DAC/AMP Is Dead, Need A New One

Dicehunter

Dicehunter

Resident Newb
So my SMSL M3 DAC/AMP died a few minutes ago, It made a slight clicking sound and just passed away, Itcost £40 so I'm not exactly annoyed.

So, I'm looking at an external solution and I'm looking at the Creative X7 that Tom reviewed a while back as it seems to get glowing reviews from several people, I'm looking at the standard black version and not the more expensive "Limited Edition" which always seems to be in stock everywhere that costs £50 more and has 1.2 Ohms less headphone impedance and 100 watts of power compared to the standard editions 76 watts of power.

Anyone had long term experience with one of these X7's and if so what are your thoughts ?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/crea...ternal-dac-and-audio-amplifier-sc-097-cl.html

SC097CL_105596_285x255.jpg
 
AlienALX said:
They're not very good dude.

http://www.whathifi.com/creative/sound-blaster-x7/review

Seriously with all respect PC hardware reviewers are not experts on head-fi.

For that sort of money you could get a pretty serious valve setup.
Click to expand...

If it's for games you're not going to want a valve amp really.

This one seems to support a lot of stuff that makes it a good all-rounder from what I can see. That review certainly never said it was terrible.
 
SPS said:
If it's for games you're not going to want a valve amp really.

This one seems to support a lot of stuff that makes it a good all-rounder from what I can see. That review certainly never said it was terrible.
Click to expand...

I don't trust those power ratings at all. I've seen much more expensive amps not put out 22watts or even 40 watts. That's receiver type of power, that tiny little thing ain't gonna be pushing that much.
 
Dicehunter said:
I really don't want a valve setup to be honest.

I have £300 so I'm open to suggestions :)
Click to expand...

Probably difficult to get, but if you want a Schiit Modi/Magni stack, it would be very very well worth the money and probably the only DAC/AMP you'd ever need unless you buy some HD700s or anything similar/higher.
 
Dicehunter said:
So my SMSL M3 DAC/AMP died a few minutes ago, It made a slight clicking sound and just passed away, Itcost £40 so I'm not exactly annoyed.

So, I'm looking at an external solution and I'm looking at the Creative X7 that Tom reviewed a while back as it seems to get glowing reviews from several people, I'm looking at the standard black version and not the more expensive "Limited Edition" which always seems to be in stock everywhere that costs £50 more and has 1.2 Ohms less headphone impedance and 100 watts of power compared to the standard editions 76 watts of power.

Anyone had long term experience with one of these X7's and if so what are your thoughts ?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/crea...ternal-dac-and-audio-amplifier-sc-097-cl.html

SC097CL_105596_285x255.jpg
Click to expand...


For a PC based set up I love it. Have them and their book shelf speakers on my desk. Id challenge you to find fault in them.

Youd have to be pretty snobby not to like them.

Oh..... I have them on my desk and have done since I reviewed them. Wont be looking to change them.

Need to be clear I dont use them with cans though.... Im a speakers boy, I dont need to keep quiet.
 
tinytomlogan said:
For a PC based set up I love it. Have them and their book shelf speakers on my desk. Id challenge you to find fault in them.

Youd have to be pretty snobby not to like them.

Oh..... I have them on my desk and have done since I reviewed them. Wont be looking to change them.
Click to expand...

It's not being snobby dude. That is probably about the best PC speaker/DAC amp thing you can buy but at that money you are treading into audiophile prices and that's where it gets muddy. Do you over pay for something made for a PC or gaming or do you buy the true audiophile product?

I will admit some gaming headsets do sound quite good. However, they are easily trounced by a proper set of headphones from a reputable company.

If I were to get the Creative free or something I would use it. However if I was spending cash I would want the best sound quality for that cash.

I have my eye on that Oppo because not only does it sound superb it's also portable which would be a massive added bonus for me with phones these days. They're so quiet that even with closed back cans on I can still hear noise. Mostly down to the lame output volumes.

Ed. Here's a thought. Here is how I would describe it.

Let's say you love audio. You buy all of the highest rated stuff because you have the critical listening skills to be able to differentiate good sound from poor sound.

Then you want to buy a PC. Something you have absolutely no interest in. Would you buy, for example, a GPU that has low ratings? or would you spend the time to do some research into proper GPUs and get the best one you could for your money?

That is probably about the best analogy I can come up with. PC sound and headsets etc are aimed at gamers and thus tend to be pretty average when it comes to their actual audio quality. Some are quite good, but compared to similar actual proper equipment they pale in comparison.
 
Last edited:
I dont game. It has PC software, sounds epic and fits in / around my monitors

I went into it looking to find fault because it had Creative on the box.

They won me over and I put them on my main rig.

Id happily buy them if I have to btw.
 
I'm thinking of just going back to the Asus Essence STX II as I know it's decent and I won't be gambling with £300.
 
Hey Tom are you still using the Creative X7 Limited Edition for your desktop? Just curious if it's still your go to in 2018. As far as Dac/Amp go anyway.
 
Steve3p0 said:
Hey Tom are you still using the Creative X7 Limited Edition for your desktop? Just curious if it's still your go to in 2018. As far as Dac/Amp go anyway.
Click to expand...

And before someone else jumps in and accuses of necro'ing the thread, its a perfectly valid question to ask!

I know you guys and your memes ready to deploy :D
 
Steve3p0 said:
Hey Tom are you still using the Creative X7 Limited Edition for your desktop? Just curious if it's still your go to in 2018. As far as Dac/Amp go anyway.
Click to expand...

I can't answer for Tom but I can put my 2 cents in.

I ended up buying the Creative X7 external AMP/DAC AND the Sound Blaster X AE-5 soundcard, I eventually sold off the X7 and kept the AE-5, REALLY impressive piece of tech.
 
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