CREATIVE Sound Blaster Z SE

Picked this up in the sale for silly money.My motherboard didn't have an optical out, so I thought I would try a sound card at the same time as adding the optical port to my PC. The SB was on sale, so...The card arrives in a nice box with some basic instructions. You need to go to the SB website to download the software. Unlike older versions of SB cards you just get two applications now, the main one you want is the Command Center.Note that in all installations (with or without the Command Center) the card defaults to 5.1 output so is completely messed if you just plug the card in an some headphones. You need to switch the output to Stereo in the Command Center. The options are Stereo (2.0), 2.1, 4.0, 4.1 and 5.1. There are options for the type of speakers and of course headphones too.The application is simple and easy to understand. Offers the processing you would expect as well as direct mode (no processing at all). Of course you can also select the optical out from Windows (I couldn't see any way of selecting that from the application although there is probably some way).Sound is excellent. Surprisingly, it was much better than the sound from my motherboard. This was largely a tonal thing, as many audiophiles may understand that while quality is often down to money, tone can vary no matter how much you spend... or don't.I was driving a pair of Edifier 2000DB's, and while basic quality, they are capable of good sound, and certainly worked far better with the SB than with my motherboard. There was very little noise from the SB, and the optical connection showed no signs of the clicks that can happen when you change source applications. There were some feint clicks when the PC rebooted, but these were far better than I have heard with some combinations.All in all, it works very well. Money well spent. Highly recommended.

I've always had good quality sound systems and I've always gone for Sound Blaster soundcards to compliment the sound systems. I own 2 of these cards now, the latest purchase was to upgrade my Sound blaster Audigy card which was becoming more and more buggy in Windows 11. As soon as all the drivers were installed and the firmware was updated this worked perfectly alongside my Logitech Z906 sound system.Like all Sound Blaster cards the ability to tune the audio to your own personal preference is possible with little to no effort. The sound quality bump was also noticeable even from the Audigy FX so anyone upgrading from onboard sound will notice a massive difference.Installation is easy if you are comfortable working with PC components, if you are less comfortable I would recommend watching a video before installing, but this can be installed by most without the need of a professional.I think this is excellent value for money given the audio quality upgrade you get from this.

Bought this to use the ASIO drivers with an Arturia keyboard. The sound was amazing and much better response than the standard Windows 10 sounds. Problems happened when I moved to Win 11. The card is recognised OCCASIONALLY. I'd get it set up only for Win 11 to completely forget it exist next time I boot up.Scoured the internet for a solution only find many such complaints from others with no easy solution. It's a real shame that Creative haven't updated the drivers for this for years as it's still a great product but bordering on useless if you run Win 11.

A substantial improvement over onboard sound.

After purchasing a new graphics card I started hearing some feedback through the on board sound device and so needed a better solution. I am glad I made this purchase, the sound is great with all the IO ports that I need, and more. It is an okay price (£65) I would prefer it to be a little cheaper but it is still worth the price if you need a quality sound device.

Soundblaster has been going for decades now and they still live up to their great reputation of great sound quality. I wish I had bought this long ago but I thought with having HD sound built into my motherboard already I would not need a separate sound card but how so wrong I was. I now realize what I have been missing for a few years. The sound is so good I keep thinking someone or something is in the room it's that lifelike. Always wondered why my Firetv sounded better now I know. Also, you get Dolby Digital and Atmos with this card, easy setup its child play, to test the surround just go to YouTube and pick a 5.1 test video then just enjoy.

The difference between onboard MoBo sound quality and this Creative card is astonishing. I have set it up with a set of non pc speakers wired through a cheap £35 amplifier and also with a set of powered creative blaster speakers. In games; the card delivers different sounds to each speaker to mimic a type of surround sound. The detail in the sound was unheard previously using onboard. Playing music the sound is delivered through 1 set of speakers but the difference between before and after is similar to listening to CD/LP vs low quality streaming or compressed. Admittedly with 2 sets of dissimilar speaker systems it does take a bit of trial and error/fiddling to get it all setup, but if you have 1 set of pc speakers or use with headphones then it’ll work perfectly straight out of the box. Summary: if you enjoy good sound then this is a comparatively low cost way of achieving it. As usual Amazon delivered PDQ in environmentally friendly packaging and using drivers who are courteous and friendly in this part of the world.