Creative Sound Blaster E3 Headphone Amplifier

 
    Ergonomically speaking, the E3 does everything right. Made of a very durable plastic, the body is seamless and screw-less and feels very solid in my hand. Measuring just over 2.5” long and less than 1” thick the E3 is small enough for it to not be cumbersome, yet large enough that the controls don’t feel cramped. The buttons are easy to press yet stiff enough that one can’t accidentally press which may be an issue for users with larger fingers. On the plus side, only one button can operate at a time as well. At 44 grams, the E3 is so light that regardless if you have the device in your hand, or clipped on to your person, it feels virtually weightless.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Software
 
    It wouldn’t be a SoundBlaster without the inclusion of a (downloadable) software suite. The E3 includes SBX Pro Studio for both Windows and OS X! This is literally the first time a full system-sound software suite has been available for OS X that mirrors it’s Windows counterpart; A super big awesome fantastic kudos to Creative for making the E3’s capabilities and functionality, both hardware and software, identical on both platforms.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Connectivity/Versatility
 
    The E3 has all the bases covered when it comes to how you want to connect the device. Line in, microUSB, USB OTG, Dual headphone out, and Bluetooth. Here is the breakdown: 
 
3.5mm line-in - For devices with only a 3.5mm headphone or line out jack. The E3 acts as an amplifier. For optimum results, the sound of the source device should be set to 80-90% to avoid potential clipping. Alternatively, if the player supports the feature, decreasing the pre-amp by -3dB will suffice.
 
USB OTG - For use with (most) Android and iOS devices (iOS 7 or better). The E3 acts as both an amplifier and DAC, delivering full uncompressed 112dB SNR audio at 24-bit/48KHz. Volume (exclusive) and controls are handled through the E3. Because this method bypasses the source device’s amp/DAC, there is no need to adjust the output volume (or gain). In fact, changing the volume on the source does nothing.
 
Micro USB - For use with a PC via USB. The E3 acts as both an amplifier and DAC supporting up to 96KHz at 24-bit. The volume is controlled by the system or application. As well, the E3’s built in microphone can be used by the system capable of delivering 24-bit/48KHz quality.
 
Bluetooth - For use with any Bluetooth 2.1 EDR capable device such as a laptop, game console, or smart device. Pairing is very simple and can be handled one of two ways; Discovery or Near Field Communication (NFC). For Discovery mode, go into the device’s Bluetooth options and click on SoundBlaster E3. Once the device is paired it will be forever remembered which makes it easy to simply turn on the E3 and press play for instant music. For devices with NFC it could not be made more simple; Place the device next to the E3 and presto, you are good to go! When using the E3 via Bluetooth, the sound is truncated to 16-bit/44KHz CD quality.
 
Dual Headphones - Perhaps one of the most underrated features, and incredibly handy. Want to share your music with a friend, no problem! Sync the E3 via Bluetooth and have the kids share a Tablet with headphones. How about easily being able to A/B two pairs of headphones!? Unlike other devices with dual headphone outputs, there is no reduced quality or power when two headphones are plugged in.
 
Bluetooth Receiver - This feature is not specifically listed, but I thought I would include it because it is so very useful. Hook the E3 up to a Home Theatre receiver, car stereo AUX in, or self-powered speakers and you instantly have a Bluetooth streaming system controlled through your smart device or PC!
 
 
Performance
 
First Impressions - When I initially connected my 6th Gen iPod Touch via the OTG cable paired with my Sennheiser HD598, I was blown away with the enhanced sound quality. No iDevice can properly power anything higher than 32Ohms, but paired with the E3 the 50Ohm HD598 came alive! Bass was tight, mids were smooth, and treble was detailed. Whether it was pounding electronica or a classic Telarc recording, nothing was lacking. Compared to my iPod, or onboard Realtek 898 (110dB SNR, 600Ohm), the E3 has not only loads of power, but a significant gain in sound quality. Having owned virtually every top-mid tiered sound card by Creative and ASUS, I must say the USB E3 easily is on par with it’s PCI counterpart. While the E3 can’t touch my Teac UD-H01 in terms of overall resolve, it certainly powered my beyerdynamic T 70 250Ohm quite a bit better.
 
Bass - Tight, fast, powerful, robust, the bass is almost a show stealer. For such a small IC driven cap-less device the bass, both quality and quantity, simply put is impressive. The bass is not boosted, however the sound is so clean and bloat free that one can easily make the mistake. Extension is perfectly flat with no premature roll-off, although I do suspect there is a low-pass filter at around 20Hz. 
 
Midrange - Smooth and full bodied like a perfectly brewed java. Male and female vocals have great body and extension, never sounding peaky or distant. Instruments have wonderful timbre, sounding energetic and life-like. Overall, the midrange is perfectly flat, being neither forward nor recessed.
 
