Turn your attention to this new headset from Creative, featuring a reinforced steel and aluminium construction, leatherette and memory foam earpads, and 50mm drivers.
Product on Review: Creative Sound BlasterX H5
Manufacturer: Creative
Street Price: UK: £99.99, US: $129.99
Creative are an ever present entity in the real of gaming audio and as such it is no surprise to see a new range of gaming products under the Sound BlasterX naming. Though learning from the current market curve, the SBX H5 takes a trick out of the book of design from the likes of which many will be familiar with. Whether you want to reference Beyerdynamic, Takstar, QPad and the HyperX Cloud, the resemblance in the design of the frame is similar. This is a good thing. While the QPad and the later HyperX Cloud, audibly, are incredibly good, they still aren’t the perfect product in some respect.
Adding their own twist to this steel and brushed aluminium recipe, Creative have imbued it with their full spectrum 50mm drivers and sonic know how. The earcups are large, leatherette covered memory foam, the headset is completely modular with an included braided 4 pole to 4 pole with in-line remote for maximum versatility in regards to the PC and games consoles. Then there is the design, which is sleek, mature with an understated elegance which shows more class.
Overview by Creative
CLEARER, LOUDER, HARDER, BETTER! The Sound BlasterX H5 radiates with comfort in every element of the design. It’s made up of reinforced steel headband and aluminium architecture. Sound BlasterX H5 features an ergonomically-tested design that guarantees comfort over long stretches of gaming sessions, and withstand the rigours of gameplay.
Technical Specifications
Audio Processing: BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite (Preset Profiles)
Audio Drivers: 50mm FullSpectrum
Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Interface: 3.5mm Stereo Input
Sensitivity: 118dB/mW
Impedence: 32 ohms
Microphone Type: Unidirectional Noise-reduction Condenser
Detachable: Yes
Frequency Response: 100Hz ~ 15kHz
Impedance: <2.2k ohms
Sensitivity: -40dB
Supported Operating Systems
for Windows
Supported Gaming Consoles
PlayStation® 4 via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable, Xbox One™ via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable (With Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter)
System Requirements For Sound BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite
– Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
– Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard
– Microsoft® Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8.0 32/64 bit, Windows 7 32/64 bit
– 1GB RAM
– >600 MB of free hard disk space
PACKAGE CONTENTS
– Sound BlasterX H5 Headset
– Detachable 3.5mm 4-pole to 4-pole jack braided cable with controls length 1.2m
– Extension Audio / Microphone splitter cable 1.2m
– Quick Start Leaflet
WARRANTY
1-year limited hardware warranty
Audio Drivers: 50mm FullSpectrum
Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Interface: 3.5mm Stereo Input
Sensitivity: 118dB/mW
Impedence: 32 ohms
Microphone Type: Unidirectional Noise-reduction Condenser
Detachable: Yes
Frequency Response: 100Hz ~ 15kHz
Impedance: <2.2k ohms
Sensitivity: -40dB
Supported Operating Systems
for Windows
Supported Gaming Consoles
PlayStation® 4 via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable, Xbox One™ via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable (With Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter)
System Requirements For Sound BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite
– Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
– Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard
– Microsoft® Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8.0 32/64 bit, Windows 7 32/64 bit
– 1GB RAM
– >600 MB of free hard disk space
PACKAGE CONTENTS
– Sound BlasterX H5 Headset
– Detachable 3.5mm 4-pole to 4-pole jack braided cable with controls length 1.2m
– Extension Audio / Microphone splitter cable 1.2m
– Quick Start Leaflet
WARRANTY
1-year limited hardware warranty
Packaging & First Look
The packaging itself looks like a large bubble and doubles as a hard carry case. This packaging is great for letting the product speak for itself.
At the back there is some information about the features and contents in various languages.
Opened up, we find the headset strapped in and is completely modular as no cables are present this side.
Included with the accessories are a 4 pole to 4 pole cable with in-line remote, a 4 pole splitter to 2x 3.5mm jacks as well as a microphone and windbreak.
The in-line remote features microphone mute, volume dial as well as a phone answer button for when in use with a mobile device, which is great. The cable itself is high quality braiding and is very flexible.
Closer Look
Sleek and simple. Thick earpads, strong yet nimble frame and a soft headband.
The sides are faced with a brushed aluminium plate with the Sound BlasterX logo.
The space for your ears is larger than what is provided by the HyperX Cloud and the QPad QH-90. The memory foam is very squishy and feels high quality.
The headband provides an evenly distributed foam padding.
The adjustment notches are easy to extend.
The cable and microphone ports are shaped to fit those provided but not in such a way to be completely restrictive with others.
The Sound BlasterX H5 with microphone.
