Creative Sound Blaster X4 Now Available

Creative is on roll with their desktop AMP/DAC hardware! It was only a year ago that I reviewed the Creative X3 Hi-Res 7.1 SXFI USB DAC and Amplifier, and it was a pretty rocking piece of kit. Not forgetting the new high-end Creative Sound Blaster GC7 Review. Now Creative is back again, with the new Sound Blaster X4. Clearly, this is a follow up to the mid-range X3, and helps fill out the current range a little more. It has a bunch of new features and improved connectivity too, rather than just being a minor visual update.

Of course, like the old model, this one features their amazing Super X-Fi headphone holography technology. However, it also has Dolby Digital Live, something sorely lacking from previous models! The new SmartComms Kit (Windows) also offers an auto-mute feature, as well as two-way noise cancellation. If you plan on using this for working from home and gaming, that’ll certainly prove to be a big advantage. It’s compatible with a good range of devices too, such as PC, Mac, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

“The VoiceDetect Feature allows users to speak freely without worrying about the mute button as the mute status switches based on voice detection — the microphone gets unmuted instantly when the user’s voice is detected and is muted automatically when no further speech is detected. There is no need to meddle with any buttons, and users can stay focus on the conversations without any disruption.”

Of course, it’s still a very powerful AMP and DAC at its core. This means you’ll be able to power everything from a modest gaming headset to a high-end set of headphones with ease. The Sound Blaster X4 comes equipped with the capability to drive studio-grade headphones of up to 600Ω with 114 dB audio clarity and 24-bit/192 kHz high-resolution playback. If that doesn’t put the zing back into your music, nothing will.

About Super X-Fi

“The Sound Blaster X4 features the game-changing Super X-Fi technology, which garnered 23 best-of awards at CES 2019-2020. It recreates the soundstage of a premium multi-speaker surround system in headphones, and personalizes it for a natural listening experience. Users will be able to enjoy a transformative audio experience that offers greater surround envelopment, depth, immersion and spatialization effects – like in a real cinema, a gaming battlefield or a concert hall.”

To add to that, I personally gave them a few of those awards, SXFI is freaking amazing technology!

The Sound Blaster Signature

The renowned Surround Virtualization technology, developed with more than 30 years of Sound Blaster’s audio expertise, is yet another highlight for the Sound Blaster X4. It enhances the spatial information of the incoming audio and optimizes it to offer users a complete and immersive auditory experience, up to 7.1 discrete and virtual audio channels.

Versatile Connectivity

Fitted with a newly added optical/line-in port, users have a more comprehensive range of options to connect the Sound Blaster X4 to multiple audio devices, from external microphones and headsets to PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and even the multi-channel speaker systems to instantly upgrade the audio quality and transform one’s desktop setup into an one-in-all audio hub.

EQ

The Sound Blaster X4 also comes decked out with customizable EQ modes —Music, Movies, and Footsteps Enhancer—each of them specially tuned to enhance audio for different types of content to deliver the optimal audio experience.

Pricing and Availability

Sound Blaster X4 is attractively priced at £134.99 and is available at Creative.com.