Creative Sound Blaster X7

Posted August 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Edson in PC Audio

Overview

Hardware: PC Audio

Manufacturer: Creative

Price at time of Review: $400.00

WHAT WE LIKED:

Extreme audiophile quality DAC

WHAT WE DISLIKED:

Price

BOTTOM LINE:

Experience the best audio you will ever hear with the X7 DAC.

by Jeffrey Edson

Full Article

Introduction

Creative has some interesting products lately. They continue to innovate through design and audio quality. The X7 Is a USB DAC that was designed for audiophiles and audio enthusiasts.Lets dive into the world of audio through the X7, and see if stands to be the biggest, baddest , and boldest Sound Blaster yet.

The specifications are as follows:

Audio TechnologySB-Axx1™
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)127dB (DAC)
Connectivity Options (Main)microUSB
Microphone :
Built-in Stereo Mic
1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Mic In
Line / Optical :
1 x RCA Aux/Line In
1 x TOSLINK Optical In
1 x TOSLINK Optical Out
Speaker :
2 x Binding Post Passive Speaker Out (L/R)
1 x RCA Line/Front Speaker Out
1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Rear Speaker Out
1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Center/Sub Speaker Out
Headphone :
1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm)Headphone Out
1 x 1/4″ (6.3mm)Headphone Out
USB HOST :
1 x Type A USB Host Port – Device Audio Stream & Charging
Max Channel Output5.1 Channels, Stereo Amplified
Audio TechnologiesSBX Pro Studio, CrystalVoice, Scout Mode, Dolby Digital Technology
MicrophoneMicrophone Type: Dual-array Noise Canceling Condenser

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Windows
- Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
- Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard
- Microsoft® Windows® 10 32/64-bit, Windows® 8.1/8.0 32/64-bit, Windows 7 32/64-bit, Windows Vista® 32/64-bit SP1 or higher
- 1GB RAM
- >600 MB of free hard disk space
- Available USB 2.0/3.0 port (High Speed recommended with driver)
Macintosh
- Macintosh running Mac® OS X® 10.6.8 or higher
- 1GB RAM
- >600 MB of free hard disk space
- Available USB 2.0/3.0 port (High Speed recommended with software)
iOS
- iPhones/iPads running iOS 6.0 or higher forBluetooth^
- iPhones/iPads running iOS 6.0 or higher for USB Host Audio streaming via Lightning Connector
^ Devices must support Bluetooth 4.1 (Low Energy) or higher
Android
- Phones/Tablets running Android 2.3 or higher forBluetooth
- Phones/Tablets running Android 4.1 or higher for USB Host Streaming*
* Devices must support AOA2 USB Streaming