Review and Measurements of Sound BlasterX G6

[Robbo99999]

The story what happened is somewhat different. I agree buying a hel 2 when already owning a G6 is probably not the way to go for most people. This is what happened:

• I wanted an upgrade from my old mixamp. I didn't own a G6 already, I was looking to buy a gaming dac/amp. I was in doubt of buying the G6 for a while now, but it was never in B-stock, and didn't feel like spending 150 when I could wait for B-stock.
• 2 weeks ago the schiit hel 2 got released, and while I always liked Schiits idea's/reviews/looks of their devices, I never wanted to buy the hel 1 since it didn't work with playstation. Wel now it did. And I think the amplification should be somewhat better than G6 (will A/B test this week). Therefore I bought the Hel 2, not knowing how long I had to wait for the G6 to be available on B-stock.
• Then, the schiit hel 2 got back ordered 6 weeks.... I was bummed out, but checked for G6 B-stock again and saw it was finally available. I ordered it immediately and send an email to Schiit to cancel my schiit hel 2, since it was going to take 6 weeks.
• Well, 2 days later, I got a message from Fedex my Schiit product was on its way, LMAO. Emailed Schiit and they confirmed they were able to ship it (much) earlier than expected.
• That is where I am right now. I got 2 devices while I only need 1. I got the G6, will probably receive the hel tomorrow. I can return the G6, or gift it to my girlfriend or something. I won't be able to return the schiit (I shipped it to EU), but will probably be able to sell it 2nd hand for full price if I think the G6 sounds better.

So yeah.... its quite the shitshow lmao. In general though, I am glad the schiit is on its way, I think the amp in that should be a bit better, not needing an amp upgrade at all (at least, not yet). I also prefer the looks of it, and the fact the volume is analogue. There haven't been any measurements on the DAC on the hel 2, but since it is based on the same chip as the Schiit Modi, I don't think it is going to be bad, probably in the same ballpark (which is about equal with the G6). But, I will be able to listen to both tomorrow and report back, I guess that is the positive in all this, I will be able to actually listen to them both instead of only theory crafting abot them

Ah, I see. The Schiit Hel 2 doesn't have 7.1 virtual surround sound does it? If you're using your DAC for gaming then I would think you'd want that, I make massive use of that feature for gaming, and was the reason I bought the G6. If you make use of that virtual 7.1, then I think it makes sense to gift or sell your Schiit Hel 2.....additionally the G6 has also been measured & proven on this site whilst the Schiit Hel 2 hasn't, and the G6 measures really well in the DAC at -2dBFS.. I know which one I'd keep!

 

[Veri]

Well he could even use the virtualization from G6 spdif output into Hel2 input no? If he wanted to
And Schiit provides their own set of measurements BTW. Always interesting.

 

[ZolaIII]

Well he could even use the virtualization from G6 spdif output into Hel2 input no? If he wanted to
And Schiit provides their own set of measurements BTW. Always interesting.

Not if it's in a bit stream format. Actually that's the biggest advantage (bit stream decoding) of G6 when it comes to both games and videos.

 

[Veri]

Not if it's in a bit stream format. Actually that's the biggest advantage (bit stream decoding) of G6 when it comes to both games and videos.

What uses this bit stream format? I'm not familiar.

 

[ZolaIII]

What uses this bit stream format? I'm not familiar.

Dolby's.

 

[JoostE]

You actually can put the digital sound with visualization from the G6 through optical to another DAC, mad lust envy has done so in the past (if you don't know who that is, that is very nice and extensive source for gaming and VRR).

Personally though, I always was a fan of VRR, but not anymore. I feel that modern sound engines don't benefit as much from it anymore. I think games are more often designed with headphones in mind vs with surround sound in mind. Additionally, since the new PS5 doesn't have an optical out, it is not an option for me in the first place (that's where my whole game DAC/AMP journey began ). I game on a monitor so that also has no optical out.

