USB Sound Cards can be GAME CHANGERS!

[@RdandTrk1]

I know you’ve mentioned this product in a past video, but the Schiit Fulla at around $110 is another awesome option. It doesn’t require any software, has a mic jack, and should easily drive most gaming headphones and a lot of music oriented headphones.

[@delatomvione9943]

Topping products are unbeatable.

[@RdandTrk1]

@@delatomvione9943 I don’t have any experience with Topping products. I hear good things. I have a Fulla though as well as several other Schiit products, and can comment on that. If you’re from the US like I am, one key advantage that Schiit enjoys over Topping if this matters to you, and it does me, is that Schiit stuff is designed and built in the US.

[@proximal43]

Another vote for Schitt. Have several of their products. Top quality, well priced, easy to use.

[@niter43]

In Europe you could get Audient Id4 MkII at $130 (for some reason sold at much more in US -- around 200), which is feature-full audio interface, not just a headphone amp -- so it has a proper mic XLR in with good amplifier, phantom power and all of that. Also a nice instrument-level input for recording guitars and alike. Headphone amp part is not as overbuilt as in Schiit Fulla, but in practice it shouldn't matter much -- you could check Julian Krause reviews on youtube, he has measurements for headphone outputs of both.

[@Nicholas-gq8pp]

yeah I recommend the schiit fulla because it is the best one of everyone of these because for 7.1 surround sound to work you have to get a whole setup for that.

[@lande.r1]

I love the visuals on your videos, you take very cinematic shots that highlight these products a lot.

[@420BulletSponge]

I bought the GC7 for my daughter last year and she loves it for streaming and recording. I'm running my old Creative X-Fi Titanium HD card myself. It's still going strong after 10 years of everyday gaming use.

[@laggmonstret]

Hehe, and I use a Soundblaster AE-5 Plus since I just prefer an internal card and get rid of as much as possible from the desk! :D But to be honest... I am still waiting for a good enough wireless gaming headset to replace my Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser headphones so I finally can get rid of any cable!

[@yodaaki3652]

@@laggmonstret I've done the same thing in the past I went from a dac/amp + gaming headset setup to a wireless headset, but in reality I'm going back to wired mode... it's still much more qualitative whether it's audio level or microphone level, and no headphones that fall out of battery it's sure that it's more cables but hey we still have nothing better in terms of quality than going through wired, then it's only ever 1 cable visible on the desk :)

[@liewchengyeh]

i really missed my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum from my old P4 (move upto Core2)....

[@emp1985]

Holly crap, the complication of the higher end Craetive products made my head hurt. Plug in a good, direct DAC like Shiit Fulla 3, and forget about it. Perfect audio and mic. No drivers. No painful software. No bloatware.

[@exarkunn69]

Also no bullSchiit

[@dack4545]

Did you say fulla Shit ? 🤣Sorry Bro couldn't resist

[@kafkaesqued]

Shiit Fulla is understated

[@emp1985]

@@dack4545 so you know, the device shows up in Windows Device Manager as “I’m Fulla Schiit”, so yeah… you’re bang on lol

[@Dudi4PoLFr]

I have the SoundBlaster X4 since the release, I can't even explain in words how it made every audio related experience better.

[@ascap2854]

I bought the Sound blaster x3 last year for $140 and then the x4 replaced it like a week later for the same price. Was kinda salty but after researching it they're basically identical but with the x3 having slightly better specs.

[@FoxWJK]

i have a k3+

[@deathsandman1396]

Hi i have sound blasterx g6, my question is do i need usb hub or its just work fine with my motherboard usb!?

[@FoxWJK]

@@deathsandman1396 you just plug it in and use. You can try seeing if its different being plugged into the mobo or not, but it should not matter as it will be the main unit processing the sound.

[@deathsandman1396]

@@FoxWJK thank you so much ♥️

[@Canoneosmiami]

Any advantage of using 7.1 Sbx sounds for music ,videos movies ,listening? w. something like Sound BlasterX G6 ? Or x4 ,do they work with iPad too ?

