Sound Blaster Z SE Internal PCI-e Gaming Sound Card and DAC, 24-bit / 192 kHz, 116 dB SNR, ASIO, 600Ω Headphones Amp, Mic EQ, Discrete 5.1 / Virtual 7.1, Supports Dolby Digital Live, DTS

Creative SoundBlaster Z SE is a PCI Express soundcard, the re - lease of the legendary Z card which was really popular in gaming circles. My first experience with audio cards was with the legendary ASUS Xonar DGX card (one the best cards for headsets, as well as headphones) which bought in 2017 seeing it on sale in a local popular PC shop in my country. After some time using it and hearing the native audio on my ASUS TUF Z370 PLUS Gaming (Realtek AC887 codec with TUF Custom) I eventually sold it, one of the reason for it was that driver support has by that time ended and the card was not really supported anymore since we all know that PCI Express soundcard market has shrunken considerably as of writing in early 2023. One the first things that I noticed after was that my headset at that time (Logitech G233 Prodigy) was not considerably loud with the motherboard soundcard on front ports of my PC, so the logical conclusion was to just simply plug it in back of the motherboard, well there's one thing that most people do not own or forget is that some of us like speakers also (proud owner of Z623 2.1 THX certified) which was hooked up on my back port. So I bought a wireless headset (Xbox Wireless Headset by Microsoft) to solve that problem, both I came to the conclusion that for those of us who game on our PC and sit close to the desk, that wireless headset are not ideal since they make compromises on sound quality and are prone to interferences of other devices such as our smartphones and wireless mice (if you do not own one I recommended 100%). So I bought the legendary Drop + EPOS PC38x and I was blown away with the sound quality and microphone communication that these puppies had, and the immersion in gaming as well as movies, both the same problem appeared again, my speakers were at the back of the motherboard (since they support only a headphone jack you cannot use a microphone through them, I could have I probably wouldn't' have bought a sound card), so since I have no love for adapters of any kind the decision was made to find a solution, and that solution was Z SE which I am glad that I came up with that idea. This sound card is the perfect solution for us who use a multi audio setup, since this card has a special port for headphones, microphone, speakers and also many more. The sound quality with this sound card is at least 50 to 65% better than my on board sound. The speakers are better and the headset is now just as like the manufacture wanted it to be. Sure I could have bought a DAC (I was an owner of G3 both it's more console oriented) both that would mean an additional cable and something to be at my desk, let alone updating the software and drivers of sound cards which was a hassle. The software that comes with this card is really great and you can simulate a discrete 5.1 on two speakers If you want to, while 7.1 that is available with headset option is automatic, which recognizes when you set it up and when you have not (a nice feature). The overall look of the card is really cool with the red color being the dominant and looking nice in my PC case. If you are somebody who uses speakers and headset together and does not have a motherboard which has multiple female ports of either 3.5mm or SPDIF for hooking up your speakers (Z623 are RCA or 3.5mm only) like mine, then this is an ideal investment since you get a better sound quality and forgot to mention is that you can also use the included equalizer and SBX profiles on speakers and headset together without any hassle, since you have button that you can change which device you want to hear, so no plugging and unplugging the headset and more. Creative you sure have outdone yourself, even if this sound card is just a refresh of you original one, and I am planning on using it as long as you support this product, recommended!

