Today we review Creative’s Sound Blaster EVO Zx wireless headset, packed with features and technology could this be the wireless headset you are looking for?
Product on review: Creative Sound Blaster EVO Zx
Manufacturer: Creative
Price: MSRP £199.99
Creative have been flexing their muscles lately and most of their latest products are featuring Near Field Communication (NFC) and wireless technologies. The next product we are looking at is no exception. The Sound Blaster EVO Zx comes with an impressive list of features and technologies, even more impressive are the sharp looks gracefully mingled together representing the contemporary styling of the Sound Blaster line using metallic reds on black.
Overview by Creative
Thanks to the built-in SB-Axx1™ audio processor of the Sound Blaster EVO Zx headset, you get vastly improved audio delivered to your ears in real-time. Be amazed by what you hear, even if it’s from the most compressed sources.
Specifications & Features
Audio Drivers: 40mm FullSpectrum
Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Headset Battery Life: Up To 8 Hours
Audio Technologies: SBX Pro Studio, CrystalVoice
Interface: Bluetooth, 3.5mm Stereo Input, USB
Supported Operating Systems: Mac OS X v10.5 and above, Windows® 8, Windows® 7, Windows® Vista
Package Contents
Sound Blaster EVO Zx
Micro USB-to-USB cable – Length: 1.8m (5.91ft)
4-pole analog cable – Length: 1.2m (3.94ft)
Portable carrying case
Quick Start leaflet
Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Headset Battery Life: Up To 8 Hours
Audio Technologies: SBX Pro Studio, CrystalVoice
Interface: Bluetooth, 3.5mm Stereo Input, USB
Supported Operating Systems: Mac OS X v10.5 and above, Windows® 8, Windows® 7, Windows® Vista
Package Contents
Sound Blaster EVO Zx
Micro USB-to-USB cable – Length: 1.8m (5.91ft)
4-pole analog cable – Length: 1.2m (3.94ft)
Portable carrying case
Quick Start leaflet
Features
Massively powerful
Get ready to unleash the full power and clarity of your audio.
Sound Blaster EVO Zx’s FullSpectrum™ 40mm audio drivers are capable of reproducing the full audible range of the audio spectrum, so you won’t miss a beat.
Hear it, just the way you like it
Like your music punchy? More bass? Or want more immersive surround effects from your movies?
Make these real-time playback adjustments by simply changing your audio settings with the Sound Blaster Central app, and then hear your audio come to life.
High-fidelity audio streaming
With the headset supporting aptX® and AAC technologies, you’re assured that the audio content transmitted over Bluetooth® is crystal clear.
Shut out that noise
The headset’s ear cups cover your ears entirely, passively cutting out external noise.
So, whether you’re on your skateboard or on the subway, what you hear is only the audio that matters most to you.
Enjoy your headset even more!
With the Sound Blaster EVO Zx, u can even experience cinematic, virtual 7.1 surround sound when you connect the headset to your PC or Mac!
Clarity in voice communications
Communicate with confidence and be understood. The integrated dual beamforming microphones work in tandem with the headset’s advanced CrystalVoice™ technologies to make sure you’re always heard clearly.
Ambient noise and echoes picked up by the microphones are reduced drastically. Likewise, unwanted noise from incoming calls is also being eliminated. CrystalVoice creates an acoustic zone that picks up only your voice and nothing else, so you can still be heard with amazing clarity in noisy environments.
HD Voice
Enjoy improved audio clarity for your voice calls through your mobile phone or VoIP service as Sound Blaster EVO Zx supports wideband Bluetooth technology, which enables more details of the voice data to be transmitted.
* HD Voice functionality is dependent on the mobile device and service operator.
Voice commands, now more accurate!
Remember the occasions when you tried in vain to instruct some voice-activated application to perform a task? With high-quality voice pickup and all the voice technologies packed into your headset, your commands can be transmitted accurately all the time.
