At first we would like to thank Creative for offering us a sample of their SXFI GAMER USB-C Gaming Headset 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.”

 

Super X-Fi Technology—Award-winning Audio Technology

Amassing a total of 23 “Best of CES” awards over 2 years (2019 and 2020), Super X-Fi Headphone

Holography is our critically-acclaimed technology that is set to transform your audio experience. From

the creators of Sound Blaster, Super X-Fi captures the listening experience of a high-end multi-speaker

system in a professional studio and recreates the same expansive experience in your headphones.

Super X-Fi is designed with a complex inverse computation on the headphone audio signal to reverse

the claustrophobic effect, bringing the source of the sound outside again–so that it sounds natural, just

like in the real world. With a custom sound profile made via a sophisticated Head and Ear-Mapping

process, experience a world of possibilities with headphones on, wherever you may be.

 

BATTLE Mode—Offense is the Best Defense

BATTLE Mode is a brand-new Super X-Fi audio mode that offers the best audio projection and

directionality on headphones. Gain an extra edge in First-person Shooter (FPS) games on top of hyperrealistic audio from Super X-Fi and expect to hear audio cues with a new level of clarity and depth

that pinpoints your enemies’ locations as well as their distance from you to an unprecedented level

of accuracy. Bringing you the next level of surround sound in FPS gaming where every bullet and

movement counts, BATTLE Mode is capable of delivering even the slightest acoustic detail that one

may easily miss. Whether it’s the faintest footsteps or a quick tactical gun reload, you can now efficiently pinpoint where they’re coming from. Offense is the best defense with SXFI GAMER—skillfully take down enemies before they even realize you’re there.

 

Custom-designed Kevlar USB-C Cable

Strong. Durable. Light. Flexible. Further enhance your gaming experience with SXFI GAMER’s custom designed, high-speed Kevlar USB-C cable. SXFI GAMER is fitted with a Kevlar-reinforced cable that

has been meticulously crafted and engineered for exceptional tensile strength, which is wrapped in an

aluminum and copper shield that makes it highly durable. The cable is then finished with a nylon braid to

achieve maximum flexibility, and is capable of high-speed data transfer to drive the maximum potential

of the gaming headset.

 

CommanderMic with inPerson® Mic Technology

It’s our best one yet. SXFI GAMER is paired with our CommanderMic, a streaming microphone that is

designed to deliver the same sensitivity and clarity as many professional microphones with its unique

acoustic design and integrated pop filter. CommanderMic is further enhanced with our latest SXFI

inPerson® Microphone technology that uses an algorithm to effectively detect human voice and focus

on enhancing audible speech while cancelling out ambient noises. Speak with utter confidence and be

heard clearly as you communicate your game plan with your teammates as if you’re next to them in

person.

 

RGB Light Rings with 16.7 Million Colors

Light the way with SXFI GAMER’s fully-customizable RGB light rings, which have 16.7 million colors to

select from. SXFI GAMER allows you to change the ear cups’ light rings to basically any color you like.

Simply connect your SXFI GAMER to the SXFI Control software on PC / Mac to customize the headset

to your heart’s desire. If you can’t decide on a color, why not have it all? Switch to the Rainbow Pulse

mode to wear them all at once!

 

Audio Processor: Super X-Fi Technology with BATTLE Mode

Drivers: 50 mm Neodymium Magnet

Headphone’s Frequency Response: 20–20,000 Hz

Headset’s Impedance: 32Ω

Headphone Sensitivity @ 1 kHz: 114 dB / mW

Audio Format: 2.0 / 5.1 / 7.1 Channels, 24-bit / 96 kHz

Microphone’s Type: Uni-directional

Microphone’s Frequency Response: 100–16,000 Hz

Microphone’s Impedance: < 2.2 kΩ

Microphone’s Sensitivity: 1 kHz: -42 dB

Weight: 349g with mic, 336g without mic

Connectivity: USB, 3.5 mm Stereo Input

Colors: Black

Ear Pads: Quick-release protein premium leatherette ear pads

RGB Light Rings: 16.7 million colors

 

