Sound Blaster X3 Hi-Res 7.1 External USB DAC and Amp Sound Card Review

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how far PC audio has come since the days of the first Sound Blaster. Of course, most respectable PC builds come with a decent sound solution built in leaving only the laptop users with no decent option. Today we will be looking at Creative’s solution, the Sound Blaster X3 Hi-Res 7.1 External USB DAC and Amp Sound Card.

The X3 brings Creative’s award winning Super X-Fi technology to any compatible device. That means you can have a high quality external AMP/DAC for your PC, Mac, or even your PlayStation 4.

The Sound Blaster X3 may be the first external USB AMP/DAC to feature the Super X-Fi processing but it is far from a one trick pony.  The X3 supports up to 7.1 discrete surround sound for your speakers and virtually on your favorite pair of headphones.  Windows users will also get Dolby Digital Live support right out of the box.

As with all Creative products, the Sound Blaster X3 punches well beyond its price point when it comes to compatibility and connectivity options. Take a look!

• Weight: 330g
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 129 mm x 40.6 mm
• Dynamic Range (DNR): 115 dB
• Direct Mode: Surround 7.1: PCM 16-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / Surround 7.1: PCM 24-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / Surround 7.1: PCM 32-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / Dolby Digital Live: 16-bit, 48.0 kHz
• Playback Resolution (Stereo): PCM 16-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / PCM 24-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / PCM 32-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz
• Playback Resolution (Optical Out): PCM 16-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / PCM 24-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz
• Recording Resolution: Mic-in: 16-bit/48,0, 96,0, 192,0 kHz / Mic-in: 24-bit / 48,0, 96,0, 192,0 kHz / What-U-Hear: 16-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / What-U-Hear: 24-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / Line-in: 16-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kHz / Line-in: 24-bit, 48.0, 96.0, 192.0 kH
• Connectivity Options (Main): 1 x ?″ Line-in Jack / 1 x ?″ Front-out / 1 x TOSLINK Optical Out / 1 x ?″ Rear Out / 1 x ?″ Center / Sub Out / 1 x 1/8″ Headphone / Headset Jack / 1 x 1/8″ Ext. Mic-in Jack / 1 x ?″ Side Out Jack / 1 x USB Type-C port for PC / Mac
• Headphone Amp: Supported Headphone Impedance: 32Ω - 600Ω / Low Gain: 32 - 149Ω (1.2V RMS @ 32Ω, 1.5V RMS @ 150Ω) / High Gain: 150 - 600Ω (2.3V RMS @ 150Ω, 2.9V RMS @ 600Ω)
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10, Windows® &
• DAC: Dynamic Range (Stereo): 115 dB, THD+N (Stereo): 0.0004%
• ADC: Dynamic Range: 104 dB, THD+N: 0.0017%
• Power: USB Bus Powered, USB-C
• Recommended Usage: Home Entertainment

Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.