[FakePlasticGuy]

Question 3: I have the limited edition higher power X7, when I check the box for high power amplification at set volume above 35%(loud but not that loud) the Elac speakers distort and cut out when it gets loud, for example when shooting a gun in call of duty. The speakers are rated at 120 watts and from what I understand high power amplification enables 50 watts to each channel, so they should be able to handle it right? They are 6 ohm speakers and from what I read I should be using the 4Ohm option on the X7. I can just shut off high power amplification to fix the issue, but why should I have to? Am I misunderstanding, are the speakers not able to handle that power? Link to speakers for specs
https://www.elac.com/product/b6-2/

I was wondering about this... I have the normal X7 with upgraded power supply and I would like to use the higher power amp setting with my Sony SS-CS5 speakers (6 ohms).
But the SB X7 specifies that the higher power amp option is only for 4 ohm speakers (difficult to find) and Creative support told me the same... Is there a real danger (for the X7 unit OR the speakers) to use that option with my 6 ohm speakers?

 

[FakePlasticGuy]

Curious about that also.

When I checked the x7 windows 11 options today, before installing drivers (only connected), it was set to DVD quality 48KHz 16 bit (with no higher option). I am sure it is 16 bit natively.

 

[Yethal]

I was wondering about this... I have the normal X7 with upgraded power supply and I would like to use the higher power amp setting with my Sony SS-CS5 speakers (6 ohms).
But the SB X7 specifies that the higher power amp option is only for 4 ohm speakers (difficult to find) and Creative support told me the same... Is there a real danger (for the X7 unit OR the speakers) to use that option with my 6 ohm speakers?

No, I used it with emu xm7 (also a 6 ohm speaker) for years in that config

 

[Whitigir]

I just grabbed one used SBX7 for the fun of my gaming rig. I gotta say that there are a couple things to notice.

1/ Still using USB micro , which is just fine considering it was released 8 years ago LOL!!

2/ the Walwart has horrible ripple noises. It degrades the sound heavily. We are talking about 350mV ripple voltage. So I used My Linear Power Supply. Hugely improved soundstage and separations as the 2 most obvious improvements

Using my HD800S with it ! Direct mode and I am very impressed

 

[LTd head]

So I used Ny Linear Power Supply.

Interesting findings! Which one is it? I could not find Ny Linear Power Supply on google...

 

[Whitigir]

Interesting findings! Which one is it? I could not find Ny Linear Power Supply on google...

I meant I used mine , the dang auto correct is annoying.

You can buy any LPSU that can output 24V. Some of them have a better quality and some is less but they will be a lot better than the stock walwart

eBay has many of them. What you want is a single rail 24V output with inner pin as positive and outer shell as negative (very standard configuration plug, but always good to make sure). The link provided is an example

 

[tmaxx123]

I just grabbed one used SBX7 for the fun of my gaming rig. I gotta say that there are a couple things to notice.

1/ Still using USB micro , which is just fine considering it was released 8 years ago LOL!!

2/ the Walwart has horrible ripple noises. It degrades the sound heavily. We are talking about 350mV ripple voltage. So I used My Linear Power Supply. Hugely improved soundstage and separations as the 2 most obvious improvements

Using my HD800S with it ! Direct mode and I am very impressed

What does that ripple sound like?

 

[Whitigir]

What does that ripple sound like?

More sibilant and sharpened trebles textures (glares). There are more, but those 2 aspects are the most obvious

 

[tmaxx123]

More sibilant and sharpened trebles textures (glares). There are more, but those 2 aspects are the most obvious

I do want to eventually try an upgraded power supply from my limited edition x7, but I'm not quite confident in the random power supplies from ebay/overseas. I'll have to do more research to find a quality unit. I'd be willing to invest in a LPS that have multiple voltage/amperage capabilities so that I can use it for different applications if needed.

 

[tmaxx123]

I meant I used mine , the dang auto correct is annoying.

You can buy any LPSU that can output 24V. Some of them have a better quality and some is less but they will be a lot better than the stock walwart

eBay has many of them. What you want is a single rail 24V output with inner pin as positive and outer shell as negative (very standard configuration plug, but always good to make sure). The link provided is an example

The LPS you're using outputs 24v 6a? or what is it rated at?

 

[Whitigir]

The LPS you're using outputs 24v 6a? or what is it rated at?

That should be good enough, mine has no current limit in design, but the rectifier is good for 8A

 

[tmaxx123]

That should be good enough, mine has no current limit in design, but the rectifier is good for 8A

Oh wow, I’d assume it was quite expensive then?

 

[Whitigir]

Oh wow, I’d assume it was quite expensive then?

About $500, not much

 

[tmaxx123]

About $500, not much

Gotcha, I've been looking on aliexpress and ebay to find a nice one. Seems to be a bit tough to find a quality built one since not much testing has been done on them to verify their operation. Any tips finding a nicely built one?

 

[tmaxx123]

I don't disagree with any of the above, except 12 years ago I barely managed to decide against suicide, and simply reinstall Mac OS X on my iBook. With Upgraded RAM. And I think my brief fascination with IKEA furniture satisfies the fourth step of Mac. It's whatever makes you happy!



One company put it quite well at CanJam NYC: there may be a slight degradation of ultimate quality using Bluetooth wireless, but it is easily overmatched by the quality upgrade from a good DAC and amp [and DSP, in the X7's case]. Love my X7 for gaming, movies, and music, and often it makes a case to my ears that my more expensive separate gear is/was redundant. Maybe my Theta DAC sounded a bit better, but I could only use coaxial, which required its own rigmarole of extra gear (eventually used a Raspberry Pi and a HiFiBerry +, because that could connect to my network and thus PC, DNLA NAS server, and AirPlay to connect Mac or iPhone), but it was huge and complicated because it was too simple, and as a desktop solution I just decided to stick with the Sound Blaster X7 (and buy a Mojo for portable/bedroom use).
Now, not to dissuade Sonic Defender, but last summer my X7 (first batch, after about two years of solid service) developed a hardware defect in the USB Host port where low bass impacts cause an irritating ringing noise. Creative tech support politely lead me around possible software causes for two months so they wouldn't have to tell me my device was out of warranty and I'd just have to buy another if I wanted that part working. I'm assuming they don't have a reduced out-of-warranty repair fee, because after updating the firmware and rolling it back to older firmware, and then they suggested the same troubleshooting again, I gave up. What does all that boil down to? I'm very glad that Bluetooth is still an option that sounds fine, meanwhile USB, optical, and analong line-in also work normally.

Mine exhibits this ringing as well. Did you ever figure out a solution or even a definitive cause? I was doing some testing and my preliminary thoughts seemed to point to specific bit rates causing this ringing sound. But I wasn’t able to reliably replicate this. What lead you to believe this was a hardware issue?