Mr. Sim of Creative talks Super X-Fi
video description
Super XFi has been for me personally, maybe one of the best inventions of my generation. -
Personally, i love music, i love playing games on my PS4 and on my computer and I love watching movies and i love to pick the best seats in a movie theatre so that i can enjoy a movie with the best audio. Since space is limited where i am living in, i can only get headphones. I' ve got a Sennheiser HD598, then HD650 and now Emu-Teak. What Super XFi brought to the table is that it changed the playing field from 2D world where i was searching for the end game like maybe STAX or HD820 or Focal Utopia and Tube Amp to 3D world where all the terms like timbre, clarity, resolution, resolving, soundstage, airy, attack, dynamic range, etc are now being moved to 7. 1. -
What makes Super XFi great is that when i am not using it, i am thinking of it and when i am listening to music or watching a movie etc without it, i am thinking how would it sound on my SXFI amp and Emu-Teak setup. Then i listen to it or watch a movie with SXFI and it exceeds my expectations and then some. (5. 1/7. 1 with SXFI is surreal) -
Normal audio no longer satisfied my hunger, SXFI has now created a hole where i hope it could continue to improve and fill because I am too still looking for more clarity, more resolution, more more more but in this new playing field. I would really want to be able to change to other HTS setups using the SXFI as like different headphone is used for different situations. Like how i use HD650 for concert music and Emu-Teak for movies and pop music. -
With SXFI, watching movies like Lord of the Rings Trilogy reminded me of the time when i saw the movie in the theatres, the 7. 1 surround sound and the thumping bass is unbelievable. Listening to recordings makes me feel like i am in the recording studio with the singer, singing right in front of me. Listening to live shows or concerts makes me feel like i am there in the audience. Btw totally changed the way Netflix shows and movies sound even if the content is not in 5. 1. Most games are fantastic with SXFI. Even watching home videos with SXFI makes me feel like i am once again brought back in time to the location. (Try and test it and see how much better it is with SXFI on)-
Personally, one more added benefit, all my listening fatigue is gone. I can't wait for more advancement in this technology and I hope they can create a better desktop amp to combo with SXFI like X7. -
Hit and Miss in Music-
After testing with different music, I find that the reason for the hit or miss for music is not due to the SXFI amp. The reason is because of how the music is mastered, what SXFI does is to replicate a 2. 1/5. 1/7. 1 system, so if you dont like how it sound on a 2. 1/5. 1/7. 1 system, then it will not sound good using SXFI and it is true. Some songs I prefer the normal headphone sound because it feels like the singer is singing right into my ears and some songs I prefer a 2. 1 system because it is just much more impactful like when the orchestra comes in with the huge crescendo, it just brings the music to another level. So conclusion is that some songs are better using normal headphones and some are better using SXFI to replicate HTS. For me, most songs of my playlist are suitable for HTS and it is just a whole new experience using SXFI amp. -
Works on every headphone-
I' ve tested SXFI amp with EP660, Aurvana SE, HD598, HD650/HD6XX, Emu Teak. All of their main sound signature to my ears sounds the same. (Although their sound signature is the same but there are some inherent difference because of the headphones itself, like closed back is different from open back, the details/resolution that the headphone is able to create are different, decay speed, soundstage etc) -
What I think creative SXFI app did when you select the profile is most likely modify the sound signature to emulate ELAC speakers that they are modeling after. So just get a headphone model that is listed in their SXFI app list and you will be able to get the same ELAC speaker sound signature. If there is a specific sound signature that you prefer, you can try different headphone model in the app and see whether any of it fits your taste and if you want to be more specific, you can use the EQ in the app to further customized to your taste and the settings will all be saved in the SXFI amp which is a very nice touch. -
So It also means that you do not need to buy expensive headphones to enjoy the SXFI experience. -
Who is the best in Personalised HTS simulation? -
After testing with the different surround sound tech that is listed in HeSuVi. I have come to a conclusion. Personally, for my ears, currently which tech is the best in replicating HTS which is what i am looking for, the sound that i hear from a cinema, the sound that i get from a good HTS. Creative SXFI is the best in replicating the sound coming from HTS. Why? I think i know the answer. -