I used to have a mixamp with optical in (which was mediocre for sound quality/power, but I accepted it since it was good for footsteps). But after years of using that, I was forced to use my fiio E18 since PS5 had no optical out anymore. I found I can actually hear footsteps better in quality 2.0 vs ****** 5.1.

Additionally, playstation has its own VRR engine, and while that doesn't work well with all games yet, I think it might work better with future games. So I honestly think a good 2.0 Dac/Amp is the better buy right now for playstation gamers. But I will do some listening to compare the two when others are looking for a PS5 gaming solution.

 

[Robbo99999]

Well he could even use the virtualization from G6 spdif output into Hel2 input no? If he wanted to
And Schiit provides their own set of measurements BTW. Always interesting.

That's a crazy/nonsense solution when looking at the whole picture, it's no better or potentially worse than just using the headphone amp of the G6.

You actually can put the digital sound with visualization from the G6 through optical to another DAC, mad lust envy has done so in the past (if you don't know who that is, that is very nice and extensive source for gaming and VRR).

Personally though, I always was a fan of VRR, but not anymore. I feel that modern sound engines don't benefit as much from it anymore. I think games are more often designed with headphones in mind vs with surround sound in mind. Additionally, since the new PS5 doesn't have an optical out, it is not an option for me in the first place (that's where my whole game DAC/AMP journey began ). I game on a monitor so that also has no optical out.

I used to have a mixamp with optical in (which was mediocre for sound quality/power, but I accepted it since it was good for footsteps). But after years of using that, I was forced to use my fiio E18 since PS5 had no optical out anymore. I found I can actually hear footsteps better in quality 2.0 vs ****** 5.1.

Additionally, playstation has its own VRR engine, and while that doesn't work well with all games yet, I think it might work better with future games. So I honestly think a good 2.0 Dac/Amp is the better buy right now for playstation gamers. But I will do some listening to compare the two when others are looking for a PS5 gaming solution.

Well I can't conclude from your post whether or not you want or need virtual 7.1 surround processing for your headphones or not, if you do then you'd obviously be crazy to get rid of the G6 (if virtual 7.1 is compatible with PS5), otherwise the reason for keeping the G6 is because it's been measured on this site whereas the Schiit is an unknown quantity. You're really going about this in an ass about face way....you know the options, do what you want, the pros & cons have been outlined a few times.

 

[JoostE]

Well I can't conclude from your post whether or not you want or need virtual 7.1 surround processing for your headphones or not, if you do then you'd obviously be crazy to get rid of the G6 (if virtual 7.1 is compatible with PS5), otherwise the reason for keeping the G6 is because it's been measured on this site whereas the Schiit is an unknown quantity. You're really going about this in an ass about face way....you know the options, do what you want, the pros & cons have been outlined a few times.

- No, I can't because I cannot get the 7.1 signal from the PS5 to the G6.
- I don't think VSS gives a distinct advantage with the newer audio engines in gaming, additionally PS5 has its own VSS solution (VRR was meant to be VSS).
- I stated in my previous post I had some other gripes with the G6, that the Hel solves for me, being first that the G6 audio volume is purely digital, which I don't like since I feel I could either hurt my ears or my headphones when I get to full volume on accident, and the second I prefer the looks of the Hel, yes, looks are somewhat important too.
- I honestly think your tone is detrimental for trying to give advice, especially in a thread that discusses an entry level audio device, especially since you don't really seem to read other people's post, but whatever.
I really don't understand your standpoint "if it is not measured, it is crap". First, it has been measured by schiit themselves, and 2nd, if something is not measured yet, that means we simply do not know if it is bad or good. In actual science, if something is unknown, it is neither good nor bad.
Normally one would propose a hypothesis based on current knowledge, and put that to the test. We know that both the modi and magni heresy are solid devices which measured well, and since the Hel is somewhat of a combination of the two for the most part, I hypothesize it is likely a solid device.

Like I said, I will report back with my experiences when listening to both devices, since I think it might be valuable to other PS5 gamers.

