Creative Sound Blaster X4 Hi-Res 24bit/192kHz External USB DAC and Amp Sound Card, Super X-Fi, Multi-Channel, 7.1 Discrete Surround, Optical-in, Optical-out, Line-in, Mic-in, Headset-in for PC and Mac

Reddit is awash with stories about issues with this device on Windows 11 on the AMD platform. Safe to say I experienced none of this. The issues people are having are down to Windows and the AMD platform. Mainly due to overclocked Memory/CPU. I myself have issues unrelated to this device on USB because my memory is running at 6000mhz (basically it's Overclocked). I've moved my gaming rig upstairs to a spare room. I used to have intermittent issues with a Maschine MK3 being used as an external USB DAC. I put that down to it being attached to a KVM on a hub. Since moving my rig upstairs I had even more issues using the X870 onboard sound card (lagging mouse, BSOD's, etc) randomly when booting up. I purchased this device as my mobo doesn't have 5.1 surround output. I deactivated my onboard sound, and simply used this. It instantly stopped all the issues I was having. I can understand how this may actually be the reverse for other people using the AMD platform. Perhaps your onboard sound is solid, and soon as you use this, you will get issues. The fault is purely with AMD and their infinity fabric and memory controllers. Especially when it comes to USB signalling. It's a real shame Intel was found lacking. The memory controllers on Intel is solid compared to AMD. I've never had as many problems with instability as I have with AMD. Unfortunately Intel has its own issues with CPU's burning out due to voltage issues. Coupled with high TDP and poor performance, we find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. You MAY have problems using this device. For me, it was the exact opposite. This device has finally brought some stability to my system that has been lacking for at least 16 months!! This isn't a fault with this device. It's AMD. They really need to do something about their memory controllers going forward. If they don't, my next rig will be Intel, and I will take the 5-10% performance hit on gaming for a system that isn't going to be hit and miss to what peripherals I can or cannot use. The unit itself is well made, and does exactly what I wanted it to. It has mini line out that I attached to my 5.1 surround. I particularly like you can easily switch between headphones and the external powered 5.1 system. I also enjoy that the sound volume is saved separately for each output. The volume wheel is well built. Things I would like to see improved. The ability to dim the LED ring. There doesn't seem anyway to lower the brightness. It's not a major issue, but I would like that ability. The configuration is rather confusing, and the website lacks any kind of manual other than a QuickStart guide. But once you get it configured, it's perfectly acceptable. I don't have any background hiss. Any pops or crackles. Both on the AMP side and the headphone side. You can use high impedance headphones. But it won't go as loud as a dedicated headphone AMP. Something to keep in mind if you have headphones that go above 80 ohms. But as an owner of such headphones, you're already aware of this. They go loud enough for gaming. But for music, a few more decibels would be appreciated. I'm delighted with this device as it has brought much needed stability. But I can totally understand if this is the reverse for you. Thanks AMD, it's been a wild ride.

I bought the Sound Blaster X4 external "sound card" for two reasons. 1-I because it was necessary for better sound using a mini-micro PC in a small chassis not big enough for typical sound cards. 2-Because I wanted the flexibility of an external device that would serve at least a 5:1 speaker system. This sound card should suit almost any PC or game user as well as those simply wanting very good audio. Build quality seems very good and its small size and desk foot print made it very functional in my case. As usual once discovered the Creative app software compatibility makes everything accessible that you might need to tweak, although in many cases leaving everything as standard is great as it is. Installation is easy and as near plug and play as possible. Even without is own dedicated drivers it worked but of course remember what is written above to get the most from the card. At first I was only let down by the lack of an ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) driver especially as I sometimes produce music for my own multi channel entertainment. I wrote to Creative to find out if a dedicated ASIO driver was in the pipeline. Creative were amazing... They responded by email within a day saying that the X4 was ASIO 2.1 Compliant but the driver was not included in the standard Creative app or the SXFi app. The representative said that they would find the link for the ASIO driver from the Creative team. A second email arrived with a link to download the ASIO driver. Once installed all if not more than expected ASIO channels functioned from within my DAW and other VST apps. If there are musicians looking for a one stop ASIO sound card the Sound Blaster X4 might just be for you given the value for money that compares well considering the up to 7:1 ASIO multi channel once installed. In addition it is good to know that Creative can and will help as they did with my enquiry. Well done the Creative and their product.

