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Sound Blaster releases Play! 3 USB Sound Card with Creative DAC
Creativelaunches its Sound Blaster PLAY! 3, a portable high-resolution USB sound card that features a digital-analogue converter (DAC) and a headphone amplifier for PC.
The Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 offers tech and gaming enthusiasts a convenient thumb-sized audio solution yet powerful enough to drive a wide range of headphones for an immersive audio experience.
The compact plug-and-play audio power pack offers the easiest way to enjoy hi-res 24-bit 96kHz audio – users can simply connect the Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 sound card to a PC or Mac and amplify any gaming headset, studio-grade headphones or favourite stereo speakers to instantly boost their audio experience. Combined with the Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 Control Panel software which is available for Windows® and Mac OSX®, this portable USB sound card offers numerous configuration options and immersive audio effects that enhance and personalize one’s enjoyment of music, movies, games and even recording for podcasts or in-game communication. Apart from that, the Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 also boasts fuss-free convenience: its small and light form factor provides powerful audio on-the-go, and thanks to its single or split stereo/mic connectors, the days of Y-splitter cables are long over.
Key Features of Sound Blaster PLAY! 3:
- 24-bit 96kHz high-resolution USB DAC playback
- Improved listening experience with headphone amp
- Easy connection of headsets via single or split stereo/mic connector
- Customizable Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 Control Panel software
- Instant audio quality upgrade for headset or stereo speakers
Technical Specification:
- Interface: USB 2.0, USB 3.0
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (DAC): 93dB
- Sampling Rate (Playback):
- 16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0kHz
- 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 96.0kHz
- Sampling Rate (Mic-in): 16/24-bit / 44.1, 48.0kHz
- Headphone Amp: Supports headphones up to 300 Ω
- Connectivity:
- One 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) 4-pole Headphone/Headset jack
- One 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) Microphone jack (Mono)
- Power: USB bus powered
- Product Dimensions (L x W x H): 138 x 22.0 x 9.4 mm
- Product Weight: 13 g
Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 is priced at GBP 19.99 (RRP) / 25 USD
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SirDremor
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Senior Member
Posts: 586
Joined: 2008-06-20
#5449457 Posted on: 07/04/2017 06:45 PM
Let's try finding even a single soundcard without DAC...
Creative, be more clever creative rather than silly creative.
Also don't pretend your clients are that stupid.
Let's try finding even a single soundcard without DAC...
Creative, be more clever creative rather than silly creative.
Also don't pretend your clients are that stupid.
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 6551
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 6551
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5449478 Posted on: 07/04/2017 07:42 PM
Let's try finding even a single soundcard without DAC...
Creative, be more clever creative rather than silly creative.
Also don't pretend your clients are that stupid.
Except a lot of their clients do fall for it. I'm not aware of any products Creative creates that an alternative doesn't do. They haven't really been relevant since the early 2000s, but because of legendary products like the Soundblaster 16 or Audigy, people keep buying their products.
I wouldn't say any of Creative's products are bad, but they're not worth buying IMO.
Let's try finding even a single soundcard without DAC...
Creative, be more clever creative rather than silly creative.
Also don't pretend your clients are that stupid.
Except a lot of their clients do fall for it. I'm not aware of any products Creative creates that an alternative doesn't do. They haven't really been relevant since the early 2000s, but because of legendary products like the Soundblaster 16 or Audigy, people keep buying their products.
I wouldn't say any of Creative's products are bad, but they're not worth buying IMO.
Anarion
Senior Member
Posts: 13605
Joined: 2005-08-13
Senior Member
Posts: 13605
Joined: 2005-08-13
#5449486 Posted on: 07/04/2017 08:07 PM
Except a lot of their clients do fall for it. I'm not aware of any products Creative creates that an alternative doesn't do. They haven't really been relevant since the early 2000s, but because of legendary products like the Soundblaster 16 or Audigy, people keep buying their products.
I wouldn't say any of Creative's products are bad, but they're not worth buying IMO.
I wouldn't exactly say that. What makes this decent is not really the audio quality (this sucks from audiophile point of view) but the software: virtual surround for gamers. Also their smart volume thingy works really well. I use that all the time while watching series and youtube if the voices are really inconsistent or really low.
Except a lot of their clients do fall for it. I'm not aware of any products Creative creates that an alternative doesn't do. They haven't really been relevant since the early 2000s, but because of legendary products like the Soundblaster 16 or Audigy, people keep buying their products.
I wouldn't say any of Creative's products are bad, but they're not worth buying IMO.
I wouldn't exactly say that. What makes this decent is not really the audio quality (this sucks from audiophile point of view) but the software: virtual surround for gamers. Also their smart volume thingy works really well. I use that all the time while watching series and youtube if the voices are really inconsistent or really low.
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 6551
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 6551
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5449493 Posted on: 07/04/2017 08:35 PM
Don't most audio driver support decent headphone surround? I've seen the feature advertised often, though I haven't tried them myself (I use actual 5.1 surround speakers).
Even if Creative does a better job with this than others, they still have a knack for dropping support for newer versions of Windows pretty quickly, and they have little to no Linux support at all. Seeing as audio chipsets* can't really get a whole lot better than they are now (or have been for the past 15 or so years) this is a bit irritating, though, I do understand why they do things this way.
I wouldn't exactly say that. What makes this decent is not really the audio quality (this sucks from audiophile point of view) but the software: virtual surround for gamers. Also their smart volume thingy works really well. I use that all the time while watching series and youtube if the voices are really inconsistent or really low.
Don't most audio driver support decent headphone surround? I've seen the feature advertised often, though I haven't tried them myself (I use actual 5.1 surround speakers).
Even if Creative does a better job with this than others, they still have a knack for dropping support for newer versions of Windows pretty quickly, and they have little to no Linux support at all. Seeing as audio chipsets* can't really get a whole lot better than they are now (or have been for the past 15 or so years) this is a bit irritating, though, I do understand why they do things this way.
* I said chipset, I'm aware things like amplifiers and noise reduction continues to improve.
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For $5 more....the FiiO K1 is a better option....