Disclosure: I’d like to thank Creative for providing me with the Sound Blaster G8 for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and Creative had no say or input on the contents of this review.

The Creative Sound Blaster G8 enters the competitive $149 USD gaming DAC market with some interesting promises. Creative packed dual DAC chips and their proprietary XAMP discrete bi-amplifier into this compact unit, positioning it as an audio hub that can handle both serious gaming and high-resolution music playback.

What caught my attention initially were the technical specifications: 32-bit/384kHz decoding capability paired with a 130dB dynamic range. Those numbers suggest this isn’t just another gaming-focused DAC with flashy RGB lighting. The G8 supports simultaneous mixing from multiple audio sources, including two USB inputs, an analog input, a microphone input, and either an optical or an HDMI ARC input. That connectivity flexibility puts it ahead of Creative’s previous models like the X4.

For gaming specifically, Creative includes Dolby Surround support, their enhanced Scout Mode for directional awareness, and SBX mode for audio enhancement. The amplifier section claims to drive headphones up to 600Ω, which would make it capable of handling everything from gaming headsets to demanding audiophile cans.

The real question is whether Creative managed to create something that genuinely bridges the gap between gaming convenience and audio quality. I’ll examine the build quality, sound performance across different use cases, and how it stacks up against both gaming-focused DACs and more traditional audiophile options. Let’s see if the G8 lives up to Creative’s ambitious claims.

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• Sound Blaster G8
• 2x USB-C to USB-C cables
• Manual

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The Sound Blaster G8 is mainly made of plastic, including the two knobs, which have a reflective, metal-looking quality. Some may see this as a downgrade from the X4, which uses aluminum, but the G8 is built solidly, and the plastic doesn’t feel cheap at all. It weighs just 270 grams, but has a certain heft to it that adds to the quality feeling of the build.

The G8 has an angled design in that it presents everything front and center to you, which is actually a nice ergonomic choice. The front is sloped downwards so that it’s easier to read the markings on the DAC, as well as manipulate the knobs and buttons.

Most of the controls are on the top, with the smaller knob on the left controlling the Game and Voice mixing (effectively mapped to the USB-C inputs, more on this later). The larger knob on the right is for volume control. There are three buttons below the volume knob, each with an LED to indicate its status: SBX (on/off), Mode (Direct Mode on/off), and HP/SPK (headphone and speaker indicator).

The very front of the Sound Blaster G8 has a dedicated 3.5mm microphone input and a 4-pole 3.5mm headset connection.

The very back of the G8 is where the rest of the connectivity options are located. From left to right: an HDMI ARC input, USB-C #1/power input, another USB-C #2 input, Toslink Optical out and in connections, switch to toggle between HDMI Arc and Optical inputs, switch to toggle between low and high gain, 3.5mm Line Out, and a 3.5mm Line In.

The Game/Voice mixer knob feels nice to use, and even has a notch at the very top that snaps into place when you get to it, which is a nice touch to know where the default position is. The volume knob has a bit more resistance to move, which makes it feel very nice and responsive.

The Sound Blaster G8 has an absolute ton of features and use cases. As much as I would love to cover all of it, I’m going to pick and choose what I think are the most important ones; otherwise, this review would be rather lengthy. As always, if something isn’t covered in this review that you’d like to know about, please leave a comment below or send me a message.

Button Functions and Dual USB-C

On the very front of the G8 are three buttons to control various functions.

The SBX button simply toggles between Off (no effects applied), SBX on (whatever settings you configured in the app), and Scout Mode. This button will not do anything if Direct Mode is enabled. SBX is essentially Creative’s own surround and DSP solution for audio effects. Settings in the Acoustic Engine and Equalizer are enabled when SBX is enabled (more on this in the next section). Scout Mode increases bass and treble and uses an algorithm to enhance sound directionality. The intention is to make footsteps and gunshots more easily heard.