I decided to buy a DAC from Creative because my experience with the FX V2 internal sound card was great up until the jacks stopped working intermittently , and the software features are brilliant. with this DAC , it’s been great so far , the light ring around the volume dial isn’t too bright or dim and the unit itself feels good quality and is quite heavy for its size despite it been made out of plastic. Sound quality is definitely better than my sound card was , very impressed. The setup unfortunately was quite difficult , connecting the device to the PC is easy however , the software would not install The drivers , after restarting the PC it would once again ask me to install them. What fixed this issue for me was - download DDU (display Driver uninstaller) and uninstall your Audio drivers (not video card drivers) - then go to settings on windows and click on apps , type Creative in the search bar. Uninstall everything creative related , then install the creative app again DO NOT plug in the DAC until after the creative app has been installed. Here’s my honest ratings overall - Value for money - 9/10 Sound quality - 10/10 Device quality - 10/10 Size and convenience - 8/10 Software features - 10/10 Ease of software installation - 4/10 Software reliability - 7.5/10 Device look - 8/10 Going to a 3 star is a bit harsh that’s why I listed some good and no so good things about the device.

I really like this sound card - it is superior to the older X3 despite having slightly lower specs on paper as well. I use this as a “plug and play” device and do not bother with any of Creative’s software - you would need this if you wanted to use SXFI or create your own EQ presets however. Compared to the X3, it offers greater volume output right off the bat, roughly equivalent to that of a higher end motherboard on its maximum gain setting - I like this a lot. The grey colour scheme also makes the X4 look more premium compared to its predecessor. My favourite feature of the X4 is that it allows me to switch between headphone and speaker output using a physical button - volume levels are saved between each and it removes any potential issues that may arise from switching audio devices in Windows. Since it is external, if your motherboard audio suffers from electrical interference at high load, using this will solve that issue as well. My current motherboard (Asus X670E Hero) does not suffer from this and has excellent onboard audio - but I still much prefer to use the X4! All in all - I strongly recommend this device for those who wish to upgrade from onboard audio and take their PC audio experience to the next level!

Is a very good amplifier with a good application. It change how i listen to music and all with my headphones. Very bad that have only 3.5 and not usb for Mic as all mic now is Usb and that needs to change or to have one additional slot with usb. I have an issue when i restart my laptop after hours or an hour that make a noise and like snow from old tv but if you disconnect it and connect it or restart the laptop then all works perfect. I don't know if i am the only one who have it and is problematic unit or not but expect this the unit is very good and really whoever wants to change the way he/she hear music or see movies on laptop or playing games then this is a good choice

Having owned an internal soundcard for a while now, an Essence STX II, I decided that my new PC build would enjoy a new, external sound card. USB sound generation?! The future is now! What a mistake that was. The item itself is nice. It looks great parked on the desk. That's where the positives start and end, as no matter what I tried, I could not get this to output 5.1 audio via SPDIF. I couldn't even get Windows to recognise it as a 5.1 capable piece of hardware. All efforts returned to stereo output. This is to the same speaker setup that said Essence STX II has been managing 5.1 with, effortlessly, for several years via SPDIF even though the Essence STX II is out of official driver support and relies on community drivers (which work flawlessly on Windows 11). The Creative software is atrocious, also. A minefield of multicoloured icons with no distinct purpose or intent. There's zero logic to any of it and that then carries through to Windows itself, trying to make sense of whatever the Creative software is setting. After spending days, trawling numerous reports and posts by people online suffering from the same, I just have no option but to give up. My trusty Essence STX II is back in, installed with drivers and outputting to 5.1 dolby, recognized by windows and passing all 5.1 speaker output tests. Maybe USB sound generation isn't the future, after all. Unless you're just looking for a dumb stereo/virtual surround gadget that you can plug some headphones into. Seems a bit pricey for that, though.

