---
product_id: 81499865
title: "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095"
brand: "creative"
price: "€ 7.25"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/81499865-creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-surround-5-1-pro-usb
store_origin: CY
region: Cyprus
---

# 5.1 surround sound via Dolby Digital Live Plug & play USB 2.0 bus-powered design SBX Pro Studio for immersive audio tuning Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095

**Brand:** creative
**Price:** € 7.25
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🎧 Elevate your audio game—because your ears deserve the VIP treatment.

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095 by creative
- **How much does it cost?** € 7.25 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.cy](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/81499865-creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-surround-5-1-pro-usb)

## Best For

- creative enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted creative brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Studio-Quality Sound Tailored for You:** SBX Pro Studio technology delivers rich, true-to-source audio for music, movies, and gaming.
- • **Precision Audio Control at Your Fingertips:** Compact IR remote lets you adjust volume and playback from across the room—no need to pause your flow.
- • **Gold-Plated Outputs for Crystal Clear Audio:** Premium RCA and optical digital outputs ensure the cleanest signal for your high-end speakers or headset.
- • **Seamless Setup with Universal Compatibility:** Plug-and-play USB 2.0 connection works effortlessly with Windows PCs and notebooks.
- • **Transform Your PC into a 5.1 Audio Powerhouse:** Experience cinematic surround sound with Dolby Digital Live through a single digital cable.

## Overview

The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro is a sleek, USB-powered external sound card that upgrades any PC or notebook to immersive 5.1 surround sound. Featuring Dolby Digital Live for seamless multi-channel output, SBX Pro Studio for enhanced audio fidelity, and a handy IR remote for effortless control, it delivers studio-quality sound with gold-plated RCA and optical outputs. Ideal for professionals and audiophiles seeking a plug-and-play solution with superior noise reduction and versatile connectivity.

## Description

Product Description Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro turns your PC or notebook into a 5.1 entertainment system featuring SBX Pro Studio technology with remote control. Easy to install, it replaces low-quality onboard audio with high quality connectivity and remote control. A convenient volume control, headphone and microphone inputs for a headset are close at hand. SBX Pro Studio is specially designed to bring the same great audio experience found in live performances, films, and recording studios - to the PC. Dolby Digital Live offers a single cable solution to your decoder for 5.1 audio from any content. From the Manufacturer