[@sunil198925]

I use the sound blaster play 4 and it has very much enhanced the way I use my head set for gaming and work calls. It’s inexpensive and has a tiny footprint. Sounds way better then my onboard mother board audio card and the voice and mic settings make it a great choice for plug and play device.

[@noxiuz1]

my Creative PLAY 4 won't detected by Windows when change to mode 2 (long press till blink white), but it detected when I connect to Phones. Did u have same problem here?

[@masterkamen371]

@@noxiuz1 Ah, the classic Creative Labs driver hell.

[@harshlands]

Good overview of Creative's range, but these are just gamery focused DAC/Amp combo's and theres equally good/better fidelity options for the price of these from other brands like Fiio, Schit, ifi ZenDAC, Topping, etc like others have mentioned as well. If you're gonna do a roundup include other brands eh.

[@Skrenja]

Don’t forget Motu.

[@11202]

I mean that's kind of the point of the video thought isn't it

[@Mystic-Voyager]

he said its a creative sponsored video

[@clickbaitpro]

@@Skrenja I am using focusrite solo right now planning to buy Motu M2. M2 have unbeatable value imo

[@basshead.]

@@clickbaitpro That thing is weak af lol. Only 23mw @ 33ohm.

[@nighteyeswolf]

I'm rocking the g6 on my desktop. been running it for about 2 years now and I couldn't be happier. Replaced my X-fi HD from over a decade of use which is now on my 2nd computer that my bf uses

[@payver]

why did you change from internal to USB

[@robertbishop7078]

I use the G6 on my desktop. I wanted a dedicated sound card, the onboard audio would sometimes hiss with my speakers. I walked around Microcenter a few years back and the size and price point were right.

[@AT-wl9yq]

That's because you are not setting your gain properly. Learn the difference between gain controls and volume controls. Then set your gain control(s) as low as you reasonably can. From there, use volume control(S) to adjust loudness. Also, if you have a mix of digital and analog volume controls in your system, set the digital controls to their max settings and use analog volume controls to adjust volume. This mitigates the issues you may have with bit stripping. Always remember, only gain can distort the signal. Volume controls can't.

[@edattacks]

​@@AT-wl9yqcurrently learning thus stuff as I just got my pc38x headset.

[@dracon702]

Yesterday I was talking with a friend of sound cards and old years when Creative has a dominating the market with features like EAX and Dolby Digital and booom here's Hardware Canucks reading your mind telepatic and showing us that Creative It's Alive.... Excellent Content!!!

[@TolaGarf]

I still use my Sennheiser GSX 1000 (now named EPOS) which was recommended by this channel years back. Best USB soundcard I've ever had. No 3rd party drivers needed, no software needed

[@DerGeistDesKriegers]

Same here, the only negative thing about the GSX1000 is the fact it can only support up to 150 ohms headphones. I would love to see a comparison between the GSX1000 surround engine vs the Soundblaster X4 surround engine.

[@realduox]

its the price wasn't out of control most the time it would be the best product around still

[@TolaGarf]

@@realduox True. Unfortunately it had a hefty price bump after EPOS bought the gaming product segment off Sennheiser

[@ganja_hotdog]

super happy with mine as well

[@michaelthompson9798]

I use the Creative G6 on my desktop pc and G3 on my laptop for audio a for a few years now and they provide excellent sound and power to my Beyer Dynamics, IEMs (various) Corsair HS70SEs to name a few. Having the ability to run high impedance headphones/headsets is a must for me and especially the G6, delivers all that you need!

[@oxy84]

I.m thinking buying the g3 is good and still ”good cheapy”, do you reccomend it?? To get better sound ps4 slim??

[@user-mt2jn3oi4l]

Does the G6 sound much better than the G3? Wondering if it's worth the price over it or if I should just get the G3.

[@SouravTechLabs]

Do the apps support Linux? Because that's the only OS I use.

[@redribbonzx7207]

Can I use it for TV?