The Mode button turns Direct Mode on or off. With Direct Mode on, no audio effects are applied, and therefore, no DSP. It is essentially a transparent audio stream. You can use virtualized surround sound (5.1 and 7.1) setups with this, but you cannot tweak any audio effects. When Direct Mode is on, the LED is green.

The HP/SPK button switches between the speaker and headphone connections. When the LED is white, the headphone connection is active.

The Sound Blaster G8 has two USB-C connections on the back, labeled USB-1/DC and USB-2. USB-1/DC is the only port that will power the G8. If you connect this port to your PC, the G8 will appear in the Creative app, and your PC will be supplying power to the G8. If you connect a USB-C charger into the USB-1/DC port, and then plug a USB-C cable from your computer into the USB-2 port, the G8 will appear in the Creative app, but the only options you will have are the volume mixer. So, to use with a computer, make sure you connect using the USB-1/DC port.

So, why two USB-C ports then? Well, what it allows you to do is plug another USB-C device into the USB-2 port, and send audio to it. Then you are able to use the Game/Voice knob to mix the audio from each source. It works for pretty much any USB-C device, including DAPs (digital audio players). This is very useful if you want to have some background music while playing a game, or if you’re using a separate device for game chat. If you want to control game chat from a PC game, you will need to plug both USB-C ports into your PC and set the audio output options accordingly.

Creative App

The Creative app is what you will use to modify most of the SBX settings. It’s available for both Windows and macOS, though I only tested it on my Windows 11 PC and Surface Laptop 7 ARM-based laptop (yes, it works on Snapdragon based laptops as an emulated app, though it will use the default Microsoft driver).

If you have Direct Mode Enabled, you essentially cannot change anything in the app, as it is not doing any sound processing. Use this method if you want the cleanest, unaltered audio possible. You can still enable virtualized surround sound, though, in the Playback tab (5.1 and 7.1).

Disabling Direct Mode allows you to enable SBX, which is found in the Acoustic Engine section. There are various options that you can enable to modify your audio, but the two main settings you will want to use, in my opinion, are Surround and Crystalizer.  Surround is what dictates the openness of the surround sound, affecting the directionality of audio cues and the amount of space present. The higher the number, the more open the sound. Here’s what I typically use:

FPS games: 25-39

RPGs and Open World games: 60-75

You’ll want to play with this a bit, as the setting will greatly depend on your own hearing, as well as the headphone or IEM you are using. The same goes for the Crystalizer option, which I find does make music and some sound effects sound just a bit clearer. I usually start at 10 and then increase from there.

The Equalizer has 10-band adjustable bands, with separate Preamp, Bass, and Treble adjustments for additional fine tuning.

The Sound Mode section is what I really want to talk about, though, as this is where all the magic happens. It essentially combines the Acoustic Engine and Equalizer into a preset. So not only can you create your own and easily switch to them, but Creative includes dozens of presets for game types, music genres, and even specific games. The game-specific presets are tuned by Creative, and I actually found the majority of them to work extremely well.

For the PUBG preset, for example, it enables the Surround and Crystalizer options and sets them at specific values. There’s an Equalizer preset enabled that helps with pinpointing footsteps and gunfire. I actually preferred it over Scout Mode, which I found lacked detail for some sound effects. The software and presets are incredibly powerful and really open up a lot of possibilities.

Here are some additional screenshots from within the app:

Practically speaking, the Sound Blaster G8 is almost plug-and-play for use with your PC. You install the Creative app, which will install drivers along with it. Once you connect it to your PC, it shows up in the Creative app fairly quickly. Then you just need to plug your headphones or IEMs into the headset connection on the front and you’re good to go.

The G8 can be used by itself for its virtual surround sound features and for features such as Scout Mode. This is honestly how I’ve been using it, and how I use most of my gaming DACs. I do feel, though the dual USB-C connections really add a whole other world of functionality here, allowing you to mix the audio between pretty much any two devices. So, as I mentioned earlier, you can have it connected to your PC and be playing a game, while also having a DAP or smartphone connected to USB-2 and listening to music or a podcast from there. You can even have it connected to two PCs, or a PC and a laptop/tablet, to mix the audio from both. The possibilities are endless here.

