Verdict
The Sound Blaster X1 is a solid , cheap , and various DAC from Creative that vaunt a exonerated and elaborate performance with whichever phone it ’s partnered with . The Super X - Fi technical school is more miss than polish off , and the EQ options do n’t always have as big an essence on the sound but regardless the X1 birth a ordered experience .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Creative has had a foresightful mien in the audio market and the Sound Blaster X1 act as one of its low-priced result for ameliorate sound timber .
Audio is devour in various way , from laptops , tablets , to smartphones , but often we connect our headphones directly to a equipment , entail most are n’t aware the sound could be improved with just one small equipment .
And that is what Creative ’s Sound Blaster X1 look to do , not just for euphony but for watching movies , pick out video call , and playing game – a jack of all trades at a low - price price .
Design
The mass of the chief case is light ( 15 deoxyguanosine monophosphate ) , the first house of its rather base asking price , but the construction here is unspoilt enough – it ’s not overtly plastic or cheap in visual aspect . It is bigger than theTHX OnyxorEarmen Eagle , but that ’s because it comes with onboard button .
There is a multifunction button ( child’s play / pause as well as mute on / off ) , volume command and activation of the Super X - Fi feature article , all of which provide overnice , clicky feedback when pressed and I ’ve had no compatibility progeny using them on Android , iOS , and Windows personal computer machine .
There ’s a nice glossy finishing to the Super X - Fi button that also helps in locating it . The lettering on the living accommodations is in atomic number 79 which gives a nice flavour against the black background . The silver trim at either end also add together a dainty touch . There ’s a little LED lighting next to the XTC - Fi button that bespeak whether disco biscuit - Fi mode has been activated or not .
At one end is a USB - C port and at the other is a 3.5 millimeter earpiece out . The former is for attaching a USB - cytosine to USB - vitamin C cable’s length to plug into and power the Sound Blaster X1 and is the only mean of connection as there ’s no USB - A attachment provided .
Features
Like a number of Creative’strue wirelessandfull - sized headphones , the Sound Blaster X1 supports the caller ’s tenner - Fi holography engineering . This upmixes stereo message into virtualised 3D sound to give the effect of audio frequency appearing around the wearer . It ’s substantiate across PC , Mac , PS4,PS5 , andNintendo Switch , though as far as I can tell the PS4 does n’t have a USB - C connection …
power the performance is an AKM 4377 DAC that supports up to 32 - piece sound , though the Sound Blaster X1 ’s max sampling charge per unit hits a ceiling of 24 - bit PCM up to 96kHz .
Frequency response is 10 – 20kHz and Creative pronounce the DAC can drive headphones up to 600 ohms . There ’s no reenforcement forMQAor other hi - res audio data formatting .
There are two apps , the main one being the Creative app that ’s uncommitted on PC and Mac . Here is where the functioning can be customised . you could switch between different phone modes , including ones work up specifically for games such as Fortnite and Overwatch , as well as music and movie EQ preferences .
The Acoustic Engine lineament is essentially enhancements by another name , offer a option on whether to focalise on vocalism , increase or lessen the basso , improve vocal clarity , and raise virtual surround strait , of which the Sound Blaster X1 claims to be able to make up to 7.1 channels .
Crystal Voice place to enhance the clarity of calls with its two - way haphazardness - cancellation that removes undesirable noise , though this feature article is only for Windows PC and Mac . Scout Mode is a gaming - concentrate feature that highlights detail so you may hear more of your milieu , like the footsteps of a player behind you . To me that sound like cheating .
The other ( embed ) app is worry with the Super X - Fi holographic audio where you’re able to download and mate your listening visibility to the Sound Blaster X1 .
Sound Quality
As far as the benefits of plug in the Sound Blaster X1 , it is a solid but unspectacular public presentation . If all you ’re after is a greater common sense of detail and an expanded soundstage , that ’s precisely what the Sound Blaster X1 provide .
A listen to the Mrs Coulter caterpillar track from Alexandre Desplat ’s Golden Compass , the Creative regale the tinkling pianissimo notes delicately , the go after edge of triple greenback hang in the line , nicely fading aside . Shifts in the dynamic reach are handled astutely , with a courteous weight to the booming string instruments that directly settle down , the jump between garish and quiet is handle well .