 

[Robbo99999]

- No, I can't because I cannot get the 7.1 signal from the PS5 to the G6.
- I don't think VSS gives a distinct advantage with the newer audio engines in gaming, additionally PS5 has its own VSS solution (VRR was meant to be VSS).
- I stated in my previous post I had some other gripes with the G6, that the Hel solves for me, being first that the G6 audio volume is purely digital, which I don't like since I feel I could either hurt my ears or my headphones when I get to full volume on accident, and the second I prefer the looks of the Hel, yes, looks are somewhat important too.
- I honestly think your tone is detrimental for trying to give advice, especially in a thread that discusses an entry level audio device, especially since you don't really seem to read other people's post, but whatever.
I really don't understand your standpoint "if it is not measured, it is crap". First, it has been measured by schiit themselves, and 2nd, if something is not measured yet, that means we simply do not know if it is bad or good. In actual science, if something is unknown, it is neither good nor bad.
Normally one would propose a hypothesis based on current knowledge, and put that to the test. We know that both the modi and magni heresy are solid devices which measured well, and since the Hel is somewhat of a combination of the two for the most part, I hypothesize it is likely a solid device.

Like I said, I will report back with my experiences when listening to both devices, since I think it might be valuable to other PS5 gamers.

Sorry, my tone was a bit harsh, I'm just a bit frustrated by your approach. Ah, ok, you don't need the 7.1 virtual surround. My "it's been measured here angle" is still valid for the G6 though, plus it would save more dollars if you could somehow get rid of the Schiit for close to sale price (or more sensibly send that one back for a full refund). If you don't think it's important that the Schiit has been measured here or not, then you're basically saying there's not that much point to this website.....a major point of this website is that it measures gear so that consumers can have confidence in the audio quality of the equipment that they are buying, it's been proven that you shouldn't trust manufacturers own measurements as they deviate quite a lot from the measured results from this website. I'd still keep the G6 and get all your money back on the Schiit, it's unfortunate you ended up in a situation buying both.

In fact my original advice to you still stands (from my first post), buy a dedicated headphone amp that has been measured on this site (JDS Labs Atom Amp, Topping L30) and hook that up to the G6 via Line Out, that way you will have the "best" audio quality & certainly better than your Schiit Hel 2 you bought, and it will of course also provide you with analog control of the volume, which is another point you mentioned. That would really be the pinnacle of audio fidelity, and many steps above your unmeasured & unproven Schiit Hel 2 that you accidentally purchased. Either that or forget about improving your audio chain and instead buy some better headphones (or of course both).

 

[JoostE]

Sorry, my tone was a bit harsh, I'm just a bit frustrated by your approach.

I understand, but I tried to explain my journey and how I ended up here. Costs were sunk in the hell purchase before I had the opportunity to buy the G6 on B-stock. Below is some more of my research and how I ended up with my decision, I hope that eases your frustration .

it's been proven that you shouldn't trust manufacturers own measurements as they deviate quite a lot from the measured results from this website

As someone who has seen his fair chair signal science (medical field, ultrasound, MRI, ECG etc) I think a slightly different measurement, doesn't perse mean one or the other is wrong, small differences exist between units, and other factors like environmental factors can play a role when looking at such small deviations. I do however absolutely believe you that some manufacturers will make measurements look better than they are, but I don't think schiit is one of those companies. They seem to be pretty open about the positives/negatives of their products and decision making while designing said products. I don't know if you have already but look at some interviews of schiit, they are actually really educative and informative. I think Amir is also quite positive on schiit as a company nowadays, which increased my trust in them and their own measures. That doesn't mean this couldn't be an extremely bad unit for some reason, but only time will tell if this unit is in fact in line with the rest of their products.