Software
Though not entirely necessary for an analogue headset, you can download the BlasterX Acoustic Lounge software from the product page, which is software emulated audio enhancement. There are a variety of preset adjustments for the BlasterX H5 headset for different games as well as an enhanced stereo surround experience. You will need to register with Creative to get access to a free activation code for this software, making it a little time consuming to use, though if you do not have a competent soundcard or headphone amplifier, there is no real harm trying this software out to see if it improves your experience.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & ObservationsThe headphones feel high quality from first touch to wearing, and the comfort instantly shone. I would rate that this is close to, if not on par with the Siberia V3 in comfort, which in itself is high praise as I would consider these to be amongst the most comfortable around. The soft squishy pads felt great even with glasses and because the headset doesn’t feel particularly heavy either, long sessions were no problem here. I did note that the size adjustment needed to be pulled out quite a long way, more than most, but fortunately there was plenty of space to do this.
The high quality stretched to the nicely braided modular cables and the in-line remote, which feels solid and easy to access. As the standard cable is a 4 pole, those gaming on consoles or listening to music on their mobiles will have no issues, and there is no major hassle using the splitter/extension for the desktop either.
Overall there isn’t a huge amount to talk about in consideration to the design, some may not like the external cables as some may be prone to snagging them on something, though in most scenarios there should be no issue. Everything is solid, in an elegant and functional way.
Multimedia
Listening through to various familiar music tracks, there are several things you can instantly identify the Sound BlasterX H5. Precise, well balanced audio which gives smooth creamy bass, clear mids and treble with a wide soundstage. The 50mm drivers are impressive and arguably performed as well as the Sennheiser we recently reviewed. In comparison to the HyperX Cloud and QPad QH-90, Creative have used their know-how to eliminate the harsh high-end with generally better clarity throughout. At max volume the audio rumbles through your skull with deafeningly beauty, almost giving the sensation of watching your favourite band live; say goodbye to your hearing.
Gaming equally benefited from the awesome sound balance, the bass giving a perfect kick in intense gunfights, yet is competent enough to pick up the minute details of people moving around in the thick of it.
Microphone
In voice calls through Skype, several people commented on how the microphone sounded clear, natural sounding and very good. It did pick up faint hiss/background noise but was not intrusive nor cause any distortion. A small amount of background noise too is picked up but the microphone itself done a good job of keeping all but the loudest background noises at bay.
Conclusion
Remixing an existing recipe, the BlasterX H5 sounds incredible, feels incredible and will please gamers on any platform. Creative have really picked up on the needs of the gamer and have astutely assessed the current market and what they can do to enter it seriously, maturely and competitively.
The asking price is towards the upper end of what many gamers would be wanting to pay, sitting at £99/$129. One could argue against the actual ‘need’ for the BlasterX H5 in the market considering that you can currently obtain a HyperX Cloud/Cloud 2 for around half this price. The Cloud 2 has the added bonus of the USB soundcard included which will give good audio quality and virtual 7.1 surround. Though this USB soundcard with the Cloud 2 has run into some ‘longevity’ issues, the Cloud headset itself is still a fantastic choice as an analogue headset. It is also worth considering that the list of ‘fantastic headsets’ in the £50-80 region is growing. While each one has its own character, can the the BlasterX H5 really carve itself into that medley of strong contenders? To address this question, we need to look at what it brings to the table.
It is a modular, analogue headset which comes with a 4 pole jack for compatibility with most contemporary devices (Some may wonder why ‘Mac support’ is not listed, this is because Apple actually wire their 4 poles in a non-standard way, meaning you can get audio but microphone won’t work). Creative then take a high quality and robust headset frame, and kit it out with good quality leatherette covered memory foam padding, making it close in comfort to the the ultra lightweight Siberia V3. Finally, Creative use their knowledge and audio wizardry to make their 50mm drivers blast out high quality sound that is very close to the quality of the Sennheiser GAME ZERO, arguably it is more attractive too.
So the price tag does seem to be a reasonable step over the £50-80 region. Though being an analogue headset, if you haven’t got a discrete soundcard or external headphone amplifier you may not get the best performance out of them and to do so will mean additional cost. This would set it at a disadvantage again when compared to a USB headset which has its own integrated audio processing. This makes that £99.99 price tag squarely in limbo. On one side you could spend less and get a better overall package or that little extra could move you into the realm of the Siberia Elite Prism (or is it the Siberia 650 now?). This makes the price/value argument dependant on the buyer based on their individual circumstance.
It is impossible to deny that Creative have done something very RIGHT with the Sound BlasterX H5. It looks, sounds and feels top class, making it something that gamers and competing brands need to pay attention to.
Pros.
+ Precise, balanced audio
+ Extremely Comfortable
+ Good quality removable microphone
+ Modular cables
+ Excellent build quality
+ Beautiful aesthetics
Cons.
– May require additional audio processing to get the best out of it
+ Precise, balanced audio
+ Extremely Comfortable
+ Good quality removable microphone
+ Modular cables
+ Excellent build quality
+ Beautiful aesthetics
Cons.
– May require additional audio processing to get the best out of it
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
