SoundBlaster X7 Audio External DAC-AMP

[Pudgie]

Alright, it is done.................

I have replaced my blown Klipsch THX-certified 2.1 speaker system w/ subwoofer (subwoofer finally gave out) w/ the Logitech Z623 THX-certified 2.1 speaker system w/ a 200W subwoofer & for a Logitech setup these are certainly worth the price & are certainly a cleaner system to connect up vs the old Klipsch system. The bass from the subwoofer is EPIC!

 

After 14 years of service blaring out music & my good ole Merlin 66 this Klipsch set served me very well................

 

1 of the items that I noticed w/ this Logitech set is that the subwoofer has RCA input jacks on it for separate L-R input & so I just pulled the trigger on the SoundBlaster X7 Audio External DAC-AMP to use w/ these speakers.

Yeah this may be viewed as extreme overkill for some but I got big plans for this DAC-AMP as it can be used to drive sound from more than just my computer.........

I didn't go for the Limited Edition as I like the matte black finish of the X7 & this unit is major overkill for my meager 2.1 system but I can then run separate L-R output into the subwoofer from this DAC-AMP using RCA cabling & so I can't wait to hear this thing crank out the sound thru my Logitech's as well as my Sennheiser G4ME headset.

I'm also gonna use it to power sound from my TV\ home theatre system & this usage may prompt a second purchase in the future, & this 1 may very well be the Limited Edition pushing a set of bookshelf speakers that I already have but only being used w/ a Phillips combo AM-FM radio\dual cassette deck unit that my wife had bought some 20 yrs ago but hardly ever uses it now.
All the reviews that I've read give this unit very high praise & so I'm gonna find out if all the praise is warranted.................

Also I visited w/ a financial planner recently to look over my retirement portfolio & I have a big smile on my face now.....................

Getting ready for life after work.........................

 

 

[Chalenge]

Let us know how its 3D processing compares, or if it can even do it. I think that's the big difference between it and the Limited version.

[Pudgie]

Will do...................

According to Creative's advertising on their web site, both DAC's can process 3D positional audio equally well, along w/ all the other 3D audio capabilities. Both offer Creative's SBX 3D audio enhancement software package & can be enabled\disabled at the DAC as well via a button on the right side of the front face labeled SBX (SBX is active when the logo is lit up, inactive when it isn't) so Creative designed them to offer choice to as wide a plethora of users....if you're a gamer-enable SBX & set all up to your gaming tastes, including Crystal Voice & Scout Mode (me personally find Scout Mode a non gratas as the exceptional natural 3D positional audio that you get w/o Scout Mode being enabled is more than good enough IMHO).....but if you're a die-hard purist audiophile just turn SBX off at the DAC & you then get the most clean, pristine compressed\non-compressed audio reproduction available that it's hardware can deliver to whatever output source you're using....

In fact, if you look at the spec sheets of both DACs the main difference that I can see, outside of the obvious external color  difference, is that the X7 comes packaged w/ a slightly lesser amped power brick (24v\2.91A) vs the X7 Limited (24v\6A) which accounts for the lesser amp output between the 2....but Creative also offers the higher amped power brick of the X7 Limited as an upgrade for the X7 at which the amp output differences between the 2 goes away w/ the only exception being of the headphone impedance quality (x7 puts out at a minimum of 2.2 ohm, X7 Limited at 1 ohm) but the actual parts build looks to be exactly the same so Creative didn't spare much if any expense in making this thing.

Here are the specs as snipped from Creative's listing on both DAC's (price difference between the 2 is $100.00.....the X7 Power Brick Upgrade kit--ups the power to 24v\6A & essentially puts it on equal terms w/ the X7 Limited--is $129.99......go figure):





In any event I'll post back on my findings once I get this DAC installed & hooked up & run thru it's paces........

 

[Pudgie]

The SoundBlaster X7 Audio Interface hit my doorstep this afternoon & so the process began........................

Wiped all SoundBlaster drivers from my SSD & rebooted my box so that the default windows sound drivers would install then shut it down, pulled it out & removed the vaunted SB Zx sound card & ACM module & plated the slot.

