Creative Sound Blaster X7 SB1580 User Manual

User’s Guide

Model No: SB1580

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of Sound Blaster®X7! This high resolution, high performance USB
DAC(Digital-to-Analog Converter) incorporates the advanced SB-Axx1 audio processor -- the next
generation multi-core sound and audio amplifier incorporated voice processor for accelerating advanced
audio and voice processing technologies. It is designed to work perfectly with your computer and mobile
devices, making your audio sound simply amazing while giving you a truly immersive listening
experience!

Package Checklist

Your Sound Blaster X7 package comes with the following components.

l The Sound Blaster X7 device
l Headphone stand
l Gold plated 2.0m 3.5mm stereo male to RCA cable for Line-Out (Front L/R)
l Gold plated 55mm 3.5mm stereo female to RCA cable for Line-In
l 1.5m Micro-USB cable
l AC/DC power adapter
l 1.08m AC power cord

Minimum System Requirements

For computer,

l Intel

®

Core™ 2 Duo or AMD®equivalent processor, 2.8 GHz or faster recommended

l Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard
l 1GB RAM
l >600 MB of free hard disk space
l Available USB 2.0/3.0 port (High Speed recommended)
l Microsoft

®

Windows®8.1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 32-bit, OR
Windows 8 64-bit, Windows 8 32-bit, OR
Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit, OR
Windows Vista®64-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit (Service Pack 1 or higher), OR
Mac®OS X®10.6.8 and above.

For mobile device,

l Android 2.3 and above for Bluetooth

®

, OR

Android 4.1 and above for USB host streaming*;

l iOS 6.0** and above for Bluetooth, and USB host audio streaming via lightning port.

Note:

* Devices firmware must implement AOA2 protocol that support USB Host Audio Streaming.
**Devices must support Bluetooth 4.1 LE(Low Energy).

Introduction - 1 -

Registering Your Product

Registering your product ensures you receive the most appropriate service and product support
available. You can register your product during installation or at register.creative.com. Please note that
your warranty rights are not dependent on registration.

More Help

For the latest news and products for the Sound Blaster, please visit www.soundblaster.com. The site
also includes information on making purchases, technical help and the latest software updates.

Using Creative Software AutoUpdate

Locating, downloading and installing updates for your Creative products is now simpler and faster with
the web-based Creative Software AutoUpdate system.

When you connect to Creative Software AutoUpdate via the Internet, the website will analyze your
computer system to determine your operating system, language and which Creative products are
connected to your system.

When this analysis is completed, you will then be given a list of only the most relevant software updates
for your connected products. The files can then be retrieved and installed.

To learn more about the Creative Software AutoUpdate, please visit support.soundblaster.com.

Note:

First-time users of Creative Software AutoUpdate may be prompted to authorize the download of a
browser component required for system analysis. Check to ensure that this content is signed by
Creative Labs, Inc., then click the Yes button.

Please ensure that all your Creative products are connected and installed on the same computer
running Creative Software AutoUpdate.

Introduction - 2 -

About Your Hardware

Your USB audio device is equipped with a variety of input and output jacks to enable connection to
various devices. Other controls give you basic control over the system's functions.

Front

1

2

3

9

8

7

4

5 6

Control or Jack Description

1 Playback

Volume/Mute knob

Turn clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the playback volume.
Push to mute/unmute playback volume.

2 Power/Bluetooth

button/indicator

Press the button once to power Sound Blaster X7
ON. Press again to power it OFF (Standby).

When it is turned ON, press and hold the button for2
seconds to enter Bluetooth pairing mode.

3 Dolby Digital

indicator

Lights up in white when Dolby Digital decoding is
activated.

4 Mic-In jack Connects to a microphone using a 3.50 mm (1/8-

inch) plug.

5 6.3mm Headphone

1 jack

Connects to stereo headphones using a 6.3 mm
(1/4-inch) stereo plug.

6 3.5mm Headphone

2 jack

Connects to stereo headphones using a 3.50 mm
(1/8-inch) stereo plug.

About Your Hardware - 3 -

Control or Jack Description

7 SBXbutton/indicator Toggles SBX Pro Studio audio enhancements

ON/OFF.
The SBX Pro Studio is ON when the LED is lighted
and dimmed otherwise.

