Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amplifier and Beamforming Microphone

So, I've been using add on sound cards since forever ago, from the old Mocking Board on my Apple II, though various Sound Blasters, Gravis and Orchids of the 80's and 90's, right though to the modern X-Fi, Recon and now the Z series.Some cards have been amazing (AWE64 and Audigy 2 anyone?), and some less so (I still wake up screaming, having nightmares of trying to configure IRQ and DMA settings for the Adlib Gold cards). So in short, I've used a few sound cards over the years.However, there is a big elephant in the room with sound cards these days; on-board sound.On-board sound used to be a joke, crackles and pops, slow, tinny sound bad drivers etc. Today though on-board audio is very good, better even than the best sound cards from only a few years ago. Companies like Creative Labs have had their work cut out to remain relevant as add-on sound cards are no longer a must-have item.Enter the 'Sound Core 3D' Cards, namely last year's Recon3D and now the Z-series; these are the sixth generation of Sound Blaster cards, and with the Z-series in particular, they have really raised the bar.These latest cards basically package up all the best 'consumer' features of recent years, improved the quality, reduced the size and de-cluttered the installation software. The result is a beautiful, focused package which in a nutshell delivers fantastic sound for gaming, music and day-to-day use.Gone is the lengthy installation process of the earlier high-end cards, the Z is a top end card with a refreshingly simple install process. Also, the driver software itself is now far simpler, allowing even a novice to get the most from the card and see actual value in their purchase.In use, the card sounds superb, easily the best sounding card at this level (i.e. cards without removable DACs etc.), and it simply blows on-board sound into the weeds. Gaming the best yet, surround World of Warcraft has always been one of my favourites :), while music and system sound is crisp and detailed, absolutely top marks on all counts.It's worth noting, that this is not a 'professional' audiophile or recording card; you won't see these in many recording studios. The Z series is aimed squarely at consumers who want the best and use their computers for multiple, if typical tasks.Reading this, you may be getting the impression that I really like the new Z series cards, and you would be right, I do. It's the best new card from Creative in a very long time.I finally feel that Creative have got right back on track with this card, and not before time. I can hardly wait to see what the flagship ZxR model is like (though like the Titanium HD from a couple of years ago, the ZxR appears to lack analogue 5.1 outputs for gaming speakers).To summarise then, the Sound Blaster Z is an absolutely superb card. It's simple to install, relatively inexpensive, easy to configure and delivers sensational performance.A very easy five stars.

I bought this card as a replacement for my aging Ausus Xonar DX soundcard due to the fact that the card would not run properly on a Windows 10 clean install. The old card had served me well up to this point, but I felt that it was time to retire her, and I was impressed with the reviews for the Soundblaster Z. Up until the release of Windows Vista, My previous soundcards had all been Creative cards so it felt like I was returning home.The product came well packed within secured in it's box with cable ties, along with a very clear manual for installation and a driver CD.Installation of the card was a doddle and I was pleased to find that unlike the Xonar DX that the card took all it's power from the PCI-E slot.To ensure the latest drivers for Windows 10, I downloaded the latest drivers from the Creative website and found installation was quick and painless and used Creatives own auto-update tool to ensure I had the latest version of their utilities.Having been happy with the Xonar DX up until this point, the improvement of audio quality from the Soundblaster Z through the same Logitech Z906 5.1 speaker system has impressed me immensely, although there are some caveats.It took me a while to set up the card to my liking using the SBX Pro Studio Utility. Some of the functions for the utility are better served for videos such as the Dialog Plus function that makes speech easier to hear. I also found that the only way to adjust the sound quality, (although the default setting of 48000 Studio quality is perhaps more than adequate) was directly through the windows control panel functions. Often using the presets within the creative software would return the sound quality to the default setting.The beam-forming mic is quite good and clear however the echo cancellation software and auto volume settings within the SBX Pro software cause severe degredation in voice quality, and I found it best to leave these unchecked.When it comes to playing games I was blown away by the quality of the audio.I tried a number of games. Batman Arkham Knight, Dark Souls, Metal Gear Rising Revengance, Shadow of Mordor and Xcom enemy unknown. In all cases I was able to pick up little bits of extra sound that had not been evident on my old Xonar card. Positional audio felt much improved also with me being able to clearly define where enemies were approaching from.Again when playing audio and video I was able to pick out little bits of extra soud due to the clarity of the studio quality sound reproduction.I have no hesitation in recommending this card. A lot of people will balk at the price, and many more will be happy to continue with their onboard sound. I would also add that this is a card aimed more at gaming and everday use (which is my use entirely) than music recording, To those looking for a requisite improvement in audio quality or needing to upgrade due to Windows 10 issues, I recommend it.without reservation.

I have just installed this sound card and, while I had an old Sound Blaster card years ago in an older computer so I though I knew what to expect, I was utterly blown away by the sound from my headphones on this Sound Blaster Z. The clarity from the deepest bass to the highest dog whistle noises has amazed and delighted me from the start. The snap and pop on percussion is fantastic and voices are unreal in their clarity. Now to get it plugged into my amp and speakers. The heck with Intel on-board sound, get one of these asap !!