Creative Sound BlasterX G1 7.1 Portable HD Gaming USB DAC and Sound Card (70SB171000000)

I recently threw out a 20 year old desktop computer and replaced it with a mini pc, which I am very happy with. I keptthe small Bose pc speakers as they have always been very good.. However, I thought I might upgrade them too. After looking at speakers and then looking at external sound cards I chose this item. It is excellent. Clear, crisp sound and good bass with full all around sound. A very good improvement. I use it in the garage where I exercise. I will probably buy another one for my indoor computer.

I'm going to state why I was looking for a sound card in the first place. The onboard sound on my motherboard just isn't that great. The Realtek ACL892 is crap. The native drivers in Windows want to run in 7.1 surround, even when you have a 2-speaker headset plugged in. I had to force install the Realtek drivers ("Windows has detected your current driver may be a better match" my ass...) just to get it to work as plain 2-speaker and not try and do surround sound in games, just to have audio cut out.I play Day-Z with my friends. I also like to play first-person games like the new Wolfenstein series. The worse thing in the world is to turn, in-game, and have the sounds to your back/side just disappear entirely or end up as a flat, lifeless audio. So I was goign to get one of Creative's PCI-e cards to have better control over whether it is or is not surround and have a card that can actually handle it.That's when I came across this little beauty. It was a good chunk less than the cards, and when paired with the Sound Blaster H5 headset, enabled virtual 7.1 surround in a "made for each other" type mode. I can tell you it's made a huge difference. I was blown away the first time I opened up Day-Z. Even my friends said my voice is much clearer now, and man can I hear a difference now than before. I turned off the onboard sound, it's redundant at this point. I was skeptical at first, having had a USB audio device in the past, but man has this adaptor changed my mind. If you're considering this and are hesitating, just get it. You'll be happy you did.

At the sale price, this is an absolutely amazing piece of technology. It simply works, does what it says, unlocks some basic audio tuning, and vastly outperforms the onboard audio on my outdated but not low-end motherboard.The dongle itself is constructed of the usual materials, only setting itself apart with the red "X" that lights up while plugged in. It is alarmingly light, but don't let it deter you from the quality of sound it outputs. I'm no audiophile; I'm sure this leaves something to be desired for the hardcore aficionados of sound, but even my average ears picked up the increase in richness, deeper lows and sharper highs.The accompanying software is bare but functional, my preference for software, and seems to work well. It even has a voice effects feature for your microphone that seems more of an afterthought than a genuine tool but the novelty is worth noting. The EQ works well and the different audio effects do impact the sound in noticeable ways. I am not keen on the virtual 5.1 or 7.1 sound features but I also do not have headphones that even pretend to offer surround features.Connecting to Discord my friends immediately noted how much better my voice sounded and I was also able to get more volume out of the headset itself on the call. Listening to music went from pleasent to engaging, both the increased volume and the broader range of sound brought more to my usual playlists. Gaming is improved too: things sound more genuine and details are preserved, worlds sound more alive and I can pick out audio queues much quicker. The scout mode that's advertised went untested for me, I couldn't get the hotkeys to work and I didn't like the sound of keeping it enabled, however it was functional in the tests I tried with it on. It feels more like a specifically tuned EQ setting more than anything.Overall, this is absolutely hands down a win for me, and I recommend it strongly to anyone looking for improved audio on any system. I'm sure you could pair a high end sound card with a quality amp and get some mind blowing sound, but for someone who just wants sounds to sound like they ought to, this is it, especially for the price.

First off, let's talk about the pros. The Sound BlasterX G1 is small and compact, making it convenient to carry around. Its build quality is solid, and it feels durable enough to withstand regular use or the occasional bang against the desk.The 7.1 Surround sound works exceptionally well, and I can now pinpoint the location of footsteps and other audio cues in games with remarkable precision. This level of immersion was unexpected, especially considering the modest price point of my headphones I am using at $20 (Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones)However, there are a couple of drawbacks that need to be addressed. Initially, I found the volume to be disappointingly quiet straight out of the box. To fix this, I had to download additional software from the Creative Audio website. It would have been more convenient if this software came bundled or if the device was pre-configured.For those who encounter similar volume issues, install the BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro software, and X-Plus Configurator (G1) software after. When installing the configurator select "General". The sound card uses the default Playstation config, which is quieter by default and selecting General will override that profile and things will be louder... MUCH louder.In conclusion, despite the initial volume issue, the Sound BlasterX G1 delivers impressive sound enhancement capabilities for the price.If you're willing to invest a little time into setting it up properly, you'll be rewarded with a vastly improved audio experience.