The G8 succeeds the GC7 and G6 gaming DACs. Photo: Creative
Creative’s Sound Blaster is a storied brand that has its roots as a sound card for PCs in the 90s, and to this day is a name that has inspired and influenced many of the company’s desktop audio products. This leads us to where we are now, with the release of the company’s new Sound Blaster G8 DAC.
The G8 is the latest addition to Creative’s lineup of external DAC/amp. These are external digital-to-analogue converters that double up as headphone amplifiers. While you’d be hard-pressed to find a modern computer that doesn’t already come with a sound card on the motherboard, the appeal of an external DAC separate from your PC is that it's free from interference from other motherboard components, in theory leading to better audio fidelity (you can read more about external DACs here). The amplifier component also allows users to maximise the performance of their headphones.
Moreover, the G8 is also a gaming DAC, succeeding the similarly-pitched Sound Blaster GC7 and Sound BlasterX G6. The big new addition to the G8 compared to its predecessors is that it’s (as Creative touts it) the first external gaming DAC to offer two USB-C ports for two separate devices, meaning that you can connect two devices to just one G8.
The G8 is shaped with the front console tilted down. The buttons for toggling between different listening modes are also here. Photo: Creative
If you’re one of those people whose setup includes multiple PCs and a console at the same desk, Creative is pitching this as a single mixing solution that can streamline your audio experience and keep your setup clutter-free. To be clear, on the subject of gaming consoles, USB-C connectivity is only supported by Sony's PS4 and PS5. For Xbox systems, you'll need to rely on the HDMI ARC port.
Other gaming features include holdovers from the GC7 and G6, such as GameVoice Mix, a knob that allows you to mix and balance in-game music with an ongoing voice chat, and CrystalVoice, an algorithm for background noise reduction and vocal volume adjustment (something akin to dynamic range compression). It’s also compatible with Creative’s Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine, where you can find the EQ settings for the G8.
One thing to note, however, is that the G8 does not carry over the GC7’s Super X-Fi technology, which simulates a multi-speaker system through your headphones. That means that SXFI BATTLE Mode, a selling point of the GC7 that provides the directionality of certain sounds like gunshots in an FPS, isn’t present either.
Outside of Gaming
Outside of the gaming features, Creative also touts the G8’s audio fundamentals. Powering this is Xamp, a proprietary amplifier that separately powers the left and right headphone channels – which sounds very much like it has a balanced amp design.
But what do you get with it? Aside from the rather large dynamic range of 130 dB in its audio output, the G8 also supports a wide gamut of headphones between 8Ω to 600Ω. This should mean that it's equally adept at powering high-impedance headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 and low-impedance ones like the Sony MDR-1AM2. It also has a low output impedance of just 1Ω, which means it'll work well with sensitive IEMs too.
Finally, the G8 supports high-res music playback at up to 32-bit/384kHz, and it also supports virtual 7.1 surround sound. In terms of connectivity, apart from the abovementioned two USB-C ports, the G8 also has a HDMI ARC port to reduce clutter for console setups, optical TOSLINK in and out ports, 3.5mm line in and out jacks, and separate mic and headphone jacks on the front panel.
Rear I/O on the G8 include the USB-C ports and HDMI ARC port. Photo: Creative
Availability and Pricing
You can get the Sound Blaster G8 now at Creative's website for S$239. It should also be available on Creative's official stores on Lazada and Shopee soon.
While you're shopping around in Creative's external DAC range, it's also worth noting that the aforementioned predecessors, the Sound Blaster GC7 and G6 are still being sold and are in a similar price range or lower. The Sound BlasterX G6, for example, is now just S$199.
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