[@VexxedSR]

Got a used FiiO e10k olympus2 for only £20 ($25) to use for my budget superlux hd668b headphones, looked for a specific eq tune for APO and now have great sound for only £40 ($50) total. If you're on a budget I highly recommend looking at used or refurb Schiit dac/amps or FiiO as both will increase sound quality and bass tremendously.

[@eXartoREAL]

ignore the scammer

[@jarablue]

I am a desktop PC Gamer that loves High Fidelity gaming audio and music audio. I purchased a focusrite Scarlett 8i6 with two Yamaha hs7 Studio monitors. The sounds that have opened up to my ears are night and day in comparison to my Logitech and motherboard audio. It's not even funny how many background ambient environmental sounds I can hear separately in High Fidelity and clear compared to the muddy muffled audio I was used to. I highly recommend getting an audio interface or USB sound card with Studio monitors if you like good audio while playing games and listening to music.. Well worth the cost and upgrade and sound enjoyment. Good luck out there love to all!

[@Tiger24kicks]

Does the Creative sound blaster work with the PS5

[@ohdudez]

Soundblaster G3's footstep enhancer mode also works as an 10 band equalizer! The footstep enhancer mode is just the default custom equalizer setting, with the app it can be configured from the phone

[@diegosg448]

Is SXFI worth it? I mean is the major feature (talking about immersive audio) comparing the X4 and the CG7 against the G6, so I wonder if that is a real game changer for immersion.

[@ramnexus]

I have a G6 connected to my Xbox OneX via the supplied optical cable. In this mode the G6 needs a separate micro-USB power input. I use it with my open-backed Audio-Technica headphones. I normally turn off all SoundBlaster audio processing (inc. the dolby decoding) on the G6 and instead use the Xbox's Dolby Atmos app. I have to make sure the 'audio out' is set to Optical in xbox settings Once it is set up the sound of games and 4k movies is the best i could ever need... with more volume than my ears can handle too!!

[@CaleMcCollough]

I'm looking to use one Sound Blaster GC7 or X4 for my mobile podcast set using an SPDIF splitter to send the headphone-only audio to two or three Sound Blaster G3, which I use to monitor the SPDIF input for one headphone out for each mic. I use the Movo VXR10 3.5mm video mic and it sounds excellent with Sound Blaster preamps. It's hard to get mobile podcast gear that small.

[@bluebird_9999]

what a well timed video, i'm considering getting a usb sound card recently bcos the built in sound chip for my new Z690 motherboard sucks :( there is a lot of noise with the pc out on my mobo, when using with optical out it often makes a peaking noise and will suddenly stop working turning off any sound output until i restart my pc. not sure if that is a software issue but i've no idea how to fix it. i remember a time when onboard sound is so advertised and reliable, i think mobo makers are starting to neglect the sound aspect these days. anyways thanks for the well made video, very informative, it really helps towards my decision making.

[@CruJones]

For when I use headphones, I’m using a Schiit HEL. Desktop speakers are Vanatoo Transparent Zero.

[@eXartoREAL]

ignore the scammer

[@chill_fugu]

Bought my G6 a year ago, been using it everyday since, best 150$ ever spent. Always keeping it in Direct mode and swapping the headphone for different use cases like gaming, music, meetings. Although I don't like the mic quality on it so much, it sounds better if plugged into the PC.

[@OrganicGreens]

Go for audio interfaces marketed towards musicians. You can find them used for cheap. They will have good build quality, superior sound, multiple inputs and outputs with physical controls, and proper pre amps and phantom power for microphones. You can get all this for like 50-150 bucks

[@CaptainJCRage]

I will save up a little more and get the presonus io24 or the audient id14 mkii which will drive almost all headphones out there.

[@zhaomiaomiao]

If I have a good codec in use, is there no need to upgrade a separate USB sound card, if recording is not a consideration.

[@pepe8196]

Looks like you were wearing a EPOS Racing Green and Gold headset. How does it compare to the PC38X?