Here is a comparison of schiit Modi 3+ measurement, and Amirs measurement of the same unit:

https://www.schiit.com/public/upload/PDF/Schiit APx555 Modi 3 Plus.pdf
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-3-review-stereo-dac.18480/

Seems to me personally, schiit measurements are actually pretty fair, and when I compare schiits own measurements of the Hell to their own measurements of the magni 3+, I have high hopes.

https://www.schiit.com/public/upload/PDF/Schiit APx Standard Test Suite Hel 2.pdf

I do agree with you that the purpose of this webpage is to measure as much as possible, and get objective results. But on the other hand, if people would only buy products after they are proven, new products would never be tested / produced. I could have sent the Hel to Amir before shipping it to EU, but I didn't think of that at the time.

I will not be able to get a full value refund, I imported the Hell to EU, so the shipping and tax will make sending it back pretty pointless. Most of schiit products are going around MSP in the 2nd hand market nowadays though, so I am not worried about that. I will listen to it and A/B test and if I prefer the G6 I will sell the Hell for sure. I will report back with listening tests . If I would add an amp like atom to the G6, the prices will be roughly the same either way.

To be continued

 

[Robbo99999]

I understand, but I tried to explain my journey and how I ended up here. Costs were sunk in the hell purchase before I had the opportunity to buy the G6 on B-stock. Below is some more of my research and how I ended up with my decision, I hope that eases your frustration .



As someone who has seen his fair chair signal science (medical field, ultrasound, MRI, ECG etc) I think a slightly different measurement, doesn't perse mean one or the other is wrong, small differences exist between units, and other factors like environmental factors can play a role when looking at such small deviations. I do however absolutely believe you that some manufacturers will make measurements look better than they are, but I don't think schiit is one of those companies. They seem to be pretty open about the positives/negatives of their products and decision making while designing said products. I don't know if you have already but look at some interviews of schiit, they are actually really educative and informative. I think Amir is also quite positive on schiit as a company nowadays, which increased my trust in them and their own measures. That doesn't mean this couldn't be an extremely bad unit for some reason, but only time will tell if this unit is in fact in line with the rest of their products.

Here is a comparison of schiit Modi 3+ measurement, and Amirs measurement of the same unit:

https://www.schiit.com/public/upload/PDF/Schiit APx555 Modi 3 Plus.pdf
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-3-review-stereo-dac.18480/

Seems to me personally, schiit measurements are actually pretty fair, and when I compare schiits own measurements of the Hell to their own measurements of the magni 3+, I have high hopes.

https://www.schiit.com/public/upload/PDF/Schiit APx Standard Test Suite Hel 2.pdf

I do agree with you that the purpose of this webpage is to measure as much as possible, and get objective results. But on the other hand, if people would only buy products after they are proven, new products would never be tested / produced. I could have sent the Hel to Amir before shipping it to EU, but I didn't think of that at the time.

I will not be able to get a full value refund, I imported the Hell to EU, so the shipping and tax will make sending it back pretty pointless. Most of schiit products are going around MSP in the 2nd hand market nowadays though, so I am not worried about that. I will listen to it and A/B test and if I prefer the G6 I will sell the Hell for sure. I will report back with listening tests . If I would add an amp like atom to the G6, the prices will be roughly the same either way.

To be continued

Having quickly looked at the Schiit measurements they do look close to Amir's, that does bode well for your Hel 2. Monetary Performance wise, you're still better off with a dedicated headphone amp rather than the combo of the G6 or Hel 2 (unless the Hel 2 headphone amp turns out somehow to be absolutely stunning, which I doubt considering the low cost of the DAC/amp combo combined with it being Schiit, not exactly the best value historically I think). I'll still stand behind my recommendation of using the proven good measuring DAC of the G6 with a seperate well measuring headphone amp (eg JDS Labs Atom or Topping L30), and then recouping your full or almost full cost of the Hel 2 by selling it. That's if you want to improve your audio chain, or instead put the money towards better headphones.....although I personally prefer the reassurance of having a proven transparent & capable audio chain on which you can then best judge any new headphones you purchase. I don't think you're gonna improve your audio chain by switching from the G6 to the Hel 2.

 

[JoostE]

Completely agree. I was really surprised by the quality of the G6 after listening to it past week.

