Introduction

Creative is going strong with their USB sound card game. Not long after my Sound Blaster GC7 review was published, I was sent another USB sound card from the company's portfolio. It's the slightly less expensive Sound Blaster X4 ($140/€150), a direct successor to the Sound Blaster X3, which I've reviewed and very much liked back in 2020. First and foremost, the Sound Blaster X4 isn't an extensive overhaul of its predecessor, but an incremental update, bringing a slightly different color scheme, one extra port (optical input), and, most notably, the so-called SmartComms Kit—a software solution for Windows and macOS users, it aims to improve our voice-chatting experiences.



SmartComms Kit includes a VoiceDetect feature that automatically mutes and unmutes the microphone depending on whether you're talking, as well as noise filtering for incoming and outgoing comms. This is an obvious attempt to make the Sound Blaster X4 attractive to everyone's current work-from-home lifestyles. Windows users can also tap into its Dolby Digital Live encoding capabilities. The Sound Blaster X4 is macOS compatible, and you can connect it to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch consoles too, while being able to access most of its features through a smartphone (Android/iOS) app. Like its predecessor, the Sound Blaster X4 can be combined with headphones, gaming headsets, or active speakers; 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, and 7.1 speaker configurations are supported. Connecting it to any AV receiver, stereo amplifier, or active speakers with a TOSLINK input is also possible. Of course, Creative didn't mess with the intuitive physical buttons on the device itself, nor did they change the massive volume knob, which can still be used to adjust sound and microphone volume, as well as balance the volume between two sources.

Specifications

The Package

The Creative Sound Blaster X4 comes in a simple cardboard box. The sound card is depicted on the front and top, while other sides are densely populated with various logos, technical specifications, and written descriptions of features. The packaging doesn't stand out in any way, but hey, it's what's inside that matters! As you can see in the photos, the delivery company wasn't too careful when handling the package, so I received the box in a beat-up condition. Luckily, the insides were completely intact.


Inside the box, you'll find the sound card, a 2-meter rubberized USB-C to USB Type-A cable you'll need to connect to your PC/Mac/PS4/PS5, a 1-meter optical cable, quick start guide, and bunch of warranty and promotional leaflets. There's no external power supply as it's not needed—the power is delivered via the USB-C interface.