Personalization. The main premise of why SXFI is special is that it is personalized, each of our head and ear structure are different and therefore, what we hear and perceive is different. To my knowledge, every other tech doesn' t do personalization except Creative SXFI and Smyth Realiser. So softwares like OOYH works well for some and not others. Smyth Realiser A16 cost is -US$3995 so it should be better than SXFI (Haven' t tested it yet. Creative SXFI cost US$150 and can give you up to 85% (my personal listening experience) of HTS on headphone, I call that a no-brainer. If you have the money and time, and want the best of the best, maybe you should have gone to Shanghai CanJam and test the Smyth Realiser A16. For me, for now i am really satisfied with SXFI and hope everyone around me can experience it for themselves. (Already bought one for each of my family)-
For comparison, for Personalised HTS simulation technologies, we have-
2016 - (personalised) Realiser A16 (prototype) - US$3995 -
2018 - (personalised) Super X-Fi amp (Win/OSX/Android/iOS/PS4/Switch) - US$150 -
Can't wait to see what improvements and products can Creative make out of SXFI
Date: 2022-03-15
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Comments and reviews: 9
xyz360400
I think there are some scenarios where their method of determining the correct profile to use won't be too accurate if relying strictly on images of a person's ears and facial features. For example, when I was young I used to get severe ear infections, and one of the worst actually burst inside my ear and I now have a hole inside my ear that was left behind from this event (it was extremely painful by the way, just in case anyone was wondering; I highly recommend avoiding them if possible) and because of this, my hearing in that ear is very different. I'm actually able to hear some sounds and frequencies that people with normal hearing cannot and some sounds/frequencies/ranges sound slightly or very different in that ear vs the other, especially on the low end (bass. An image of the outside of my ears and face would not convey this information to their software and therefore I probably wouldn't get the best results without something more extensive to analyse my hearing. Other factors, such as a person's age, the shape of their inner ear (the parts not visible from the outside, and even the pattern, amount, thickness etc. of ear hair (gross, I know, but it does affect a person's hearing) all play a role in how a person experiences sound, and while age may be approximated via their image database, I doubt those other factors will be accounted for very well. Ideally, if they had some kind of sonar tool to analyze a person's inner ear structure (which I'm guessing is what the microphones were for that they mentioned before, that would probably be superior for configuring the device's profile to tune it to each individual's hearing/capabilities etc.
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I think there are some scenarios where their method of determining the correct profile to use won't be too accurate if relying strictly on images of a person's ears and facial features. For example, when I was young I used to get severe ear infections, and one of the worst actually burst inside my ear and I now have a hole inside my ear that was left behind from this event (it was extremely painful by the way, just in case anyone was wondering; I highly recommend avoiding them if possible) and because of this, my hearing in that ear is very different. I'm actually able to hear some sounds and frequencies that people with normal hearing cannot and some sounds/frequencies/ranges sound slightly or very different in that ear vs the other, especially on the low end (bass. An image of the outside of my ears and face would not convey this information to their software and therefore I probably wouldn't get the best results without something more extensive to analyse my hearing. Other factors, such as a person's age, the shape of their inner ear (the parts not visible from the outside, and even the pattern, amount, thickness etc. of ear hair (gross, I know, but it does affect a person's hearing) all play a role in how a person experiences sound, and while age may be approximated via their image database, I doubt those other factors will be accounted for very well. Ideally, if they had some kind of sonar tool to analyze a person's inner ear structure (which I'm guessing is what the microphones were for that they mentioned before, that would probably be superior for configuring the device's profile to tune it to each individual's hearing/capabilities etc.
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PatEncy
I won't fall for this. I fell for the Live 5. 1, the Audigy 2 zs, the Zxr, the G1, and was really considering the AE-5(basically a headphone amp) at one point. There is no way that little shit dongle is going to add $150 worth of quality to games, movies or music.
