Customer Reviews

Creative Labs USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Audio System SB1090

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Under 'Creative audio control panel,' be certain that 'high speed' (2.0) is checked, and not 'full speed' (1.1). This may or may not solve lag and other commonly cited audio issues. That said,

I do not like this sound card. In fact, it's not really a sound card at all. More truthfully, it is a (large) software suite connected to a big volume knob. As far as I can tell, and from what I have read and seen in task manager), all of the real work is done with your computer. Well, this shouldn't be too much of a problem on modern machines, right? I mean, aren't the days of needing external chips to alleviate workload on the CPU long gone and irrelevant?

Maybe. But the fact is that I feel that I could have attained the same, cheap audio tricks via any number of winamp plug-ins, equalizers, et al. What I wanted was a superior external DAC than the noise coming from my onboard RealTek 'high definition' audio. The truth is that I can tell no difference between the two outputs until I turn on the effects of the x-fi, which are really annoying to a music purist. They produce listener fatigue and unwelcome distortion (music was not meant to be heard in simulated surround, and 'crystalizer' can get downright 'screechy').
The simulated surround or EAX is fine for watching movies and playing games, though. But if you are primarily a music buff and have decent speakers, I advise looking elsewhere.

There is good news, though. While Creative has a history of not supporting older cards on a newer OS, there is a functioning beta driver for Windows 7 already at their site. You won't be experiencing what thousands of people did when trying to use their XP cards on Vista, etc. However, the overall performance of the card is sluggish both on my XP install and my Win 7 beta. Adjustments are cumbersome and opening the severe bloatware of sound options is unacceptably slow even on fairly well-equipped hardware. I'd consider this a fluke of my install, but on two separate disks, and with two different OSes (XP and 7)? No. It's just bloated.

I got this new for virtually nothing, but I'd still not buy it again because I can honestly achieve the same effects by using the EQ of the iTunes, Mediamonkey, etc. Again, this is nothing but a ton of sound software that happens to have a physical body. You can do better for not much more money. However, as a solution for a broken onboard chip / output jack, this is an economical solution. But even then I'd almost recommend one of those USB thumb drive-type cards as they won't take up unnecessary desktop space or clutter your install with a ton of software that, btw, takes 20 minutes to install).

If the x-fi surround were anything but a fancy software suite, I'd rate it higher. Sorry. Just trying to save someone the grief if they are looking for a music solution. That's what these reviews are for.

It is important to note that this sound device is not for everyone and it is less ideal for surround sound users than those of us just looking for high quality stereo. The sound quality is tremendous for 2 channel sound and generally reliable to a point. You have to understand the limitations of using a USB sound device. YOU MUST have a powerful enough CPU to process the sound information and because of the fact that it uses the USB connection whatever else shares that bandwidth like a wireless USB network adapter will impact the audio with possible hiccups and crackle when transferring large amounts of data.

In 2 channel mode at 24 bit 96khz when coupled with a quad core processor your chances of the best quality audio experience are greatest. Even with my Phenom II 920 @ 2.8ghz during downloads from STEAM transferring my games with my wireless USB network adapter at a 135 mbps connection leads to crackle when listening to music at the same time. USB only has so much bandwidth and using 5.1 surround only lets its limitations become more prominent.

I purchased this Creative Labs X-Fi 5.1 external sound card to watch movies on my new laptop based on Creatives reputation, past creative products and the reviews that I read here.

The good:
Playing music is awesome. Mp3 files trully do sound great.

The bad:
The previous reviewers must not have been running Windows Vista. (I'm running the 64 bit version). After plugging the card into my USB port, installing the the software, and plugging in my Logitech Z-5500 5.1 speaker system, I sat down to watch a movie. There is a terrible sound lag that makes watching a movie seem like you're watching a baddly dubbed foriegn film. The actors speak and the action happens before you hear the sound. I have tried to reinstall the software and drivers numerous times and the only way to correct the sound lag is uninstall the Creative software and drivers and go back to the Vista drivers. Unfortunately without Creatives drivers you loose the mp3 fuctions that make the music sound so good. Also, when using creatives software / sound card my cpu is really being worked hard sometimes up to 100% cpu usage when watching a dvd (it averages about 30 - 40% with music and nothing else running). I'm running a 2.0 ghz dual core processor with 4 gigs of ram???

I contacted Creative support over a week ago and have yet to get a reply. I am very unhappy with this sound card and with Creatives customer service. If you want to read more about the sound lag just check out creatives public forum, theres over 9 pages about this issue.

I've heard that if youre running Windows XP there is no lag. So if you are running XP or just want to listen to music this might be right for you. If your running Vista don't waste your money. Creative should not advertise that this is Vista compatable until they figure out this lag issue!!!

I bought this to pair up my laptop to my Logitech z 5500 5.1 system. The audio quality is much better than the stock sound card, not to mention 5.1 surround sound support (not included on almost ALL laptops). The software included is not the greatest when using Windows Vista, as many of the features that would normally be on Windows XP are cut out (for compatibility issues), but It still has many custom settings and equalizers to get the exact sound you're looking for. It comes with much more software than advertised, including a DVD player that supports Dolby, multiple CD/DVD burners, an audio editor, a music player, and an entertainment center similar to windows media center. Another cool feature that I found is the X-Fi CMSS-3D setting, which (depending on how you set it) basically takes 2 channel sound (like mp3 songs) and either simulates surround sound (by putting the vocals on the center speaker and other instruments on the surrounds), or just plays all of the speakers in stereo.