Treble - Sweet with fantastic extension yet never fatiguing! The micro-details are easily discernible, yet there is absolutely zero accentuation of the sibilance. Vocals are given subtle breath, brass has vigorous bite, bells ring with sparkle and shine while cymbals crash and splash in an explosion of crisp sound. While I do detect a slight high-shelf boost at around 11KHz, it is small (maybe +0.5dB) and does not add any harshness.
 
Sound Stage -  Decent and slightly above average. Instrument separation is great with nothing sounding congested; Individual notes and vocals came across with great clarity and detail. 3D space is pretty even; left/right (X), top/bottom (Y), and front/behind (Z) are all equal distance from the centre focal point. Overall, the soundstage is more focused rather than expansive. It’s as if the E3’s sound favours more of a (slight) cross-feed effect rather a surround effect. 
 
One thing to note: When using the E3 in Bluetooth mode vs USB or line-in, the soundstage does diminish slightly making the music sound a touch warm. Depending on your headphones, you may not even notice. 
 
Transients - One word; Impressive! The MAX97220 amplifier does not use capacitor filters, yet the chip is able to handle the most dynamic of passages with ease, free of any distortion. Whether a percussion heavy track, an action scene from a Hollywood Blockbuster, or an intense match in Call of Duty, the sound is fast, powerful, and dynamic, never struggling or sounding dull!
 
Transparency - As clear and clean as a freshly washed pane of glass. Vocals and instruments alike are rendered with great precision and well textured with no hint of grain. 112dB SNR is quite accurate and apparent as the E3’s transparency is on part with higher end DAC/amps I have heard.
 
EMI/RFI/Jitter - None, zip, zilch, zero, just a perfect black background. While the E3 is only a USB 1.1 device with no async, the PIC32MX USB controller is 32-bit RISC based and can handle anything that is thrown at it. When connected to a PC’s USB port, any port, I detected no internal interference; No hum, no clicks or pops, no jitter or stuttering, just a silent black background. As someone who has owned many USB audio dongles/sticks that are bus powered, I can say from experience that virtually all of them (despite some that feature USB EMI shielding) had some sort of issue; Not so with the E3!
 
Bluetooth - Performance is perfect! I had no trouble walking around my house and regardless of how many walls or levels separated the E3 from my iPod, the connection was constant and the sound quality was crystal clear. No matter how close I got to the power outlets, the microwave, the WiFi router, or cordless phone I detected absolutely no interference or hick-ups.
 
Power Output - The E3 is rated to a max 600 Ohm, far beyond the 250 Ohm I can test up to. I can tell you that the E3 had no problems in regards to volume for my beyerdynamic T 70 250 Ohm, enabling the headphones to reach deafening levels. The lowest impedance headphones in my inventory are the Sennheiser Momentums at 16 Ohms. Needless to say the E3 had more than enough power with a perfect black background. The stock Apple EarPods definitely sounded great when paired with the E3, again with a perfect black background and no audible hiss.
 
Microphone -  Very good sound quality regardless of USB or Bluetooth. Calls made via WiFi came across very clear and natural. I will note though, the mic is very sensitive so if you are using it in a noisy environment, it may pick up distant sounds.
 
Battery Life - Very close to what is listed. Approximately 7-8 hours Bluetooth, 15-17 hours amp.
 
 
Closing Comments
 
    The term ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ perfectly describes the functionality of the SoundBlaster E3. For a first attempt into the fast growing portable headphone DAC/amp market, Creative managed to out-do the competition with a powerful, great sounding, feature rich on-the-go device at a price of $130. Performance wise based on sound alone, the E3 hold it’s own in the sub $200 category. With the inclusion of Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, dual headphone output, built in microphone, Windows/OS X compatibility, OTG USB connectivity, small size and light weight, and an impressive 112dB SNR, the SoundBlaster E3 is a large cut above the competition. While there are portable DAC/amps that offer greater resolve and performance (i.e. SoundBlaster E5,Teac HA-P50), it is not by much and nowhere near the price point of the E3. My only complaint is that Creative forgot to add an active noise cancellation (ANC), which would have made the E3 perfect!
 
    Overall I am quite happy with my purchase of the SoundBlaster E3. Those who know me here at Head-fi know that I am the type who always voices my open and honest opinion, yet out of all the gear I own I only have done two other reviews. The reason for this is simple; Two criteria need to be met. The first being the product has to be an absolute incredible value for the performance. The second is that the product needs far greater attention. The SoundBlaster E3 fits both criteria to the letter. Simply put, you will not find such a high quality sounding and performing device as feature rich and low price as you will with the E3. If the current E-series is an indication of the direction Creative is heading in the future, their next offerings will be a sight (sound?) to behold!