Creative Labs Sound Blaster Play! 3 External USB Sound Adapter for Windows and Mac. Plug and Play (No Drivers Required). Upgrade to 24-Bit 96Khz Playback

Using Koss Porta Pros on an Acer Swift 3 314-43 this sounds better than my Audio Quest Black.

Funciona al 100%

I researched budget external sound cards extensively before purchasing this one. This has better audio quality than cards 5 times the price. 2 caveats: I dont use the microphone input and have disabled it. Some users have reported a slight hissing at high volume when using the monitor function. You have to install the control panel to change settings, and youre going to want to to disable the default EQ settings (totally unnecessary IMHO). Crucially, this device doesnt store settings offline, so you HAVE to use the software (Windows/MacOS only) to load the correct profile onto the device. This could be an issue for Linux users. Wish I didnt have to have another piece of software that autoruns when I start my machine. This device would be perfect if those settings persisted across machines!

Going from an older computer with a top end ASUS sound card, I was disappointed with the sound quality on my new computer. My audio listening habits have changed, and a real expensive sound card didnt seem worthwhile, so after a couple of hours researching on-line and reading Amazon reviews, decided to give the Play 4 a try, mostly because of the amazing specs and low price (I should know better, but...). At first, the sound improvement over the 5.1/7.1 outputs and built in sound on the new computer was dramatic - the Play 4 DAC really brought the speakers to life. But then it died - lost connection with the usb C port. Unplugged and tried again, and after as longer period, did the same thing. Used a different C port, with the same failures. Researched some more, checked all my computer sound settings, switched the Play 4 between mode 2 to mode 1 and back, installed the creative software which supposedly wasnt needed - nothing made a difference. Strike one. While all this was happening, the computer kept displaying a message from Creative that firmware and software needed updating. This was annoying, because that was the first thing tried after loading the Creative software and getting the message . Annoying, because the firmware uploaded OK, but the software kept popping up cant upload at this time, try later. This message would pop up every time I started or re-started the computer. Strike two. So I decided this was a defective device, and I would exchange it for another Play 4. Having read the instructions, I knew that the Play 4 would need to be in the computer to uninstall the software, so I followed the manufacturers instructions. A 3 step process for Windows 11, unlike most software packages: First, with the Play 4 plugged into the computer, right click start, go to device manager>sound, and click on Attempt to uninstall software. After that was done, go to Control panel>Creative, and click on uninstall software. Then, with the Play 4 still plugged in, turn off the computer, and unplug the Play 4 after the computer shuts down and before starting again. Strike three. Instead of an exchange, I am returning the Play 4, just too needy for a long term relationship, and my time is worth more than the Play 4 is worth. The one good thing out of this 6 hour struggle is that the device confirmed what my ears suspected - I need a decent (but reliable) DAC.

USB connection, simple install.

Very please just perfect plug and play no drivers no software thanks Creative

It worked as they said it would do, but I guess my hopes were high. I think this item would be great for simple headphones not for the high-end models. My Bluetooth on my headphones would not connect directly to my PC, I thought this item would do. It worked but the sound quality was extremely poor but was ok when I used a pair of old wired ear buds. This is great for podcast

For what you pay, this works well. I bought them for my laptop, and it definitely improves the sound on it. The 2 onboard EQ are OK, but very basic. A vast improvement from onboard.

I got the Creative Sound Blaster PLAY! 4. It is very buggy. It has a mind of its own. Sometimes it just disconnects itself. Have to unplug it and move it to a different port. Was running it at the max 24-Bit 192KHz for a while, but now, anything beyond 48Khz sounds garbled and just unbearable. It is good for a bit of a nice boost to sound but do not expect this to give you a leg up in gaming or anything. The sound quality is just a bit better than the stock Realtek HD Audio. And yes I have tried disabling the inputs. Tried modifying everything else. But cannot get the max sound I am supposed to. Of course this is not a replacement for a real sound card or an actual DAC. I would honestly skip it, save more money and maybe consider the FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC. The FiiO has optical out and my desktop speakers have optical in so it should provide better quality sound. I will be purchasing that and keeping this for maybe using it on my iPad Pro or maybe give it to my nephews so he can use it on his PS4. ** Update 13 August, 2022 ** I think I finally managed to get it work the way it should. For whatever reason, Mode 2 is the mode that is required for Windows and Mac devices. Even though it states it in the manual that Mode 2 is the default, mine was not working as it should. For mobile devices and gaming consoles, Mode 1 is required. If you try to use Mode 2 on your gaming console or mobile device it may not be detected or might not work as expected.. These are my settings on a Windows 10 machine and iMac 5K in order to get the popping and random disconnections to stop. 1. Install the Creative App software. That is what it is called. Honestly. 2. Update the firmware and drivers. 3. Enter Mode 2 on your device. You do this by holding down the Volume Down (has a CIRCLE) button for about 2-3 seconds. Once it is enabled, you will see a blinking white light. It will blink 5 times in white. 4. Mute the microphone on the device by pressing the mute button one time. A red light will appear above the button. 5. In Windows 10, go to Control Panel > Sound > Recording tab > Right click on Microphone - Sound Blaster Play! 4 and select Disable. 6. In Windows 10, go to Control Panel > Device Manager > Expand Sound, video and game controllers > Disable the following if you have it and will not be using it: Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio; <--- Thunderbolt Dock Audio. I think. Intel Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth Audio; <--- Thunderbolt Dock Audio. I think. HD Audio Driver for Display Audio. <--- Audio Speakers on my Phillips monitor. Not required. 7. In the Creative App and make sure that you lower down the microphone volume for the Play! 4 device. 8. In the Creative App > Select Playback > Audio Quality > Headphones > Select 24 bit, 192000 Hz.

My gaming headphones were being a pain, so I bought this product. It works exactly as it states and required no fiddling around and messing with settings to work. Outstanding.