Creative Super X-Fi Headphone Amplifier - $60 - AVSForum Best of Cedia 2018

Archaea

Archaea

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Best of CES 2018: Creative Super X-Fi Headphone Technology | AVS Forum

ASR review (SINAD of 108dB - really quite good - well beyond limits of human heard audible distortion) Works for up to 300 Ohm headphones quite well. So Sennheiser HD600 or 650 800, etc. It even has headphone profiles for each, and most popular headphones on the market.
Creative SXFI AMP Review (headphone adapter)

Price is now $60.
Creative SXFI AMP


I was a pre-order purchaser on this. It's been improved significantly since launch (surprisingly) The 3D audio is much better now with the couple years of various updates, you can choose the headphone profile in the app dropdown to match dozens of different popular headphone frequency responses. It has an iPhone, Android, and PC app. Since it's USB driven, you don't have EMI, or noise interference for PC gaming. It supports a Mic/headset as well, and did I mention it's no background noise?

For $60, yes, it has my full recommendation.
 
Just a heads up, I believe this is version 1.0 of Super X-Fi which I have personally never used but I do have the Creative X3 with version 2.0 of Super X-Fi and while I cannot tell you the difference between the two ( there may be none ) this external Creative X3 and it's Super X-Fi is ... incredible. Especially for live music on YouTube. It's something very special. I can constantly blown away.
 
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SixFootDuo said:
Just a heads up, I believe this is version 1.0 of Super X-Fi which I have personally never used but I do have the Creative X3 with version 2.0 of Super X-Fi and while I cannot tell you the difference between the two ( there may be none ) this external Creative X3 and it's Super X-Fi is ... incredible. Especially for live music on YouTube. It's something version special. I can constantly blown away.
Click to expand...

You're talking about "Gen 2" SFXI HRTF. The Super X-fi amp got an update for that like a year and a half ago. The X3 and X4 should sound identical in spatial quality, except for different amplification, bitrates and other stuff that I don't know about since I don't deal with audiophile stuff. I just play video games.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Just a heads up, I believe this is version 1.0 of Super X-Fi which I have personally never used but I do have the Creative X3 with version 2.0 of Super X-Fi and while I cannot tell you the difference between the two ( there may be none ) this external Creative X3 and it's Super X-Fi is ... incredible. Especially for live music on YouTube. It's something version special. I can constantly blown away.
Click to expand...
As a previous owner, can confirm the Creative X3 Super X-Fi is something amazing.. once you get "used" to it and toggle it off to do A-B test, most music and other content sounds so flat and boring! At first it'll sound weird and.... off.. with it turned on., but then it clicks with you

It is NOT an equalizer or filter.
 
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Furious Nerd said:
As a previous owner, can confirm the Creative X3 Super X-Fi is something amazing.. once you get "used" to it and toggle it off to do A-B test, most music and other content sounds so flat and boring! At first it'll sound weird and.... off.. with it turned on., but then it clicks with you

It is NOT an equalizer or filter.
Click to expand...
I don’t know anything about these, but is what you’re talking about like the Crystalizer that they used in the X7 and (IIRC) debuted with the X-Fi lineup of cards?

The audio snobs at places like Head-Fi would invoke capital punishment for speaking of such heresy, but I’ve really enjoyed that in the Creative products I’ve used. With it off, music sounds flatter, muddier, and much less lively and engaging. I don’t care if it’s not unaltered and “true to the source” or whatever, and I don’t want to train my ears to “get used to it”. I know what sounds good to me, even if it’s not “pure”.

People like tube amps for a reason. They color the sound, but that sound often ends up warmer and more fun/lively than it would through a solid state amplifier.
 
I'm not familiar with crystalizer but by what you said I think you'll really love X-Fi. If you want music and movies to sound way better and more dynamic and are not a purist, this is something to experience!

It's like VR but for audio and not in a gimmicky and broken way. I now have a Schiit Modi 3+ DAC and returned the X3, because while X-Fi blew me away, I wanted to stay pure to the sound. All I can say is I miss the X3's X-Fi.. a lot.

