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

Across the top of the unit are the three primary buttons that control the majority of the functionality. An indicator light above each button helps to confirm your current mode/selection.

The Audio Bal button has three functions:

• Green indicates Audio Balance is on
• Red for Mic Input/Monitoring level
• Off indication Mic monitoring is off.

Audio Balancing is a pretty neat feature that lets you adjust the volume of your application against your voice audio to make it easier to hear your teammates. Both will need to be on separate sources.

The Mode button has six options:

• Green for enabling the Super X-Fi Equalizer
• White for Music mode
• Purple for Movie Mode
• Blue for the Footsteps enhancer (Scout Mode)
• Orange for Direct Mode
• Off for disabling the equalizer completely.

The Super X-F button has three modes:

• Green indicates the headphone output has Super X-Fi on
• Orange indicates headphone has Super X-Fi off
• Off indicates you are using a speaker line out.

The Volume knob’s light will also change color to help with functionality:

• Blue indicates you are in playback volume
• Red is for Microphone volume
• Green/Cyan/Orange are used with the audio balancing
• White is for a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection.

Whew! I am really glad I use the software controls but it’s nice to have all that at your fingertips. You might need a quick reference!

Introducing the world's first external USB DAC and Amp sound card to house the Super X-Fi technology, Sound Blaster X3 redefines your movie experience on PC, Mac and even PlayStation 4.

Critically-acclaimed by respected journalists all over the world and garnering 15 CES “Best-of” awards in 2019, the Super X-Fi technology captures the listening experience of a high-end multi-speaker system set up, and recreates the same expansive experience — with the same original depth, detail, realism, and immersiveness — in your headphones. Not simply a 3D surround technology, the power of Super X-Fi lies in its capability to recreate natural, realistic audio holography that matches your hearing profile, to deliver to you a full theatrical experience.

~Source: Creative