Creative Sound BlasterX G6

Boosted audio for PCs and consoles alike.

The G6 is the successor to the G5, but also carries the legacy of the E5, a mini-amp that worked wonders with both PCs and mobile devices. With a 130dB and 32-bit/384kHz DAC, plus support for Dolby Digital decoding and 5.1 and 7.1 virtual surround sound, there’s a lot under this small hood.

The device itself is only a little bigger than a deck of cards, so it doesn’t need a lot of space, though cables need to be plugged in from two ends.

The main advantage in something like the G6 is its compatibility on both ends. The PC or console side is one thing, but the fact that any pair of headphones will work on the other negates the need to buy a dedicated gaming headset. There’s a lot of technical stuff going on to make this happen, and we found it wasn’t all that important to recognize how it all works – the fact it consistently did was good enough.

A simplified explanation is that the G6 amplifies both the left and right channels individually using discrete components to boost and clarify audio output. Standard headphone amps do both channels at once, which is fine for music but not ideal for games that have separate signals going to each ear.

We tried it first on a PS4, where we connected the optical cable to the port

in the back and one of the USB ports in the front. On a PC, though, it’s a little different because of the Sound Blaster Connect desktop app, which offers greater customization. It would’ve been nice to carry some of the settings from the PC to the console however, because the G6 doesn’t have internal memory to store settings like that, we weren’t able to replicate any of the custom features when playing on a console.

We noticed an audio boost immediately once we fired up the

G6 – thanks, especially, to a Creative technology called Scout Mode that enhances the ambient noises. Footsteps or voices come through a little clearer and louder, offering a tactical advantage when moving or hiding to avoid ambush enemies – and all of that is done without also cranking up the volume.

But if you wanted to, you could boost it by switching the gain from low to high, amplifying all audio coming through the headphones. With Wolfenstein II, for instance, the boost helped to tip us off when an enemy was moving closer without having eyes on them.

Turning on the SBX mode only impressed us further. It felt like having a surround system between the ears. This mode adds spatial audio enhancements using algorithms to simulate a wider

A simplified explanation is that the G6 amplifies both the left and right channels individually.

soundstage.

The algorithms, as good as they are, don’t necessarily adjust volume levels for different sounds. For instance, you may be in a quiet area in a game, only for the music to jolt your ears once something dramatic happens.

At around $230, the Sound BlasterX G6 isn’t a cheap add-on, either for a PC or console setup. Its focus is somewhat narrow, but if sound matters to you, you’re guaranteed a boost here without having to invasively tinker with anything.