This is my first add-on soundcard, and the experience has been pretty good when paired with my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, except for a few things that I had to work out. Will be keeping the card, as it is a good upgrade, but here is some good stuff to know. First Problem: The drive power coming from the headphone port of the card is extreme, especially if you have low-ohm headphones, so much so that (Without software modifications) I had to keep the volume on windows around 10% or below (Without modification), and I did slightly worry that one day I'll forget that volume is at 100% and my headphones will explode. My Solution: Turn on the equalizer, set it to flat/whatever you like, move the overall sound volume (In the equalizer pane on the left) all the way down to -12db. I can comfortably go up to 50% volume now, I do wish that up to -24db was an option to ensure my headset and ears are safe from volatile audio. Second Problem: When I got the firmware and the Sound Blaster Command software directly from the website at creative.com/support/SBZSE, it recognized the card immediately and everything was fine, until I decided to do a driver update from 6.0.102.75. The device stopped being recognized from the SBC application, but I still was able to pick up the device firmware in device manager. My Solution: I reinstalled the SBC application from the website, and that fixed the issue. Probably a app-firmware compatibility issue, no big deal for me, but this might be quite the headache for somebody less tech-savvy who got this card to immediately try to update, and find that it doesn't get recognized by the software for some reason. Maybe it will work on somebody else's computer, but for me doing an update caused a minor fixable firmware problem. Overall I do like this, and I find the included software pretty user-friendly, but the descriptions for the SBX profiles could be more technical in what surround, crystallizer, bass, smart vol and dialog+ do. I'll quickly describe what those settings do for me here, they are all essentially post-processing audio overlays: Surround makes noise more spatially oriented, it attempts to simulate a good surround sound speaker setup/interior environment. Crystallizer kind of sharpens the audio, which can be good or bad based on preference, based on what you listen to. Bass is pretty self explanatory, the deep beats being boosted, if your audio setup can handle it. Smart volume is a audio normalizer, it adjusts the audio range of what you are listening to to be more or less extreme. This is good for preventing large audio shifts in media on night setting, which I find very useful, because many YouTube videos and some musical pieces aren't normalized properly, and it is easy to get blasted by sound randomly. Dialog+ is just a equalizer/booster for the human vocal range at 350 to 3400hz, with a heavy focus on 400hz (I'm guessing) to make speech more audio-legible. This is a pretty nice feature, especially for some movies where the actors mumble/say things quietly. Also nice is the fact that you can turn those features on/off through SBC software, highly customizable. One last good feature I like, that I didn't know about is the scout mode. I have my scout mode set to ALT+CTRL+F12 for quick activation, and just program my Keychron V6 keyboard's extra buttons with VIA to have it activate on one press. It does enhance some of the frequencies associated with footsteps, and far-thrown noises to enhance audio spatial info, but the change is subtle. Good for when you need a little extra awareness in-game.

UPDATE 9/21/24: After using this card for a few days, I have found that it is a gem. In today's world it is difficult to find an audio card with optical out, yet alone 5.1 passed thru, and this does it, and does it well. I had to replace an old favorite, a Zonar Essence STX which was an audiophile grade card, and I almost panicked when it finally died after many years of service. While it wasn't perfect, it played music almost to perfection through my Marantz receiver, and Martin Logan 60XT's. That said, finding a replacement was very frustrating in a sea of dwindling choices. Then, I found this Z SE. At first, I wasn't overly excited because Sound Blaster cards in the past have always been musically challenged. But, being desperate I bought one, and I am glad I did. It's musicality despite having lesser specs than the Zonar Essence, is delightfully pure, and as a bonus it plays 5.1 through the same optical port for convenience. I wholeheartedly recommend this card for both music lovers, and enthusiasts. Before I got this card, I tried everything to get 5.1 on my Win 11 PC. That includes Dolby Atmos, Asus Zonar SE etc. Yes, they all played videos off of my computer in surround okay, but nothing streaming like Prime, Netflix etc. I will tell you that this card plays anything in surround that has a 5.1 badge. Very happy! One last thing, this card gives you a choice of two encoders to work with - Dolby Digital, and DTS Connect. Each has its own sound signature, and it gives you options to play with.

Onboard ist zwar gut, aber irgendwann ist die Grenze erreicht und da muss was besseres her. Also gekauft, eingebaut, ich bin sehr zufrieden, hab mein System so eingerichtet, das Stufe 8 =stufe 20 ist, noch lauter und mir zerfezt es die Lautsprecher. Die Software dazu macht dann den Rest

La tarjeta responde como se espera de una Sound Blaster. Conozco otras mejores de la misma marca pero esta está a la altura de lo que esperaba

Parfait 🤩 rabais des produits très bon états pas de pieces mécanique ( fan ) donc très alaise d’acheter usagé très bon état

اعجبني واختلف كبير عن اول

The Creative Sound Blaster Z SE Sound Card is a high-performance PCI-e sound card designed for gaming and entertainment. It offers excellent audio quality with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 116 dB and supports up to 24-bit/192 kHz playback. The card features optimised profiles for various games and microphone EQ presets, enhancing gaming and communication experiences. However, some users have reported issues with the subwoofer being disabled or greyed out in 5.1 audio settings. This problem often arises due to incorrect Sound Blaster Command software configuration. To resolve this, ensure that the speakers are set as the default playback device and that the Dolby or DTS encoder is enabled. Additionally, ensure the subwoofer is properly connected and configured in the software. Overall it's Functionality is top-rated, top notch quality. There is no doubt for it. And its value for your money. Recommended for everyone. Thank you Creative Audio and Amazon.in for recommending this product for me.