CREATIVE
With more people live streaming their gaming sessions, there’s been a surge in demand for USB sound cards that can bring together a variety of sound sources and feed them into a computer. The latest sound card to land on my desk for review Creative’s SoundBlaster G8.
With its simple and clean design, the SoundBlaster G8 looks like it’s been designed with gamers in mind. The overall design is clean and simple with just two control knobs mounted on the fascia along with a row of three buttons. The G8 is raked at a comfortable angle making it easier to use with almost any gaming rig.
The build quality of the G8 feels good despite the widespread use of plastic, while silicone feet on its base ensure the G8 won’t slide around on your desktop. The controls all feel sturdy and offer excellent tactile feedback, as do the three selection buttons.
Creative
As soon as the G8 is plugged into a host device with a USB-C cable, the bright white SoundBlaster logo illuminates, although there’s no option for dimming its light or turning it off altogether. It’s not a big deal but I would like to have seen an option to turn down that logo.
The main function of the SoundBlaster G8 is to feed sound from various devices like game consoles or other audio sources into a computer so they can be mixed into a live stream having first been processed by the G8’s onboard DSP.
At the rear of the G8 are the inputs and outputs for various audio sources. To start with, there are two USB-C ports with the first one being labeled USB-1. This is used to power the G8 and also functions as the Game channel, feeding the sound from the game you are playing.
Creative
The second port is labeled USB-2 and works as the Voice channel so you can mix your voice from a microphone with the game soundtrack. There are two possible microphone inputs; one is a 3.5mm mono mic jack while the other is the headphone jack which can also work with a headset like the excellent beyerdynamic MMX 330 PRO. You can easily mix between the game and voice sources using the Game/Voice knob on the G8.
The audio output from the G8 can either be directed to a 3.5mm line out or an optical TOSLink port. Alternatively, the output can be directed to the 3.5mm headphone jack. The SoundBlaster G8 also has an HDMI ARC input which could come in handy for TV or a gaming console. There’s a handy switch for selecting between HDMI and optical input. You can’t use both inputs at the same time.
The large knob on the G8 is where the overall volume level can be set to determine the maximum volume from the device connected via USB-2. Next to the volume knob is a row of three buttons labeled SBX, MODE and HP/SPK. The SBX button toggles through something called Scout Mode which can be used to seek out the audio effects already set up using the Creative app. If you press the SBX button again you can then turn off any of the stored effects.
Creative
The MODE button provides Direct Mode which bypasses any audio processing for a clean sound directly from the source. Finally, the HP/SPK button just toggles between speakers and headphones for the G8’s audio playback. Incidentally, the G8 can output hi-res sound up to 384kHz at 32-bit depth and has an impressive dynamic range of 130dB plus Dolby Surround sound.
The G8 is powered with Creative’s custom-designed Xamp discrete bi-amplifier which drives the left and right headphone channels individually for a smoother sound with extra clarity and precision. The G8 can drive headphones with ultra-low impedance down to 1Ω as well as headphones and in-ear monitors with impedances ranging from 8Ω to 600Ω.
The SoundBlaster G8’s secret sauce is the Creative app which can be used to set up an array of sound effects. There’s something called the Acoustic Engine which provides effects settings that can be quickly selected using the SBX Scout button. There’s also a feature called Dialog+ which can boost and isolate vocals. Currently, the Creative app only runs on Windows, but I’m told there will be a macOS version in the first quarter of 2025.
CREATIVE
Verdict: The Creative SoundBlaster G8 is one of the best gaming DACs for live streamers. It’s an excellent tool that can bring together sound from more than one device. It’s probably best suited for use with gaming consoles and PCs. If you are a live streamer or gamer, the Creative SoundBlaster G8 offers a lot for the money. Its closest rival is probably the RØDE Streamer X, but it is unique in what it offers and a versatile piece of kit that can do a lot for the money, especially with the power of the Creative app behind it.
Pricing & Availability: The Creative SoundBlaster G8 Gaming DAC is available now and priced at $129.99 / £129.99 / €129.99.
Tech Specs:
The detailed tech specs are available here.
Follow me on LinkedIn.