Then I removed the 3.5mm M-M cable that connected my Z to my Logitech's, ran the Creative L\R RCA-to-3.5mm cable from the X7's front RCA out jacks to the Logitech's subwoofer 3.5mm line-in jack, ran the USB cable from the X7's mini-USB port to 1 of my mobo's USB 3.0 header slots then installed a power splitter so that I can plug in my Logitech's & SB X7 to the same aux 1 power button off my Interex SurgeSlayer power strip & powered all up.

Downloaded the latest drivers from Creative's site (you get no driver disc w/ this unit) & installed them then ran the Creative updater to double check.....the updater found a newer firmware for the DAC so I updated the firmware to the latest firmware then rebooted box & all came up clean. Opened up the X7 Control Panel & started configuring this thing then brought up Pandora & started playing some music to test all out......................

Folks, this thing is the real deal & then some! The sound coming out of this interface is the cleanest, purest sound that I've ever  heard.....& I haven't hooked this thing up to any of my Phillips passive bookshelf speakers yet. It has NO problem driving this Logitech Z623 2.1 THX-certified 400-watt satellite speaker set w/ 10" active powered subwoofer or my Sennheiser G4ME headset (set headphone amp for high gain @ 600 ohm & these Sennheiser's loved it but I reset the amp for normal gain range of 32\300 ohms to clean up a slight rattle in the cans when you upped the volume). The sound separation & bass is phenominal when using SBX Mode thru my Sennheisers (have to up the headphone amp to high gain to get the same level of sound in Direct Mode), but when you put the output in Direct Mode (direct audio output from the sound source w\o any enhancement) it is pure audiophile heaven going thru my Logitech's........w/ the X7 amping the output at 70W (have the X7's volume set 100% to get that wattage then control the final output using the Logitech's volume control into the Logitech's subwoofer which then amps the output even more & this Logitech Z623 THX 400W setup can handle all this power w/ clarity in as near perfect playback as you can get from a 2.1 setup..... I do the same w/ my headset but the cans start rattling slightly w/ the headphone amp at 600 ohm & volume cranked up but are perfect at 300 ohm.............

Set the X7's speaker output impedance to 8 ohms from 4 ohms & all came alive even more once I checked Logitech's site for the specs. I then scrounged around & found a 2-way L\R RCA-to-RCA patch cable & removed the Creative L\R RCA-to-3.5mm cable & installed this RCA cable to the Logitech Z623 subwoofer's L\R RCA line in jacks (allows separate 2-channel sound input w/ bass across the subwoofer's built-in crossover channel) & when I did this the X7 really showed it's stuff thru these Logitech's................

I have the USB cable plugged into 1 of my mobo's USB 3.0 slots & so far the audio streaming rate across this cable is as lossless as you can get....ain't hearing any skips, crackling or popping at all (have the playback rate set at 24-bit 96K studio quality due to AH)....haven't gotten around to running at 24-bit 192K studio (music audiophile level) yet but I'll get that tested soon...................

This SoundBlaster X7 External DAC is everything Creative said it was (as well as the several review results that I've read) & IMHO is worth every penny but.......................... ...

If you aren't an audiophile at heart this DAC--though an excellent product--would be way overkill when looking at this from a price\performance perspective as you can't just stick a $30-$50 set of speakers on this bad boy and expect good performance. My SoundBlaster Zx was damn good for an internal sound card for my computer playing games & even listening to music & is more than enough for most users but it can't compare to this X7 in any way other than the name SoundBlaster......& it's not even at full output (upgrade the power brick to the 24v\6A unit & she'll hit a full 100W of amped output power)....

I think I'm gonna get another 1 for my TV\entertainment center & control it w/ my smartphone.................

 

[Pudgie]

Went in AHII & flew around for a while last night after I posted w/ my Sennheiser's & SB X7 set up using SBX Mode.............

1st off I want to give a shout out to NikonGuy & PommelB.....good stuff last night guys!

 

I didn't go into the Preferences tab to check how AH read the X7's layout (AH reads the OS configuration as set up under Hardware & Sound) when I 1st went into AH but I knew it should work....which it did.