Review: Appropriate Design - In this quick write-up I will outline different aspects of the product. After unpacking, this worked immediately upon connecting to my laptop (Windows 7 x64) - no compatibility issues. After loading up the software (took a couple of minutes), the volume control becomes operational, the blue LED on the unit will flash when you have muted the volume, the remote will work (line-of-sight to the sensor), and all software control can be accessed through the control panel or entertainment console. From the entertainment console you can: - Control the levels of the 5.1 analog outputs (although I don't use these in practice) to setup your speaker balance, and also set subwoofer crossover to any frequency from 10hz to 1000hz in the TruStudio menu - Set options between 2 channels or 5 channels of audio (plus sub) and test that they are operational - Control EAX effects, which are basically reverb patterns, nothing I plan to use - Control TruStudio Pro, which can be useful in some situations (I turn the surround option on very subtly when using headphones on a multi-channel source), including noisy environments (smart volume, dialog plus) - Use the graphic equalizer to obtain an accurate response through the passband of your speakers/headphones; I personally use this to compensate for slight roll-off of my headphones in the bass, and their resonance at 1khz and 8khz - Control the mixer, including microphone/line-in, "What U Hear," and pass-through of the line/mic inputs to your speakers for input monitoring - Activate Dolby Digital Live, which will mix all audio into a 5.1 stream for playback over the optical output; note that if you have a source using Dolby Digital or DTS, you will want to set the sound option in your software to bitstream, meaning this is bypassed to avoid additional processing by the sound card. Dolby Digital Live is intended for everyday sound and use, rather than actual Dolby or DTS sources What U Hear allows you to record whatever you're playing without actually patching the output to the input with a cable. I find this useful if I think I hear clipping - simply record the sound and verify that it's clipping. There is a myriad of other uses for this, as well. For DTS-HD or Dolby-HD sources, you will need HDMI, which this sound card will not allow due to bandwidth limits. My laptop has an HDMI output which I use when I want to bitstream these codecs for movies. Pros: This card is much quieter than the internal Realtek solution used on my laptop, one reason I bought it. The noise floor on this card is at least 50dB lower. The output gain on this card is higher than the internal, meaning I don't have to have at 100% for DVD and Blu-ray and STILL not be loud enough. Instead, I can run it around 45% volume and any louder would be uncomfortable with DVD and Blu-Ray. Accurate soundfield placement in headphones - I tested a 5.1 source with discrete channels and can confirm that this card's processing will do a good job with this if you have it turned on (you can deactivate all processing if you wish). The output uses a limiter so that you won't experience clipping, meaning much less distortion if you push things too hard on the EQ. Other: This card claims 24/96 capability. I did tests and found that for both playback/recording, the card rolls off to -3dB at 48khz, on-par with specs. It is a similar case, rolling off slightly in the infrasonics, -3dB at 3hz. As for the 24-bit claim, the resolution is 24-bit, BUT signal/noise ratio is slightly over 100dB, effectively limiting the dynamic range to the equivalent of 17-bit. Due to dither, the psychoacoustic dynamic range will approach 19 bits. This is NOT an issue for most people. You still obtain the benefits of 24-bit, including a reduction in quantization noise, just not through the full dynamic range. In other words, the card will not be the limiting factor in most systems. I intend to use this card to record. I was a bit wary of buying a card directed towards normal consumers, but after testing it looks like it will be a non-issue. I'll have to do further testing to confirm this. Cons: At the price, nothing more can really be expected of this card. It would be great if this functionality were paired with HDMI, though. There might be video cards out with such a connection. My laptop has HDMI, but it is noisy when using it for internally mixed PCM audio. There is one issue that I've had with it, and that is an odd polary distortion when using DirectSound to record. It also has no balanced connections, which I would not expect for the price, anyway... I would recommend this to any consumer that wants an upgrade in functionality and less noise than integrated sound. Programs are available for sound processing, but you will still be limited by the hardware.
Review: Astro A50 USERS LOOK HERE! Love it! Significant improvement over my on-board card. - This card did exactly what I hoped it would do and did it flawlessly. I am using a laptop. My main reason for upgrading to this card was so that I would have an Optical out port for use with my Astro A50 Wireless Headset. The card's optical output works perfectly, without any audio crackling or popping as reported by some other cards. The card is true plug-and-play, but you might want to download the drivers and the Creative software for it that lets you manage specific settings with the card. Some users consider this software as "Bloatware", but If you'd like to really take advantage of the more advanced features of this card, I suggest you install it. It hasn't caused any performance hits for me or delayed my boot time, so I really don't see the cause for complaint. It's a small little icon that gets placed in your taskbar where, upon clicking, gives you access to the Creative Control Panel and the Creative Entertainment Console that lets you adjust things on the card, such as your speaker set up, EQ settings, THX Tru Studio Pro features, EAX effects, and the ability to turn on and off the all important Dolby Digital Live feature. ESSENTIAL if you are planning on using the surround-sound feature on your headset or entertainment system. The card comes with a small remote that can be used to do various things like adjusting your volume, pausing/playing/stopping/rewinding the music/video in the active window, and a power button in the upper right corner. The power button DOES NOT turn off the card. Instead, it closes whatever is currently your active window, so if I had iTunes open and pushed the power button, it would close iTunes. I'd say that the remote has a maximum range of about 5 meters, and remote control requires direct line-of-sight to the card. You have to point it right at the card to get it to function. On a positive note, the remote comes with a battery! The card comes with a fairly long USB cable (about 4 to 5 feet long) and should be able to reach wherever you need to put it. It also contains a CD with the latest drivers and Creative software (at the time of this review). By default, this card will play audio 16bit at 48KHz instead of the 24bit at 96KHz that it is capable of. To change this, simply right click the the volume mixer (little speaker icon in the bottom right.), click playback devices, find your Creative card, right click it, click properties, go to the Advanced tab, then changed the playback under Default Rate to something of your choosing. Also, something for iTunes users: If you set your card to 24bit at 96KHz and the iTunes settings don't match, iTunes may completely refuse to play your music. I fixed this by going into iTunes and changing the playback settings to match. Do this by opening iTunes, clicking on Edit in the top-left, moving down to preferences, click the Playback tab, and in the bottom section you will see the playback settings that iTunes is currently using. Simply match them to what you set your card to and then restart iTunes and everything should be fine! A NOTE TO LAPTOP USERS: If you plan on using this as just a sound card replacement without any additional peripherals like speakers, you will be disappointed. With this card set as the active audio device, your on-board laptop speakers will not work because they are wired directly to your on-board card and without risky soldering, this can't be changed. Keep that in mind. You WILL need a set of external speakers or a headset of some sort to be able to utilize this card. As far as disabling the on-board card to avoid driver conflicts? I had originally disabled my on-board RealTek card to avoid driver conflict, but I'm using a headset and as such, don't have any speakers for external audio. I re-enabled the RealTek card so that I could switch the default playback device back and forth between my headset or laptop speakers depending on my need. I have not run into a single conflict yet, so I would say that it seems safe to keep it enabled. If you run into conflicts or Blue Screens of Death, try disabling your on-board card from the Windows Device Manager. Overall, I am very pleased with this card and feel that the price is easily justified! If you are interested in purchasing an external sound card, ESPECIALLY one that supports surround sound do yourself a favor and pick up this card for about $30 more than the competitors. You won't be disappointed!