Love to chat?
Use Sound Blaster EVO Zx as a VoIP headset while connected to your PC or Mac®.
Absolute ease and convenience
Tap and play, easy!
Simply tap your Near Field Communications (NFC)-enabled device on the headset for easy, one-touch Bluetooth pairing.
Sound Blaster EVO Zx supports up to two Bluetooth connections simultaneously, which is great if you’re watching a movie on your tablet but wish to instantly switch to answer a call from another paired smart device
Connect in more ways than one
Besides Bluetooth pairing via NFC or the conventional way, you can also connect the headset to your PC or entertainment devices using the USB 2.0 connection, or the analog 3.5mm jack.
Use the included analog cable for direct connection to your portable media player, or swap it with your own cable of a different length.
Wish you could change your audio settings while watching a movie or in a game?
With Sound Blaster EVO Zx, you can. Togerther with Bluetooth multi-point functionality, you can pair your smart device, load up Sound Blaster Central, and perform EQ settings or audio enhancement while watching a movie or gaming. It’s like having a remote control for your headset!
Up to 8 hours of playtime
Enjoy your music wherever you go as the built-in rechargeable battery has enough power for up to eight hours of continuous wireless audio playback. Low on power? Conveniently charge the headset via USB and continue to enjoy high-quality audio while doing so.
Designed for easy storage, for your convenience
The headset can be folded to about 70% of its original size, and can be kept in the handy carrying pouch.
Packaging & First Look
The box fascia
Letting the product speak for itself, the front design of the packaging is sleek and minimal with some key features listed along the bottom. Like many other Creative products we can see the company logos printed in gold.
Reverse side of the box
At the back we see a neat layout describing many of the features included with the EVO Zx. Along the side we see the specifications listed in various languages.
Opening the box
Always keen to open treasure chests and there was a little wow factor going on. Ironic how a high end product gets the environmentally friendly recyclable packaging treatment however.
Included accessories
Under the headset is a small black box that includes quickstart guide, software driver, USB and 3.5mm jack cables and a PU leather carry case. Nice inclusive bundle.
The Sound Blaster EVO Zx
Overall impression of the Sound Blaster EVO Zx is that it looks small, lightweight and very pretty.
Closer Look
Folding joints
The headset is foldable for convenient storage and the joints are good quality with metal parts.
100° arc of rotation
The earcups have plenty of movement in all directions to allow them to fit comfortably in any situation.
Headband
The headband has a generous portion of soft squishy padding to provide comfort.
Adjustable strap reinforced with metal
Built-in buttons
Mounted on the headset we find a volume dial, skip, power buttons. The whole right hand side is a multi-function button and the tap to pair NFC location.
Built in discrete microphone
The microphone included is a dual beamforming type that is powered by Creative’s Crystal Voice technology.
IO ports
Being wireless, yet flexible, we find a mini USB socket and a 3.5mm jack socket. Allowing for passive, wired use either with USB or with a discrete sound card. Of course using the USB cable will also charge the units battery.
Switched on
The lighting on the Sound Blaster is subtle, distinctive and outright awesome. Lighting on something you can’t see, some may find gimmicky and pointless, but it allows the user to standout and make a statement (as well as indicating that it is switched on). The lighting conveniently turns blue when in pairing mode.