With Lee Scorsbee ’s Airship Adventure I witness myself want to reverse the sound up even louder ( in a well way ) . There ’s a clean , precise tone to the string instruments , with enough system of weights provided to the rhythm section – I could want for a footling more depth to the down closing of the frequency range , but the balance achieved is estimable with no one aspect of the frequency range of a function hog the limelight .
The note of the Sound Blaster X1 ’s performance does reckon on the earpiece it is partner with . With aSivga Robin SV021over - capitulum it sound lean , crisp , and quite sparing , specially with the midband of frequency orbit . A high impedance headphone in theSivga SV023(300ohms ) , and the Sivga asserted its own bearing with more warmth to blue frequency , with smoother vocals smoother too ; while with a pair of Meze Classic 99 , and the sonic signature of the headphone was mostly placid .
The Creative Sound Blaster X1 does n’t look for to transform the soundstage as such , merely to feed medicine with a fine sentience of detail , clarity , and expansion . Beyond that it is not the most adventurous - sounding DAC – it does n’t attack Detach from Interstellar with much zeal – the Creative seems comfortable with literally amplify what ’s there rather than ‘ tamper ’ with it .
With Kendrick Lamar ’s United in Grief from Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers , the midrange is append with right clarity – I can see every Bible of Kendrick ’s tight - pitched rhymes with clarity – bass is punchily depict and never overbearing , while the Sound Blaster X1 preserves a serious rhythmical flow with the incessant drum beat in the background .
With other tracks from the album – N95 and Die Hard – there ’s more consistency to the bass voice but the tight and tight sense of punchiness remains , with the bass adding to the energy levels of Die Hard in special .
Phoebe Bridger ’s vocals in the Stranger in the Alps record album are ably elevated above the repose of the instrumentation . The originative enlarges and extends the size of the soundstage , bringing her vocal nigher to the ear and digging out a footling more detail from her diffuse outspoken intonations . The small detail missed hear through the 3.5 mm diddly have a not bad presence on the Sound Blaster X1 .
With aniPad Proand podcasts at the ready I found the Sound Blaster X1 provides clean and decipherable carrying into action with song , along with decent weight to bass , spacious soundstage , and natural pure tone . you may wait the same with video content – watching Seinfeld onNetflixand Silo onApple TV+(with a good weightiness to the Apple TV logo ) . It ’s consistently clear , cleared , and detailed .
The virtualised 5.1 and 7.1 does n’t yield the performance I ’d have thought , at least with YouTube videos and PC play . It is spacious but I ca n’t decipher much difference in footing of where the sound is come from or positioned .
throw to Super X - Fi , there ’s a larger sense of distance in relation to foreground and background sounds , and it does n’t unduly vary the tone of the characters ’ articulation . I observe the bassy register of Common ’s vocalization is a little stripped away though , medicine is more distant and with bass voice the part of the frequency mountain range that ’s most stirred .
Swapping between Super X - Fi and the stereo with music and I favour the latter over the former . The way decade - Fi render medicine often sounds artificial and position in front of the listener rather than wrapping around , whereas stereo is wider and expansive .
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Should you buy it?
Sound Blaster X1 does a solid job in providing readable , clean , detailed speech sound .
It ’s half the monetary value of an admittedly higher specification ( and music focused ) DAC likeEarmen Eagle , but the Eagle is a step up in full term of clarity , detail , and sharpness .
Final Thoughts
Who require a portable DAC ? The result is anyone and everyone who listens to medicine ofttimes . Do you need the Creative Sound Blaster X1 ? If you ’re after a DAC that offer a uniform carrying into action at a very low-priced price , then possibly .
The amount of customisation it tender is welcome , though I ’d question whether some EQ options have that giving of an effect . It could also be used as a mic with earphone to clean up sound recording or for video margin call , so it has multiple string section to its bow .
I still find the Super X - Fi more miss than hit but it ’s not an essential . The Creative Sound Blaster X1 is a self-colored , inexpensive DAC for music , movies , gaming , and telecasting margin call that ’s a gradation up from an internal DAC of laptops and smartphones .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every DAC we retrospect thoroughly over an extended period of time . We use manufacture - standard test to compare features properly . We ’ll always evidence you what we feel . We never , ever , accept money to look back a ware .
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FAQs
The Sound Blaster X1 is n’t part of the certification course of study Microsoft has for licenced products , so it ’s unlikely to work out with any Xbox console .
