[Evshrug]

Opa 827 just arrived. Placebo or not they do seem to give more body to the HD700. Jambi (Tool) now sounds as good as I remembered. 

Cool to see another user with the HD700 + X7 combo, I think I've seen like four others do that. It's how I primarily used mine, till I basically looked at my 10+ headphones and decided that the HD700 was the one I should pass along. Body was a strength with the HD700 already IMO, but the OPA 827 might be good with my AKG's that are naturally more "airy" than "full-bodied." I keep telling myself to buy some Tool.

Can I connect a PS4 to the soundblaster while a PC is connected and output both the PC and PS4s audio?

Yes, and the Mixer panel will allow you to adjust the mix of volume from each source. Once I was playing PS4 (very casual, grind-y game), listening to music on my phone, and Steam voice calling a friend all at once. The only thing is that a phone call takes over all audio, FYI, although that did make it easier to talk on the call

Btw, LucasCL from Creative Labs recently mentioned that the X7's control panel software is getting an update, separating headphone and speaker calibrations and a few other things of polish (yay!). Continued polishing effort is always appreciated.

 

[Evshrug]

Hey earfonia, khtse,

yes, there will be an updated Sound Blaster X7 control panel being released soon. We are in the final stages of testing and it should be released to public by mid-April

And regarding your above questions:

1. The new software update will fix this issue.

2. This seems like a software bug to me. I have feedback this to the X7 team and will keep you guys posted if I have an update.

3. This should be fixed when (1) and (2) are fixed.

Cheers,
Lucas

And posting this here in the general X7 thread from an X7 review, so that more people will see it:

Hey guys, we are having an exclusive Head-Fi promo code for the Sound Blaster X7 and X7 Limited Edition in conjunction with our participation at CanJam SoCal 2015.

U$100 off Sound Blaster X7 and X7 Limited Edition
Use code "SBX7CAN"

Learn more about the Sound Blaster X7: http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x7

Please note that this promo code is only valid for purchases through http://us.creative.com/ and is for US only. Also, coupon code is only valid till March 31, 2015.

If you guys have any questions, I will be here to answer them

 

[Yethal]

Btw, LucasCL from Creative Labs recently mentioned that the X7's control panel software is getting an update, separating headphone and speaker calibrations and a few other things of polish (yay!). Continued polishing effort is always appreciated.

Any ETA on the update?

 

[Evshrug]

Looking into my crystal ball, I'd predict mid-April.
Time will tell if I guessed correctly *sage nods*


Also, while I feel earfonia made an excellent review and he is excellent to provide additional testing and advice, I did want to move some more general feedback and news to this more general impressions thread.

 

[Stephan]

I just got an X7 the other day, bought it with the $100 off CanJam coupon, so far I'm really liking it. I'm using it for my desktop headphone dac/amp and also to drive my Centrance Masterclass desktop monitors. So far it sounds great with my HD650's and X1's, I haven't really done any critical listening yet but it seems to be serious bang for the buck.

 

[inseconds99]

New Firmware released today:

This download contains an updated firmware for Sound Blaster® X7. For more details, read the rest of this web release note.

This download supports and is applicable for the following hardware:

Sound Blaster X7
What's New:

Added support for the E-MU XM7 passive speakers
Independent master volume setting for headphones and speaker
Supports volume control of Optical Out in standalone mode
Fixes:

Fixed USB audio playback issue on certain system
Fixed noise issue when Bluetooth® is connected and not streaming
Fixed soft audio output issue on internal mic
Fixed audio switching issue between headphones and speaker
Prevents speaker calibration from affecting headphones

 

[Yethal]

I wonder if the speakers are any good. I'd gladly upgrade from Thomsons that long time ago were part of a cd player.

 

[Evshrug]

Since creative's new speakers are passive, I wonder what "support" was added for them? Maybe an EQ setting.

Regardless, the separate headphone and speaker volumes are a good thing, and so are updates in general

 

[Yethal]

Probably just a good-looking bullet point, because apart from that there weren't many new features.

I also sent an email to Creative rep asking whether they have spare Recon 3d USB extension cables (they would allow pretty painless voicechat on consoles). If they have any spares maybe they could start bundling them with the X7 and finally add "full console support" to the bullet list.

 

[shuto77]

@evshrug: (Very late) Update on playing audio files using the X7 w/ my HTC One M8. After all three pieces in the chain received firmware updates (the phone, the soundblaster, and the Android app), I can successfully play my collection of FLAC files thru the X7 when connected via USB.

As a budding Head-Fier, I'm curious to see how much of a difference I can tell between playing FLAC files directly from phone (unamped) to my AKG K7XX, versus passing thru to the X7'S DAC.

 

[PacoTaco]

Most phones don't supply enough power (or current in this case) to power a K7XX. How severe the lack of amperes are is another question, but expect it to sound different. The AKG is one of those low impedance dynamic headphones that people go straight to "you need an amp with it" if you ask them advice. And they're not wrong.

 

[shuto77]

Most phones don't supply enough power (or current in this case) to power a K7XX. How severe the lack of amperes are is another question, but expect it to sound different. The AKG is one of those low impedance dynamic headphones that people go straight to "you need an amp with it" if you ask them advice. And they're not wrong.

Yes, PacoTaco, you're correct. This is an easy test for an inexperienced audiophile to see which setup sounds better. Clearly, the X7 is miles ahead of the phone lousy DAC. My issue before is that my phone's USB port wasn't playing nicely with the X7,so I wasn't able to play the files "straight" from the X7, until now.

 

[shuto77]

Hey, newb question for everyone: what's the cleanest way to get audio files to play on an X7? My laptop is beat, so having that plugged in all the time isn't an option.

I'm leaning towards picking up the new Fiio x3 gen2 to use on-the-go, then connect it to the X7 via USB or coax. Is there a better way?

 

[Yethal]

Hey, newb question for everyone: what's the cleanest way to get audio files to play on an X7? My laptop is beat, so having that plugged in all the time isn't an option.

I'm leaning towards picking up the new Fiio x3 gen2 to use on-the-go, then connect it to the X7 via USB or coax. Is there a better way?

Plug the X7 via USB to the PC and be done with it.
 
Creative rep got back to me. Unfortunately they do not have the Recon 3d extension cables in stock, however they did promise to pass the idea of using these cables for console voice chat to another department "to look at it"

 

[Pokey77]

Another newb question here: I just purchased an X7 and had it delivered a few weeks ago. Saw it at the CanJam last month and it sounded great so I took a chance. I bought it for desktop use as my headphone amp.
 
So my problem is that I cannot get the X7 app to install on my computer. I downloaded the program as directed on line and have been frustrated ever since. The X7 plays music so I'm half way there but I cannot use the app and I really like the fact that it is basically a set of tone controls and I'd really like to have that functionality too. I have dealt with Creative's tech help a number of times but to no resolve; uninstalled the program and got the same results when I downloaded it again. I took screen shots of items they wanted to see but none of their suggestions worked in the end. They say it should just install, but for me, it is not just installing. When looking at my installed devices via the Control Panel in Windows7, if the X7 is turned off there is no X7 device shown, it only shows up when the front panel switch is clicked on. But when looking at the Control Panel there are two other sound drivers, which I've deactivated in an effort to get the X7 going - they are "Intel (R) Display Audio" and "Realtek High Definition Audio". These extra drivers may be my problem but I'm not really sure. Anyone have my problem and get it resolved? I'd really appreciate any help you can provide...