## Features

- Dolby Digital Live! connects to your decoder or home theatre system through a single digital cable for compelling 5.1 surround sound from any source
- High-quality, gold-plated RCA stereo and optical digital out for best audio performance, plus convenient Microphone and Headphone jacks for internet chat
- Easy to install, bus-powered USB2.0 Sound Blaster in a sleek and compact design
- Compact IR Remote with mute and volume allows you to control playback of your music across the room
- SBX Pro Studio delivers the fullest audio experience for music, movies and games, while remaining true to the source and intention of the artists who created it

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B0044DEDCA |
| Audio Output Mode | Dolby Digital, Stereo, Surround Sound |
| Best Sellers Rank | #220 in Computer Internal Sound Cards |
| Brand | Creative |
| Built-In Media | Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro |
| Compatible Devices | Personal Computer |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 996 Reviews |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 05390660184611 |
| Hardware Connectivity | USB |
| Hardware Interface | USB |
| Hardware Platform | Headphones |
| Item Type Name | Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro |
| Item Weight | 0.21 Kilograms |
| Manufacturer | Creative |
| Maximum Sample Rate | 48 KHz |
| Model Number | 70SB109500000 |
| Platform | Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional Platform Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional See more |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 100 dB |
| Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 5.1 |
| UPC | 031112861197 033585325602 763615974936 191106000893 493212760341 666670087736 630934746707 523160909476 999998306204 132018167830 071090098857 782386489760 546511736996 172302806465 054651173699 001910322084 054651184619 045556033355 803982813275 806293524007 731215287244 196221637238 |
| Warranty Description | One Year Limited Hardware |

## Product Details

- **Compatible Devices:** Personal Computer
- **Brand:** Creative
- **Hardware Interface:** USB
- **Audio Output Mode:** Dolby Digital, Stereo, Surround Sound
- **Platform:** Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional

## Images

![Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61n12JIi6FL.jpg)
![Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61QhEaQ89TL.jpg)
![Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095 - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71pyzCyObNL.jpg)
![Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB Audio System with SBX SB1095 - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/7127fUJ4uEL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Style** options.

## Questions & Answers

**Q: does this sound card compatible with Windows 8 ?**
A: Yes... Windows 8 32 or 64 bitMinimum System Requirements: Intel Core2 Duo processor 2.2 GHz, AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core or equivalent processorIntel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard chipsetMicrosoft® Windows® 8 32-bit or 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit, Windows Vista® 32-bit or 64-bit, Windows XP 32-bit or 64-bit Service Pack 2 (SP2)1 GB RAM600 MB of free hard disk spaceHeadphones or amplified speakers (available separately)CD-ROM/CD-RW or CD/DVD-ROM drive required for software installationAvailable USB port (USB 2.0 recommended)Internet connection

**Q: How can i connect energy take classic 5.1 speakers which doesnt come with any jacks?**
A: If I'm not mistaken, you will use the out from the creative to the line in (left and right) on the energy take classic 5.1 speakers. I'm running out from my laptop(or other audio device) to creative and out of creative to my PA line in (left and right) you will need 1/8 in male to L and R RCA in order to complete the connection. I hope I have explained this well for you. Have a great audio experience.  Any further queations, don't hesitate to ask.