Edit: actually the X3 also had a crystalizer mode I played with a bit I remember now. It made the music a bit crisper sounding but didn't wow me. I could take it or leave it, unlike X-Fi. Really, best way to describe it is like VR for your ears
Lateralus said:
I don’t know anything about these, but is what you’re talking about like the Crystalizer that they used in the X7 and (IIRC) debuted with the X-Fi lineup of cards?

The audio snobs at places like Head-Fi would invoke capital punishment for speaking of such heresy, but I’ve really enjoyed that in the Creative products I’ve used. With it off, music sounds flatter, muddier, and much less lively and engaging. I don’t care if it’s not unaltered and “true to the source” or whatever, and I don’t want to train my ears to “get used to it”. I know what sounds good to me, even if it’s not “pure”.

People like tube amps for a reason. They color the sound, but that sound often ends up warmer and more fun/lively than it would through a solid state amplifier.
Click to expand...
 
Lateralus said:
The audio snobs at places like Head-Fi would invoke capital punishment for speaking of such heresy, but I’ve really enjoyed that in the Creative products I’ve used. With it off, music sounds flatter, muddier, and much less lively and engaging. I don’t care if it’s not unaltered and “true to the source” or whatever, and I don’t want to train my ears to “get used to it”. I know what sounds good to me, even if it’s not “pure”.
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The guys on head-fi don't know pure sound if it bit them. They spend a lot of money coloring the sound in all sorts of ways that even the studios don't use. Studios just use some tried and tested headphone monitors for their performers and/or source material and the funny thing is how these are all under $200--Sony MDR7506, AKG K240, Audio Technica ATH-M50. The problem with these headphones is they actually bring out flaws in the source so someone that has 'professional' level hearing won't find them fun for general listening due to their accuracy. Hence any run of the mill 'audiophile' won't get them. Personally, I like hearing the source material flaws and all, so I love mine. You can also catch stuff that was put in the track that most headphones miss.
 
I absolutely love stuff like this. I have more than one FiiO BTR5 - one of which I use in a car for Bluetooth and DAC function for a headunit that isn't exactly for golden-ears.

Great deal.
 
Furious Nerd said:
As a previous owner, can confirm the Creative X3 Super X-Fi is something amazing.. once you get "used" to it and toggle it off to do A-B test, most music and other content sounds so flat and boring! At first it'll sound weird and.... off.. with it turned on., but then it clicks with you

It is NOT an equalizer or filter.
Click to expand...
Why previous?
 
Falkentyne said:
You're talking about "Gen 2" SFXI HRTF. The Super X-fi amp got an update for that like a year and a half ago. The X3 and X4 should sound identical in spatial quality, except for different amplification, bitrates and other stuff that I don't know about since I don't deal with audiophile stuff. I just play video games.
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X4 ???????? LOL WHUUUUUUUUUUT ..... /checks banking account. X3 is so awesome, would not hesitate to buy the new X4 /opens web browser
 
SixFootDuo said:
X4 ???????? LOL WHUUUUUUUUUUT ..... /checks banking account. X3 is so awesome, would not hesitate to buy the new X4 /opens web browser
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I saw that yesterday too and did some googeling, but it seems like X4 isn't really a straight up upgrade over the X3, it sounds more like X3.2 or something - don't remember specifics because they were so small but maybe worth it for you to google and perhaps cancel the X4 and stay with the X3? Up to you but doesn't sound like you'd get better audio from this change

OFaceSIG said:
Why previous?
Click to expand...

The X3 was my first DAC and I didn't know how good it was - while X-Fi blew me away, I wanted to stay pure to the sound, so I returned the X3 within the return period of went with a traditional DAC. All I can say is I miss the X3's X-Fi.. a lot.
 
Furious Nerd said:
The X3 was my first DAC and I didn't know how good it was - while X-Fi blew me away, I wanted to stay pure to the sound, so I returned the X3 within the return period of went with a traditional DAC. All I can say is I miss the X3's X-Fi.. a lot.
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I just bought my x3 refurbed direct from Creative for $80 shipped. They may still have some.
 