The entire device is designed with practicality in mind, so you almost never need to open the app unless you need to change something specific. The buttons, mixer knob, and volume knob do pretty much everything you would need.

Here is the connection guide to showcase just how versatile the G8 is:

I used the Sound Blaster G8 with a wide range of IEMs and headphones in order to see if there are any sacrifices one would be making if they were to use the G8 as both a gaming DAC and one for critical listening. The front panel has the standard 3.5mm headphone jack plus a dedicated mic input, making it compatible with gaming headsets or separate mic solutions like the ModMic. There is no 4.4mm balance connection here.

First off, the raw power output is very impressive. The discrete amplifier supports up to 600 ohms and has support for headphones down to 8 ohms. The majority of the time, I never had to switch the gain to High as it was able to drive headphones like the Sennheiser HD 660S2 and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80ohm just fine. The Audeze LCD-2 benefited slightly from High gain, but overall, there’s more than enough power here.

The HP/SPK button switches between headphones and speakers seamlessly. The back panel includes line-out connections that work with powered speakers, soundbars, or pretty much anything with an auxiliary input. I connected my FiiO SA1, and they sounded great, no noise or interference at all.

With IEMs, I found the results equally satisfying. You do not need to use High gain unless you want to blow your eardrums. IEMs like the ZiiGaat Crescent, Simgot EA1000, and 7Hz Timeless II all sounded excellent with no background hiss or noise. I never felt like the G8 was taking anything away from these IEMs, and Creative should get some credit for making a gaming DAC that is powerful, yet able to drive IEMs without being too loud. I did have to keep the volume low, and the volume dial on the G8 does larger volume steps than I’d like, but it’s completely serviceable. Even the 64 Audio Solo sounded fantastic, and it’s an IEM that I have noticed can be very sensitive to any background noise or interference.

Honestly, I’m just happy to be able to use a full-on desktop DAC with IEMs, something that I cannot do with my iFi ZEN Dac V2, as the volume is far too loud, even on the lowest level.

The one thing that can be absolutely annoying is the relay clicks. Whenever you change sound modes, or change between headphones and speakers, or even change between sample rates for music playback, there is an audible click both outside the device and in the IEM or headphone you’re wearing. It is not loud enough to hurt your ears, but it is startling to say the least.

Gaming Performance

I mainly play PUBG, some Call of Duty: Warzone, The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion: Remastered, and Civilization VI these days. And the Creative Sound Blaster G8 performed absolutely wonderfully with all of these games.

Playing PUBG with my Sennheiser HD 620S, with Direct Mode stereo output, enemy footsteps were pretty clear, and gunshots were very loud and noticeable. Audio direction cues were easily ascertained, so spatial performance and imaging work great. What really changed things for me, though, was disabling Direct Mode and using the PUBG Sound Mode preset. It enabled the Surround and Crystalizer SBX settings, as well as a custom EQ profile that emphasizes the mid-bass, upper-midrange, and upper treble. This is so that footsteps, gunshots, and general player movement and sounds stand out. And wow, it really does help. Yes, you could manually tweak the EQ settings yourself, but the SBX settings also add something perceptible to the experience.

I also really liked the Call of Duty preset when playing Warzone. Like I said before, yes, you could create these types of EQ profiles yourself, but if you’re someone who doesn’t want to spend time tweaking and adjusting sliders, and just wants to apply a profile and get into the game, the G8 and its software make that happen with ease.

Music Listening

The Sound Blaster G8 has a decent amount of music character. It does not come across as clinical or devoid of life, but rather transparent with a hint of musicality. What is really fun is setting the Surround SBX setting to something like 50 and listening to live music, really giving you that expansive sound. Otherwise, with Direct Mode enabled, it is very comparable to something like the iFi ZEN Dac V2 or Qudelix T71. I didn’t notice anything that would take away from the experience.