Supported Operating Systems

- MacOS 10.13 and above

- Windows® 10 and above

- PS4 Firmware Version 5.0 and above

- Nintendo Switch Switch OS 5.0 and above

- Xbox One Xbox OS Version 10.0 and above *2

 

Minimum System Requirements

 

Windows

-Intel® i3 or AMD® equivalent processor

-Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard

-Microsoft® Windows 8.1/8.0 32/64 bit, Windows 10 32/64 bit or higher

-1GB RAM, >600 MB of free hard disk space

-Available USB Type-C or USB Type-A port

Mac

-Macintosh running MacOS 10.12 or higher

-1GB RAM, >600 MB of free hard disk space

-Available USB Type-C or USB Type-A port

 

 

With the SXFI Gamer headset, Creative is bringing their awarded audio holography to the gaming crowd, also including a professional streaming microphone with noise cancellation. The SXFI Gamer does also include a Super X-Fi BATTLE mode profile which enhances specific sounds such as footsteps or gun reloads so you will know where the enemies are coming from. Of course, the headset can be also used with the SXFI regular profile, which is more aimed towards music and movies, an algorithm which can be fine-tuned and uploaded to the SXFI Gamer after it has been generated via the companion application (mobile version).

 

SXFI Gamer is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, which highlights the SXFI headphone holography feature but also the gaming flavor of the product:

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, we will learn of the SXFI App which must be installed on our mobile device for creating the audio profile; as we have noted with the previous SXFI headset reviews, the profile will be uploaded to the Creative cloud, in order to be further used with the SXFI Control application:

 

 

 

The opposite side is presenting some technical details involving the headphone, microphone but also the list of box contents. Here we will also learn regarding the compatible systems (PC, Mac, PS4 and Nintendo Switch):

 

 

 

More in-depth product highlights are explained on the back:

 

 

 

A detailed product description is noted on the top layer, after lifting the box cover:

 

 

 

Since the initial setup does include the use of two different applications, the step-by-step configuration steps are well detailed by Creative:

 

 

 

The headset is held secure inside a black plastic mold, so it won’t move during transit:

 

 

 

A separate box is supplied with the necessary bundle:

 

 

 

 

Here we will note the USB cable in Type-C format, a Stereo cable (3.5mm 4-pole), a USB Type-A to Type-C adapter but also the CommanderMic microphone:

 

 

 

The USB cable is Kevlar-reinforced but also finished with a nylon braid for improved flexibility; the connectors are marked as well with the SXFI logo:

 

 

 

The 3.5mm 4-pole cable comes with gold-plated connectors for achieving optimal contact:

 

 

 

The supplied USB adapter helps with compatibility when using older devices:

 

 

 

 

CommanderMic comes with a flexible body and is fully removable from the chassis of the SXFI Gamer headset; it uses a 3.5mm jack interface:

 

 

 

 

The body of the microphone is protected by a larger plastic chassis which also integrates a pop filter; it also includes a Mute LED for signaling the user the current operating mode, while the SXFI inPerson Microphone technology does use an algorithm to effectively detect human voice and eliminating the other ambient noises. The microphone is uni-directional and needs to be close to the user’s mouth in order to obtain the best results:

 

 

 

The headset is mainly made of plastic components (lightweight) but feels solid and does not creak when flexed:

 

 

 

On the exterior of the cups, we will note a closed design and a RGB enabled pattern, highlighting the SXFI headphone holography feature:

 

 

 

The headband can be adjusted as necessary and does also include markings for more symmetry:

 

 

 

The SXFI Gamer logo is present here as well, on both sides:

 

 

 

SXFI Gamer does come with PU leather and foam earcups which are thick enough for being comfortable during longer gaming sessions; however, this type of material is known to degrade over time due to perspiration and skin oils, so we would have preferred the plush variant instead. Creative has also marked the L/R channels in order to make sure that the user is wearing the product correctly:

 

 

 

The left earcup does hold all the interfaces; here we will note the Super X-Fi Button, but also the Volume control dial, which is quite precise!

