Creative SoundBlasterX G6 Desktop Amplifier Review

Peter Donnell / 3 years ago

Performance

The Sound BlasterX G6 can deliver 32-bit / 384 kHz audio from the built-in DAC. What’s impressive is that it’ll also give you a huge dynamic range of 130 dB! Combined with their Xamp technology, which offers a bi-amp system for headphones, giving each channel its own full amplification and other technologies to smooth out any distortion, the G6 really is the sum of its parts. Powerful, clean, and detailed audio from the moment you plug it in. The difference is night and day really, simply take your phones and plug them in and the wow factor is there immediately.

Scout Mode

ScoutMode is really cool, it’s not something I really use, but I’m not really a competitive FPS gamer anymore. Tap the button and it’ll enhance things like weapon switching noises, footsteps, etc, and it makes them feel more directional too. It’s a sneaky advantage and it does work, but it’s far from an accurate sound.

SBX

SBX is their advanced surround sound processing feature. I currently use their SXFI processing which is audio holography and that’s amazing. However, SBX is the more mainstream virtual 5.1 and 7.1 processing system. Basically, you can have your PC or console output their native 5.1 or 7.1 audio, assuming the media you’re playing supports it. The amp takes that information and uses virtualisation to replicate the effect on your stereo headphones. Does it work? Does it EVER! It pulls the drivers from your ears and fills the room. Creative has long been a leader when it comes to this kind of processing and it really shows… erm, hears!? You get the idea. There’s also a gain button, which you would typically leave on low, but if you need to just boost everything, then go nuts.

Dolby

The Dolby Digital decoding is a nice feature too, and it is available on the top-end G5 and this G6 model, but not the more affordable G3 or G1. This is what the optical cable is for, so you can output quite other media devices this way; consoles, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, some TVs, etc.

Sound Blaster Command

While hooked up to a PC, you can use their rather fantastic Command software. It features a scrollable library of profiles at the top, allowing you to apply loads of presets to the acoustic engine.

There are some for movies and music.

Plus a bunch tailored towards specific games too. It’s all really cool, however, I recommend tinkering with the dials yourself too and listening to what they all do. It’s easy to use and quick to make changes or undo any mistakes.

The more advanced stuff is well presented and easy to work with too. you can set up your output devices, playback formats, filters, etc. Again, it’s just easy to do. There’s a surround test too, which is great if you’re checking the SBX performance.

The microphone input is absolutely amazing, as it offers multiple volume adjustments, and their superb Voice Clarity and noise reduction technologies. There’s a range of presets for the EQ too. If you plan to do some streaming, this is going to be a powerful tool for you. There’s Voice Morph too… but please don’t. It works great, but it’s only funny to you, honestly.

Scout mode can be toggled with a hotkey too. I actually don’t like how the preset sounds, but I’ll defend that it does work as intended, so being able to flick it on for a moment is a big advantage in competitive FPS games (especially if you’re a dirty rotten camper).