[@mer1boss_883]

do you need to disable the onboard motherboard sound card in bios or can you just do it in the device manager

[@mauticom]

I'm using a Sennheiser GSX-1200 and absolutely love it for gaming. The only thing I would wish for is that you could incrementally change the gain of the mic loop through (sidevoice). The 3 preset gains aren't really great. Medium is too low and high is too high. However the binaural surround upgrade, especially for games like Squad is fantastic and don't want to miss it anymore.

[@67daltonknox]

I connect my laptop to the DAC in my stereo using a USB 2. I did notice that longer USB cables degraded the sound, so keep it as short as possible.

[@JigglyBlubber]

I bought a Cambridge Audio USB DACMagic XS for just $30 last year to power my 80 ohm DT 770's that I foolishly thought my motherboard could handle on its own and I was completely blown away with how good the little thing performed. Barely bigger than a flashdrive but it powered the 770's without issue at a 24 bit/192hz max. I ended up getting a Sounder Blaster AE-5 Plus a few months later just for the hell of it since I've never had a legit soundcard in my PC and while the sample rate is higher than the DACMagic and the software is nice, I could have stuck with the little $30 DAC no problem and been satisfied. I don't regret either purchase in the slightest and I've kept the DACMagic as a backup/portable DAC for future use. Unfortunately even at the time of purchase last year, it seems Cambridge Audio had stopped production of the DAC for a while so it might be hard to find one now. However if you can find one I absolutely recommend picking it up because the thing is a tiny powerhouse.

[@AT-wl9yq]

Don't shoot for higher sample rates. Go bit perfect if you want the best sound quality. With regards to up sampling, you can't get more than what you started out with. For example, if you start out with a CD quality music file (16/44), you can upsample to something like 24/96, but you're not getting better sound quality. Upsampling can't replace or add musical information to the 16/44 file. Its just not there. All upsampling does is take the 16/44 file and add non musical information to it so it looks like a 24/96 file. Essentially, you're tricking you dac into thinking its playing a real 24/96 file.

[@nerosonic]

Can you use this stuff in airplanes when they have the TV in front of you during the travel?

[@dharkbizkit]

Iam currently using and LOVING the Creative AE5. They way it processes the audio is excactly how I want it. I dont know if its the sabre chip or creatives software profile on that but iam looking for an external soundcard or DAC that sounds exactly like the AE5

[@thomassleziak1222]

I have Creative Sound Blaster Play 3 that cost 17 USD for my 770 DT Pro 80 Ohm Beyers and it is more than enough for electronic music and gaming.

[@mangodoy1144]

Any suggestion for HTPC soundcard? does Onkyo still produce sound card for PC?

[@finalzgames]

schiit magni unity or one of those cards ?

[@Eyemahere]

I’m looking to buy the absolute best monitor for FPS gaming on PC. What’s your current recommendations?

[@corentinrobin3513]

"Best USB DAC"? Call this what it actually is, a product presentation paid for by Creative. A proper roundup would include other brands, and I'm pretty sure anyone at head-fi, ASR or any proper audio review site would constructively criticise this "roundup'. Presenting Creative's lineup in a sponsored video is absolutely fine, but don't pass it off as a roundup. There are many other, better, cheaper options out there. Also, you achieve pretty much none of the goals you set out to achieve in the description. No impedance volume testing graphs with high-powered headphones, which is the entire point of DACs on mobile devices; no SNR analysis; etc. No comparison between the different models Creative offers with hard numbers, let alone a comparison with a standard laptop or phone DAC. Without data and proper testing, this just cements what this video is: an advertisement. This isn't about being elitist, it's about being honest. I'm disappointed, Hardware Canucks.

