At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their SXFI THEATER 2.4GHz Low Latency Wireless Headphones for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About Creative:

 

“Creative is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Founded in Singapore in 1981, Creative started with the vision that multimedia would revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs.

 

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, high performance earphone products and portable media devices. The company's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services enable consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

 

Since launching the phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de-facto standard for PC audio in 1989, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, a huge user base of 400 million, and strong brand name to expand into the exciting lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) market.

 

Creative is now well recognized as a global leader for product innovation in the audio and PDE segments, offering consumers a complete, high quality digital entertainment experience through Creative's hardware, software applications and services. Finding the perfect balance between form and function, Creative strives for every product to be a sensory feast for the eyes and ears.

 

Today, Creative is spearheading new product categories with its groundbreaking Sound BlasterAxx audio enhancement devices and solutions, highly-acclaimed Creative D5xm Signature Series of modular Bluetooth wireless speakers, Aurvana premium headsets, Sound Blaster wireless gaming headsets, and cross-platform Sound Blaster Recon3D for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC or Mac.

 

These products and solutions are marketed to consumers and system integrators through a worldwide distribution network that includes traditional marketing channels, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the Internet.

 

Moving forward, Creative's mission is to expand its leadership role in the lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment market, using groundbreaking technology and leading-edge designs for not just the technically-savvy consumers, but for everyone who enjoys entertainment. With strong focus on user-friendly interface, multiple features and cool industrial designs, the Creative brand is synonymous with lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment.

 

Creative's global corporate headquarters is located in Singapore, in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region. It has regional business units in the US (Milpitas, California), Europe (Dublin, Ireland) and Asia (Singapore).

 

Creative is a public listed company on the main board of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) since June 1994.”

 

HOLOGRAPHIC AUDIO — UNIQUE TO YOU, PERSONALIZED FOR YOU.

 

Imagine capturing the listening experience of a high-end multi-speaker system in a professional studio and recreating the same expansive experience — with the same original depth, detail, realism, and immersiveness — in your headphones.

 

Each of us hears the world differently — our unique head and ear shapes affect how we perceive sound. Super X-Fi personalizes the headphone audio experience based on how you hear sound to give you the most optimized and realistic listening experience.

 

This is done by simply taking three photos of your face and ears with your phone.

 

SXFI APP

 

Personalize your Super X-Fi profile through an advanced Head & Ear-Mapping process.

 

CINEMATIC SOUND

 

The SXFI THEATER brings the movie theater to you in the form of audio holography. What sets it apart is our Super X-Fi personalization process - where you'll be guided through a Head and Ear-Mapping process that custom tunes audio to your very own ears. Whether you're streaming the latest 4K movie off iTunes, or watching compressed clips off YouTube, the audio is as good as the real cinema!

 

DETACHABLE GAMING MIC

 

Fitted with a detachable gaming mic which has been engineered for clear communications, SXFI THEATER is an excellent headphone choice for gamers who favor an immersive experience in game titles with cinematic audio.

 

WIRELESS, LOW-LATENCY AUDIO

 

Experience the full Super X-Fi cinematic audio at the comfort of your home without lag! SXFI THEATER comes without the hassle of tangled wires and is optimized for impeccable audio and video sync for low-latency audio.

 

And when compared to Bluetooth®, SXFI THEATER is capable of better quality audio transmission with higher reliability. This is made possible through its SXFI TX, a wireless USB dongle with the built-in UltraDSP that powers the Super X-Fi technology, and a proprietary digital audio transmission technology. A separate USB Extension dock (1.2m / 3.94 ft) is provided to extend the range of SXFI THEATER.

 

Put simply, enjoy smooth and uninterrupted movie playtime without the annoying lag in Bluetooth headphones.

 

PASSIVE MODE

 

We've also included a 3.5 mm AUX-in cable for your other non-USB devices. Super X-Fi will not be available in this option.

 

SOFT PROTEIN LEATHER COMFORT

 

Not only designed for remarkable audio quality and long-lasting usage, SXFI THEATER brings great comfort and better headphones experience! The SXFI THEATER is fitted with high-quality, soft protein leather that are snug to your ears, and guarantees elevated comfort during extended use. It is also fully replaceable so you can switch them out through a quick-release mechanism for easy ear pad replacement.

 

FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE RGB RING

 

Personalize your SXFI THEATER's experience further and hear your audio in a new light with the SXFI AIR Control mobile app! With 16 million different colors to choose from, the Creative SXFI THEATER with its customizable light ring can match any mood or battle station you choose.

 

SERIOUS AUDIO PERFORMANCE

 

Specially tuned 50 mm Neodymium drivers that delivers powerful audio while maintaining clarity and well-balanced sound for your favorite music.