Holographic audio. Do you know that a hologram isn't real? It just looks real. Aureal 3d had the best surround sound I have ever heard in games back in the 90's, but guess who bought them out and suppressed the technology? I loved EAX, it still is awesome if you can get the hardware mixing working on the older titles that supported it.
If Creative wants to come back to how they used to be, they need to find their new -EAX. - That would have to be full spatial surround sound for games both horizontal and vertical, along with sound bouncing off surfaces. Ever been walking down a hallway approaching a door open on your left only to hear the sound from that room in your right ear because it was bouncing off the hallway on your right? That is what they need to do. It can go perfectly with Geforce RTX ray tracing tech reflecting things out of view.
Get creative, Creative.
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I won't fall for this. I fell for the Live 5. 1, the Audigy 2 zs, the Zxr, the G1, and was really considering the AE-5(basically a headphone amp) at one point. There is no way that little shit dongle is going to add $150 worth of quality to games, movies or music.
Holographic audio. Do you know that a hologram isn't real? It just looks real. Aureal 3d had the best surround sound I have ever heard in games back in the 90's, but guess who bought them out and suppressed the technology? I loved EAX, it still is awesome if you can get the hardware mixing working on the older titles that supported it.
If Creative wants to come back to how they used to be, they need to find their new -EAX. - That would have to be full spatial surround sound for games both horizontal and vertical, along with sound bouncing off surfaces. Ever been walking down a hallway approaching a door open on your left only to hear the sound from that room in your right ear because it was bouncing off the hallway on your right? That is what they need to do. It can go perfectly with Geforce RTX ray tracing tech reflecting things out of view.
Get creative, Creative.
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chico
I received around two weeks ago came with the Aurvana SE Headphones and the SX-FI stick. It sounds pretty good using the Sennheiser 598cs also with the provided Aurvana SE headphones.
It sounds fantastic playing games from my computer also with my Galaxy tab 8 & Samsung Galaxy s4, however it has a glitch with a static sound from Samsung Galaxy S8. I emailed customer support and they try to identify the problem & told me that they are working with the firmware to fix the problem. One other thing it can't be used and charge the phone at the same time, also it can't be connected to the TV. The customer support told me that may be in around six months creative Will release some kind of wireless adapter that creative show at CES. Still a good little device that can make your headphones sound like the best thing ever.
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I received around two weeks ago came with the Aurvana SE Headphones and the SX-FI stick. It sounds pretty good using the Sennheiser 598cs also with the provided Aurvana SE headphones.
It sounds fantastic playing games from my computer also with my Galaxy tab 8 & Samsung Galaxy s4, however it has a glitch with a static sound from Samsung Galaxy S8. I emailed customer support and they try to identify the problem & told me that they are working with the firmware to fix the problem. One other thing it can't be used and charge the phone at the same time, also it can't be connected to the TV. The customer support told me that may be in around six months creative Will release some kind of wireless adapter that creative show at CES. Still a good little device that can make your headphones sound like the best thing ever.
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Jason
Ok Gordon, I'm trusting you on this one. Been following you since Boot and you are always the skeptic and only get excited about truly revolutionary things. Just dropped my pre-order, Merry Christmas to me. I'm a big fan of Creative Labs, but every promise of holographic audio has fallen flat. Holographics, only two good haircut & matchstick demos; Dolby Headphone, please; A3D, hahaha; Q Sound, a flange effect that maybe might trick you twice. Only Creative's THX TruStudio Pro even came close to proper consistent convincing positional 3D audio. I truly hope this is everything it appears to be, and will be adopted by everyone.
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Ok Gordon, I'm trusting you on this one. Been following you since Boot and you are always the skeptic and only get excited about truly revolutionary things. Just dropped my pre-order, Merry Christmas to me. I'm a big fan of Creative Labs, but every promise of holographic audio has fallen flat. Holographics, only two good haircut & matchstick demos; Dolby Headphone, please; A3D, hahaha; Q Sound, a flange effect that maybe might trick you twice. Only Creative's THX TruStudio Pro even came close to proper consistent convincing positional 3D audio. I truly hope this is everything it appears to be, and will be adopted by everyone.
