How to connect SoundBlaster Live Value to front panel connectors
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The topic says it all. I have a soundblaster live value. I just got a new case, which has front panel-connectors for the sound card. The sound card has pinouts, but I cannot find a diagram of these anywhere to know how to do the connections. Any help appreciated!<BR><BR>nl
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did you try using google and the search line<BR>sb live value pinout.
….<BR><BR>that turned up a lot of pinouts for the Aud_ext connector on the card……
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The AUD_EXT connector is for connecting to Creative’s LiveDrive drive bay breakout box.<br><br>All the signals on these pins are digital. (SPDIF format) And therefore cannot be used for connecting to front panel jacks.
..<br><br>To get your audio to the front connectors you going to have to do some creative wiring — View image here: http://arstechnica.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif — That means some headphone/minijack spliiters and extentions. And some cutting and splicing to connect the front connectors.
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So what is that Generic Output 1 and 2 under the Aud_ext connector there for.
.. i thought that would be the headphone channel for the livedrive, or do you really mean to say they waste a spdif channel getting the headphone out from the livedrive.<BR><BR>And yes, i know about the spdifs, built my own toslink «livedrive» for my old value a while ago.<BR><BR>And the easist way is probably to get splitters and splice them or something as stevewm said.
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<blockquote>
<font size=»-1″>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Aphasia:<br>So what is that Generic Output 1 and 2 under the Aud_ext connector there for.
.. i thought that would be the headphone channel for the livedrive, or do you really mean to say they waste a spdif channel getting the headphone out from the livedrive.<br><br>And yes, i know about the spdifs, built my own toslink «livedrive» for my old value a while ago.<br><br>And the easist way is probably to get splitters and splice them or something as stevewm said.<hr>
</blockquote>
<br><br><br>The G/O outs are just that, simple digital outputs. They can be used to turn LEDs on/off etc….<br><br>The ribbon cable that snakes from the card to the LiveDrive is in a enviroment full of RF emissions. Making all the signals digital prevents interference from reducing the sound quality — View image here: http://arstechnica.infopop.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif —
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Ok, never thought much about it really, i was only interested in the spdif’s so i could get a toslink out to my reciever from the old live value i had.
….<BR><BR>btw… i still think i have some pics of that old project somewhere…<BR>http://www.damocles.nu/spdif.html<BR>20meter homeclamped toslink cable too, works great.
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Creative Sound Blaster X4 sound card review
Sound Blaster X4 is an upgraded version of the existing Sound Blaster X3 sound card, which, by the way, has not yet grown old. Both devices are available in stores and cost about the same. There is nothing surprising in this, since the updated solution is practically no different from the previous one: approximately the same dimensions and weight of the case, connectors on the front and back sides, hardware stuffing .
The developers added only an optical input to the Sound Blaster X4 and updated the software. That’s all.
Creative Sound Blaster X4 sounds different.
We will not conduct a direct comparison of Sound Blaster X4 and X3 sound cards, because there is no special need for this for the above reasons. Instead, let’s evaluate the reviewed product with a fresh look at (as if there was no Sound Blaster X3 visiting in 2020).
The Creative Sound Blaster X4 box contains only the DAC itself, a USB cable for connecting the sound blaster to a PC/laptop, an optical cable (1 m) and paper instructions.
Sound Blaster X4 case is made of pleasant to the touch plastic, it is quite heavy and durable (rubber inserts are separated on the back side for stability on a horizontal surface).
| Creative Sound Blaster X4 | |
|---|---|
| Sound Processor | Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine Super X-Fi |
| Dynamic Range (DNR) | 114 dB |
| Playback quality | 16/24-bit 48/96/192 kHz (stereo) 16/24-bit 48/96 kHz (7.  1 surround) |
| Recording | 16/24-bit, 48/96 kHz |
| Supported headphone impedance | 32-600 ohms |
| Power | USB Type-C |
| Compatible OS and devices | Windows 10 and 11 Mac OS X 10.15 or later PS4/PS5 Nintendo Switch Android 8.0 or later iOS 12.0 or later |
| Dimensions | 130.5×130.5×40.6 mm |
| Weight | 394 g |
The reviewed box has a large backlit volume control and three control buttons. One of them instantly turns off the microphone, the second is designed to activate the Direct Mode (we’ll talk about it later), and the third is responsible for the Super X-Fi function and sound profiles.