8 Built-In Microphone

Array

For voice pickup and recording.

9 NFC sensor Tap NFC device to connect.

Back

1112

141516171819202122

13

10

23

24

Control or Jack Description

10 Speaker Output

terminal (Left)

Connects to the Left input of passive speakers.

11 Headphone Stand

slots

For installing the supplied headphone stand.

12 Speaker Output

terminal (Right)

Connects to the Right input of passive speakers.

13 Impedance switch Set switch to 4 ohm or 8 ohm to match speaker

impedance.

14 RCA Line-Out jack

(Front Right)

Connects to the Front Right input on powered analog
speakers or an A/V receiver.

15 RCA Line-Out jack

(Front Left)

Connects to the Front Left input on powered analog
speakers or an A/V receiver.

16 3.5mm Line-Out

jack (Rear L/R)

Connects to the Rear Left and Rear Right inputs on
powered analog speakers or an A/V receiver.

About Your Hardware - 4 -

Control or Jack Description

17 3.5mm Line-Out

jack (Center/
Subwoofer)

Connects to the Centre and Subwoofer inputs on
powered analog speakers or an A/V receiver.

18 RCALine-In jack

(Right)

Connects to the Left output on line-level sources (for
example, MP3 players).

19 RCALine-In jack

(Left)

Connects to the Right output on line-level sources
(for example, MP3 players).

20 Optical S/PDIF-Out

jack

Connects to recording devices with optical connectors
(for example, Digital Audio Tape recorders, MiniDisc
recorders or external A/V receivers).

21 Optical S/PDIF-In

jack

Connects to playback devices with optical connectors
(for example, Digital Audio Tape players, MiniDisc
players, DVD players or televisions with optical
output).

22

USBport

Connects to the USB port of a PC/laptop for audio
streaming via a Micro-USB cable.

23 USBHost port Connects to mobile devices (for example,

smartphones and tablets) for audio streaming. You
may also charge your mobile devices with this port.

24 DC-In port Connects to a suppliedAC/DC power adapter.

About Your Hardware - 5 -

Setting Up Your Audio Device

Step 1:Connecting to a Power Supply

Turning On Sound Blaster X7

Press the Power/Bluetooth button to turn on Sound Blaster X7. The Power/Bluetooth indicator
lights up in white once the device is properly connected and turned on.

Note:

Sound Blaster X7 fully boots up within 4 seconds. It's ready to play audio when the
Power/Bluetooth indicator lights up in white.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 6 -

Step 2:Connecting to an Audio Source

Connecting to a Computer via USB

Setting the default audio device

For Windows:

After the Sound Blaster X7 Control Panel is installed, Sound Blaster X7 will be automatically set as the
default audio device. Alternatively, you can set the desired default audio device from the Windows
Sound Control Panel.

For Mac:

1. Go to System Preferences and click Sound.

2. Select Sound Blaster X7 in the Output tab.

3. In the Input tab, select Line-In or Mic-In/Mic Array.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 7 -

Connecting to a Mobile Device via USB Host

Connecting to Line-In Sources (e.g. MP3 Player, CDPlayer)

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 8 -

Connecting to Optical-In Sources (e.g. DVD/Blu-rayPlayer, TVSet)

OPTICAL

OUT

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 9 -

Connecting to Bluetooth Devices

To enjoy your favorite music from your Bluetooth devices, simply follow these steps to connect your
devices.

i. Activate Bluetooth pairing mode on Sound Blaster X7
Turn on Sound Blaster X7. Press and hold the Power/Bluetooth button for 2 seconds. The
Power/Bluetooth indicator will begin to blink in blue while waiting to be connected.

Note:

If no device is paired within 60 seconds, it will exit from pairing mode.

ii. Activate Bluetooth pairing mode on your mobile device

Activate Bluetooth on your mobile device. From the list of discovered Bluetooth devices, select "Sound
Blaster X7".