HOLY ****... just got it in... The strength of the amp compared to the MOBO is night and day. SBX music mode is worth it alone.
 
XFi on the X3 is incredible. It doesn't sound like the normal "fake" surround sound; it sounds like you're listening to speakers in a room. With my open-back Fidelios I sometimes have to take them off just to check if the sound is coming from the headphones or speakers :LOL:. I keep it enabled 99% of the time.
 
I was excited to get one of these and test out the cool Super X-Fi tech for myself, but I decided to download and read the manual first.

For some insanely stupid reason the manual says they require you to sign up for an app on your phone and sign up for an account in order to create your Super X-Fi profile which is used to determine how the playback is done for best effect.

That pretty much made this a "will not buy under any circumstance" product for me. Same reason I decided against getting the Logitech Harmony. Either it is all local with no linking to the internet or any account, or I want no part of it. There is absolutely no reason what so ever to have these devices be connected or rely on an online account. It is profoundly stupid.

I've requested refunds on games on Steam which once installed wanted me to use their own store/launcher and create an account.

I've had a strict "no new accounts, no new apps" policy for several years now, and I am not about to change it, no matter how amazing a product, software or game is.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
I was excited to get one of these and test out the cool Super X-Fi tech for myself, but I decided to download and read the manual first.

For some insanely stupid reason the manual says they require you to sign up for an app on your phone and sign up for an account in order to create your Super X-Fi profile which is used to determine how the playback is done for best effect.

That pretty much made this a "will not buy under any circumstance" product for me. Same reason I decided against getting the Logitech Harmony. Either it is all local with no linking to the internet or any account, or I want no part of it. There is absolutely no reason what so ever to have these devices be connected or rely on an online account. It is profoundly stupid.

I've requested refunds on games on Steam which once installed wanted me to use their own store/launcher and create an account.

I've had a strict "no new accounts, no new apps" policy for several years now, and I am not about to change it, no matter how amazing a product, software or game is.
Click to expand...
Usually if something requires a sign-up that really shouldn't then I supply it with all fake information and give it my spam email account (usually in this case I also dont even bother remember/writing down the password for this new account).
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I was excited to get one of these and test out the cool Super X-Fi tech for myself, but I decided to download and read the manual first.

For some insanely stupid reason the manual says they require you to sign up for an app on your phone and sign up for an account in order to create your Super X-Fi profile which is used to determine how the playback is done for best effect.

That pretty much made this a "will not buy under any circumstance" product for me. Same reason I decided against getting the Logitech Harmony. Either it is all local with no linking to the internet or any account, or I want no part of it. There is absolutely no reason what so ever to have these devices be connected or rely on an online account. It is profoundly stupid.

I've requested refunds on games on Steam which once installed wanted me to use their own store/launcher and create an account.

I've had a strict "no new accounts, no new apps" policy for several years now, and I am not about to change it, no matter how amazing a product, software or game is.
Click to expand...
Good policy and I can tell you frkm experience the app is not good and no real reason to have it or something that can't be configured on the PC. But you can configure it and then just delete the app and forget about it IIRC.
 
serpretetsky said:
Usually if something requires a sign-up that really shouldn't then I supply it with all fake information and give it my spam email account (usually in this case I also dont even bother remember/writing down the password for this new account).
Click to expand...
You’ll never be assimilated into the collective without a complete head scan in the guise of setting up the device.😉
 
serpretetsky said:
Usually if something requires a sign-up that really shouldn't then I supply it with all fake information and give it my spam email account (usually in this case I also dont even bother remember/writing down the password for this new account).
Click to expand...

Yes. My name is Ibrahim Samitsky. I am 127 years old and I live in Moldova. Here is my head scan. :p
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I was excited to get one of these and test out the cool Super X-Fi tech for myself, but I decided to download and read the manual first.

For some insanely stupid reason the manual says they require you to sign up for an app on your phone and sign up for an account in order to create your Super X-Fi profile which is used to determine how the playback is done for best effect.

