Creative Sound Blaster X7 overview.

Creative product page - http://www.soundblaster.com/x7/#home
OcUK product page - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-097-CL&groupid=701&catid=1925

Today I will be giving a quick overview of the Creative Soundblaster X7.

This device is a headphone amplifier, sound card, microphone all-in-one device which is bristling with a features list as long as my arm.

• Burr-Brown PCM1794 127dB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) supports high-resolution audio playback of HD audio tracks up to 24-bit 192kHz when connected to PC/Mac, including 24-bit 176.4kHz.
• 600Ω AMP Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 600Ω headphone amplifier is capable of driving audiophile-grade headphones, with full and detailed clarity
• High efficiency Class D digital amplifier delivers up to 100W power (2 x 50W @ 4Ω)* to passive bookshelf and tower speakers. * Power Supply Upgrade required.
• Burr-Brown PCM4220 high-performance, two-channel 123dB analog-to-digital (A/D) converter designed for use in professional audio applications. Offering outstanding dynamic performance, the PCM4220 supports high quality, low noise analog line-in audio playback and audio recording of up to 24-bit/96kHz in DSP mode, or up to 24-bit/192kHz in Direct mode.
•The Sound Blaster X7 supports Dolby Digital, an audio compression found in most DVDs and high-quality formats worldwide. It enables delivery of 5.1 discrete channels at low data rates.
• Activate SBX Pro Studio to enjoy a new level of audio immersion. Put yourself in realistic surround sound and the ability to clearly hear specific sounds in whatever gaming environment you play.
• CrystalVoice™ features innovative technologies that are specially designed to deliver the best vocal fidelity, so that communication is crystal clear during multiplayer games and online chats.
• The front panel features two built in beamforming microphones that pick up your voice and suppress ambient noise.
• With Bluetooth®, you can stream digital audio wirelelssly to the Sound Blaster X7. Sound Blaster features Creative Multipoint for up to two simultaneous Bluetooth connections

Click to expand...

That is just a small selection of some of the X7 features, to say it is packing a punch is an understatement.



Packaging and Accessories.







Included with the X7 is.

• RCA to 3.5mm jack.
• USB cable.
• RCA to RCA extension.
• RCA to 3.5mm output.
• Headphone stand.
• A power brick and mains leads are also included (not pictured).


Outside the X7.



So the X7 itself comes in a pyramid shape, it feels a bit plastic in comparison the Essence STU I had prior. But it is a sturdy shape and sits well on a desk.



The front controls consist off.

• Volume knob
• Power ON/OFF and Bluetooth button (press in and hold till it turns blue).
• SBX ON/OFF

We also find a 3.5mm microphone input and 3.5mm/6.3mm stereo out which can also be used at the same time.

The Dolby logo illuminates when it is decoding this format.

The grill hides a beamforming microphone.




This USB port is for connecting other devices such as a phone or tablet.



At the rear we find a great range of options for hooking the X7 up to various powered or passive speakers or optical out to a home amplifier.

The X7 has a 100watt (50watt per channel) built-in amplifier for passive speakers but this does require a 24V 6A power brick upgrade which is an optional extra on this model, without this it is 38watt per channel using the supplied 24V 2.91A power adapter.



Under the X7 is a door that gives you access to the swappable OP-AMPs if you want to tweak the sound stage.





And this is the headphone stand shown earlier fitted, a very convenient but flimsy way to store your gear.


Drivers and Software.

Being a fully featured audio device you expect full control over it and the included software does not disappoint.







It basically has full adjustment to nearly every conceivable parameter.

But if you want to control the X7 from the comfort of your sofa you can also download an iOS or Android application for your phone which gives almost the same functionality.




This is a fantastic feature I feel and what is even better is when your device is connected via Bluetooth to the X7 you can have the sound streamed to the X7 and thus out of the speakers or headphones that it is connected to while your device is still playing the visuals.


Thoughts and Conclusion.

So I have had this now for nearly 3 weeks and used it as a regular sound card to power a Logitech Z4 2.1 setup, Sennheiser HD505 headphones and even used it in a 2 way speaker setup using a pair of Gale 6Ω Hi-Fi speakers.

Using it to play games or listen to music and movies and even being able to use this one device as a microphone on Teamspeak is phenomenal.

It was faultless throughout and unlike the Essence STU I could set it up with that bit more bass which I personally like using the software or even play around with the soundstage using CrystalFX adjustments.

If post processing is not your thing you can select the "direct" options and bypass this completely for the cleanest and purest signal.

It is obviously hard to describe how a device "sounds" but this to me seems at least as good as the Essence STU was and then more so.


