Creative Sound BlasterX G5 - sound card that is made of poor acoustics good
Devices / / December 19, 2019
Who and what is useful
Modern motherboards, video game consoles and cell phones are equipped with built-in audio chip, which is enough for audio playback. But if you like to listen to music in uncompressed format, play games with full immersion to hear every rustle, and want to squeeze most of their doroguschy headphones, the built-in capability here is not enough - it is necessary to buy an additional cost, power and DAC.
Now imagine device which comprises all of the above in a compact housing and at the same elementary switches from the PC to the console from the smartphone to the player. Most interesting is that this gadget does exist and his name - Creative Sound BlasterX G5.
Oriented device is no longer in the audiophile, and professional (and not) gamers. For 10 000 rubles user waits for the sound in the 7.1 format, support headphone impedance of 600 ohms, a special mode "Scout", enhancing the environment in the games, and flight of fancy in creating their audio circuits due to the large number of inputs and outputs.
Appearance
SBX G5 comes in a small black box from the cardboard. In a detailed study of it, you can get a general idea of the appearance of the sound card and its specifications.
It draws attention to the statement on the multi-platform: PC promised support, Mac, Android, iOS, PS4 and Xbox One. Inside the velvet on the pedestal itself is the heroine of the review, and if you dig a little deeper, you'll find also Mini Toslink optical cable (1 m long), the microUSB cable (1 m length), and documentation. A little saddens absence inside a carrying case and a mini-jack cable.
All diverse stuffing, comprising a sound processor SB-Axx1, DAC Cirrus Logic CS4398, Cirrus Logic CS5361 ADC and Amplifier Texas Instruments TPA6120A2, able to fit in a comfortable compact body size of 110 × 74 × 22 mm and weighing 145 g In cross section, it is a hexagon and made of various types of plastic, some of which appear as metal.
Bottom plate is made of a velvety polyurethane, provide a stable position on the table. Unfortunately, the surface quite quickly collects fingerprints. Top - logo in the shape of the letter «X», highlighted in red when power is applied.
The front panel has volume control wheel rim also glows red when power is applied, with its brightness depends on the volume. When you press the control mode is activated, "Silent". There is disposed, and two 3.5-mm output: one - chetyrohpinovy intended for a headset; the second can only connect a microphone. That is, the card can be connected at the same time two microphones, it is more logical, however, would look to support two pairs of headphones.
On the rear panel there are several connectors: Combined (linear or optical) 3,5-millimeter input and output, a full USB-port, Designed to connect headsets, mice or keyboards, as well as microUSB, used to connect the card to a computer or to an external battery.
On one of the side panels rendered three controls: a power key mode Scout Mode, switch button profiles and lever, the switching gain mode with low resistance headphones with an impedance of 32 to 159 ohms impedance in high resistance of 150 to 600 ohms.
Capabilities
Like any respecting the gaming unit, the potential SBX G5 is revealed only after installing the software. Pleased that the utility to configure and drivers here are united and have installed only one file, downloaded from the official site. Program BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro offers a wide range of settings and at the same time easy to learn.
Tab "Profile" allows one-click to select the preset settings for many popular games (Dota 2, Counter-Strike, The Witcher 3, League of Legends, and so on) or write down your three custom Profile. Importantly, the presets stored in the memory card that makes it possible to use the settings you selected on all other devices, including consoles and mobile gadgets.
In the Acoustic Engine manually configured five different effects:
- Surround - simulated surround sound;
- Crystalizer - brand effect Uluchay sound;
- Bass - makes lower frequencies softer or calls;
- Smart Volume - aligns the frequency of low-quality audio recordings;
- Dialog Plus - enhances the voices in movies and vocals.
The selected settings can be immediately tested on three demos (game, movie, music).
"Equalizer" allows you to set up expected in 11 frequency bands, the oscillation amplitude. You can either select a pre-prescribed presets, and configure everything manually.
The next section includes a mode Scout Mode - a special effect, enhancing the volume and mutes the steps environments in the games, allowing you to hear the enemy from afar. Activate it, you can click on the map or assign a hot key on the keyboard. Sounds nice and even quite a work, only in this case is much worse the rest of the sound quality.
VoiceFX tab includes another proprietary piece Creative, allowing you to change the voice in a game or in to Skype. There are a number of preset options from the demon and orc to the child and the robot, as well as the ability to customize the voice by hand.
Finally, the sub-menu "Advanced Settings" offers to choose the type of equipment and adjust the volume of each speaker or the connected device.
If you spend half an hour of his time, it is possible to significantly improve the playback quality on any acoustics. Built DAC is able to simulate surround sound 7.1 or 5.1 even with cheap columns. Almost magical effect is Crystalizer, which adds depth to the sound, is discernible every instrument in tune, leaving spurious noise. In the games, too, everything becomes much more fun: the sounds and noises sharper, moves and shots better positioned. Sound becomes an integral part of gameplay.
The main problem SBX G5 is the lack of built-in battery, so it can only work when connected directly to the power supply. In the case of consoles is more tolerant: the sound is transmitted to the card via an optical cable, is powered via USB-port, headphones are inserted directly into the sound card through a mini-jack, and the columns are connected in AUX or the optical exit. Use the map is used to select pre-configured on a PC preset, but correct SBX G5 settings in real-time has not come.
Everything is much worse is the situation with mobile devices. Yes, the card, as promised, and supports devices on Android, and iOS. But to get the sound from the phone-level Hi-Fi-player, you need the phone itself, a sound card, external battery, headphones, the cable connecting the card with the phone, and the power cable to the battery. As a result, the whole structure into a pocket will not put. Call such a system of mobile no longer turn the language.
Also, for someone can be a disappointment at the lack jack-inputs for studio headphones. It is doubly insulting is due to the fact that the card is fully stretched to their impedance.
SBX G5 supports 24-bit audio stream with a sampling frequency of 192 kHz. The sound quality of the output is significantly superior to any built-in solution on a motherboard audio chip and consoles. Map is able to make the most of almost any audio, so unexpectedly good sound goes from even the most cheap headphones and speakers. Additional gamer chips and fine tuning only add pluses in the piggy bank cards.
Unlike traditional sound cards, SBX G5 can take with you to listen to good music, for example, at work, or bring it to the other and hack to death in PS4 with a cool sound. Finally, it can be connected to a notebook in which the internal card, no matter how hard you try not to get paste.
Output
Creative Sound BlasterX G5 - a perfect solution not only for any self-respecting gamer, but also for lovers of good music and cinema. The main advantage of the card is that now do not need to spend money on dorogushchuju acoustics: SBX G5 displays decent sound even from the cheap speakers.
The advantages include flexibility and connectivity, high-quality software and gamer chips. Due to its mobility, the card is not tied to a single computer and can work well in a pair with a laptop or console.
Of course, there is no built-in battery, which makes it difficult to work with mobile devices, but at the same Creative has a similar solution with battery. However, and this card is worth twice as much.