**Q: will this give me 5.1 sound using an optical cord?  I have an older version of this and didn't get 5.1 using optical.**
A: Hey Michael, if you are planning on buying it now then you don't have to worry about the optical 5.1 output(as the sound card comes with a USB which fits into your everyday systems i.e PC, laptops). Although if look closely the card itself has an optical output but I cannot comment on whether or not it will give you 5.1 experience as I myself haven't tried it yet. Hope that helps.

**Q: Will this work for Playstation 4?**
A: PS4 has the ability to render dolby digital audio on the fly already built in. So it encodes sound with 5.1 audio, then you need a decoder to process it. If you have a home theater setup, all you need to do is run an hdmi or optical cable from the ps4 to your home theater receiver (this is the decoder). If you wanna do it with headphones all you need is a good pair of headphones and an astro mixamp (mixamp is decoder). The creative sound blaster acts as an encoder, I use it on my PC bc I don't have dolby digital live (rendering audio into 5 or 7 channels) like the PS4 does.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Appropriate Design
*by A***E on August 28, 2011*

In this quick write-up I will outline different aspects of the product. After unpacking, this worked immediately upon connecting to my laptop (Windows 7 x64) - no compatibility issues. After loading up the software (took a couple of minutes), the volume control becomes operational, the blue LED on the unit will flash when you have muted the volume, the remote will work (line-of-sight to the sensor), and all software control can be accessed through the control panel or entertainment console. From the entertainment console you can: - Control the levels of the 5.1 analog outputs (although I don't use these in practice) to setup your speaker balance, and also set subwoofer crossover to any frequency from 10hz to 1000hz in the TruStudio menu - Set options between 2 channels or 5 channels of audio (plus sub) and test that they are operational - Control EAX effects, which are basically reverb patterns, nothing I plan to use - Control TruStudio Pro, which can be useful in some situations (I turn the surround option on very subtly when using headphones on a multi-channel source), including noisy environments (smart volume, dialog plus) - Use the graphic equalizer to obtain an accurate response through the passband of your speakers/headphones; I personally use this to compensate for slight roll-off of my headphones in the bass, and their resonance at 1khz and 8khz - Control the mixer, including microphone/line-in, "What U Hear," and pass-through of the line/mic inputs to your speakers for input monitoring - Activate Dolby Digital Live, which will mix all audio into a 5.1 stream for playback over the optical output; note that if you have a source using Dolby Digital or DTS, you will want to set the sound option in your software to bitstream, meaning this is bypassed to avoid additional processing by the sound card. Dolby Digital Live is intended for everyday sound and use, rather than actual Dolby or DTS sources What U Hear allows you to record whatever you're playing without actually patching the output to the input with a cable. I find this useful if I think I hear clipping - simply record the sound and verify that it's clipping. There is a myriad of other uses for this, as well. For DTS-HD or Dolby-HD sources, you will need HDMI, which this sound card will not allow due to bandwidth limits. My laptop has an HDMI output which I use when I want to bitstream these codecs for movies. Pros: This card is much quieter than the internal Realtek solution used on my laptop, one reason I bought it. The noise floor on this card is at least 50dB lower. The output gain on this card is higher than the internal, meaning I don't have to have at 100% for DVD and Blu-ray and STILL not be loud enough. Instead, I can run it around 45% volume and any louder would be uncomfortable with DVD and Blu-Ray. Accurate soundfield placement in headphones - I tested a 5.1 source with discrete channels and can confirm that this card's processing will do a good job with this if you have it turned on (you can deactivate all processing if you wish). The output uses a limiter so that you won't experience clipping, meaning much less distortion if you push things too hard on the EQ. Other: This card claims 24/96 capability. I did tests and found that for both playback/recording, the card rolls off to -3dB at 48khz, on-par with specs. It is a similar case, rolling off slightly in the infrasonics, -3dB at 3hz. As for the 24-bit claim, the resolution is 24-bit, BUT signal/noise ratio is slightly over 100dB, effectively limiting the dynamic range to the equivalent of 17-bit. Due to dither, the psychoacoustic dynamic range will approach 19 bits. This is NOT an issue for most people. You still obtain the benefits of 24-bit, including a reduction in quantization noise, just not through the full dynamic range. In other words, the card will not be the limiting factor in most systems. I intend to use this card to record. I was a bit wary of buying a card directed towards normal consumers, but after testing it looks like it will be a non-issue. I'll have to do further testing to confirm this. Cons: At the price, nothing more can really be expected of this card. It would be great if this functionality were paired with HDMI, though. There might be video cards out with such a connection. My laptop has HDMI, but it is noisy when using it for internally mixed PCM audio. There is one issue that I've had with it, and that is an odd polary distortion when using DirectSound to record. It also has no balanced connections, which I would not expect for the price, anyway... I would recommend this to any consumer that wants an upgrade in functionality and less noise than integrated sound. Programs are available for sound processing, but you will still be limited by the hardware.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Astro A50 USERS LOOK HERE! Love it! Significant improvement over my on-board card.
*by D***. on March 12, 2014*