[@o0Donuts0o]

Go buy a Audiophile fap-mag and read all about soundstage, openness, analytics and boom until your undies stick to your belly. You also didn’t mention that it is imperative to replace the volume knob with an audiophile grade one, elevate your cables and ensure you are using cryogenically treated cables that are oxygen free while on the unit that is held up with acoustically treated feet. Oh, and don’t forget to demagnetize your hard drive so that your 128bit/9.6GHz files sound better with cymbal sizzles. Massive eye roll…

[@Skrenja]

@@o0Donuts0o Lol, spotted the guy who’s never listened to a semi-legitimate setup. Sure, a lot of audiophile stuff is snake oil but there _is_ merit to a good amp/DAC with solid converters and a quality set of headphones. As far as “audiophile” stuff goes - my setup isn’t even _that_ high end. (K712 Pros w/external KRK 10s sub and an Apollo Twin MK.2) but I’ve had people CRY listening to music through it. Even unassuming “non audio inclined” people mention that they’ve heard details in their favorite songs that they’ve never heard before. Audiophile stuff _can_ make that difference, believe it or not. The OP is completely right. The video was an uninformed shill fest. An entry level Motu interface would probably smoke any of the DACs in this video.

[@holongwong6479]

I am kind of disappointed too. It is clearly an ads. They did audio stuff reviews before but not using the methods you listed, but the methodology is different. The video is an ads, I think they do a good job that saying some draw back of the products, but for people don’t know or don’t want ads, it is so bad they don’t include others brand. Maybe they also know other brands will win, at least in sound quality, creative may win in functionality or usability (software interface), or just creative don’t want they mention other brands. Why disappointing and disappointed? Because we watched ads(KZbin ads) and watch another ads(in video ads) to watch another ads(main video content). Also they showed us they can make a proper content about audio.

[@o0Donuts0o]

@@Skrenja what’s a “legitimate setup”? Is it Bowers & Wilkins 800D’s with Burmester monoblocks, preamps, cd transport, Hugo DAC, LINN LP 12 and Goldring cartridge… Or… A Creative Labs DAC, MP3 collection and a set of headphones? Sounds like you are just full of audiophile shit, packed tighter than a compressed WAV file.

[@exarkunn69]

They have reviewed good audio products before and the sound demos are just recorded direct from the game with some post processing possible. I agree this was one very long ad presentation with some objective feedback for improvements. I get it they need to pay the bills but this is just like their Razer videos.

[@alexossan2829]

Wait why does this video look so sharper and more "alive" than past videos. Have I been watching at a lower quality...I like how you mention things to look out for, which shows that you have actually used the stuff you review. :D

[@jennifermedia6288]

hi there, what headphones are you wearing?

[@felderup]

got an art mixer/usb sound card, small, portable, inexpensive, xlr inputs, works with linux, only 4 channels, 1 hizloz instrument/mic, 1 loz mic, 2 line arranged as stereo. not enough, so i got a bigger one, still, the art is spectacular for portability, especially being port powered.

[@nickp3173]

I'm using a steelseries arctic pro headset which uses a usb to connect to the computer with a game dac. What high end sound card would I get to improve upon my integrated sound where I can still plugin my usb? Preferably external sound card since i'm running out of pci-e slots with my 4090. (I am on a desktop)

[@panthros7395]

It would nice to know there the EPOS GSX 1000 2nd Edition compares to these? Any thoughts? Thanks!

[@crabwalk6062]

Do these work with Bluetooth earphones like rig 800

[@IngeniebrioCivil]

Ive been using an USB DAC Audioengine D3 pair with a Topping A30 headphone amp for years, and it's amazing the difference in sound quality vs the sound card integrated on the MB

[@hakunamyfapa]

Do they connect to speakers? Or only headphones?

[@AL-KOKIMON]

*For music , which of these sound cards is the best ?*

[@Jcrompo]

Hi audio newbie. How do you use a usb microphone with a dac amp?

[@MyNameIsHiaFl]

How do these compare to the sennheiser gsx1200?

[@thrice5560]

Is there no 6.35mm usb c one?

[@claudiocaricola8453]

Question: using a pair of Blackshark V2, removing their USB sound card with one of those will improve my sound quality and surround usage?

[@KimKim-jf8cv]

Does the G6 have echo adjustment option ? Thanks.

[@svendkorsgaard9599]

Are any of these cards ASIO compatible?