The SB X7's 3D sound processing & positional sound placement was damn good but due to the differences between the X7's SBxx1 DSP (which is much more finely tuned for hi fidelity sound & can handle many more concurrent sound streams) vs the Zx's Sound Core 3D DSP (which is specifically tuned for optimal 3D sound & positional processing) I find that I really can't just use a single SBX profile to do both music & games....I will have to build a SBX profile specifically tuned to draw out the best 3D positional sound processing & also tune the AH Miles Sound setup as well for the X7 to take the Zx in this category....this may also necessitate the usage of Scout Mode w/ the X7 to do it (I never used Scout Mode w/ the Zx as the Zx didn't need this IMHO). The X7 was processing the same 3D sounds & sound effects at a level & clarity that I've NEVER heard processed in AH before....even over my Zx sound card....but that stands to reason as I've stated already due to the X7's SBxx1 DSP's fidelity & capability advantages vs the Zx's Sound Core 3D DSP.

Now I see where you were going w\ this X7 concerning gaming, Chalenge.........

 

As I also figured would show when using the mobo USB headers running thru the mobo's chipset to stream sound when gaming, this was the only time when I could pick up the synching issues between the video & sound causing the X7 to cut, pop or hiss every once in a while that I NEVER heard using my Zx on the 3rd PCI-E CPU direct-wired slot......the cuts, pops & hisses weren't bad at all & as I said was very rare & random when it happened & wasn't very audible either but it was there. Reading thru Creative's FAQ on the X7, this issue was brought up & the answer given for this was due to using a USB 3.0 slot instead of a USB 2.0 slot (the X7 was designed to stream using USB 2.0 spec & I did plug the USB cable into a USB 3.0 header on my RIVG...switching back & forth between full speed & hi speed USB lane specs I'm assuming along w/ bandwidth issues across the chipset & DMI link) so I will move the USB cable to a USB 2.0 header on my mobo to test this out but I'm also gonna get a USB 2.0-to-PCI-E adapter card coming as well to route the X7 directly thru the dedicated PCI-E lanes & by-pass the X79 chipset as I was doing w/ the Zx.....should eliminate this issue. I like Vantec's adapter cards for the quality (have used them back in the day when mobos weren't as fully equipped as they are today) but any decent USB-to-PCI-E adapter card should do it.

So in closing, if a user was only going to use their computer to primarily game on & wanted to have above-grade music capabilities as well then the SB Z series w/ the ZxR being the top choice is the perfect choice for an internal PC sound card choice but if you want a USB interface choice then the SB OmniSurround 5.1, or the X-Fi HD or E3-E5 USB DAC's will fit the bill. I'm sure that there are other brands as well that can fill this spot.

All in all this SoundBlaster X7 series was designed specifically to bring the true pristine audio experience that others get for a lot more coin but still hold true to Creative's gaming sound dominance & put it all in a package that can be used by as wide a group of users w/ many of the day's other devices besides a PC (smart phones, tablets, Blue-ray players, I-pods, TV's, HTPC's, etc) & connect to & use a wide array of output devices from passive to powered analog devices & amps & AV's & still more sound devices & do it for a price that makes this DAC a steal & truly in a class by itself....just as Creative has said.

And it looks damn good sitting there w/ the rest of my stuff............like an Imperial Y craft............can you say Darth Vader............

 

The major takeaway that I will say from my short experience w/ the product is do your due diligence if you're going to get 1 of these & not only figure out the type of surrounding equipment that you're planning to use w/ this DAC but HOW you need to attach it to this DAC then properly CONFIGURE the DAC to get what you're looking for out of it as I've found that out already w/ my Logitech Z623 THX-certified 2.1 speaker system.......

Creative's FAQ section can help you w/ how to hook this thing up as they have provided several drawings of the recommended process & cabling to use to hook all up so read up on it beforehand........

You will also LOVE the sound speaker output calibration & polarity calibration of the X7 to actually position the sound of all your speakers to converge on your listening position so it sounds like only 1 complete sound output source instead 3 different speakers trying to blend into a single area & you have to position yourself to it........like you're in your own sound studio w\ monitor headphones on mixing to your heart's content..............

Anyway that's enough on this............time to go play..........

Hope this helps..............

 

[Chalenge]

Mine fuels a Yamaha 5.1 system (500 Watts). My Tiger 2 sounds at idle can be felt just like puffs of exhaust. Love it!

And someone said my sounds have no bass. Pfft!