For those people looking for a lot of bass for hip hop and dance songs, this sound card can tune the bass frequencies up to 12 dB, so when using my Logitech z 5500's, the whole house, and the neighbors house(s), shake ridiculously.

Overall:
-Great build and sound quality
-Perfect for laptops
-5.1 support for your

Pros: Soundcard is fantastic
Cons: Software is dog bleep.

I just plugged this into the USB and it worked like a charm. I have a Windows 7 ultimate 64-bit computer hooked through my home theater and a 42 inch Vizio and it sounds better than a movie theater. When you initially install the soundcard, just let it go out and find the Microsoft drivers and you'll be good. The initial mistake I made was downloading the software that came with this. After I did, there was a serious delay between the video and audio, which was due to adding the creative drivers (which are crap!) I also had computer issues which I later discovered were due to drivers. I also had an issue with my restore point so I had to uninstall all the crap from the CD-ROM and the updates from the Creative website. I did keep PowerDVD 9 though, it works very well for watching movies.
Bottom Line: keep the hardware, lose the software.

Too bad so many people have to read the Vista review at the top of this page to get their first opinion of this little fellow. I have Windows 7 Pro 64-bit and this product works just fine (and is certified for both Win 7 32/64-bit by Microsoft). I plugged it an and Win 7 installed it without needing the driver disk...a really good sign out of the box.

I was planning on just using it as a cheap sound solution because I didn't want to buy a $150+ card that supported 64-bit. I'm not a gamer and only have two speakers and headphones and wasn't too interested in the X-fi 3D program on disc. But I installed it and...!! Scary cool, I'm re-listening to all my songs as you read this.

Totally quiet and transparent sound with an open 3D clarity over headphones...no shimmery "spatial sound"...but a palpable razor sharp image with a see-through feel. Best $50 I've spent in a long while. That I can drop my hand to unit and instantly crank the volume up and down (no more mouse!)is a big plus. Do yourself a favor and get one just to have fun.

I'm crying uncle on this one, friends. The delay/echo problem that surfaced in Windows Vista is far worse with Windows 7. Also, according to the DirectX diagnostic program, their drivers are not signed. No wonder they're messing with everything else on the sound card.

If you want to use this device strictly to listen to music through your digital entertainment center's speakers using the optical digital connection, you will be quite pleased. However, don't expect Dolby 5.1. This device does not provide Dolby technology.

If, however, you want to listen through the earphone output on the device, you will hear all sorts of pops and cracks.

Also if you want to use the device to record music on your computer hard drive and need to listen to the monitor, the monitor switch is hidden in the device volume panel (it is a recent software upgrade), in the Mixer function window. There is a small box to the right of the field that says Mic-in/Line-in. Click that box. However, you will notice a horrible delay between what you say and what you hear back through the monitor. This is an absolutely unacceptable engineering flaw.

I've communicated with Creative about the problem, and their attitude is "so sad, too bad, get a refund."

To summarize, this is great for simply listening to music through your stereo. It is horrible for listening through headphones or when using the microphone/line-in monitor.

So I ordered a logitech z-5500 5.1 channel surround sound speaker system, an amazing system. But my computer only outputs stereo, and not near the quality i would like. My options were to buy a new sound card, but since i am on a laptop that makes things hard. So i bought this USB sound card, and it was right decision without-a-doubt. Not only is this unit cheaper than 100 to 200 dollar sound cards, but it is more convenient and produces incredible surround sound. It has a nice volume dial right on the unit which actually controls the output volume of your computer. Let me tell you why i love this product:
-Great sound, the sound is crisp and clear (as long as you have good speakers as well)
-Creates surround sound effects from any audio, including stereo music
-Allows for equalizer controls
-Easy to setup and install
-I can plug it in and out without a problem, so if i have to take my laptop i never have any issues, the old sound card picks up right when i unplug this unit.
-allows for dual sound card usage for certain software
So in a nut shell, if you want High Definition audio from your computer, this USB sound card is the way to go, desktop or notebook.

I had the unfortunate experience of frying the sound on not one but two Dell Inspiron 5100 laptops, and was faced with the dilemma of either replacing both motherboards or both laptops, as the sound chipset is obviously built right onto the motherboard. How fortunate I was to buy Creative Labs USB Sound Blaster X-Fi for a little over $36! The sound is excellent, the product superior, and truly saved the day for me! Hats off to Creative Labs for a job well done!

I purchased this product to improve the sound quality of my laptop primarily for streaming movies online and routing the sound through my home theater system. I chose this particular product because it has a digital optical output and that is the best input option for my home theater system that could allow 5.1 sound.

I was able to set it up and get sound easily, but the sound quality was garbled at times and was only coming out over 2 speakers. The supplied instructions gave no information on how to configure the system with digital optical output.

After a couple of hours spent fiddling with the control settings, downloading and installing beta drivers, and reading posts, I learned in a post that the sound output within the OS control panel needs to be changed to use the digital output as opposed to the analog output if it is configured the way I have it.

Just with that simple change, everything worked. The sound quality is great and coming out in full surround. My only complaint is that this is not written anywhere in the start up manual and I wasted a good amount of time figuring this out. This point could be made very easily in the quick start guide and it would save a lot of time and agony.

I have a engineering masters degree, and I can imagine that some people who have given this product poor reviews might have given up sooner. I have a good deal of patience for this type of thing and I know many do not. It seems like a silly problem to have, when the product is actually good - all it needs is a better manual. The way I am using it seems like a pretty typical application of the product, so I would imagine that it would merit writing about it in the startup manual.