Scout Mode and Super X-Fi Battle are for gamers.
Each key has a light indicator and various pressing methods (either a short click or a long one).
Using proprietary software, the buttons can be reprogrammed to quickly apply custom presets (say, game / music mode, etc.).
Creative Sound Blaster X4 has a pair of 3.5 mm headphone and microphone jacks on the front panel, and line jacks for multi-channel acoustics, optical output, optical input and Type-C for power supply sound system .
Sound Blaster X4 can connect to a wide variety of devices (receiver, game consoles, speakers with multiple speakers and a subwoofer, as well as PCs and Macs), but we personally lack analog RCA, which was used in the popular Creative Sound Blaster X external card -Fi HD, discontinued. Tulips would be very useful for an analog amplifier.
Software
Creative’s audio tuning utilities have always been distinguished by impressive functionality, ease of use and a rich assortment of options.
The updated software panel looks neat and nice (there is a Russian language), all the options in it are correctly grouped and illustrated.
Let’s talk about them in more detail.
Scout Mode and Super X-Fi Battle are addressed to gamers (a special option for fans of shooters). Both allow you to clearly capture the direction of the shots and steps of opponents, as well as determine the distance to a particular object by ear.
These functions really help to concentrate on specific sounds, but it seemed to us that even without Scout Mode / Super X-Fi Battle, navigating in three-dimensional space is quite convenient, since the processor of the Sound Blaster X4 device brings to the ear even without additional profiles and settings the user’s most detailed and readable signal.
Sound Blaster X4 can connect to a wide variety of devices.
Acoustic Engine is essentially an equalizer for the lazy. There are no frequency-specific controls here, but there are settings for bass, surround, clarity (our favorite Crystalizer option still works wonders), and voice clarity.
Music lovers should pay attention to Direct Mode, because with this mode the listener gets original sound directly from the source (eg FLAC file). You can be sure that no enhancers and curves settings will cut into the signal (the function works perfectly).
The option can also be used to instantly return to the factory sound if you suddenly overdo it with numerous parameters.
The Playback tab allows you to experiment with speaker/headphone configurations connected to your Sound Blaster X4. Built-in amplifier for Ears has two modes: Normal and High. The second option significantly increases the signal power and sharpness.
The Creative Sound Blaster X4 is a godsend for gamers and streamers who frequently use a microphone for chatting and voice recording. The reviewed box is stuffed with profile technologies (VoiceDetect, NoiseClean, CrystalVoice, Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Smart Volume), which eliminate annoying echo, normalize the signal volume, eliminate extraneous sounds, noises, and also automatically turn off the microphone when the user does not speak into it ( and, conversely, turn on at the right time).
Options
Headphones/Speakers
scout mode
acoustic engine
CrystalVoice
encoder
Equalizer
Direct Mode
mixer
Playback quality
Headphone configuration
Audio recording
Sound quality
Many still do not understand why buy a separate audio card for desktop, if the default motherboard has lives profile module (and, according to the developers, a very worthy one). The answer can be obtained only by comparing both options yourself.
We tested the Creative Sound Blaster X4 with an ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (Wi-Fi) motherboard and Sony WH-1000XM2 headphones, which play amazing without the D/A assists.
Music lovers should pay attention to the Direct Mode option.
The signal coming from the green audio connector of the motherboard is like cotton (as if there is something in the ears is superfluous) , it comes from somewhere far away (and you are not at the epicenter of events).
Creative Sound Blaster X4 sounds different. sound layers appear, details and dynamics. The frequency range becomes wider (bass envelops, and highs do not hiss), the volume level increases significantly, the signal in the literal sense is cleared by .
With Sound Blaster X4 we played Battlefield 2042 and listened to music in FLAC and MP3 formats. The result is excellent.
In our opinion, the Sound Blaster X4 sound card is more focused on gaming. Numerous specialized technologies and software with many special settings contribute to this.
For music lovers, Creative has created more specialized solutions (Sound Blaster Audigy Rx, Sound Blaster Z or Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1), although this is a subjective opinion. The Sound Blaster X4 model should be recognized as universal.