Having spent a lot of time with all three Creative DACs, the differences become pretty clear once you start using them daily. Each targets slightly different needs, though there’s definitely some overlap in their capabilities. So let’s look at the differences between the Sound Blaster G8, Sound BlasterX G6, and Sound Blaster X4.

Build and Design Differences

The G8 feels like Creative finally learned from the G6’s design mistakes. Anyone who’s tried to find the G6’s side-mounted switches in a dimly lit room knows what I’m talking about, as the G8 puts everything logically on the top panel where you can actually reach it.

Where the X4 went for a JDS Labs Element-inspired design with its prominent top-mounted volume pot, the G8 takes a more workstation-like approach. I particularly appreciate the large, tactile volume knob and that game/voice mixer dial; both provide the kind of precise control that makes a real difference during gaming sessions.

Feature Set Comparison

On paper, the X4 offers 7.1 discrete and virtual audio channels, while the G6 technically has a better dynamic range spec at 130 dB versus the X4’s 114 dB. The X4’s strength really lies in its SmartComms Kit for communication quality, making it the better choice if video calls and streaming are priorities.

But here’s where the G8 pulls ahead: those dual USB-C inputs change everything. Neither the X4 nor G6 can match this flexibility for multi-device setups. All three share Creative’s app ecosystem, Scout Mode, and basic DSP features, so you’re not missing out on the core Creative experience with any of them.

Price and Value Assessment

At $169, the G8 represents solid value when you consider it improves on the G6 without a major price jump. The X4, with its communication-focused features, serves content creators well but feels more specialized. For pure gaming performance and daily usability, the G8 delivers better positional audio and a more intuitive interface, plus the dual-device connectivity that neither of the others can touch.

If you already own a G6 or X4 and it’s working fine for your needs, the upgrade might not be essential. But if you’re choosing between all three today, the G8 offers the best balance of features, build quality, and future-proofing for most users.

The Creative Sound Blaster G8 has spent over a month on my desk, rotating between gaming sessions with PUBG and Warzone, and music listening with my Sennheiser HD 620S and HD 660S2. After all that testing, I can safely say that Creative has built something genuinely useful and practical at $169 USD.

It’s impressive how the G8 handles the transition between different use cases. The dual USB-C setup can be invaluable for switching between a gaming PC and a DAP or smartphone for music playback, no more cable swapping or remembering which device was connected where. The amplifier section also surprised me with its ability to drive everything from sensitive IEMs to my demanding planar headphones without issue.

The software sit is also solid. The Creative app has many genuinely useful features, such as Scout Mode and SBX settings. And unlike the drama around the X4 (and to an extent the G6) driver issues that introduce popping and stuttering in some use cases, the G8 has been the most solid experience I have had with a Creative product.

Creative addressed many of the ergonomic issues from the G6 with the G8’s top-mounted controls. Everything feels more intuitive now, and the substantial build quality gives it a premium feel despite the reasonable price.

The G8 isn’t perfect, though. Creative really should have included USB-A adapters, given how many devices still use that connection. And the audible click of the relay switching is a little too annoying, especially when listening to a music playlist that has different sample rates.

Still, the Sound Blaster G8 delivers on its promise of being a versatile audio hub for gaming. Whether you’re a competitive gamer who needs Scout Mode, a streamer managing multiple audio sources, or someone who just wants better sound from their PC setup, the G8 handles it all competently. At this price point, it’s hard to find another device that offers this level of connectivity and features.

For anyone looking to upgrade their PC audio setup without spending audiophile-level money, the Sound Blaster G8 makes a very compelling case. It bridges the gap between gaming convenience and audio quality in a way that actually works in daily use. If you’re considering a gaming DAC, look no further than the Creative Sound Blaster G8.

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