That pretty much made this a "will not buy under any circumstance" product for me. Same reason I decided against getting the Logitech Harmony. Either it is all local with no linking to the internet or any account, or I want no part of it. There is absolutely no reason what so ever to have these devices be connected or rely on an online account. It is profoundly stupid.

I've requested refunds on games on Steam which once installed wanted me to use their own store/launcher and create an account.

I've had a strict "no new accounts, no new apps" policy for several years now, and I am not about to change it, no matter how amazing a product, software or game is.
Click to expand...

You remind me of my younger self where ... I had all the rules in the world, I wouldn't do this, I wouldn't do that and it was only after a girlfriend ... rather innocently and nonchalantly said to me "try imprisoning yourself less" ..... and I never asked her to elaborate or said what, etc, I just soaked it in ... I already knew what she meant and from that evening on, anytime I came across one of my "rules" ... I would break it to just see what happened and how I felt and I was surprised that, what I had disliked in the past, even maybe hated ... wasn't so bad. This could have been because I was older, gained wisdom, or maybe somewhere deep inside me were her words rattling around like a set of keys unlocking all of the doors I can slammed shut and locked long ago? ... I dunno.

I used to hate creative bloatware and I'm not a fan of apps in general but, this is a special product with some very impressive tech. This is NOT software trickery or another bs sound filter / EQ, it's honestly some amazing tech. The app is used to take photos of you ear canal so it can match your headsphones to your ear structure / ear canal. I ... LOVE this product .. it's amazing and the music, the sounds, just explode across my brain and I just can't keep saying WOW to myself. Did you know that Creatives XFi tech won best of show at CES in 2018 and 2019 if I am not mistaken?

Try the software .... all you need it for is to take a photo of your ears. Once the photos are captured of your left and right ear, that data is uploaded to the cloud and you can uninstall the app. You never have to use the app again. it doesn't need to reside on your phone. And once you install the Creative X3 or X4 drivers, you login and your ear profile is downloaded to the creative audio drivers without any need for that app.

Also, if there is any wiggle room in your brain and your not angry and annoyed that a stranger would suggest you have a few less rules in your life, then consider just that, having less rules
 
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SixFootDuo said:
You remind me of my younger self where ... I had all the rules in the world, I wouldn't do this, I wouldn't do that and it was only after a girlfriend ... rather innocently and nonchalantly said to me "try imprisoning yourself less" ..... and I never asked her to elaborate or said what, etc, I just soaked it in ... I already knew what she meant and from that evening on, anytime I came across one of my "rules" ... I would break it to just see what happened and how I felt and I was surprised that, what I had disliked in the past, even maybe hated ... wasn't so bad. This could have been because I was older, gained wisdom, or maybe somewhere deep inside me were her words rattling around like a set of keys unlocking all of the doors I can slammed shut and locked long ago? ... I dunno.

I used to hate creative bloatware and I'm not a fan of apps in general but, this is a special product with some very impressive tech. This is NOT software trickery or another bs sound filter / EQ, it's honestly some amazing tech. The app is used to take photos of you ear cancel so it can match your headsphones to your ear structure / ear cancel. I ... LOVE this product .. it's amazing and the music, the sounds, just explode across my brain and I just can't keep saying WOW to myself. Did you know that Creatives XFi tech won best of show at CES in 2018 and 2019 if I am not mistaken?

Try the software .... all you need it for is to take a photo of your ears. Once the photos are captured of your left and right ear, that date is uploaded to the cloud and you can uninstall the app. You never have to use it again. it doesn't need to reside on your phone. And once you install the Creative X3 or X4 drivers, you login and your ear profile is downloaded to creative audio drivers without any need for that app.

Also, if there is any wiggle room in your brain and your not angry and annoyed that a stranger would suggest you have a few less rules in your life, then consider just that, having less rules
Click to expand...

I'm not offended in the slightest. Different people have differing opinions on things, and that is alright.

That said, I think it is extremely important to have principles. Without our principles, what are we really?