Equipment
Conclusion
The 21st century gamer is not limited to any one platform. He has a personal computer and a console (sometimes more than one), as well as a TV with Smart TV and a home theater, plus a music center / receiver.
It is for such users that the Creative Sound Blaster X4 card was created.
The reviewed modification is able to combine all of these devices with each other so that the owner enjoys first-class sound. Recommended.
Keywords: Creative
Platinum sound | PC World
Creative Technologies has released Sound Blaster Live! Platinum v.5.1, with the possibilities of which we decided to get acquainted.
Sound Blaster Live! Platinum v.5.1 comes with a Russian manual, remote control, software package and optical cable. But the most remarkable thing is the presence of a special Live! Drive IR, attached to the front wall of the system unit. Almost all board connectors are duplicated on it, so the user does not have to move the system unit to, say, connect or disconnect a joystick or a MIDI cable. There are also volume controls. It is more convenient to fix the panel in the lower part of the case, because otherwise the wires protruding from the ports will prevent access to the drive slots.
| Creative Recorder |
Among the numerous connectors on the sound card, the optical input and output are the highlights. They make it possible, for example, to digitize a musical composition from an audio CD or from an MD player. In addition, there is a MIDI input and output, as well as an RCA SPDIF input and output for connecting digital devices — DAT players, MidiDisk players, etc. And an AUX input allows you to dub a music collection from a cassette to a PC in MP3 format.
Presence of remote control and special receiver on Live! Drive IP «turns» the computer into a music center, the actions of which can be controlled from the couch.
| SurroundMixer Sound Control Software |
Software
The board’s software package is called LiveWare and contains all sorts of audio applications.
Here are the most interesting ones.
MiniDisc Center allows you to operate mini disc players. The program copies albums from mini-discs, as well as information about the musical compositions included in them. Moreover, MiniDisc Center can record tracks not only from mini-discs, but also on them. All these operations are performed via optical input and output. Music playback in the MiniDisc Center can also be controlled from the remote control.
PlayCenter plays music files and turns your computer into a music center. Now you can forget about MP3 players! The program understands almost all existing music formats, from MIDI to MP3 of all versions.
Creative Recorder records input from any sound card port, from MIDI to optical. The information is saved as a WAV file, which can then be easily converted to MP3 if desired. But, unfortunately, there is no MP3 encoder in the package, and therefore the user will have to look for it on their own.
| CreativeLauncher panel |
SurroundMixer allows you to disable / enable individual ports, adjust the volume and tone for each of them, and select the main port.
You can also configure the speaker settings here.
DiagnosticsTool is the tool you need to test and tune your audio system for optimal sound.
CreativeLauncher is a program that allows you to easily manage your entire LiveWare suite. After installing the drivers, it is located at the top of the monitor screen in the form of an elongated panel (and can automatically hide behind the top border of the screen as unnecessary).
VST Cubasis is a multi-channel audio editor.
Future 3D Beat and Mixman Studio are programs for disc jockeys.
PixMaker is a Web page editor with sound effects.
EAX — world of effects
The most interesting software feature of the board is undoubtedly the set of EAX effects. It can be used to optimize the sound or modify the sound.
If the EAX effects set is installed, the CreativeLauncher panel (on the Live!Task tab) opens a drop-down list with several dozen effects. Want to know how your composition would sound in the mountains? Select the Mountains effect.
And how does Philip Kirkorov or Joe Cocker sing in the bathroom? Apply the Bathroom effect.
By opening the AudioHQ tab and pressing the EAX Control Panel button, you can raise or lower the key of music, add a concert hall effect, echo, and more. And for those who like to sing, there is a set of karaoke effects (Add button).
True, the developers forbade the selection of more than six effects at the same time, but this is more than enough to change the composition beyond recognition.
Mikhail Melnikov , [email protected], http://spectra.esite.ru
Sound Blaster Live! Platinum v.5.1
System requirements: Pentium-166 PC (200 MHz for Windows NT/2000), Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000, 32 MB RAM, 160 MB free hard disk space , CD-ROM drive.
Advantages: great sound (including 3D), a good set of programs for sound processing and creating musical compositions.
Disadvantages: low bit depth when converting sound from analog to digital (16 bit).