Creative Sound Blaster X1 Review: The Perfect Tiny DAC/Amp!

[@CuervoVirtual]

How is the sound quality for games, music and movies vs. the Creative AE5 Plus sound card pciex ?

[@Audiofied]

We have not tried the AE5. Technically should sound close.

[@annakquinn7084]

IEM brand? It look awesome

[@gaborszeles6387]

Hi!Thx for video. Did you tried it with ps4/ps5 was it almost the same volume (loud enough) as on pc?

[@martinvegas1327]

More for portable devices really, get the GC7 for consoles!

[@CrashCarson14]

I bought the Play 4 and it’s pretty nice

[@krammis76]

Great video. Would love to know the difference between this and the SOUND BLASTER G3. They seem very similar.

[@Audiofied]

At a quick glance, the G3 is way bigger but offers voice/audio balance mixing, separate lineouts for mic and audio, and probably different internals too, since the SNR is lower than the X1. Seems way more gaming focused than the X1, and not as portable!

[@viaceslav1987]

@@Audiofied Still would be great to see a comparison review! I think there is a niche there as nobody else did it yet :)

[@sundok1]

I also use a Focusrite Scarlet 2i4 mk1 and compared to x1 Scarlet wins on all fronts. Better soundstage, instrument seperation and projection and frequenxy linearity. But not somuch that it renders x1 as unusable. Heck, Focusrite has true studio legacy.. Scarlet is audiophile/studio oriented. X1 with super xfi on is great for movies and games. And even music listening without xfi, when i use it doesn't bother me. For music its less refined than scarlett but still prefty good for my old trained studio ears.

[@kehindea]

@@sundok1does it by any chance have a mic input?

[@lightyears112]

I'm new to this DAC gadgets.. but can I plug it to PC and plug my active speakers on it? If so.. can it make the sound better?

[@Etherkai]

Don't know if you've had this question answered yet, but I've been using this on my PC for quite a while now. You probably won't notice a difference when using speakers, but there should be notable improvement on headphones compared to standard motherboard audio.

[@ghoctav]

I have one , but kinda different, no soundblaster logo on the back .. but it's Sxfi , recognized by the app to , come with blueish tiny box .. Same sound description as your's . Use it everyday for almost 2 year's , till today .. a little bit warmer when i play online game ..

[@hippieshake2580]

I have a Dap for my music but I like to watch media on my note 20 ultra and have just purchased the sound blaster x1 for this purpose. Like lots of people who have left comments the ear mapping does not work on the app and I'm thinking it's probably just a gimmick anyway.

[@Audiofied]

There are two apps, which did you use? I believe the one that offers ear mapping is the SXFI app and not the Creative app!

[@hippieshake2580]

@Audiofied I tried them both but like I said lots of people were leaving comments saying it didn't work.

[@kw0064]

I wish to know whether this works with a Chromebook? I have a SXFI Air that works with my Chromebook through USB-C so I theoretically imagine X1 should work too.

[@cheryltan22]

Yup it should!

[@kw0064]

I hope so. Thinking of getting one. But Creative chat support can't give an affirmative answer.

[@marialuissavillaester9403]

Will this work with headphones mic ?

[@chowchilla9501]

Yes

[@MrDiarukia]

My Sound Blaster Evo ZxR is about to die. I'd like to know whether SBX/Acoustic Engine settings are saved on the device aswell, in particular the setting for the EQ and the Crystalizer. I don't really care about SXFI but I'd really like to have back Crystalizer while on the go, with whatever headset/headphones I get next.

[@sundok1]

Ive noticed that if i make settings on the eq the next time i entered the x1 software these aettings were saved. Cant tell about your other question

[@sundok1]

Super X-Fi is a combination of holographic sound stage emulation and EQ (your sought after crystalizer, yes.) You turn all this on/off with one button but in software you can tweak the individual settings. The quality of X1 is undesputable. If you dont like X-Fi try to train your ears :-) Watch a good movie with it not listen music with it.

[@RedNt360]

its can be good for Samsung galaxy s24U ?

[@michaelb2685]

I use it with my Samsung Galaxy s23U? I don't see why it would not work for the s24U.

[@citycultivator2101]

This device is the SXfi amp rebadged (literally, the back of the X1 has a piece of paper covering the SXfi AMP naming) with the additional ability to use Creative PC/Mac software stack. If you just wanted the SXfi effect, it was already available for a long time (launched in 2019), you just did not notice the proper product. SXfi AMP is still being sold at a cheaper price, get that if you like this review and if you do not have any interest in Creative audio stack + Acoustic Engine.

[@Audiofied]

You're right, mostly same physical product with new software features (access to the mobile Creative app instead of only SXFI app etc). The X1 does have a lower SNR compared to the SXFI amp though, there were some minor tweaks to the hardware inside, but it's still mostly unchanged.

[@007Alokrocks]

Can this provide output like old sonyericson walkman phone.....if yes then i will try...will u suggest me like..

[@sundok1]

I use this dac sometimes with my Beyer Dynamic DT770 pro its 250 ohms. The volume is just about enough. But there's very little headroom or reserve so I cant turn it up very loud. Not that I want to for longer listening, it's actualy just good for me because i don't like listening on high volume levels.

[@Audiofied]

Thanks for this!

[@CitamaAbajpa]

You must change the c to c cable to improve sound quality

[@commanderoof4578]

@@CitamaAbajpaits digital not analog... a different cable wont change anything!! Its the same crap as saying use £1000 HDMI cable it is no different as its digital

[@martinvegas1327]

Anyone tried this with crinnacle zero blue iem's? I just ordered one for my. Switch Lite👍

[@martinvegas1327]

Sounds good with every iem i've used it with👍

[@cheekster777]

Thank you my friend.

[@Audiofied]

Thanks for watching as always!

[@Sashko_Dee]

Anybody know how this stacks up to the Hiby FC3?

[@nazreenshah8001]

You should review the shure se846 gen 2 though 😃

[@Audiofied]

That review's coming soon!

[@theyeetus1428]

It can't work with iPhone because Apple limits the amount of power that can come out of the port.