This card did exactly what I hoped it would do and did it flawlessly. I am using a laptop. My main reason for upgrading to this card was so that I would have an Optical out port for use with my Astro A50 Wireless Headset. The card's optical output works perfectly, without any audio crackling or popping as reported by some other cards. The card is true plug-and-play, but you might want to download the drivers and the Creative software for it that lets you manage specific settings with the card. Some users consider this software as "Bloatware", but If you'd like to really take advantage of the more advanced features of this card, I suggest you install it. It hasn't caused any performance hits for me or delayed my boot time, so I really don't see the cause for complaint. It's a small little icon that gets placed in your taskbar where, upon clicking, gives you access to the Creative Control Panel and the Creative Entertainment Console that lets you adjust things on the card, such as your speaker set up, EQ settings, THX Tru Studio Pro features, EAX effects, and the ability to turn on and off the all important Dolby Digital Live feature. ESSENTIAL if you are planning on using the surround-sound feature on your headset or entertainment system. The card comes with a small remote that can be used to do various things like adjusting your volume, pausing/playing/stopping/rewinding the music/video in the active window, and a power button in the upper right corner. The power button DOES NOT turn off the card. Instead, it closes whatever is currently your active window, so if I had iTunes open and pushed the power button, it would close iTunes. I'd say that the remote has a maximum range of about 5 meters, and remote control requires direct line-of-sight to the card. You have to point it right at the card to get it to function. On a positive note, the remote comes with a battery! The card comes with a fairly long USB cable (about 4 to 5 feet long) and should be able to reach wherever you need to put it. It also contains a CD with the latest drivers and Creative software (at the time of this review). By default, this card will play audio 16bit at 48KHz instead of the 24bit at 96KHz that it is capable of. To change this, simply right click the the volume mixer (little speaker icon in the bottom right.), click playback devices, find your Creative card, right click it, click properties, go to the Advanced tab, then changed the playback under Default Rate to something of your choosing. Also, something for iTunes users: If you set your card to 24bit at 96KHz and the iTunes settings don't match, iTunes may completely refuse to play your music. I fixed this by going into iTunes and changing the playback settings to match. Do this by opening iTunes, clicking on Edit in the top-left, moving down to preferences, click the Playback tab, and in the bottom section you will see the playback settings that iTunes is currently using. Simply match them to what you set your card to and then restart iTunes and everything should be fine! A NOTE TO LAPTOP USERS: If you plan on using this as just a sound card replacement without any additional peripherals like speakers, you will be disappointed. With this card set as the active audio device, your on-board laptop speakers will not work because they are wired directly to your on-board card and without risky soldering, this can't be changed. Keep that in mind. You WILL need a set of external speakers or a headset of some sort to be able to utilize this card. As far as disabling the on-board card to avoid driver conflicts? I had originally disabled my on-board RealTek card to avoid driver conflict, but I'm using a headset and as such, don't have any speakers for external audio. I re-enabled the RealTek card so that I could switch the default playback device back and forth between my headset or laptop speakers depending on my need. I have not run into a single conflict yet, so I would say that it seems safe to keep it enabled. If you run into conflicts or Blue Screens of Death, try disabling your on-board card from the Windows Device Manager. Overall, I am very pleased with this card and feel that the price is easily justified! If you are interested in purchasing an external sound card, ESPECIALLY one that supports surround sound do yourself a favor and pick up this card for about $30 more than the competitors. You won't be disappointed!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Purchased for A50s. Make sure you download correct drivers.
*by J***S on July 16, 2014*