Devices

Ziisound D5

ZK-S9

Sound Blaster X7

Devices

Ziisound D5

ZK-S9

Sound Blaster X7

Note:

Bluetooth pairing between these devices may vary depending upon the model type. Consult your
device’s manual on how to pair.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 10 -

iii. Pairing success
When both devices are paired, the Power/Bluetooth indicator will light in blue.

Pairing Multiple Devices

The Sound Blaster X7 supports multipoint Bluetooth connection. It can be connected to two Bluetooth
devices at the same time! To have the second device paired, repeat steps i to iii on Connecting to
Bluetooth Devices. If you wish to connect it with a third device, one of the two devices that are
currently paired with the audio device has to be disconnected.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 11 -

One Touch Pairing with NFC

You may pair your NFC-enabled device with Sound Blaster X7 with a single tap using the NFC
technology. Simply follow these steps to connect them.

i. Activate NFC on your mobile device

Turn on the NFC feature on your mobile device by enabling "NFC" on the "Settings" screen.

Wireless & Network

Airplane mode

VPN

NFC

Wireless & Network

Airplane mode

VPN

NFC

Note:

Some of these settings may vary depending on the device's model type. Consult your device’s
manual on how to activate NFC.

ii. Tap your mobile device on Sound Blaster X7

Touch your mobile device on the NFC logo on Sound Blaster X7 to connect.

Note:

Be sure that your mobile device is NFC-enabled and find out where the NFC sensor is located on your
device. Consult your device's manual for more information.

Aim the device's sensor at the NFC logo on Sound Blaster X7 before tapping the devices.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 12 -

iii. Pairing success

When both devices are paired, the Power/Bluetooth indicator will light in blue.

To disconnect, tap your device with Sound Blaster X7 again.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 13 -

Step 3:Connecting to Speakers / Headphones

Connecting to Passive Speakers

1 4 53

2

Component

1 Speaker Output terminal (Right)

2 Speaker cords

3 Speaker (Right)

4 Speaker Output Terminal (Left)

5 Speaker (Left)

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 14 -

Speaker Cables

There are different types of speaker cables or connectors that can be attached to the Speaker Output
terminals (Right and Left) of Sound Blaster X7. Ensure that the rubber covers are removed from the
binding posts before attaching the speaker cables.

i. Bare Wires

1 2 3

1. Turn the binding post of the Speaker Output terminal counter-clockwise to reveal the metal hole in
the binding post.

2. Tightly twist the bare wire and insert it into the hole. Ensure that the polarities of the wires match.
For example, connect the wire from the positive (red/white) terminal on each speaker to the
corresponding positive terminal on your receiver. Similarly, connect the wire from the negative
(black) terminal on each speaker to the negative terminal on your receiver.

3. Tighten the binding post to the speaker cable by rotating clockwise.

ii. Banana Plug

Simply push the banana plug into the binding post of the Speaker Output terminal. Ensure that the
polarities of the wires match.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 15 -

Select Speaker Impedance

The 4 ohm/8 ohm speaker impedance switch allows the Sound Blaster X7 to be configured to correctly
match the impedance of the passive speakers used.

Note:

Only applicable when Sound Blaster X7 is connected to passive speakers.

Warning:

To avoid damaging your speakers, be sure to select the correct impedance
rating that matches the impedance of your passive speakers.

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 16 -

Connecting to Analog Speaker Systems

2.1 Channel Analog Speakers

audio
inputs

speakers

3

audio

inputs

4

2

1

Component

1 RCALine-Out jack (Front Right)

2 RCALine-Out jack (Front Left)

3 RCA to Stereo cable

4 Audio Input jack

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 17 -

5.1 Channel Analog Speakers

front rear center/

subwoofer

audio
inputs

center
speaker

front

speakers

rear

speakers

front rear center/

subwoofer

audio

inputs

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

8

9

10

Component

1 RCA Line-Out jack (Front Right)

2 RCA Line-Out jack (Front Left)

3 3.5mm Line-Out jack (Rear L/R)

4 3.5mm Line-Out jack (Center/Subwoofer)

5 RCA to Stereo cable

6 2-channel audio cable

7 2-channel audio cable

8 Front (Audio Input) jack

9 Rear (Audio Input) jack

10 Center/Subwoofer (Audio Input) jack

Setting Up Your Audio Device - 18 -