Was browsing for headphone amps and this seems like a good deal for the Creative SXFI AMP.
Headphonesty give it a 3/5 star review when it was released.
https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/11/review-creative-super-s…
Buy from Creative Store to enjoy free shipping on orders $59 and above!
$5 credit for the referrer.
I'm not going to get it, but cant pass up a good discount. I need a Bluetooth solution, so I can use my 3.5mm headphones with my new TV
If you are looking for cheapo bluetooth receivers, Its probably good enough to find one in Aliexpress. They are pretty cheap and does its job.
If you are looking for quality bluetooth receiver that doubles as a usb DAC, I highly recommend Qudelix 5k. Its my current portable DAC and I can’t recommend it enough.
Couldn't cheap ones introduce a ton of latency for TV usage?
@snoopydoop: This really depends. My personal experience of using cheap ones were ok. But I was watching youtube with it not live TV broadcast. I am no expert in bluetooth technology, so I can’t comment on if the video/audio buffer will work when you are watching live broadcast.
thanks, it looks pretty good. ill add it to the Camels and wait for a sale.
Why not a bluetooth headphones? I just got a lenovo for A$2.99 from Temu.
I've got one and I like it. I'm not audiophile, just a casual and i pair it with the X2HR. Turning it on gives the "spatial audio" sound that you get with airpods which gives the sensation that you're listening to speakers in front on you, of course this lacks the head moving directional sound. It can be hit or miss depending on headphone as I used it on a closed back meze 99 noirs which sounded unnatural but on the X2HR's it sounds great.
On the price though… I'm pretty sure $90 is the standard price of it nowadays so I wouldn't necessairly describe it as a deal. I paid the same months ago and I've definitely not seen it at the $230 mark.
This is a good point. As I stated in my comments, depending on your model of headphone it can be a hit or miss. Consider checking the compatibility list if you are planning on getting one
Yeah perhaps it might not be a very good deal. I believed it to be good price since I paid 199 for this when it launched about 5years ago I believe? Maybe the price dropped down now
So you're basically taking a strength (good soundstage) of an open-back like the X2HR and using some artificial trash to gimp it? Sounds a little ridiculous
It's definitely to each their own thing, but I've found the directional audio to be pretty good when listening to 7.1 content. The SXFI gave me not just a sense of direction but also 'distance' or 'depth'.
It was too good in certain aspects though, some games like Vermintide 2 would give very obvious 'enemy spawn' audio cues (direction and distance) which originate in certain parts of a game map, but the actual spawn location is somewhere else entirely.
could I get some recommendations of what headphones/earphones you pair this with? Cheers
I hesitate to recommend because everyone's got their personal preference with headphones.
As a non-audiophile (and Creative fan), I use these with a Creative Aurvana Trio In-ears. Someone who tried their ATH-M50s years ago with the amp liked it because it brought out a lot of bass from the headset.
I have these and to add on to the points mentioned above, I'd say the buttons are flimsy, the volume up and down button specifically.
I bought this to function as a spare usb-c to 3.5mm dongle for headphones that might need extra power than standard adapters (apple or samsung).
For that usage it's fine, but probably not worth the price. The SXFI is rubbish, the app is not great, and the build quality is not the best.
I wish i'd passed
Anything for an apple fan boi
I bought this back when it first launched.
I will say that while it is a good handy DAC if you need one, but their SXFI is more gimmicky than Apple’s spatial audio. Just like apple that only supports their airpods for spatial audio, there are list of headphones/earphones that is tested by creative themselves so that it will “officially” work with SX-FI. This list is rather small and while they give you an option to select generic headphone/ generic earphone, enabling spatial audio with this setting will just make it sound like being in a club with foam earplugs in your ear.
Good find OP regardless, I am not saying that the product is simply bad. This is just my personal experience.