[@iamstevengarza]

what do you recommend for a 4.1 surround sound? I ordered the x4 and really liked it however i had the worst luck with it. I ordered one and it arrived defective after creative ran a diagnostic tool, i requested a replacement and the replacement lasted for 2 weeks until it did the same thing and sent it back. I have a new pc so it was definitely the device. what else do you recommend for 4.1?

[@djphilmiller1]

What’s best for stereo for music for dj large speakers please

[@RH-hz9ly]

Thank you!!! Gonna pick the smallest one here as I was looking for that kind of sound cards

[@jorgel2029]

In case you didn't know guys this video might be also sponsored by Soundblast hence why we don't see other brands that are perhaps more budged or efficient friendly being featured which is totally ok tho.

[@Cybertoy]

A good video, but I have doubts as to whether for example a G6 is superior or equal to the EPOC 1000 or 1200. I am currently looking for a replacement for the G5 which is giving me serious driver problems and I am fed up with it. What is the difference between both types of products, the G6 and the EPOC?

[@eXartoREAL]

ignore the scammer

[@HaanSoIo]

iFi ZEN DAC V2 is also a great option, altho it's price went up a bit in recent months

[@Stalonage]

So im looking to upgrade my audio, would you recommend the G6 or X4 for an audio noob?

[@andval256]

Is the creative g6 high-gain option ok for planar headphones, or the card's high Ohms impedance incompatible with planar?

[@onefatguy2]

Thoughts vs the AQ Dragonfly’s?

[@tairunking187]

how is the crosstalk situation on Sound BlasterX G6. I wouldn't want to spent 100$ to end up with heavy crosstalk situation

[@Haarba1]

Can you even call most them sound cards? I dont see any lets say 5.1 speakers support, or even 2.1 if sub is wired, means its basically only for headphones. Or I dont understand something?

[@Lythization]

I have a gaming headset with both mic and audio 3.5mm jack and i want to connect it to my laptop. Is it better to connect it through a "Y" splitter or like a 20$ usb sound card?

[@ramidaoud3776]

will this improve video conference connecting sony xm5 to thinkpad t550?

[@sggee]

The big question i have is: Does HC recommend any of these over the 2 Schiit products they recommended in the past?

[@guillaumejoop6437]

probably not, that's a sponsored segment

[@Bemx2k]

Most people says that between Sound Blaster X5 and X4 there is no diferences in qulity listening a good quality sources . is it true or fake ? I'v got Sennheiser HD 560S headphones which Sound Blaster a should choose ?

[@BondAFK]

Does anyone know how that shelf beheind Dmitry on the left side is called?

[@therebelgentleman]

HELLO I HAVE A QUESTION , hope u help me : i have mac mini m2, monitor samsung neo g8 , logi dock to use audio and the creative X4 , and a playstation 5. i connect my logi dock to mac with usb c , but how to use audio from the ps5 ? because if i connect the ps5 to thelogi dock i have to disconnect my mac from the dock . i thought to solve it buying the creative x4 , but i cant understand how to solve the problem . can u help me ?

[@mczulian603]

I need your help!! All my corsair products are basically broken. I have almost the complete corsair set (keyboard, mouse, mousepad, headphones, commander pro, ll120 and 570x case) All of them have problems and i think corsair wont do anything about it. I live in argentina so it's imposible for me to RMA all this stuff (and some lost warranty) and it's extremely expensive for me to just buy new better ones (I thought corsair was the best brand out there, i was sooo wrong) Keyboard keycaps breaking and falling apart, also its volume wheel fails, wireless mouse having connectivity issues and headphones making static noise when Icue is running. Could we have a conversation about this some time? I don't know how to fix this and corsair support can't do anything about it

[@techtester-b5y]

so which one should we buy?

[@josemiguels9320]

Hi, this is just the topic I am researching. What you think/recommend for an sample AV receiver for a 5.1 output for a laptop/Roku setup attached to a ultra wide monitor? I can't find an affordable solution to this (speakers are the logi Z607)

[@eXartoREAL]

ignore the scammer

[@Feferio]

I'm going to use with my 5.1 Pioneer amplifier to get the real 5.1 performance. Otherwise, they are not working. Which one fit for me ? GC7 ?

