Hey PCWorld fans, Adam here with the sequel to my favorite USB-based DAC, the Creative
Sound Blaster X3: the Creative Sound Blaster X4. In this video I want to give you a tour
of the device, compare it to the X3 to see how big of an upgrade it is, and try to convince
you that you should invest in better sound since no one can get a GPU right now. But
first, let's check out what’s in the box!
Included in the box
is the X4 unit, some instructions that you definitely should be reading, a 2m type A to type
C USB 2.0 cable, and a 1m TOSLINK optical cable. The X4 retails for $150 dollars, which
is actually a $10 increase over the X3, and works with a whole host of hardware from consoles
to Macs, but in this video, I'm focusing on the PC.
Next let's talk about the physical hardware before moving on to the specs and software.
And compared to the X3 there is really only one important change hardware wise. The X4
maintains the same single free-wheeling large knob and 3 control buttons on the top, ⅛-inch
mic and headphone ports on the front, and lots of ports on the back.
Both share ⅛-inch line-out connections for surround sound, optical SPDIF out, and USB-C
for transmitting power and audio. But the X4 trades a standard ⅛-inch line-in port
for a combo ⅛-inch line-in/optical in port for more versatility. The included optical
cable is actually terminated with this in mind and has come in quite handy. This is
a nice upgrade and one I actually use in my two PC setup.
To finish off the hardware differences, you can see that the finish on the X4 has changed
from a matte black to this gunmetal/charcoal look. Creative has also added the name of
the device under the logo, offset it to the right, and added the Super X-Fi logo to the
left. On the underside there are still 4 rubber feet that have held plenty of grip. And finally
the X4 is a bit heavier at 384g compared to 330g. Also the X4 is 1mm longer and wider compared
to the X3.
Now, let’s talk more in-depth about hardware controls. Similar to the X3, the controls
on the X4 can be confusing and a bit overwhelming. It’s great that you can do so many things
with on-board presses, but each button has toggles indicated with lights, and honestly
it was just too much for me to remember.
For example, the big volume control knob adjusts volume - duh - but by pressing it in you can
change what else it controls, which is indicated by the light ring around it. Blue means playback,
red means mic, green/orange/cyan means audio balance, and by pressing and holding you can
activate Bluetooth pairing. Every button has these different states to cycle through and
boy is it a lot.
I think this is probably the biggest downside to this hardware and I literally had to keep
a cheat sheet around to help me remember the control options. But after a while I only
memorized the commands I used regularly, like toggling on and off Super X-Fi, and then did
everything else in the app.
Before we get into the app, let’s review the specifications of the hardware. There
are similarities when it comes to the converters, which is great because the X3 already had
great specs. But the changes that are present in the X4 are actually downgrades compared
to the X3. With things like no support for 32-bit playback resolution and no 192 kHz
options on any recording input.
Now I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m going to miss any of these downgrades
or that they are essential to what I do, but it’s confusing to see downgrades in the
first place. I’m not sure if this was caused by a hardware or software change, but paired
with a $10 increase in pricing it just doesn’t make any sense from the outside.
Either way both systems feature absolutely phenomenal DACs, and despite the lower specs
on the X4 I couldn’t hear any differences in either professional work applications or
while gaming. Believe me, for the average user this DAC is more than capable of producing
and recording great audio.
Back to the app, it seems like Creative is finally settling on one app for new hardware.
This is great news because the X3 uses the older Sound Blaster Command app, and the X4
uses the newer Creative App which is more streamlined. I’ve used three different pieces
of Sound Blaster hardware now that all use the same app and it’s worked out fine. The
Super X-Fi set up process is still not great, like I mentioned in my Sound Blaster GC7 review,
but it’s worth it.
Inside the app you have the typical playback and recording options, and a whole host of
features to play with based on the connected hardware. From basic controls like EQ to Creative
specific features like CrystalVoice and Scout Mode (most of which I don’t use), the X3
and X4 are similar - just with an updated interface. But new to the X4 is the SmartComms
Kit which includes voice detection gating and noise cancelling. Fun features if you
need them, but to tell you the truth I didn’t so it’s not a huge selling point for me.
Ok, so that was a lot of info, but let’s get to some buying advice. First off, if you
already have an X3 is it worth it to upgrade to the X4? That’s an easy answer: no. Like
I mentioned at the start, the X3 has been my go to pick for most people upgrading their
audio experience and the X4 is just a small iteration on that same awesome hardware. Sure
the new app is great and the optical in jack is welcome, but it’s not enough for those
who already have the X3.
More importantly, if you don’t already have a dedicated DAC which one should you get?
Well this is also an easy answer: either! Both have amazing sound quality, extra features
like Super X-Fi, and allow for a whole host of hardware and software configurations. I’d
personally swing for the X4 despite a couple lower specs, but the X3 is still very relevant
if you want to save a few bucks.
And with the graphics card market the way it is I've always argued that now is the perfect
time to invest in audio. Moving up from motherboard audio and cheap headphones is just as big
a leap as upgrading graphics, and it’s easier to get your hands on audio gear right now!
With that in mind I think the X3 and X4 are awesome external DAC options and you’ll
thank me once you finally upgrade your audio.
Thank you for watching this review video, if you found it informative please give it a thumbs up.
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