 

UP TO 30 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE

 

Stream up to 30 hours on a single charge without worrying about running out of power halfway through a nail-biting scene! We've also included a USB-C to USB-A charging cable to save you the hassle of finding one.

 

DETACHABLE MIC

 

Featured with our detachable mic, engineered for clear communications between teammates in-game, or friends over Skype.

 

 

Just recently we have received another interesting product from Creative in our labs: this time it is a wireless (2.4GHz) headset with a very good battery life, comfortable to use with an over-ear earcup design and sporting support for the Super X-Fi technology. The SXFI THEATER allows the user to enable holography for all audio content such as movies, music or games, with or without using the dedicated software applications thanks to a single dedicated button.

As we have mentioned in the Outlier Gold article, Super X-Fi technology from Creative does use computational audio in order to recreate the listening experience of a multi-speaker system present inside a professional studio by creating the same expansive natural experience. In order to permit this, the user must create a profile by mapping the head and his/her ears and this will be simply done by taking photos of your head via the smartphone application; the profile will then be uploaded to the cloud for later use.

 

The product is shipped inside a compact cardboard enclosure, highlighting the Super X-Fi technology; here we will also learn of the wireless, low-latency audio capabilities of the product:

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, we will get to see that the product is compatible with the SXFI TV box (not available at the current moment), PC/MAC but also PS4 and Nintendo Switch:

 

 

 

 

The hardware specifications are listed as well, together with the package contents:

 

 

 

Some more information about the product is available on the back, along with the list of applications that were designed to work together: SXFI mobile app and the SXFI Control PC & Mac apps:

 

 

 

Right after unsealing the box, we will spot another advert for the Super X-Fi headphone holography:

 

 

 

The headset is carefully protected inside a black plastic mold, while the documentation can be found inside a separate plastic bag:

 

 

 

The first document does mention how to create your SXFI profile via the smartphone application and how to upload it to the headset without installing SXFI Control utility:

 

 

 

 

SXFI THEATER does feature a sturdy, premium look with large earcups and thick enough ear pads:

 

 

 

On the outside of the earcups we will find a unique styling that highlights the product name; the outside frame is a LED ring that signals the current status of the headset and can also be customized with the color of our choice:

 

 

 

The Super X-Fi technology chromed logo is also present on the headband portion of the headset:

 

 

 

Creative wants to make sure that we are using the headset positioned correctly, so it has printed the name on the inside of the earcup padding. The ear pads do feature high-quality soft protein leather, thick enough so it remains comfortable during long listening sessions. Each earcup houses a custom-tuned 50mm neodymium driver:

 

 

 

 

On the left side cup, we do have the Power On/Off button, together with the microphone port:

 

 

 

The microphone port is revealed by removing the rubber protective cover:

 

 

 

Moving on, we do have the USB port for charging purposes, along with a jack for using the headset in analog mode; in this mode, Super X-Fi headphone holography is not supported:

 

 

 

This is not all! We will also get to see a Microphone mute button, along with the Volume wheel:

 

 

 

The Super X-Fi mode has a dedicated button, from which we can enable/disable the effects:

 

 

 

The headband can be adjusted as needed and contains markings to aid the user:

 

 

 

The headband is completely covered by leatherette, that completes the professional look:

 

 

 

On the top area, we will find a large, recessed Creative logo:

 

 

 

The hardware accessories will be found in a separate cardboard enclosure:

 

 

 

The documentation is composed of a Safety and Regulatory leaflet, a World-Wide Warranty leaflet but also a Product Guide:

 

 

 

All the operating modes are described within the manual:

 

 

 

The SXFI TX Wireless transmitter does have a similar look to a regular USB Flash Drive and shares the design elements of the headset; the dongle does also come with a blue activity LED, so we will know which mode the product is currently in:

 

 

 

On the back of the dongle, we will find more info, but since it is made from glossy black plastic, it is not really easy to read:

 

 

 

A photo without the flash seemed to do the trick; here we will learn of the internal product code name, power rating and more:

 

 

 

On the side of the dongle, we will also find a CONNECT button, that can be used to sync your SXFI profile via smartphone, without the use of the SXFI Control utility (PC/Mac):

 

 

 

Creative has also included a quite useful USB extension dock, for driving the dongle away from the PC/Mac interferences, so we would benefit from a longer operating range:

 

 

 

The dock does come with a plastic housing and includes a single USB 2.0 port:

 

 

 

The foam material underneath will keep it steady on the surface:

 

 

 

The included removable microphone does have a flexible body, so we can position it correctly for conferences:

 

 

 

Creative has included a windscreen as well for noise filtering:

 

 

 

The microphone jack plug is gold plated, for a better contact:

 

 

 

The installation of the microphone is pretty straight-forward:

 

 

 

The included USB Type-C cable will be used for charging the headset and has a total length of 2m:

 

 

 

 

Creative does also provide a 1.5m Stereo cable, for using the product with any analog sound source; the manufacturer calls this “Passive Mode” and Super X-Fi will not be available during this time:

 

 

 

 

In order take advantage of the Holographic Audio feature, you will first have to create a profile via SXFI mobile application:

 

 

 

The first step would be to login or create a new account; you can use Google or Facebook accounts as well!