If we set aside the things that are really important just so that we can enjoy something, we will almost certainly have a negative impact on ourselves and on the world we live in.

- So what if I'm giving up the freedoms of privacy I hold dear in exchange for trivial devices and services? I really like those trivial devices and services, and I'm happy to let big data get away with figurative murder!

- So what if my shopping at walmart is polaying into their hands in their goal of dropping prices in order to kill small local businesses and then raise prices again once they are gone? I got a cheap cork screw!

- So what I can have cheap electronics because somewhere in China there are slave labor plants with suicide nets so people don't jump off the building? I enjoy my cheap phone!

etc. etc.

Every single choice we make, no matter how trivial it may seem impacts the world around us, and to ignore the impacts or choose to be ignorant of their impacts is harmful not only to ourselves but also to the world. The "just shut up and let me enjoy my things" mentality is really quite harmful.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter what you are buying, your choices have consequences, and as a responsible and decent human being it is your duty to take those into consideration and have rules for what you will do, and what you won't.

Once someone says "to hell with it all, I'm just going to enjoy things as much as I can" they become part of the problem.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I'm not offended in the slightest. Different people have differing opinions on things, and that is alright.

That said, I think it is extremely important to have principles. Without our principles, what are we really?

If we set aside the things that are really important just so that we can enjoy something, we will almost certainly have a negative impact on ourselves and on the world we live in.

- So what if I'm giving up the freedoms of privacy I hold dear in exchange for trivial devices and services? I really like those trivial devices and services, and I'm happy to let big data get away with figurative murder!

- So what if my shopping at walmart is polaying into their hands in their goal of dropping prices in order to kill small local businesses and then raise prices again once they are gone? I got a cheap cork screw!

- So what I can have cheap electronics because somewhere in China there are slave labor plants with suicide nets so people don't jump off the building? I enjoy my cheap phone!

etc. etc.

Every single choice we make, no matter how trivial it may seem impacts the world around us, and to ignore the impacts or choose to be ignorant of their impacts is harmful not only to ourselves but also to the world. The "just shut up and let me enjoy my things" mentality is really quite harmful.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter what you are buying, your choices have consequences, and as a responsible and decent human being it is your duty to take those into consideration and have rules for what you will do, and what you won't.

Once someone says "to hell with it all, I'm just going to enjoy things as much as I can" they become part of the problem.
Click to expand...
I think you may be overthinking something very simple. I don't believe Creative profit from a scan of your ear canal at the cost of Chinese labor human lives.
You can take it a step further and just not buy video games at all - all you're doing is advancing capitalistic interests and getting more poor devs into crunch time and ruining devs lives whereas if we didn't buy games in the first place these devs would have much more peaceful lives and you'd be saving a dev in a random game studio at a random time from a suicide due to crunch stress at some point in their lives... it's a rabbit hole and since you're already almost on the extreme end of it, why not go completely full on and stop using anything at all and live in a field in the middle of nowhere and sustain just yourself? (actually what I would do if I had the skills ;))

tinfoil mode on: I really really doubt that Creative app can accurately scan your ear to amount in any meaningful sound change.. that would be super advanced technology to "customize audio" to fit your ear characteristics.. nothing a dinky smartphone camera can achieve. You'd need thousands of dollars of equipment and a dedicated specialist/engineer. I do think it's just a gimmick and an "excuse" for Creative to get you to install their app for whatever greedy purposes they have.. be it to advertise new products to you in the future through the app or scan your phone for installed games etc so they know where to focus their marketing and R&D. But still, in the grand scheme, personally... have at it Creative, you greedy bastards. Scan my phone.. if that's the cost of entry to Super X-Fi and it's awesome audio.. whatever. OK!

At the end of the day, I just uninstalled the stupid app off my phone after doing their compulsary "ear scan" and everything worked well and didn't have their spyware on my phone.