If I decide to keep the G6, I would need to look into some windows volume limiter software though, and an additional volume dial or something. Some headphones I have need to be between 1 and 6 windows volume to be on good volume... Can you limit it in the Creative software somehow? Not sure what adding an additional software dial in windows would do to the sound... I always learned that it is best to keep windows from messing with your sound as much as possible, but that was years ago, not sure if much has changed there.

 

[Robbo99999]

Completely agree. I was really surprised by the quality of the G6 after listening to it past week.

If I decide to keep the G6, I would need to look into some windows volume limiter software though, and an additional volume dial or something. Some headphones I have need to be between 1 and 6 windows volume to be on good volume... Can you limit it in the Creative software somehow? Not sure what adding an additional software dial in windows would do to the sound... I always learned that it is best to keep windows from messing with your sound as much as possible, but that was years ago, not sure if much has changed there.

I'm pretty sure getting a dedicated headphone amp to connect to your G6 would sort out your windows volume worries. I have a NAD HP50 which is the most sensitive headphone (over ear headphone) that Amir has ever measured, and I run that at just about below 9 o'clock on the JDS Labs Atom Amp whilst the G6 is outputting 79% windows volume. So you have analog volume control whilst operating at optimal DAC outputs, which equates to best SNR/distortion levels too.

What's your most sensitive headphone, and do you have a figure for it's sensitivity?

 

[JoostE]

I think the Sivga SV006 is the most sensitive, but I can't find their rating anywhere LMAO, that's Ali Express for you (very nice cans though, especially for the price!) --> edit: amazon says its 105db, but amazon product specifications are a crapshoot in general...

my others are the audioquest nightowl (99 db) and PC38x (109 db)

Planning to get the focal clear MG in the future (104 db)

 

[Robbo99999]

I think the Sivga SV006 is the most sensitive, but I can't find their rating anywhere LMAO, that's Ali Express for you (very nice cans though, especially for the price!) --> edit: amazon says its 105db, but amazon product specifications are a crapshoot in general...

my others are the audioquest nightowl (99 db) and PC38x (109 db)

Planning to get the focal clear MG in the future (104 db)

My NAD HP50 are 100dB/1mW , and yours are 105dB/1mW (I had to look up whether you meant mw or V). So yours are more sensitive even than my HP50. You might be better off getting a headphone amplifier that has a Low Gain of say x0.5 rather than the common Low Gain of x1 (unity gain). There are some out there that have been reviewed on this website.....I'll look.....cool, there's a -9dB Gain Mode on the Topping L30 so that would suit those headphones fine: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...topping-l30-headphone-amplifier-review.15226/
There was an issue of some rare cases of the L30 frying some headphones due to static shock issues, but I think they've fixed that now in the later revisions of the product, but that would be worth confirming in that thread if you're interested in the Topping L30, otherwise I would recommend it fully for all it's other excellent attributes.

 

[JoostE]

Yeah the topping L30 has certainly been on my short list past months! Amazing what amplifier you can get for 150 euro. Lets see how the hel fares first.

 

[Robbo99999]

See how you go

 

[pongpaktech]

Not sure if anyone would know this but using the G6 if I set the bitdepth/sampling rate to something like 24/48 and in WASAPI shared mode I play back 24/44.1 tracks is the upsampling done inside windows or inside the G6 (if that's even a thing)

 

[Adahn]

Not sure if anyone would know this but using the G6 if I set the bitdepth/sampling rate to something like 24/48 and in WASAPI shared mode I play back 24/44.1 tracks is the upsampling done inside windows or inside the G6 (if that's even a thing)

Windows mixer does all the necessary conversions in shared mode.

 

[LegionOfHell]

I am looking for a DAC to pair with a Liquid Spark amp...

I initially settled on the Creative G6 DAC because it is more than just a DAC and it has tons of features that the other DACs lack...But I have heard that it had clipping problems .... is this true ?

Does the clipping occur when you plug your headphones into the headphone jack or does it occur when you are sending a digital/analog out through the line/digital out jack ?