![]() The volume slider is a little sensitive, so be careful when adjusting it. If the power is off and you plug in a USB cable that’s connected to a source, it’ll start charging the battery. The only other features are a play/pause button, a power switch, and a volume slider. You can access Creative’s SBX surround sound as well as set up a custom EQ. The free drivers are great, and work on both Windows and Mac. Or, you can use the free driver software to retask one of them as a dedicated mic port. On the front of the E1, there are two 3.5mm jacks for output to headphones. It works perfectly as a mic through the analog connection for modern game consoles, too. I’ve used the mic on a few occasions to do some quick on-the-go audio work. If you get it positioned right, you could use it to record voice overs or a podcast, no problem! It blows away most gaming headsets I’ve tested, and sounds nearly as good as my standalone professional USB mic. It’s one of the best included mics I’ve used in all my time reviewing audio products. If you’re buying those crazier things, you probably aren’t considering a $49 amp. It should be able to drive just about any consumer or pro headphone on the market, outside a few exotic models. Also, the volume control is independent from your computer or source, so you’ll have two ways to adjust the volume. Thankfully, the gain on the E1 is not so boosted that it’ll just blow up your ears with easier-to-drive headphones. ![]() I’ve also tried it with 32 and 80 Ohm headphones and had no problems with either. The E1 powers those admirably to solidly loud levels. I don’t own any headphones with an impedance rating that high, but I do own some Beyerdynamic DT770s that are rated at 250 Ohms. Headphone Impedance CapabilityĬreative says the E1 will drive 600 Ohm headphones. I don’t know much about what chips are preferred and which aren’t, but I remember them being chips I’d read about before. But if you’ve got a decent pair of headphones, you’ll be able to notice the slight quality bump it provides over cheaper components.Īt one time Creative published which DAC and amp chips they were using inside this thing. General rule of thumb is that DACs and Amps contribute way less to the overall sound quality than your headphones, and that holds true for the E1. It’s not a huge leap over a good internal solution, but it’s noticeably cleaner. In back and forth testing against the embedded audio in my desktop PC and my Macbook, the E1 is a little bit more refined, and a touch more punchy in the bass. The E1 has a pleasant, neutral, just-so-slightly warm audio presentation. It’s better than most gaming headset and phone headset mics. I’ve used this mic to record voice over before. Behind those holes rests a surprisingly good microphone, accessible either over USB or through the analog connection. The clip is a little annoying when you try to use the E1 on a desk, as it makes it slide around a bit. There’s a spring loaded clip on the back that you can use to hook it to your shirt or pants. ![]() ![]() That’s good, because Creative decided to go with bright red cables even though this product isn’t explicitly in their gaming lineup. Or you can go with the analog port on your laptop if you forgot your USB cable, or don’t want to live the dongle life.Īll the cables you need are included in the box, and they’re not proprietary in any way, so you can replace them. This is great when you want to use the E1 with your phone. The battery kicks in when you use the E1 as an amp only, with a 3.5mm analog connection from your source instead of USB. It doesn’t do hi-res audio, just time-tested 16-bit 44.1khz and 24-bit 44.1khz audio.Īs a nice plus, the E1 has an internal battery included, rated at about 25 hours. There’s a micro USB port on the back for a digital connection to a PC or Mac. The Sound Blaster E1 is a little portable DAC/Amp combo. You can see the play/pause button, the volume control. It’s powering my Beyerdynamic DT770 250Ohm headphones just fine.
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