Creative has just announced a limited edition version of its Sound Blaster X7 over in Las Vegas at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
The original amplifier was launched late last year, and finds itself targeted at gamers looking to upgrade their audio set-up.
This time around however, it’s been given a makeover with an ‘exclusive’ pearl white paintjob.
And if your neighbours keep giving you a verbal kicking over late night jams, you’ll be glad to hear that the X7 can support two sets of headphones simultaneously.
On that note, Creative have also dropped the output impedance of the headphone amplifier to 1 ohm – from a previous 2.2 ohms – as an upgrade for the new model.
The newly jazzed-up amp was named a 2015 CES Innovations Awards Honoree in two categories – Home Audio/Video Components and Accessories, and Computer Hardware and Components.
It ships with a 144W power adapter – up from the original’s 70W – that’s good for 100W output to passive speakers, and promises lossless audio with a 24-bit/192kHz high-res 127dB digital-to-analogue converter.
Related: CES 2015: What’s happened at the Las Vegas tech expo so far?
Long Chye Low, Sound Blaster’s GM, said: “
“We combined our decades of expertise in audio with the finest of the finest audiophile-grade components to deliver the most powerful high-resolution audio experience for games, music, and movies.”
He added: “The limited edition Sound Blaster X7 can accommodate both extreme ends of headphones in the market with minimal distortion to audio content caused by variance in frequency response.”
It all sounds very good, but the price is a bit of a kicker – you’re looking at £399.99 for the limited edition X7, on sale from the end of January.
The original version is still on sale for slightly cheaper – £329.99 – but you’ll have to settle for a 70W adapter, higher headphone amp output impedance, and a no-so-pearly black hue.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
