Creative Announces Sound Blaster Z Special Edition Sound Card

[Tsing]

Image: Creative



Creative has launched a new Sound Blaster model for audio enthusiasts who haven’t made the jump to arguably superior solutions such as external DACs and pre-pros/receivers. An update of the best-selling original, the Sound Blaster Z Special Edition improves upon the 2012 model with various new gaming acoustic profiles for titles such as PUBG, as well as support for 7.1 virtual surround sound on headphones.



The Sound Blaster Z Special Edition’s hardware hasn’t really changed, however. It features the same audio specifications as the original, such as a Sound Core3D audio processor, a DNR/SNR of 116 dB, and max playback resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz. ASIO support is also limited to 2.0 channels.



Creative’s Sound Blaster Z Special Edition sound card is available for...

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[LazyGamer]

The only reason to buy a Creative Labs product is for their software, something they are notoriously bad at. Drivers have gotten far better, software, not so much.

Aside from gimmicky 7.1 support for headphones, really gimmicky all around for gaming, there's just nothing enticing here.

Instead, look at something like the Audient EVO4. For just $20 more at $129, you're getting a pro-grade audio interface that can scale from a gaming headset and desktop speakers to a full-on streaming solution and everything between.