Creative Sound Blaster X4

[OfficerTux]

If anyone is still in the market for the Sound Blaster X4, I just bought one directly from Creative as B-Stock for 90€ (MSRP is 140€). The unit arrived in mint condition, I think only the package had been opened once. It comes with a 1 year warranty and works fine so far.

They still have more in stock:

Sound Blaster X4 (B-Stock)

Kaufen Sie zu günstigen Preisen im Creative Labs-Online-Store (Deutschland). Sparen Sie bei ZEN-MP3-Playern, Lautsprechern, Sound Blaster-Soundkarten, überholten Produkten und anderen Angeboten.

de.creative.com

 

[sleightflight]

I purchased the X4 at a really good sale price to replace my aging xfi titanium fatality sound card, my old card is working fine but it is directly underneath my gpu, so I was concerned about airflow to the gpu.
Unfortunately I can't get any surround sound via toslink to my pioneer 5.1 surround sound system. If I set in windows sound output as creative X4 or optical X4 the sound test doesn't activate all the speakers.
In the creative software I can get all the speakers to work on the sound test in the optical output.
Creative are telling me that it's a setting thing.

 

[shannada]

I purchased the X4 at a really good sale price to replace my aging xfi titanium fatality sound card, my old card is working fine but it is directly underneath my gpu, so I was concerned about airflow to the gpu.
Unfortunately I can't get any surround sound via toslink to my pioneer 5.1 surround sound system. If I set in windows sound output as creative X4 or optical X4 the sound test doesn't activate all the speakers.
In the creative software I can get all the speakers to work on the sound test in the optical output.
Creative are telling me that it's a setting thing.

Hi Sleightflight, I recently purchased the X4 after my previous Sound Blaster Z started to fail. I had some weird setup problems with the X4 where the sound test wouldn't work properly using the line outs into my Logitech Z906 speakers. Specifically, the sound test for the subwoofer channel would not sound. Also when playing music or movies the sound was tinny and had a strange hollowness to it. After a couple of hours of diagnosis, I was able to fix the problem. It was the incomplete uninstallation of the previous Sound Blaster Z audio drivers. Simply installing the Sound Blaster Command Centre software (which claims to uninstall the drivers as well) was not enough. I had to go into Windows Device Manager, and found the SB Z drivers were still installed and uninstalled them via Device Manager. Now the sound test works properly, and the subwoofer channel is detected. And the sound quality returned to "normal", with none of the previous tinny and hollowness. In fact the sound quality now is a significant improvement on my previous Sound Blaster Z.

Maybe this might help you too?

 

[sleightflight]

Hi Sleightflight, I recently purchased the X4 after my previous Sound Blaster Z started to fail. I had some weird setup problems with the X4 where the sound test wouldn't work properly using the line outs into my Logitech Z906 speakers. Specifically, the sound test for the subwoofer channel would not sound. Also when playing music or movies the sound was tinny and had a strange hollowness to it. After a couple of hours of diagnosis, I was able to fix the problem. It was the incomplete uninstallation of the previous Sound Blaster Z audio drivers. Simply installing the Sound Blaster Command Centre software (which claims to uninstall the drivers as well) was not enough. I had to go into Windows Device Manager, and found the SB Z drivers were still installed and uninstalled them via Device Manager. Now the sound test works properly, and the subwoofer channel is detected. And the sound quality returned to "normal", with none of the previous tinny and hollowness. In fact the sound quality now is a significant improvement on my previous Sound Blaster Z.

Maybe this might help you too?

OK thanks for the advice, I will have a look to see if I can find the original drivers.

 

[sleightflight]

Hi, I have given up with the X4 for spdif output to my pioneer 5.1 surround sound system.
I did go into device manager and I uninstalled the old creative sound card but it didn't cure the problem, I don't understand why when I select spdif output in Windows, spdif output in creative software, which on the creative sound output sounds all the channels and the sub sound test sounds OK that the graphics equiliser in the creative software litteraly does nothing, prep amp and all of the sliders do nothing, switching it off and on makes no difference to the sound output.
I found a different driver set for the old xfi fatality card and that got the old card working again with the pimax Crystal light software still installed.
But some weird sound effect is making the pimax speakers sound like I'm in a hall and the microphone is also affected the same way.
Getting really frustrated.