

Creative came a long way with this device. Many will not realize the improvement in sound quality until they actually plug this device in and hear for themselves. I think the main feature to highlight is the fact that you can use across different platforms(PC,Consoles,My Android phone w/ usb adapter). This device will boost the sound quality and sound level for sure. I would recommend this purchase to all gamers and audiophiles.


Coming from years of using audio cards (PCI & USB) utilizing C-Media chips i can say this is an upgrade. The C-media were always plenty loud to drive high impudence headphones and sound quality was great but i could not tweak the EQ too much because i would get sound clipping, the amps on the chips were simply not able to handle much more headroom. This sound blaster has the head room and the volume. After installing the driver \ software from creative site you get options for bass boost, virtual surround effect, sound enhancement (works well with music and movies alike) and Equalizer. The software also includes a toggle switch between low impudence and high impudence headphones (Large driver headphone usually equal high impedance which requires more power for the sound card to push through). The sound maintains clarity even when tweaking the Equalizer although i found that out of the box i only needed a light boost at the 16k and 60hz (old ears). The mids are perfectly tuned for my taste with plenty of bite, presence and clarity. Your experience may vary depending n the headphones you use.

got it to replace a USB dac that kept having connectivity issues. being on the board this is more reliable and does the job as being an rca line out to an headphone amp

I brought this because my mother board sound card was dying and was unable to install an internal card due to my graphics card being mounted vertically in my case preventing access to the card slots. This little device was easy to connect and use having noticeably better sound quality than the original mother board audio before it developed issues.


Comes with low profile bracket. Sound is great compared to onboard sound component.

I was looking for a DAC for my Lenovo laptop that only decodes digital audio in 16 bit 32KHz. This decodes Digital Audio at 24 bit 96KHz. In high bit rate audio the difference in the sound can be noticed. The audio does not sound garbled like it does with the 16 bit audio that the laptop can produce. The audio sounds a lot crispr and fuller with cheap pair of speakers that I tested it with. Sounds great for a 3+3 watt speaker configuration power from a power bank. 24 bit audio is noticeable on anything. I would recommend this product. This is for 2 channel audio only. It is great for its intended purpose. If you have a old stereo and a laptop, buy this, or for a 2 or 2.1 set of PC speakers and you want to hear clear and rich audio, buy this product. Just plug into the USB port and let Windows install it's driver and it will work a few seconds later.

Sound quality. Great sound processing. Control and convenience.

Sound Quality Build Quality Portable