So in summing up it is an all singing all dancing audio device that has a huge range of connectivity options, adjustments via software or the choice of listening direct without processing. It is a lot of money to spend and not as well made as the Essence STU which had a metal construction but it sure does offer a lot more under the hood.

Did I mention it has NFC? well it does, what an endless feature list.

Thanks Stulid


Glad you liked it.

Nice review

Have you noticed any lag compared to an internal sound card? Also.. is the USB cable how it hooks up to the PC? (Which is why I was asking about lag)

it can hook up to pc via USB or optical but i think you lose a couple of the control features from using optical not sure Stulid and Rids have spent more time with this item than me.

Thats how I have it connected via USB and has been for the last week or so.

Nothing to report about lag, it all seems to just work.

Unless if by lag you mean there's a tiny pause where you can hear the X7 click into life before playing a song or video while its been sat idle? then yes.

stulid said:

Thats how I have it connected via USB and has been for the last week or so.

Nothing to report about lag, it all seems to just work.

Unless if by lag you mean there's a tiny pause where you can hear the X7 click into life before playing a song or video while its been sat idle? then yes.

Click to expand...

Certainly not that. I'm asking about any delay in sound in games/video/lip sync since it's running across USB rather than PCI-E/PCI connected.

Scougar said:

Certainly not that. I'm asking about any delay in sound in games/video/lip sync since it's running across USB rather than PCI-E/PCI connected.

Click to expand...

I have not noticed any lagg with it and it has been my daily driver for oh 3+weeks now roughly, during that time I have played MP3s, FLAC, games, movies (some huge hi-def rips).

Thanks, that was my only real concern about an external unit. Thank you for the overview.

It is a great bit of kit - the PCM1794 is an outstanding chip - would have definitely bought one if I wasn't dabbling with my own setup.

Scougar said:

Nice review

Have you noticed any lag compared to an internal sound card? Also.. is the USB cable how it hooks up to the PC? (Which is why I was asking about lag)

Click to expand...

No lag at all, it's an awesome piece of kit, this and the Swift have been absolute game changers for me, the fact it's sat in front of you rather than inside the box just means I end up playing around with it constantly.

Hey guys ! Back in the room.... Nice review !

I'm still rockin the X7, really nice unit & only a few niggles but I must say that Creative have been very supportive. I guess we are used (on Headfi) as guinea pigs for the 1st run of drivers. I've been feeding back issues as well as others & they have looked into & fixed problems quite quickly, this is coming from an old user of creative & know the problems with their driver & fix timings before.

Overall its a very nice unit... If I can help with any Q's please ask ?

Cheers Andi-C Glad they are being helpful I've noticed it's rise in r/headphones flairs and I've always messaged them to ask how they feel about it mainly positive responses.

I've just ordered the Limited edition x7 in white, i have a pair of active speakers Tanoy 402's would these work well with the x7?

Would this sound any better than the zxr for headphones?

MorleySA said:

I've just ordered the Limited edition x7 in white, i have a pair of active speakers Tanoy 402's would these work well with the x7?

Click to expand...

Yes. It has an amp for passive speakers, but active speakers can used with it too.

db2431 said:

Would this sound any better than the zxr for headphones?

Click to expand...

I've seen some say the X7 is better and others say they sound exactly the same. Hard to say if the X7 is indeed better, or whether placebo plays a part. It's easy to find the new shiny more expensive toy better without direct comparisons.

X7 flippin brilliant. Ltd edition is only worth it if you are using passive speakers I think, or you want to pay more money for a white one.

I have mine connected to PS4 which gives me surround and voice chat (with BT-W2), iPad is connected via RCA input for music or USB host with phone. It's handy having so many devices connected at once.

Marsman said:

Yes. It has an amp for passive speakers, but active speakers can used with it too.



I've seen some say the X7 is better and others say they sound exactly the same. Hard to say if the X7 is indeed better, or whether placebo plays a part. It's easy to find the new shiny more expensive toy better without direct comparisons.

Click to expand...

Whats the benefit over the zxr for pc use then?

Regardless of what you're connecting to it, the main benefit is probably that being an external device, it's away from the EMI that can plague sound cards for some people.

Other benefits are the amplifier for passive speakers, the ability to connect wirelessly to it and also being able to use it with other devices, such as consoles.

For strictly headphone use connected to a PC, then the X7 doesn't really offer much over the ZxR, except that it's external and away from EMI. The extra £100 or so is not really worth that alone though. The X7 would really only become a better purchase if you're going to make use of it's other capabilities.

The X7 will sound better (crisper and less flabby bass) than the ZxR with low impedance headphones that are affected by damping factor, as it has a much lower output impedance.

X7 also has mobile phone or tablet connectivity so you can stream music or videos to speakers or headphones, also you can change the audio settings without windows keying out meaning you say within an app or a game.