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gregbny
1
May 31, 2015
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Evshrug
3772
Community
May 31, 2015
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gregbnywoah, car batteries? How do you even connect that, do you need an inverter or transformer or something?
Like it or not, USB and toslink won out on most common sources, only esoteric or antique stuff uses S/PDIF RCA anymore. The X7 was designed to connect to PC motherboards (USB or Optical), Game Consoles (Optical), and smart devices (USB host mode and Bluetooth). Sure, you can use the X7 for music, but it's competitive advantage is in its gaming and movie prowess. Next level up would be a Smyth Realizer or Beyerdynamic Headzone, quite a bit more expensive dedication required for those.
Lateralus
290
May 31, 2015
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gregbnyAnd despite all of that, opinions of this unit are generally very positive. If people bought them for $399 and recommend them, then I'm definitely in at $299, if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe do some op-amp rolling or something. I don't expect it to be the heavyweight knockout of audio gear, but something about it appeals to me. New gadgets are fun. :)
Lateralus
290
May 31, 2015
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EvshrugIt's true, the Headzone is a much more expensive product. But it might be worth it...I mean, look at how much this guy is enjoying it:
crainger
314
Keyboard Club Member
Jun 1, 2015
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EvshrugThe Headzone only decodes 5.1, and converts to headphone surround. If you are PC gaming you'll need to convert to 5.1 using DDL or DTS Connect, via hardware or software. Even then Creatives CMSS for headphones is the best Binaural gaming solution I've used.
Evshrug
3772
Community
Jun 1, 2015
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craingerI agree, simulating a few home theater speakers is a limiting and – for live gaming – unnessessary intermediary step, and Creative's processing has the potential to have much more 3D positioning (though it lacks the Headzone's "head tracking" feature). Theoretically, the more expensive Headzone ought to have a nicer DAC/amp, but I find Creative's surround processing to be very good, and the X7's DAC/amp is quite fine.
gregbny
1
Jun 1, 2015
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bookOn most audio products, sound quality is heavily related to the power supply. A good power supply can greatly improve jitter of the USB interface, noise floor of the dac and also power & stability of the amp.
Even Creative offers a pricey power supply upgrade for this product (even if it’s still a smps).
Batteries can be a cheap way to have a perfect power supply with high amp draw and very limited noise and ripple. I cannot certify it will be magical but I think it should be at least as good as the Creative power supply upgrade and it’s definitely worth a try.
Even Creative offers a pricey power supply upgrade for this product (even if it’s still a smps).
Batteries can be a cheap way to have a perfect power supply with high amp draw and very limited noise and ripple. I cannot certify it will be magical but I think it should be at least as good as the Creative power supply upgrade and it’s definitely worth a try.
gregbny
1
Jun 1, 2015
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bookYou can also go further and make a diy USB cable with it’s own 5v power supply or 5v battery. USB supply form most computer is pure crap (lots of jitter).
If the USB chip inside the Creative is a good one, I guarantee you’ll hear the difference.
But as the previous post, it's lots of DIY work and it can be painfull to manage many batteries charging everywhere. It won't interest lots of people.
But as the previous post, it's lots of DIY work and it can be painfull to manage many batteries charging everywhere. It won't interest lots of people.
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Such a weird product, there's even a tiny speaker amp in it. And price is so cheap. That said, people should try to feed it with big batteries (like 2x car battery). It should be like night and day regarding audio quality.