Bought it to use with my astro a50s on my desktop. I didn't realize until recently that I wasn't getting full surround without dolby digital live. Hook this and your a50 mixamp up via usb to the pc, then run optical cable from OPT OUT on the sound card to OPT IN on the astro mixamp. Then skip the cd and download software package from creative site. All the people who are having driver errors saying "supported device not connected" are downloading the wrong drivers. You have to download X-Fi 5.1 PRO...key word being PRO. If you download X-Fi 5.1 for this card it will give you that error message. Go to playback devices after install and select Spid/f xfi 5.1 pro as default device. Right click it go to properties and then advanced tab. Change bit and sample rate to dolby digital live, click two check boxes below allowing applications to take control (the only issue with this sometimes is skype lowering your game volume, but you can disable that in the communications tab under playback devices). Click apply. Go to creative audio control center then click encoder tab. Check dolby digital live. In the other software from Creative--the Entertainment Center--is where you can change it from 5.1 to 2.1 to headphones. You can also create and apply custom EQ settings here. Take the time to mess around with eq settings. Find one that's close to what you want then tweak it and save it. People make a big deal about EQ settings and how it should be done. I have no idea how it "should" be, I just know what sounds good to me. Play some music you know very well, like the back of your hand. Then start playing around with the sliders. I try to keep a pretty close to neutral balance in the mids (some are <0.0 some are >0.0 but close to neutral. Then bump up the lows a tad as well as the highs. It makes a world of difference. Here's where this thing pisses me off a bit. The "manual" is garbage; atleast when it comes to using the x-fi as a encoder. I've seen better and more thorough instructional guides on the back of a Pop-Tart box. In the entertainment center I have no idea if I need to set it to 2.1, 5.1 or headphones if i'm just running the usb from the computer to the xfi, then running the optical to the A50 mixamp which turns 5.1 into 7.1. Do I have to have 5.1 speakers hooked into the x-fi in order to transmit 5.1 to the astro mixamp? If I'm just using the usb for the xfi is that considered 2.1 and then it encodes that to 5.1? Since I'm wearing 7.1 headphones do I need to set it to headphones or 5.1? Do I need to set Dolby digital live to share with Spidf output as well as speakers even though I'm not using external speakers? The fact that I can't even call them to ask this pisses me off even more(email only, after you fill out a form longer than those you'll find at the DMV). So in the end, I'm not sure if I can reaaaally recommend it whole-heartedly to a stranger without first asking them how they intend to use it. Even though I can tell a difference, I can't tell if its just from my custom eq and the crystallizer, or if its the dolby digital live thing. Either way it sounds better and was still honestly worth the 45 bucks. I disabled my onboard audio and uninstalled Realtek drivers just to avoid issues but may not be necessary. If you ever hear a popping noise in your astros, first check to make sure all the settings are right in playback devices and in the Entertainment center, then unplug the power usb from sound card and astro mixamp and plug back in and double check settings once more. That fixed the issue for me when it happened. Otherwise you might need a higher quality Optical cable than the ones that ship with the astros, which I don't know much about optical cables in terms of quality having any effect on the sound, but those are the poorest excuse for a cable of any kind, ever. FINAL VERDICT: + Don't have to use a pci slot + Dolby Digital live works (i think?? lol) + Custom EQ's and other audio settings + Ability to use with wide variety of audio peripherals + Remote control for lazy people - Terrible instructions/guide - Too many variables in the DDL settings (there's like 4 different places to enable it, WHICH ONE DO I NEEEEEEEED) - Lack of phone support (seriously if there's one thing worse than crappy phone support, its the complete LACK of it) -

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*Last updated: 2026-03-02*