Software
The software included for the Sound Blaster EVO Zx Is easy to navigate and stylish. Changing some selections take a second or two to register but is a given considering the amount of changes being made. There is an on/off for the preset features, of if you want to save custom settings just click the edit button. Features are similar to those we find on other contemporary Sound Blaster products.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & ObservationsYou get a good quality feel when you touch the EVO ZX, the adjustable straps click firmly into place when moving, and it is comfortable to wear. The earcups are not the largest, falling somewhere between a circumaural and on-ear design and this makes wearing glasses with this headset a little uncomfortable. Pairing is easy using NFC and fairly straight foward using the traditional pairing method via Bluetooth. What makes the EVO Zx really stand out is that it can pair simultaneously with two wireless devices, this gives easy swapability between the items you may wish to use this with, further more, if you download the free Sound Blaster Central app to your mobile device from the Google Play or iOS store, they can act as a remote control to the settings of the headset. The EVO Zx features a built in SB-Axx1 audio processor that supports aptX and AAC codecs for high quality audio, specifically designed for Apple products, however will work well with Android devices too. The buttons on the right side earcup are easy to reach and it is easy to understand what each one does. Connecting the EVO Zx to your PC via Bluetooth or USB will allow you to use a virtual 7.1 surround sound mode for gaming. You can also use the EVO ZX passively when the battery runs out or to connect to your discrete sound card via 3.5mm jack.
Multi-Media
We tested the EVO Zx in all its possible forms, via mobile device, USB and 3.5mm jack with all audio processing effects switched off. The sound reproduction is very good from head vibrating bass to crystal clear mids and highs, using Sabrepulse’s First Crush EP as a reference, mobile and USB shows that the onboard sound processing is very capable. Plugging the EVO Zx into a discrete sound card made some magic happen where audio fidelity certainly exceeds the realm of typical gaming headsets. For the price, objectively, audio performance is about the same level as one could expect from a high grade set of headphones in the £100-130 price region, add on the wireless functionality and integrated audio processing it becomes easy to understand the price.
Gaming and movies benefit well from the virtual 7.1 surround sound as the EVO Zx provides thundering bass and crystal clear mids and highs with good directional prowess. Though if you are using a discrete sound card, you will have to use the software emulated surround for this effect where available, though most contemporary discrete cards are fairly competent at this anyway.
Microphone
At first it seemed strange to use a built in microphone such as the one on the EVO Zx but in use, it was evident that it picked up very clear voice communication to those in my Skype group call. It did well to not pick up background noises from a desk fan, the dog barking outside and only just registered the sirens of a passing ambulance. The microphone was certainly impressive and is in keeping with the quality of the rest of the product.
Conclusion
The price of this product may become hard to swallow for some at £199.99, but considering the technology and versatility put into the EVO Zx, you can use it for all your audio needs. Capable of pairing up with two wireless devices at the same time and then being able to plug into your PC as a high quality gaming headset, this is a one for all product that reeks of quality and is certainly priced correctly. It has a good supporting bundle that allows for various connectivity and even includes a PU leather carry case. The battery life seems to live up to expectations after I gave a near continuous use of around 6 hours and there was still around 1/4 battery life left registered, so the promise of up to 8 hours life appears plausible.
To pick up on an oversight, there is a bit more plastic than some may want to see at this price point, it would have been exceptional if we saw anodised aluminium in place of plastic, though it has used high quality plastics that do not cause much concern. Another thing to note would be the reliability of the battery over a long period of time, but that is something that remains to be seen. Regardless the Sound Blaster EVO Zx is a very attractive, very versatile piece of equipment that aims to dominate your audio life, if you can justify the cost, you should let it.
The Creative Sound Blaster EVO Zx is an exceptional product that brings the future to today, with appealing looks and excellent sound quality, it can touch on every aspect of your audio life. If you like new technology, you will love this. Deserving of our Gold and (Ironically) Creative awards.
Pros.
+ Excellent 40mm Driver performance
+ Comfortable
+ Gorgeous aesthetics
+ Long battery life
+ Dual wireless pairing
+ Versatile connectivity
+ Excellent microphone
+ Excellent supporting bundle inc. carry case
Cons.
– Price
+ Excellent 40mm Driver performance
+ Comfortable
+ Gorgeous aesthetics
+ Long battery life
+ Dual wireless pairing
+ Versatile connectivity
+ Excellent microphone
+ Excellent supporting bundle inc. carry case
Cons.
– Price
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Creative for providing today’s review sample.