 

 

 

A tutorial will be displayed afterwards, which also explains the benefits of using such mode:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Face and ear scanning will be then possible by using the camera on our smartphone:

 

 

 

 

If all steps have been successfully completed, we will be informed on the next steps we need to perform:

 

 

 

Creative has already rolled out Gen2 profile creation, with even better spatialization, so people with older profiles would need to re-enroll theirs:

 

 

 

For uploading the newly created profile to the headset, Creative instructs to connect the dongle to a PC, turn on SXFI THEATER and then press the CONNECT button while in the Wireless setup of the application for the sync to happen:

 

 

 

Creative has also developed a secondary application to use with the product, which is really easy to use and we have found this one to be the ideal one for uploading profiles in just a second! The application will prompt you to login to your SXFI account in order to be able to access the cloud-uploaded profiles:

 

 

 

If you have multiple profiles uploaded, all of it will be displayed for selection purposes:

 

 

 

In the EQ tab, we will be able to adjust the 10-band EQ, but also work separately with the Bass/Treble sliders:

 

 

 

 

A lot of presets are available as well:

 

 

 

The RGB lighting can be configured with the color of our choice from the next tab; RGB on headsets is pretty much useless on headsets, since you cannot see it while in operation anyway, so Creative has kept the configuration quite simple. Also, in order to get the best battery life, you can turn off the RGB lighting completely:

 

 

The audio channels of the headset can be configured and is in sync with the Windows speaker configuration:

 

 

 

From the Mixer tab, we can also adjust the Volume levels of the Headset/Microphone:

 

 

 

The Settings area does have a General tab, from where we can select the GUI language, enable the tutorial or check for application updates:

 

 

 

Finally, we have the Device tab, that allows us to reset the configuration to default, but also check for dongle firmware updates:

 

 

 

After creating the profile in the SXFI mobile application, we went ahead and installed SXFI Control for easy upload purposes, while leaving the EQ in neutral position. We did listen to quite a bit of YouTube clips, 1080P and 4K TV Shows/Movies but also played Injustice 2, SWTOR and Resident Evil 2: Creative’s implementation of holographic audio really makes a difference and offers a very nice experience even when only voices are involved. Besides really great virtual 7.1 positioning, we have found that the bass levels do not decrease when enabling Super X-Fi technology as we have seen with other surround sound implementations, which adds even more to the immersion.

 

By using the two dedicated applications, we can create/upload new profiles with ease and they will be computed with Gen2 algorithms for even more realistic positioning and quality. One aspect that must be kept in mind is that if we are listening to low quality audio files/tracks, the holographic effect will not be rendered as good; this usually happens when listening to poor quality YouTube clips and you may notice audio artifacts/sounds that should not be amplified as much.

 

In terms of microphone quality, the audio is great as well, more than we would have expected, considering that it is marketed as a “gaming” component.

 

With the SXFI THEATER, Creative does introduce wireless, low-latency audio thanks to the SXFI TX dongle; while we can confirm that we haven’t noticed any sound lags while using the product, we did find that the range is not as long as the manufacturer mentions, even when the signal needs to pass more than one wall. If the distance from the dongle was over six meters, we have started to notice frequent disconnects and loud popping at times. Considering that Creative has issued lots of feature updates for the dongle so far for this particular model, we hope that this range issue will be fixed in the future as well.

 

One other feature to notice is the battery life of the SXFI THEATER; we have managed to obtain no less than 25 hours of usage from a single charge with the LEDs off, which is pretty close to what the manufacturer advertises and impressive nonetheless!

 

Besides the range, which we have found to be better with the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless and CORSAIR VOID PRO, we would have liked Creative to include a thicker padding on the headband; however, if you configure the headband to be more loose on your head, you will barely notice it while wearing for longer periods of time.

 

SXFI THEATER is a premium product from Creative and could be found online for about 200 Euros at the time of the review.

Creative SXFI THEATER 2.4GHz Low Latency Wireless Headphones is Recommended for:

 

We would like to thank again to Creative for making this review possible!