[@noxiuz1]

my Creative PLAY 4 won't detected by Windows when change to mode 2 (long press till blink white), but it detected when I connect to Phones. Did u have same problem here?

[@evilmarc]

I love my GC7. The built in surround is amazing for games and SXFI feels like it’s expertly tuned for movies. Amazing experience and really takes my shp9500 headphones to the next level. Great soundstage. Only point of critique is that I wish the software was more stable. It’s crashed on me quite a few times when I’m messing with settings. When everything is configured and I’m switching between presets it’s fine though.

[@Psychonaut_gaming]

In the video he didn't say anything about the mic monitor on the GC7. Are you experiencing any delays when enabling it? The older Sound blaster sound-cards are terrible with the delay in the side channel.

[@blanchardc]

I know this is a gaming-focused channel, but in terms of portability, ease of use and incredible sound quality, the HIDIZS S9 PRO should be on the shopping list. It'll make everything sound better. Not the cheapest dongle dac, but within the budget of what's being proposed here. I love mine.

[@perdomot]

I'm running an ITX desktop that has a Realtek ALC1220 audio output and am wondering if the first 2 items are worth it to upgrade. Any comments on this question?

[@pcaudioenthusiast]

It depends on your requirements. G3 is more game oriented (in addition to PCs, you can also use it on some game consoles which are supported) while PLAY! 4 is more useful for conferencing applications. For example Sound Blaster G3 will provide GameVoice Mix to balance the level of game audio vs chat using a convenient rotary dial in the card itself. G3 is also controllable from your mobile phone via Bluetooth using the Creative SB Command App. Both PLAY! 4 and G3 provide a mute button which is very convenient for communications apps like Zoom. PLAY! 4 includes SmartComms Kit which provides two-way noise cancelling which is useful when in a conference there is someone with lots of background noise. Depending on the manufacturer of your motherboard the audio driver for the ALC1220 will also provide Noise Suppression for your microphone (one way only) and they could even include Sound Blaster Cinema 5 support (for example Asrock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac) which provides a sound experience similar to what the G3 provides. In general Realtek drivers are very stable. Some people will experience issues on their PCs with Creative drivers.

[@perdomot]

@@pcaudioenthusiast Thanks for the info. I'm really mostly interested in music/video quality so I was wondering how the onboard audio compared to these solutions. I used to have a sound card in my system until I shrank it down to ITX and was wondering how much of a compromise onboard audio would be.

[@imager8763]

Great video! I'm thinking the Creative Sound Blaster GC7 for me, do you have headset recommendation to go with it? (price range $50 to $200).

[@LaraPlays-jl4ol]

Hi i bought the g6 and x4 ive tried them both the weird thing i noticed with g6 is when i play the division 2 after some times it crashes my game and forces my pc to restart this has never happened until i plug the g6 in and use it the x4 didnt gave me such problems but i cant use the microphone on both devices neither on my pc directly is there something am missing? maybe the drivers? how can i find the correct audio/microphone record drivers to install?

[@netLG]

Oh, you shouldn't have bought the g6, very buggy

[@sl1ckr1ck63]

Hey man my pc isn’t recognizing my sound blaster g3. Any advice

[@hakan7346]

Sell the damn thing and get yourself a decent audio interface.

[@samgoff5289]

Well ya know you could go to the actual company who sold you the product and get technical support...this is a KZbin video 🤦‍♂️

[@peafowlsplume]

i have a question, do wireless headphones work with these type of sound cards? if so, how?

[@iceberg789]

how good is play 4, compared to alc887 ?

[@zNeroba]

I don't know anything about audio. But the audio that comes out of my pc. Not only for music, but also for social networks and games its horrible. What AMP do you recommend for this case? I was thinking that Fiio K7 might be a good option. Apart of this. Is there any option where I can connect two different audio inputs and mix them, apart from an extra output? I say this to have headphones or speakers output, and in the other case connect one input console and my cell phone or PC and cell phone in another. I read you guys. Great video!

