In the under-appreciated world of PC
gaming audio, Creative is about to make a comeback. We puts us ear to the
floor.
Those of us with receding hairlines and
expanding waistlines will remember the era of Sound Blaster, where every gaming
PC on the planet came packing one of Creative’ s ubiquitous soundcards. These
little slabs of ear candy were to audio as the 3dfx Voodoo was to graphics,
delivering the wonders of hundreds of simultaneous sound effects, with dozens
of crazy environmental effects that all sounded like a cavernous bathroom.
Creative sold lots of them, hundreds of millions in fact, but its monopoly led
to the usual arrogant behavior seen when companies get too big for their boots,
worst were bloating drivers, which were as bulky as they were unreliable, and
which still give greying gamers nightmares about conflicting IRQs and DMAs. By
the time of Windows Vista, Microsoft had determined that many of the PC’s
stability issues were caused by sound cards, so the Seattle software giant
pulled the rug out from under Creative’s feet.
Vista’s introduction of the Universal Audio
Architecture (UAA) standard removed the ability for Creative to pipe DirectX’s
DirectSound to its audio drivers, making Windows infinitely more stable but
also destroying the technology Creative had used for years. The company watched
its fortunes turn, as their former must-have devices became expensive
paperweights. It was a dark period for the former masters of sound. However, in
the last couple of years we’ve seen Creative playing a comeback tune. With the
launch of the SoundBlaster Z series, not to mention some rater tasty gaming
headphones, it seems to have learnt from the lessons of the past. However,
you’re probably wondering why you even need a sound card if Windows 7 now uses
the UAA standard?
The move to UAA means Creative can’t build
cards the way it used to, but your PC still needs to process audio. So there
are several advantages to using a dedicated gaming sound card. For starters,
the Digital Signal Processor (the audio equivalent of a CPU or GPU) is much
more powerful than onboard solutions, which means your CPU wastes less time thinking
about audio. Secondly, sound cards use quality components to process the sound,
usually in the form of expensive Digital to Analogue Converters, or DACs.
Finally, by moving the circuitry away from the motherboard, and hiding it
behind a special shield, the card isn’t subjected to the rigors of
interference, allowing it to deliver a much cleaner audio signal.
With Creative launching the brand new Sound
Blaster Z series, as well as a range of premium gaming headphones, it’s a
fantastic opportunity to see what the company is up to, and whether it’s
learned from the harsh lessons of the past. It’s also a great way to remind you
guys just how important gaming audio is – if you’re running onboard audio
through crappy headphones, you’re simply not doing today’s blockbuster musical
scores and sound effects justice.
Creative Tactic3D Rage USB
Price: $99.95
Creative
Tactic3D Rage USB
You don’t even need a sound card with this
gaming headset, as there’s one stashed inside the left ear cup. Plug the
headphones into your PC will detect them as an audio device, allowing you to
install the Creative software to unleash its full potential. You can also use
it these headphones in conjunction with one of the Sound Blaster cards reviewed
here; simply plug it in via the usual headphone cable instead of USB. Running
off the internal solution delivered above average sound quality, largely thanks
to the excellent 50mm drivers (drivers are the mini-speaking the larger the
better 50mm is used by the best). Bass reproduction is especially noteworthy,
but the mid to high end also impresses, if occasionally crunching in hectic
soundscapes. They might not support Dolby Headphone, but Creative’s SBX 3D
Surround is even better, with brilliant positional audio yet little of the echo
effect seen in Dolby’s solution. While the integrated audio is a fantastic
feature, these little rippers shine even more with one of the new Sound Blaster
cards.
Verdict: 8/10
Creative Tactic3D Rage Wireless
Price: $149.95
Creative
Tactic3D Rage Wireless
To what lengths would you go to server the
tether that binds your soul to your digital tower of slavery? That’s an overly
dramatic way of asking how much coin you’d be happy to blow to get rid of your
headphone cable. Creative thinks you’ll pay fifty bucks for the privilege, as
that’s how much more the Tactic 3D Rage Wireless is than the USB model. These
gaming cans are identical to the Rage USB, minus the USB cable. As there’s no
physical connection, the digital sound processor is now housed in a small USB dongle
that you plug into your PC, which doubles up as the radio transmitter. This
offers the exact same sound features as the USB version, such as awesome
virtual surround and deep EQ settings, but beams audio via RF to the
headphones. Given that it’s using a wireless connection, a slight drop in sound
quality would be forgivable, but the Wireless kit maintained an excellent level
of audio over its chunky 50mm drivers. This makes them excellent value for
money, just bear in mind they won’t work with a dedicated sound card, as there
is no 3.5mm input, with all audio having to be transmitted via the dongle.
Verdict: 8/10
Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Omega Wireless
Price: $199.95
Creative
Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Omega Wireless
If you’re onto a good thing, don’t screw
with it. Creative has a great thing going on with the design of its Tactic3D
headphones, so they’ve used the exact same 50mm drivers and ear cup design in
these premium Omega headphones. As a result the Omegas maintain the same
excellent audio quality of the Tactic3D cans, but there’s also an extra goodie
in eth form of a USB base station. Not only does this act as a wireless
transmitter and digital sound processor, similar to the Rage Wireless, it’s
also where the Omega magic happens. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 can be
connected to the base station, making these truly cross platform gaming
headphones. Even the microphone works on all three platforms and amazing feat
at this price point. Our only concern is the jungle of wiring necessary to hook
up all three devices, but its’ a small price to pay for a set of cans that
rival those twice the price. If Creative keeps making products like these, we
have no doubt they’ll be around for a while yet.
Verdict: 9/10