If you really care about privacy that much, and you have a Google phone (if I were in your shoes and mentality I would definitely not use a smartphone at all. You can live perfectly fine with an old school dumb-phone. I know from experience!), look into installing GrapheneOS or CalyxOS
 
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Furious Nerd said:
I think you may be overthinking something very simple. I don't believe Creative profit from a scan of your ear canal at the cost of Chinese labor human lives.
You can take it a step further and just not buy video games at all - all you're doing is advancing capitalistic interests and getting more poor devs into crunch time and ruining devs lives whereas if we didn't buy games in the first place these devs would have much more peaceful lives and you'd be saving a dev in a random game studio at a random time from a suicide due to crunch stress at some point in their lives... it's a rabbit hole and since you're already almost on the extreme end of it, why not go completely full on and stop using anything at all and live in a field in the middle of nowhere and sustain just yourself? (actually what I would do if I had the skills ;))

tinfoil mode on: I really really doubt that Creative app can accurately scan your ear to amount in any meaningful sound change.. that would be super advanced technology to "customize audio" to fit your ear characteristics.. nothing a dinky smartphone camera can achieve. You'd need thousands of dollars of equipment and a dedicated specialist/engineer. I do think it's just a gimmick and an "excuse" for Creative to get you to install their app for whatever greedy purposes they have.. be it to advertise new products to you in the future through the app or scan your phone for installed games etc so they know where to focus their marketing and R&D. But still, in the grand scheme, personally... have at it Creative, you greedy bastards. Scan my phone.. if that's the cost of entry to Super X-Fi and it's awesome audio.. whatever. OK!

At the end of the day, I just uninstalled the stupid app off my phone after doing their compulsary "ear scan" and everything worked well and didn't have their spyware on my phone.

If you really care about privacy that much, and you have a Google phone (if I were in your shoes and mentality I would definitely not use a smartphone at all. You can live perfectly fine with an old school dumb-phone. I know from experience!), look into installing GrapheneOS or CalyxOS
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This is getting WAY off topic, and I don't want to get the thread closed. I have some thoughts about this along the lines of balancing the exposure of a tech against the benefit it provides, but I'd be happy to continue the conversation on this subject either via PM or in the soapbox if you would like.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
This is getting WAY off topic, and I don't want to get the thread closed. I have some thoughts about this along the lines of balancing the exposure of a tech against the benefit it provides, but I'd be happy to continue the conversation on this subject either via PM or in the soapbox if you would like.
Click to expand...
That could make for a pretty good thread. I’d be interested in reading your thoughts if you do end up putting something in SB.
 
get this X3 or X4, amazing product.

How to win at life? You can never allow yourself to worry if Uncle Same finds out you enjoy watching Big Wet Asses 3 under your covers, or who has your "ear data" and if they will sell your "ear data" on the black market. "Hey ... pssst ... pssst hey buddy, I have some ear fresh pirated "lobes" in? Lobes? Yeah, ear lobes. Got all the newest ones in stock.
 
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SixFootDuo said:
get this X3 or X4, amazing product.

How to win at life? You can never allow yourself to worry if Uncle Same finds out you enjoy watching Big Wet Asses 3 under your covers, or who has your "ear data" and if they will sell your "ear data" on the black market. "Hey ... pssst ... pssst hey buddy, I have some ear fresh pirated "lobes" in? Lobes? Yeah, ear lobes. Got all the newest ones in stock.
Click to expand...

Is X4 any better than X3?
 
There are about the same so the $80 refurb is still a fantastic deal

The differences are very very very minor. Mostly software features and less THD that is something you would never ever hear.
 
Somehow, in ten days, I've gone from 'I rarely use headphones I don't need this at all' to 'damn I really want that X3'...

I don't like the additional app on smartphone rec's. I like Creative Labs soundcards but let's be honest their software has always been bloaty (and used to be difficult to completely eradicate when you wanted to) and I'm reluctant to introduce that to my smartphone.

The thing with the X3 is it's a nice usb soundcard with discreet outputs, headphone amp and a variety of inputs for $80 which seems pretty reasonable even if I didnt use the Super X-Fi.

I'm finding myself really tempted to play around with that X3.

Thx for the thread, Archaea, and thanks for the refurb X3 link, DooLocsta.
 
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