what you have now is pretty decent but the 2.1 system corsair has out gets pretty good reviews and mind be a worthwhile upgrade. Quite a bit louder and likely just a bit more refined than pc speakers. if europe for 100gbp ($168) you can get a pair of wharfdale diamond 10.0 and a stereo amp with there rest for about $200 not counting shipping. Not sure where you live and speaker brands differ by area. (Assuming you have cash left over.) But if you'd rather get clear audio at a fraction of the price, consider a complete solution, like a sound bar or a 5.1 speaker system instead.You could buy some bookshelf speakers and a stereo amplifier to hook up. If you're a gamer who loves the sound of a game more than its graphics, the X7 should be your first upgrade after you've built that new gaming rig.

Plus, bringing the X7 to its fullest potential requires at least mildly powerful bookshelf speakers, adding even more to the already expensive asking price. That said, for the gaming audience, 400 smackers is nothing to sneeze at – more than even the PS4 or Xbox One. And, considering the X7 combines a DAC, Bluetooth receiver, amplifier and headphone amp into a single box, it's sure to save you space on the shelf. It's clear that the X7 is packed with more features than were ever possible in a standard sound card. Final verdictĪt its best, the X7 can be used in conjunction with rock-solid bookshelf speakers or full 5.1, home-theater-in-a-box systems and noticeably improve your experience.

Overall, the software is functional, easy-to-use and fairly quick to setup. With Creative's software, you can manually change your speaker setup, run some quick diagnostic checks and turn on Scout Mode – an effect that amplifies footsteps in first-person shooters – as well as mess around with the X7's equalizer. The X7's desktop app is a little cleaner than most, and the mobile apps are easy to use. If you've used a Creative piece of hardware in the last few years you'll no doubt be familiar with Creative's line of Sound Blaster control center apps for PC, Mac, iOS and Android. Each time, the music sounded better through the amp than it did coming directly through my phone, but the difference in most cases was minimal. I went on to test the X7 with a sound bar, a pair of bookshelf speakers, Klipsch earbuds and Beats Studio Wireless headphones. Sadly the X7 can't do much for the cheapo pair of 5W Logitech speakers you get with the purchase of a new PC. Ultimately, your experience with the X7 will depend on what speakers you're willing to shell out for. When I switched to something a little more plausible, like the Razer Leviathan sound bar, the difference in sound quality was less pronounced. Admittedly, the best-sounding setup I had while testing the X7 was when I was using a pair of ultra-fine Cambridge SoundWorks speakers lent to TechRadar by Creative.

Sound blaster x7 limited edition