[Pudgie]

Update:

I shut her down & switched the USB cable from the USB 3.0 slot that I had it plugged into & plugged it into an open USB 2.0 slot then fired all back up & went aflying some & just as it was reported the cutting, popping & hissing that I noted going on was completely gone..........so much for backwards compatibility..............

Mine fuels a Yamaha 5.1 system (500 Watts). My Tiger 2 sounds at idle can be felt just like puffs of exhaust. Love it!

And someone said my sounds have no bass. Pfft!

I feel you on that...................

 

[Pudgie]

I also noticed 1 other thing since my usage of this DAC....................

I've noticed in-game that my box's overall performance seems to have improved a little....................... .........

Now I'm wondering if this was due to removing the sound streaming from the dedicated CPU PCI-E lanes back thru the chipset & also wondering about how these dedicated PCI-E lanes thru the CPU are actually assigned................ie, if by having the Zx installed in them did the controller assign ALL the lanes to PCI-E 2.0 vs 3.0 (all 40 of them) or just the 2 that was assigned to the Zx......

I can't see this happening due to actual lane speeds & bandwidth......too much data to refute that at this time.......BUT what about LATENCY across the lanes when in PCI-E 2.x vs 3.x?  I remember reading something along those lines........gonna look this up & look into this some............

That may be the difference in what I'm seeing.........

Interesting to say the least.................

Just thought I'd mention this.

 

[Chalenge]

Please, if you could find that and post a link I am interested also. AND how the USB 2.0 on USB 3.0 is supposed to degrade (not through the chipset). I understand how the chipset degrades performance. I had read the same thing, but couldn't find it when I did a quick search this morning.

[Pudgie]

Please, if you could find that and post a link I am interested also. AND how the USB 2.0 on USB 3.0 is supposed to degrade (not through the chipset). I understand how the chipset degrades performance. I had read the same thing, but couldn't find it when I did a quick search this morning.

Been looking high & low for any definite answers for what I've noticed for both PCI-E latency issues & USB 2.0 on USB 3.0 signal degradation but so far I cannot find any articles or engineering white papers that spell anything concrete...only speculative & potential issues....for PCI-E it seems to be mostly controller overhead related...both the PCI-E bus & DMA controllers but some signal types being used across the PCI-E lanes that the controllers may not handle adequately (such as what is common across a USB bus) & as for USB 2.0 on USB 3.0 all reading points to the power output & regulation differences of the 2 specs & how well the device's USB 2.0 spec'd components can handle the extra power of USB 3.0 header ports (the issue w/ the X7....it's components are built to strict USB 2.0 power spec's & depending on how well the USB 3.0 header's power regulation capabilities are--or lack of--can cause issues w/ the X7's USB 2.0 circuitry causing the cutting, popping & hissing in the sound packets streaming across the USB cable) or the difference of the USB 3.0 spec supporting asynchronous 2-way bi-directional data transfers vs USB 2.0 spec being strictly a 2-way peer-to-peer bi-directional data transfer protocol but I can't find any materials that prove this to be a quantifiable issue....only say that it could cause an issue w/ the signal clarity & packet streaming........

When I can find some data that is deemed creditable I will post the links..........

But on the X7's 3D sound processing\positional front I found that by retuning the AH's individual sounds levels (mostly the sounds that are associated w/ your AC model--engine sounds in particular) to a lower output level (from around 80% to 60%) that then I could more easily pick up the outside 3D positional audio sounds from the surrounding environment(s) much better than before but not overpowering as it seems that the X7's SB-Axx1 DSP puts less emphasis on 3D positional\processing than the Z's SoundCore 3D DSP outputs unless you enable Scout Mode---& personally I just can't get into Scout Mode being used in a flight simulation type game like AH as it seems to be unrealistically sensitive, counterintutive & causes me to be overly distracted by sounds coming from my blind spots instead of focusing on the bogey that I've engaged with....in some ways this X7 has actually helped me out in this area vs the Zx....     

 

[Chalenge]

The later part of your post confirms the reasoning behind the lower peak levels of my sound pack. People want the peaks for the wrong reasons. Audio is more efficient at lower levels I think.