Wow - I can for once, without a shadow of a doubt, lay to rest my worries that this X4 could not compete with my "old" X-Fi Titanium PCI-e sound card, it doesn't compete, its much better! I can only put it like this: Go back 10yrs when you switched over to a creative/other brand card over on-board audio. The difference is night and day. That's the exact same feeling I just got moving away from my X-Fi Titanium! The sound quality through my ancient 5.1 Altec Lansing speaker system is better. The box itself isn't small, but a pleasing desktop piece if you're into that kind of thing. The centra dial is nice and big, it feels tactile, something you can grab and adjust nicely - the dial has fine controlled increments. The blue glow is welcomed - it's not too bright where it's distracting/annoying. I have yet to test the other features like the SXFI or Bluetooth - I mainly bought it to replace my X-Fi Titanium for desktop usage (gaming, movies and music) and it's brilliant. Build quality is great & sound quality is amazing. I will update this review in time but I had to leave my initial thought given how awesome and pleased I am =)

I wouldn't say it is worth £120. It does increase my sound quality a lot, and I love using the super x-fi setting. However, I have had a lot of issues with it over the past ~9months. Sometimes it just does not pick up my microphone and I'll plug it in and out, reset the software, plug my headset in and out, restart my PC and suddenly one of the above might fix it - no idea why it does this. This hasn't happened for a while now, thankfully, although it used to occur a lot - worried it'll happen again. Further, the buttons and knobs on the actual device are confusing to get the hang of, and for a while it was working fine - I could easily adjust the audio balance of my call with my partner against the audio of the game. This for a while has not worked though, despite being set up the exact same way it was when it was working - now it just changes to a weird red outline on the volume knob and doesn't appear to do anything. Shame really. Really just not completely worth £120 because of the software which sporadically breaks every so often, I can't say Creative support is great either, as they were really no help with my problem above when it happened. To reiterate, audio wise, it is a nice jump up and the Super XFI feature I personally really enjoy with anything, whether it be just music, a video or gaming. The software however is what appears to be its detriment, which I suppose is good considering it can at least be fixed the easiest; this is yet to happen though. The newest X5 is also a massive jump in price from the X4 and appears to be marketed to a completely different group of people than what the X3 and X4 was, so sadly, Creative seem to not be going in the best direction. Used with the MMX300 headset. Edit: April 2024 - crackling noise which seems to be from the cable that connects the X4. I haven't unplugged it or even moved the X4 since I bought it in June 2022. Edit: November 2024 - crackling noise seemed to literally disappear on its own, can't remember what fixed it but was maybe a software update. Ironically, a recent software update brought it back and made it unbearable and I had to forcefully revert back. There are threads talking about this on Reddit and yet Creative has entirely ignored the issue - that broken driver update is still the most recent. The software really does let this product down so much. I really love SXFI on its normal setting and think it sounds far better than without it, but the software is such a pain.