[@cusoonmyfriend3738]

hi can i plug my old 5.1 (3x3,5 MM jack, black, orange, green) logitech sound system to this sound blaster x4 plz ? thank you

[@Rollergold4]

I really wanted to love the X4 but it kept freezing on my AMD rig forcing a disconnect and reconnect of the cable so I had to back to the Astro Mixmap which sounds dull and lifeless in comparison but doesn't freeze up at random times

[@drewhinners8793]

AMD has known USB audio issues. I doubt it was the X4 and probably your CPU/motherboard. The mixamp uses worse quality audio and doesn't place as much load on the CPU/USB chipset

[@waymeanlee]

I had the same issue and it contributed to the software being flaky as well (volume knob turns lagged in actual volume changes and profile settings would unset to name a couple) but I'm not planning on replacing my CPU/mobo combo for this one device. I updated my BIOS to the recent version which addresses the AMD USB issue, worked with Creative support for months and tried multiple firmware/software updates but it never got better. It's a shame because I liked how default audio and comms audio registered in Windows as separate devices which is especially useful when you only want to mute comms. Ultimately I went back to the G6 which works perfectly - so is it really an AMD/USB issue when all of my other USB devices (including an Elgato USB capture dongle) work perfectly??? I'm not discounting my ASRock mobo as the culprit since the X4 works just fine on my son's ASUS and MSI mobos.

[@CookeeMonstrGaming]

Literally on Amazon right now the GC7 and the G6 are the Same Exact Price......... Which One do i Get ?

[@YOGA47]

Does g6 direct support mobile

[@slander8071]

this is the video Ive been waiting for

[@denisruskin348]

Been using a DragonFly Cobalt for 2 years now. Very happy, it primarily makes the most sense in music but even games benefit a bit.

[@hakan7346]

Yeah dragonfly is a great product if you need portability.

[@denisruskin348]

@@hakan7346 yeah that’s the thing. Instead of needing to buy two DACs I just unplug and bring it with me when travelling. It really is a nice little device that makes music ever so joyful, especially acoustic stuff shines on it.

[@tams805]

Yeah, but damn is that some audiophile level pricing. You need to *really* care about sound quality to be spending that much.

[@denisruskin348]

@@tams805 Yeah most people don't need to spend this much. It's just that I needed something for PC and phone when travelling in a very small package and there is nothing that comes close to the DragonFlies + works great on iOS with losslesss music. So it beats buying two separate 150 DACs I guess. But the DragonfFly Red is almost equally good and goes for 200 or less so that is the better overall buy for most people...just don't get the DragonFly Black...it barely makes sense.

[@tosvus]

how do you set custom buttons?? I Just got mine and downloaded the latest version of the creative windows app and also the sxfi app for my phone. It's all linked together but on the device screen, all I see is a picture of my gc7, and a button labeled mixer underneath. on the right side is an edit button. Neither button does nor clicking the device itself brings up such a screen as you showed? EDIT: Ok, the app seems a bit buggy. I changed it to dark mode and when I went back into Device menu I now how a crapload more options..

[@ucup33]

I'm using G1 for 2 years now, nothing can beat the sound card from embedded sound from motherboard or laptop

[@lalolemusme]

Just got the X4 and sound is amazing and super loud make the Epos H6PRO come alive. Easy to use. And playing with the amp make sound sound better!

[@myytti16]

Do any of these fully work on console? Specifically PS5.

[@michalszlachta3440]

Can you do a video on stereo bookshelf speakers driving amps for PC?

[@PC-C4RN4G3]

i have the sennheiser pc 37x with creative g5 and im very happy with that combo, i will upgrade to the G6 and a byardinamic dt 880 600 OHM but still thinking if the g6 can give all the power to that headphones

[@gd6noob]

Is there a soundcard with Bluetooth connectivity?

[@Mrcsitari1]

my pc support 5.1 but i have only 3,5mm jack , so i want to get some sound card witch is best for me ; ? to pc connect 5.1 or better coice to get one internal ? like Asus Xonar SE interne Soundkarte