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LearnYDF
Did he mention at the 5 minute mark that he had a modelling with microphones in his ears? How do we get that modelling for ourselves? Or are we restricted to the facial scans? As far as I've heard for binaural, microphone calibrated profiles are close to 100%. Whereby facial scans are about 60%? Is this a way to get an unfair review that the consumers will not get? Similar to reviews of Binned CPU chips that can overclock higher than what retail customers will never get. Definitely sounds unfair and fishy.
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Did he mention at the 5 minute mark that he had a modelling with microphones in his ears? How do we get that modelling for ourselves? Or are we restricted to the facial scans? As far as I've heard for binaural, microphone calibrated profiles are close to 100%. Whereby facial scans are about 60%? Is this a way to get an unfair review that the consumers will not get? Similar to reviews of Binned CPU chips that can overclock higher than what retail customers will never get. Definitely sounds unfair and fishy.
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Tang
Thank you Mr. Sim W H for making your passion(sound & computer) into a reality with so many wonderful sound products - have been enjoyed using your Creative Stage, BlasterX Katana, Super X-Fi and is now looking forward to your Creative SXFI soundbar in mid 2020 - You and your team have been making audio entertainment more enjoyable and Singapore proud too! Also loved reading the book you have written earlier- Thank you Mr. Sim and keep up your excellent innovation!
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Thank you Mr. Sim W H for making your passion(sound & computer) into a reality with so many wonderful sound products - have been enjoyed using your Creative Stage, BlasterX Katana, Super X-Fi and is now looking forward to your Creative SXFI soundbar in mid 2020 - You and your team have been making audio entertainment more enjoyable and Singapore proud too! Also loved reading the book you have written earlier- Thank you Mr. Sim and keep up your excellent innovation!
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Larry
Good $25-30 headphones? The HD668B comes to mind. I love this set for everyday use and gaming. I have sets that cost 10x more, but I always put these on. I replaced the pads with velour and they're wonderful. When I listen to music I tend to use Bluedio Victory, for the full range with sharp, clear bass that hurts. I have 10 sets of headphones of all types, but if they tuned this thing for the HD668B and the Bluedio Victory I would buy it for them
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Good $25-30 headphones? The HD668B comes to mind. I love this set for everyday use and gaming. I have sets that cost 10x more, but I always put these on. I replaced the pads with velour and they're wonderful. When I listen to music I tend to use Bluedio Victory, for the full range with sharp, clear bass that hurts. I have 10 sets of headphones of all types, but if they tuned this thing for the HD668B and the Bluedio Victory I would buy it for them
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Kexin
There-s a reason why Creative is in the state it is in. It-s because of products like this, and here-s why. I don-t want this in a USB stick, nobody does. This need to be build into the product itself. I want it in a motherboard, in an iPad, in a console, in a headphone, in an Android phone, and in the TV. There is a reason why RealTek, a nobody computer in the audio field, totally dominate PC audio. They simply get to the customers first.
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There-s a reason why Creative is in the state it is in. It-s because of products like this, and here-s why. I don-t want this in a USB stick, nobody does. This need to be build into the product itself. I want it in a motherboard, in an iPad, in a console, in a headphone, in an Android phone, and in the TV. There is a reason why RealTek, a nobody computer in the audio field, totally dominate PC audio. They simply get to the customers first.
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Brechan
Do I need to have a smartphone in order to benefit from the software/ hardware, or can the software be installed onto my PC?
Seems more and more software requires a person to own a smartphone in order for the hardware to work properly - in this case the Creative Super X-Fi.
On a side note. Gordon, Maximum PC has never been the same since you left. Just my. 005 cents CAD
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Do I need to have a smartphone in order to benefit from the software/ hardware, or can the software be installed onto my PC?
Seems more and more software requires a person to own a smartphone in order for the hardware to work properly - in this case the Creative Super X-Fi.
On a side note. Gordon, Maximum PC has never been the same since you left. Just my. 005 cents CAD
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