J'utilisais une Sound blaster XFI titanium PCI (2010) interne sur mon pc fixe qui malheureusement est en panne actuellement et vu le prix des composants PC en ce moment, je vais attendre pour réparer/changer. J'ai donc basculé vers mon PC portable, en attendant, et étant tellement habitué à avoir un super son, je me suis décidé à acheter une carte son USB. J’étais tellement content de mon ancienne carte interne Sound Blaster que naturellement la Creative Sound Blaster X4 s’est imposée, un peu cher mais j'ai pas hésité longtemps. Je n'ai pas testé toutes les fonctionnalités, mais je vais vous expliquer mon installation : - mon PC est central chez moi - il est relié à une tv philips ambilight 3 cotés de 65" (et un 2ème écran inactif en ce moment), l’ambilight j’adore - ma carte son est relié à un ensemble HP 5.1 active de marque Creative, payer 100 euros il y a presque 20 ans, caisson en bois, satellites 2 voies (twitter 2cm+woofer 8cm), un subwoofer de taille conséquente. 20 ans de bonheur, on ne fait plus des kits 5,1 d’aussi bonne qualité aussi peu cher. - J’utilise cette installation pour regarder énormément de films (bluray ou mkv), séries et animés, écouter ma musique en MP3 320kb d’amazon (très très varié en termes de style), jouer via mon PC, pas de console, énormément de YouTube, travail (dont montage de vidéo), réseaux sociaux et TV via Molotov (ou autre) Mon avis est donc dans ce contexte. Les bons : - la qualité perçue, les matériaux et le design, c’est qualitatif (mais secondaire) - Le logiciel fluide, fonctionnel et 2 MAJ du firmware depuis mon achat. Meilleur que l’ancienne interface. - Les fonctionnalités nombreuses et relativement faciles à utiliser - Les fonctionnalités essentielles, pour moi, bien maîtrisées - On trouve un equalizer facile à utiliser, avec des profils qu’on peut mémoriser, une modification du son en quasi temps réel (avec je pense une légère transition fluide) - la possibilité d’amplifier séparément chaque canal de vos HP 5.1. Mon installation est déséquilibrée, les satellites avant et arrière gauche sont beaucoup plus proches que le côté droit, en rajoutant +12db aux satellites avant et arrière doit, je peux recentrer le son. Indispensable ! - La fonctionnalité spécifique à Sound Blaster, le « crystalizer » (je suis plus sûr du nom), c’est un effet destiné à étendre la dynamique sonore, à décompresser le son. En pratique, ça va faire ressorti les instruments secondaires (cymbale par ex), ressortir les chœurs, donner une sensation de meilleur séparations de l’ensemble des instruments, le son s’en trouve bien mieux spatialisé, plus lisible et moins plat, un peu comme si on assistait à un concert pur acoustique. - La fonction d’expansion surround (dont j’ai oublie le nom exact aussi), qui va transformer de la stéréo en surround, parfait pour la musique qui devient spatialisé. Ce n’est pas juste une extension stéréo mais bien un effet surround spatial, le son envoyé sur l’arrière et l’enceinte centrale est différentié. - La qualité et l’expérience sonore après réglage, et juste superbe. - l’installation logicielle et les MAJ firmware sans problèmes - l’ensemble entrées/sorties, un poil radin mais l’essentiel est là - J’oublie tout un tas de fonctionnalité, soit pas testé, soit très complexe et nombreuse, mais il y a de quoi faire - La spatialisation dans les jeux me semble très bonne, mais j’ai juste joué à Elden Ring pour l’instant Le mauvais : - La carte ne semble pas fonctionner sur un HUB USB (conflit ou manque de puissance ?...) - J’ai souvent la source des HP qui change sous Windows au redémarrage, qui passe de « haut parleur via X4 » (spatialisé) à « spidf/out via X4 » (stéréo non spatialisé) - Certains logiciels/applications/streaming ne semble pas accepter une spatialisation du signal stéréo, dommage Les réserves : - Une bonne expérience sonore, c’est une chaîne, la qualité de la chaîne dépend de chaque maillon. Pour vraiment profiter de cette carte, il faut des bonnes enceintes actives 2 voies ou 3 voies (Edifier par ex) ou meilleur, des câbles corrects, une source de qualité (mp3 320kb ou format sans perte, flac par ex, sons 5.1 etc), et des réglages adaptés. La carte seule ne suffit pas. - Il est nécessaire de faire des réglages pour en tirer le maximum, si c’est pas votre truc passez votre chemin - Je n’ai pas testé les fonctionnalités annexes, « smart » micro, le « scouting » sonore pour les jeux vidéos, et autres - D’après les revues que j’ai vu sur PS5/XBOX serie, les réglages sont limités et donc la carte est un peu cher, même si le son sera sûrement un peu meilleur - J’imagine que certains seraient intéressés du fonctionnement avec du streaming vidéo (netflix, amazon prime vidéo, disney+, etc), je n’ai pas testé et je ne suis même pas sûr que ces services diffusent du surround 5.1… Conclusion : Pour un PC, ça marche bien, une fois réglé et sur du bon matos, le son est très bon et très personnalisable, mes aigus sont cristallins, mes mediums sont pleins et clairs, mes basses sont puissantes et rondes, chaque instrument et voix sont bien détachés (effet crystalizer), la spatialisation du son stéréo pour la musique j’adore (expansion surround), en jeu l’immersion est bonne, pour les films l’effet surround est bon et personnalisable (on peut facilement diminuer les basses et augmente la voix si le film est mal mixé), bref je kiffe ! Je la conseille pour les gens cherchant une expérience similaire à la mienne. Je la conseille au mélomane exigeant qui voudrait avoir sur son PC un très bon son personnalisable (avec des enceintes Edifier 3 voies par exemple), il se pourrait qu’il découvre que c’est pas très loin de son équipement à plusieurs milliers d’euro ;) ! Je la déconseille aux gens qui veulent une solution super simple, ça n’a de sens d’acheter cette carte que si on passe un peu de temps à la régler et à exploiter ces fonctionnalités… Pour le gaming, ça m’a l’air très bon, mais je n’ai pas assez testé pour l’instant, les revues que j’ai vu on l’air de présenter cette carte comme l’une des meilleures solutions pour la spatialisation…. Acheter cette carte si vous mettez avec de bonnes enceintes et des sources sonores de qualité, et un peu de temps à la tester et la régler. Je valide complètement cette carte (dans l’usage ci-dessus) !! Si ce commentaire vous a aidé, n'oubliez pas de cliquer sur "utile".