 

 

 

Moving on, we do have the Microphone mute button:

 

 

 

The USB Type-C port is accompanied by the 3.5mm interface (marked also as Line-in):

 

 

 

The 3.5mm jack interface for the microphone is next, together with a button for cycling between the available RGB modes:

 

 

 

The headband does come with a bit of padding on the inside and is fully covered in leatherette:

 

 

 

A large Creative logo can be seen on the top as well:

 

 

 

The included microphone can be installed and removed in a matter of seconds:

 

 

 

Quite a bit of design elements are borrowed from the SXFI Theater headset, only that with the Gamer we do have even more RGB!

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of documentation, we do have a Worldwide Warranty leaflet, but also the User Guide:

 

 

 

Inside the guide, the customer will be informed on how to connect the headset, depending on the used sound source:

 

 

 

The SXFI Control software will make use of the previously uploaded SXFI profile via the mobile application and upload it directly to the headset, in order to obtain accurate holography. The software will first welcome us with a wizard:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The software has a theme prepared especially for the SXFI Gamer headset and the main menus are available on the left side panel; the Super X-FI menu will allow the user to authenticate into the cloud in order to start the profile upload process:

 

 

 

A successful login will show the currently available profiles (Gen2); if your profiles were generated a long time ago and are Gen1, you should re-enroll new profiles for a more accurate experience:

 

 

 

 

In the Equalizer area, we will be able to fine tune it on all its 10 bands, but also work with the Bass/Treble sliders separately:

 

 

 

We do have several other presets available to choose from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lighting area does allow the user to choose one of the preferred colors, but also turn off the lighting effect completely; by accessing the hardware button on the left earcup, we do also have a color cycle mode available:

 

 

 

Thte Setup menu comes with the Headphones sub-section, where we can enable the preferred audio output type:

 

 

 

The Mixer area will allow volume controls for both Playback and Recording sections:

 

 

 

The Settings area of the interface will show some application-specific options, but we will also have access to some tutorials or perform application updates:

 

 

 

The Device tab of the same menu will allow the user to reset the headset to factory defaults but also update the device firmware:

 

 

 

The SXFI mode is selectable from the bottom left corner:

 

 

 

After installing the headset on our test system and modifying the initial settings a bit in order to fit our preferences, we have tested it while playing Doom Eternal, Gears 5 but also Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. The SXFI headphone holography really adds quite a bit of atmosphere to the games, the “Battle Mode” enhancing the way you figure out how the enemies are positioned around you. The 50mm drivers are capable of delivering quite a bit of bass, while the voices are also clearly heard while using the standard SXFI or regular non-surround modes.

 

We are seeing improvements versus the previous models regarding the microphone as well, the new one having a better fidelity even versus the one found on the SXFI Theater; we would have preferred though to have an option to turn off the activity LED while the microphone is operating, since the continuously-lit red LED can be e bit distracting.

 

In terms of the material chosen for the earcups, the leatherette and foam material combination does provide quite a bit of comfort, but we would have preferred to have a plush variant as well, which is more durable in the long run.

 

The overall setup procedure was pretty straight forward without any issues; it is a must to have a profile defined for us by using the mobile application, in order to ensure that the SXFI algorithm will function properly and will be specifically tuned for you.

 

Creative is using the future-proof USB Type-C interface for this headset, but has also made available connectivity with older analog, stereo devices via the included 3.5mm cable. The USB cable is reinforced with Kevlar but also with braiding and can be also used for performing firmware updates. Versus a wireless headset, the cable clearly gets a bit in the way, making us wish the SXFI Gamer has had a wireless variant available as well.

 

The SXFI Gamer headset could be found online for about 122 Euros at the time of the review.

Creative SXFI GAMER USB-C Gaming Headset is Recommended for:

 

 

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