[Chalenge]

I tested the EVGA X99 FTW MB with Windows 10 x64 and discovered that it is very easy to overwhelm the onboard USB headers; the headers on the output plane can only handle a subset of the number of devices that a PCIe USB card can. I tested this by using three 7-port powered hubs, so it is not a matter of power. Two of the 7-port hubs were populated with six devices, some of which are high-powered devices like CH controllers, and the seventh port was then a chain to a new powered hub. With the introduction the third hub the second device I add to that hub maxes out the ability of the motherboard addressing scheme. While I do not really understand how this is accomplished the result seems to indicate that it is a limitation of the motherboard's BIOS.

Now, while the MB uses USB 3 headers the PCIe card I am using is a seven port USB 2.0 device. Using the same chained network of devices I plugged the USB cable into the first port and another five devices in ports two through six. This allows me to continue adding devices to the third hub of the chain and Windows does not complain of an over-population situation.

What I derive from this test is that the USB 3 header types of the MB are still under development and that if there is a situation similar to the one I have discovered with this MB in another brand, then it is probably a matter that forthcoming driver updates may improve. There is still quite a bit of speculation involved, obviously.

[Pudgie]

Good stuff, Chalenge!

I'll keep looking into this subject myself & if I find any other info I'll be sure to post.................

Off the cuff it seems to me that the mobo USB header may have maxed out on the therethorical 480Mbs\s bandwidth limit across the USB 2.0 bus and\or maybe also overwhelmed the USB controller some as well to hit a wall.......but that's me saying this from all the reading that I have done so far.

1 of the things that could be a factor as well is the difference between USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0 when it comes to the ability to fully duplex signal traffic........USB 2.0 cabling\connections cannot do asynchronous full signal duplexing (only USB 3.0 cabling\connections & devices can), only point-to-point signal duplexing for USB 2.0 (1 direction at a time & not at the same time) which can slow the entire system down...especially across the final A\B cabling into the USB header from the last hub in the chain when USB 2.0 devices are connected to a mobo USB header....regardless of whether the header is USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 spec'd & regardless of the # of hubs connected between the devices & the mobo USB header as the issue will be the entire bandwidth of the USB bus will be divided between the devices connected to a specific USB port also effectively lowering the therethorical maximum bandwidth ceiling thru that port....the signal itself can be the issue......... This is 1 of the reasons why the USB 3.0 spec was developed but it isn't of any use if using USB 2.0 devices on a USB 3.0 header actually defeats the very design improvement of USB 3.0 bus that could help w/ the data trafficking across the entire USB bus as it is designed today................

A large majority of the materials that I've read all hint at this being an issue when streaming data across a USB bus but I have yet to find any material that conclusively states so (only say that this "can" be an issue) & thus a lot of what I have posted can be seen as anecdotal in the scheme of things.

Good stuff!

Will take all into account...............

 

[Pudgie]

After using this DAC for approx. 1 week now & I can honestly say that this is 1 of THE best equipment investments that I've made in a while.............

Chalenge, I want to personally thank you for bringing this piece of hardware to my attention...............

 

Can't hardy surf anymore w/o popping on the headphones & cranking up Pandora....................
 

But when the wife ain't around I crank up them Logitech's & switch the X7 into Direct Mode & just be in audio heaven..........

 

I think you're right about audio being more efficient at lower levels & also I see this when you keep the amped signal within the reverb range of what your speaker set can actually reproduce w\o over response due to highly amped audio signals..........

While I was flying around last night I went into AH Preferences\Game Sounds\Advanced & lowered the rest of the individual game sounds that were set above 80% to 80% & the X7's 3D processing & positional capabilities improved even more....seems that by doing this the AH sound outputs are becoming balanced enough to the X7 that the SB-Axx1 DSP is giving a more balanced priority to what's being reproduced by the AH Miles Sound System software & I can actually pick this up in game when I make any changes thanks to this SB X7 DAC's performance......

Gonna have to buy another 1 for the TV\home entertainment center.......this 1 ain't going nowhere else but right here on my gaming box..................

 

[Chalenge]

I'm glad I could help.

I'm looking forward to the release of AHIII, so that I can work on a new release of my sounds. For next year the wife and I are planning on making a trip to Bovington to collect even more sounds, Israel for interior images on some really old tanks, the Philippines for family, and then back to jolly old England for the BoB Memorial.