Öncelikle 1 yıl boyunca GSX 300 ve belli bir süre GSX 1000 kullanmış birisi olarak bu yorumu yazacağım. Tabiki daha birçok Asus Xonar ve Ugreen gibi daha ucuz ses kartlarınıda denemiş ve zaman zaman ihtiyaca göre kullanmış biri'nin yorumları bunlar. SoundBlaster X4 satın aldığınızda sadece bir ses kartı, ya da daha iyi donanımlı bir ses amp/dac satın almıyorsunuz. Bakın elinize bugün alacağınız neredeyse 600ohm'a kadar tüm headset'leri besleyebilen ve bunu yaparken seste bozulma, netlik kaybı, sahne üzerinde bozulmalar yaşamadan size oyun ya da sahne içinde kullanılan her bir ses efektin kusursuz netlikte sunan bir donanım satın alıyorsunuz. Bu sadece bir ses kartı yada dac değil. GameZero olur ya da GPS 600 serisi veya Arctis Prime gibi Hifi dediğimiz ses sürücüleri'nin nimetlerini verebilen ya da Audio Techica MX50 veya Beyerdynamic 990 gibi stüdyo headset'leriniz var ise sonuna kadar ses ve ses efektleri'nin ne olduğunu anlamanızı sağlıyor. Kesinlikle satın alın, pişman olmazsınız arkadaşlar. Özellikle oyun oynuyorsanız hiç düşünmeyin. Amazon'un kusursuz ve sorunsuz desteği içinde teşekkürler.

Great product..if you have 5.1 or 7.1 system it is very good espacially if you want to connect it to a laptop.. the software installation is bit of a hassle but worth it.. I bought it for less that 13k with discounts and offers etc so keep an eye on it.. it keeps fluctuating

Even though the underlying company is not the same old Creative, but this product is still good when you would like to use an older 5.1 system with a modern computer. The software is not the most intuitive, and has to battle at the beginning to find the 5.1 properly, not just the stereo, but if it starts to work, then it is awesome. The sound quality is great, the power consumption is acceptable, and the heat dissipation is fine. The package is nice (no cable, which is sad...)

Using this as a DAC. Plugged to my TV via optical and then to my headphone amp. Downloading, installing, and setting up the Creative App took all of maybe 30 seconds. Immediately I was hugely disappointed by how it sounded, but it turns out SXFI was the culprit. Maybe it's because my headphones aren't on the list of SXFI products. I don't know. Turned off SXFI and now they sound perfect. To my knowledge this and the X5 are the only two products on the market that create virtual surround from an optical connection. This is in my opinion vastly superior to just having a regular DAC because it sends some of sound coming from one the channel to the other. This makes everything (movies, music) sound so much more natural since in real life you never hear from just one ear. EQ is also more than welcome since by adding bass and calming the midrange a bit I turned the sound of my high end headphones (ESP-950) into more of a cool IMAX cinema sound. A remote control would have been appreciated but controlling volume with cell phone is fine. I still don't get what the deal with SXFI is, but you don't need it for surround. So, at least as far as using it as a DAC, this is an awesome product. Thanks Creative for decades of cool stuff.