Audio

Creative Sound BlasterX H7 Review

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May 12, 2016 4 Min Read
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Creative are back with a tournament grade gaming headset, the Sound BlasterX H7. It features high grade reinforced steel/aluminium construction along with analogue and digital connectivity.


Product on Review: Creative Sound BlasterX H7
Manufacturer: Creative
Street Price: UK: £139.99, US: $159.99

Some time ago we took at look at the BlastX H5, and we were pleasantly surprised by the all round quality that it provided. The H7 expands on the H5 in that it is the digital v7.1 variant that is supported with various Creative technologies that can be adjusted in the software.

At a glance, the H7 has the similar high quality construction to the H5 with the 50mm drivers, steel headband/ brushed aluminium parts, memory foam padding, removable noise reducing microphone, however, there are some subtle changes that differentiate it from its sibling. First, the aluminium holding the earcup to the headphone is anodized black. Second, The H7 is semi-modular with the DAC hard wired to the headset by 400mm of braided cable. Lastly, to take advantage of that USB power, there is a subtle red LED lighting effect that pulsates. As the H7 has both digital and analogue connectivity, it can be used on pretty much all platforms.



Overview by Creative
CLEARER, LOUDER, HARDER, BETTER! Built with the powerful and versatile BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro, the Sound BlasterX H7 combines large, responsive 50mm FullSpectrum™ audio drivers to offer customizable, best-in-class surround sound audio for absolute gaming immersion.

Technical Specifications

Audio Processing
BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro

Headset Connector Type
3.5mm 4-pole
USB

BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro
Yes

Included Accessories
Crystalline capsule carry case
USB cable
3.5mm 4-pole analog cable

HeadsetForm Factor: Circumaural
Frequency Response: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Sensitivity: 118dB/mW
Impedence: 32 ohms
Audio Drivers: 50mm FullSpectrum
Scout Mode: Yes
Weight:364g

Microphone Type: Unidirectional Noise-reduction Condenser
Detachable: yes
Frequency Response: 100Hz ~ 15kHz
Impedance: <2.2k ohms
Sensitivity: -40dB

Software & Compatibility
Included / Downloadable SoftwareBlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro (Fully Customisable)

Supported Operating Systems
Mac OS X v10.8 and above
Windows® 10
Windows® 8.1
Windows® 8
Windows® 7
Windows® Vista

Supported Gaming Consoles
PlayStation® 4 via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable or USB connection
Xbox One™ via 3.5mm 4-pole audio cable (With Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter)

In-line Remote Control Function
Call Pick-up
Playback Play/Pause
Volume Adjustment
Microphone Mute

Packaging & First Look



The crystalline case that the H7 comes in can be easily resealed to double as a protective carry case as well as offer a clear presentation of the product if it is on display in store.


The rear side is mostly plain, giving a textual description of the product and its features in various languages.


Included in the packaging is an analogue 4 pole – 4 pole braided cable, a microUSB -USB cable as well as the detachable microphone. Unlike the H5, the microphone with the H7 has the foam windbreak pre-installed.


The attached inline remote features a large mute switch, a volume dial, a multi-function button (play/pause/call) as well as a micro-USB port and a 3.5mm port to receive the 4-pole jack.


The H7 itself is highly attractive with prominent black brushed aluminium parts and a sleek overall finish.

Closer Look



The top of the headband has the Sound Blaster X logo on top, not quite the high quality embroidery that we have seen on some other headsets, but that is just splitting hairs.


The headband itself is super soft and squishy as is lined with quality memory foam, ensuring comfort for the top of your head.


As observed in the H5, the H7 also has an opening/vent in the earcup, likely to act as a bass port that may help reduce how deep/bass heavy neodymium drivers tend to be.


The side of the earcup is a large plate of brushed aluminium that has the Sound BlasterX logo etched in to is, with the X having a cutout for RED LED backlighting.


The earcups are also made from squishy memory foam and they provide a large amount of space for your ears to give a true circum-aural experience.


The aluminium prongs that hold the earcups have indentations that click into place when you adjust them to fit your head.


Unlike the H5 that is fully modular, the H7 has a hard wired cable, though it does feature the space for the detachable microphone.


The H7 complete with its microphone and lighting. Though Creative didn’t adopt RGB LED lighting, they did include some minor controls including brightness/pulsing speed, or the choice for an audio/pulsing with music mode. As the lighting area is small, it adds a small touch of class and elegance and adds a nice finish to the headset, rather than trying to create a focal point, like what many RGB products aim to do.

Software


If you use the H7 headset via analogue connection, you will be at the mercy of whichever system/software you are using in regards to quality of the audio output. Though when you connect via USB you will have a 24bit 96KHz DAC at the ready that will give high quality audio processing as well as take care of virtual 7.1 rendering. The H7 comes supported by two software drivers which will work on a ‘last activated’ basis. First is the BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro that will allow you to customise various Creative audio processing technologies to suit your own preference, or you can choose from a large selection of preset profiles optimised for various games. The software also features the ‘scout mode’ that enhances the sound in a way that allows you to hear subtle noises more easily such as footsteps or people reloading. There is an advanced voice modulation suite with the Voice FX tab, as well as a channel mixer selection where you can select between virtual 5.1 or 7.1 surround rendering.

The other software component is the X-Plus configurator which is a lightweight audio profile mode that allows you to quickly change the audio signature without the need for the complete driver suite.

