bit stripped away although, music is extra distant and with bass the a part of the frequency vary that’s most affected.

Swapping between Tremendous X-Fi and the stereo with music and I favor the latter over the previous. The best way X-Fi renders music usually sounds synthetic and positioned in entrance of the listener moderately than wrapping round, whereas stereo is wider and expansive.

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