The Soundblaster Z comes boxed with a tiny, high quality "beamforming" microphone array that sits atop your monitor looking inconspicuous, and besides the manual and warranty information, that's your lot. The Z series comes in three increasingly expensive flavours, of which the basic entry model is in our test machine today. If that means little to you (or you own a set of headphones or speakers that might not fit the bill), then it's probably also worth noting that Creative's updated studio software produces a whole load of digital magic that promises to make your audio sparkly no matter what source you throw at it (or device you connect to it). To do so they utilise high-end processing and hardware, including external DACs delivering 127dB signal-to-noise ratio, sockets for swappable Op-Amps, a high-end 80mW into 600 ohm headphone amplifier and 192kHz pass-through. Their new range - the Sound Blaster Z series - are cards that promise “the very best listening experience for movies, games and music” according to the promotional blurb. They’re still here and they still hold value for even a modest desk-based PC setup however, and Creative are flying their pro audio flag with as much gusto as they can manage. Whilst most of us older-generation PC users used to look forward to the new bells and whistles that came along with a sound card refresh every year or so, I’d be hard pushed to identify anybody else that’s given a discreet audio card a second thought for the best part of a decade. In the world of on-board audio processing for motherboards, graphics cards and even headsets, it’s no small wonder that companies like Creative are still attempting to cater to a consumer-grade market.
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