Both software parts are attractive and are easy to use, considering that the options provided can make a large difference to the overall audio quality and output, this may make all that difference to various people looking to find their ideal audio signature for their preferred taste or game, though considering the price point, some would have liked to have seen a Dolby Surround implemented.











Performance Testing


Setup, Design & Observations
The Sound BlasterX H7 can be connected to various systems including the PC/PS4/Mac via USB/analogue, or by any other device that is compatible with a 4 pole jack. Some may not wish to use the software drivers, in that situation the H7 seems to function without them rather well, though for best results and customisability, it is worth downloading the correct software drivers to get full functionality.

The construction of the H7 goes hand-in-hand with the gorgeous aesthetic considering the sleek shape, the steel frame with brushed aluminium parts. The H7 isn’t super lightweight, but isn’t too heavy as it comes in a little lighter than the Cloud Revolver. Once you put them on you get a sense of how truly wonderful they are as they are so comfortable to wear. Whether you wear spectacles or play for long hours, the memory foam does its job to provide phenomenal top tier comfort for long hours.

The inline remote is rather high, falling at mid-chest height, though the controls feel solid so shouldn’t break unless you gave it a serious beating. The additional braided cables will enable you to use the H7 across many platforms and scenarios, the included analogue 4 pole cable is only an additional 0.8m long, so some may find it difficult to use with a PC without the additional need for an extension/adaptor, though, why you you buy the H7 over the H5 if your intention is to use it as such? So the 0.8m analogue cable is certainly more aimed at mobile/console use. The included microUSB-USB cable is a more suitable 1.5m long, giving a total length of 1.9m for use with your PC/PS4 or Mac.



Multimedia
First up we do some testing via the analogue cable and as we expected, the audio signature is similar/ exactly the same as the H5. This means you get an incredibly well balanced audio that features deep, powerful bass that isn’t overpowering alongside crystal clear mids and highs that is stable without clipping or distortion all the way up to its maximum volume. There is decent precision and frequency separation that allows the ear to distinguish sounds and nuances that lesser headphones may not render. Moving to USB, we disabled all additional enhancements for a subjective playback ofvarious music tracks. This proved that the included USB DAC is competent enough to drive the H7 close it its potential. The maximum volume via USB is acceptable though considerably quieter than plugging it into a discrete soundcard via the analogue cable.

Moving into gaming, the software really enabled the H7 to open up. Though the default soundstage of the H7/H5 does not quite match the width we experienced in the HyperX Cloud Revolver, the surround rendering, as well as additional audio enhancements via supplied profiles for both CS:GO and DOTA2, the surround rendering was actually decent without any downgrade in audio quality, something that tends to come with using other virtual surround technologies. Several times while approaching a bombsite in CS:GO, I clearly heard footsteps and instinctively reacted towards the direction it came from quickly without confusion, resulting in a win. In DOTA 2, there are various accented sound effects, where it is an ability being used just off of screenshot, or a clarity being used, the combination of a clear sounds and accurate directional rendering gave a tactical advantage as you can immediately react to situations happening in game.

Microphone
The microphone over USB sounded great, with clear voice pickup that sounded natural. Strangely though, the microphone level was set to 0. Though there was little actual noise picked up, moving the microphone level too high resulted in fantastically clear keyboard typing pick up, mouse clicks and every other noise so keeping the sensitivity under control is a must.

Conclusion


The Creative Sound BlasterX H7 follows suit of the H5 in that it is a top quality, beautiful gaming headset that is not only super comfortable but provides fantastic, crystal clear audio. The H7 is the virtual surround headset from Creative and so comes with an integrated 24/96 DAC for high quality digital playback over USB, making it perfect for any form of media. Music playback is is lively and enjoyable, movies will sound epic,and gaming is in the upper echelon of what you can expect from a gaming headset. The supporting software is fantastic for picking out clear specific details without the loss of audio quality while using the virtual 7.1 surround rendering, making it an impeccable option for gamers.



There is very little to criticise about the Sound BlasterX H7 and its downsides are few so we need to look closely at the oversights we made. One of which would be the maximum volume over USB, while it is certainly ‘loud’, some may prefer it to be ‘louder’ (who needs to hear anyway?). The only real consideration people will need to make about the H7 is actually in the price. It’s MSRP is £139.99 and that’s a lot of pennies. Not far off in price to the SteelSeries Siberia 650, £40 more than the H5 and a staggering £70 over the HyperX Cloud 2. We would argue that the H7 still stands strong in many areas against the HyperX Cloud 2 and so does command its higher price. It has a more precise and balanced audio signature, long lasting comfort, beautiful construction/ aesthetics, and is complete with expertly developed audio software that can customise the sound to give a decisive advantage. Despite this, there is no way to hide the fact you will be paying twice over the Cloud 2, and with the coming prospect of a USB version of the HyperX Cloud Revolver, the H7 may find itself between a rock and a hard place. Though don’t discount the H7 for one second. Some may find that the overall package of the H7 outweighs any advantages provided by the competition; that and the fact that there is zero possibility that you can ring the H7 like a bell.

The Sound BlasterX H7 has the perfect blend of high grade construction, comfort and sound quality. Paired with the BlasterX Acoustic Engine Pro, gamers will be able to customise the audio to their advantage.

Pros.
+ Excellent, balanced audio
+ Incredibly Comfortable
+ Semi modular – USB + analogue connection
+ Decent virtual surround
+ Top quality construction
+ Beautiful aesthetics
+ Good software support
+ Cross platform compatibility

Cons.
– Price


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