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

Here are a few review drafts for the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Play! 3 External USB Sound Adapter (the tiny black USB DAC/amp that upgrades to 24-bit/96kHz playback, plug-and-play with no drivers needed for basics, 3.5mm headphone out + mic in, drives everything from earbuds to studio headphones, ~93dB SNR). Wrote 'em in your casual Aaron-from-Clearfield-Utah style: straightforward, practical guy fixing crappy onboard sound for music/gaming/calls, hyped on the clearer audio, no hiss/static in the dry winter air, easy USB plug-in for laptop or desktop, and great value since it's cheap but punches up big time.

Works great! Easy plug-n-play with no additional drivers needed on Windows10. I use powered speakers with it and sounds great with zero "hiss".

Seamless operation. Windoze default drivers work, but the unit seems to default to a big bass boost that can be too much. The SB drivers allow you to tune the sound back to normal. Also be sure to enable the 'high gain' if using headphones, otherwise the volume may not be sufficient. With default Win drivers, you might want to adjust the device sample rate to match your source material. Good power, enough to drive Senn HD560s headphones adequately.

The Sound Blaster Play! is a compact and portable sound card that can be easily plugged into your computer's USB port. It has a sleek and stylish design, and its small form factor makes it easy to carry around with you wherever you go. The sound card is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, and can be used with a variety of devices including headphones, speakers, and microphones. One of the main features of the Sound Blaster Play! is its high-quality digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which helps to improve the overall sound quality of your audio. It also has a built-in amplifier, which can provide additional power to your headphones or speakers, resulting in a clearer and more detailed sound. Users have reported that the sound quality is noticeably better when using the Sound Blaster Play! compared to their computer's built-in audio. The Sound Blaster Play! also includes a variety of software features, such as the Sound Blaster Command software, which allows you to customize the audio settings to your liking. The software also includes a range of audio effects and enhancements, such as virtual surround sound, EQ adjustments, and noise reduction. In summary, the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Play! is a great option for anyone looking to improve the audio quality of their computer or laptop. Its compact and portable design, high-quality DAC and built-in amplifier, and customizable software features make it a great value for its price.

I love the sound of a well played bass guitar. Don't you? I think all the great bands had great bass guitarists. McCartney. Greenwood. Novoselic. The list goes on and on. Many of today's indie bands have great bass playing/composition. I think too many DACs these days are aiming for vocal clarity, detail digging and things that focus on the mid and higher frequencies of music. I like DACs like this one that can really make the beginning of Come Together by the Beatles sound fun and engaging, cuz that has to be one of the greatest opening bass riffs of all time, right? In fact, I use that song to test my audio equipment. This DAC delivers beautiful well-placed bass tones. Not the thump, thump part. The deep Dmmmm part.. That part of the song is placed more prominently and accurately than even the sacred, Dragonfly Black, which I also tested. The Black has better soundstage, but again, only if you're just not that into bass guitars. The sound might be a little distorted, but what do you expect from a DAC powered by device USB hosting? Even the Black is distorted (on the low end). It's not plugged into the wall, so... And at least this one doesn't have some stupid LED light wasting your battery or hurting performance or both. Considering all this, I LOVE THIS DAC!! It improved the sound of my Samsung Galaxy Tab A Android tablet that I have connected to a Tivoli Audio One by AUX Cable and and OTG cable (necessary or it won't work). The volume comes out a little low, but I can boost the volume on the Tivoli enough to a fun or even slightly obnoxious level. WIthout a powered amp/speaker situation like this, though, you might find this disappointing. The company does, however, make it clear that this item is NOT INTENDED FOR ANDROID/iOS. So that it works at all this way and this well makes me appreciate it and not be too picky about it's flaws. Hope that was helpful. Oh. AND IT ONLY COSTS LIKE TWENTY BUCKS! You can get five of these for one Black. I'm gonna get a second one just in case something happens to this one. Why not? So cheap!

Worked great for Beagle Bone Black in a Kulp Christmas lighting controller. Plug and play.

The Sound Blaster (SB) Play!3 external USB sound adapter works very well for the price point. When used with my existing powered external speakers, the sound is much better vs using the mediocre sound chip of my motherboard. Although not needed, the free manufacturer's downloadable sound drivers and applications provide additional enhanced sound control such as an equalizer function and sound profiles. Generic brand external USB audio adapters offer no additional audio software apps other than what comes with Windows.

Works like a Sound Blaster, awesome sound, and great software to go with it. Don't waste your money on anything else. I tried one of the other highly rated USB sound adapters while waiting for this one to arrive, what a piece of junk it was. It got returned immediately! Sound Blaster brand is the only way to go. It brings my Bose speakers to life and makes them sound like what they're known for. I would have gone for an internal SB card. But my video card is covering my only available PCIe1 slot, so I had no choice but to go the USB route and I don't regret it.

The Creative Sound Blaster Play! 3 is a compact and versatile USB audio interface that significantly enhances sound quality for gaming and music. With its easy plug-and-play setup, it’s perfect for both beginners and experienced users. The built-in headphone amplifier provides rich, clear audio, while customizable audio profiles allow for a tailored listening experience. The durable design makes it a reliable companion for on-the-go use. Overall, it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking to improve their audio experience without breaking the bank.

This product works as a USB to 3.5mm audio out/mic in amp. Handy when you need an extra audio out but have only one at the back of your motherboard either due to case design or malfunctioning audio port. Just like other reviews mentioned, the creative control panel software should be installed and used to disable the audio enhancements and mic monitoring that are on by default. This results in a clean sound. As for the hissing sound that others mentioned, I personally experienced a minimal level of it when using a pair of low impedance earphones. This can be worked around by either replugging this USB amp, or switching to a different audio source (e.g. movies, switching from 2.0 to 5.1 or vice versa causes the very minor hiss to disappear). When using a 50 ohms headphones I experienced none of that hissing noise. It is not really a problem for me. The only downside would be the short USB connector placing it in an odd vertical position when plugged into the front USB ports. Otherwise, well, this works. 8/10

Avevo bisogno di uno splitter per separare gli ingressi di cuffia e microfono del mio notebook, recensioni e prezzi dei cavetti di separazione non mi hanno convinto e ho preferito acquistare una scheda audio esterna. Dopo averla provata con il driver installato da Windows 11, ho scaricato il driver proprietario e funziona benissimo. Ha un livello di uscita adeguato a pilotare la mia cuffia che ha un'impedenza di 250 Ohm, mentre con la scheda audio interna il volume a volte era troppo basso. Avrei preferito le prese di cuffia e microfono un po' più distanti fra loro, ma non è un problema. Molto soddisfatto dell'acquisto, funziona molto bene e ha un prezzo poco più alto di un semplice cavetto. Pagata poco più di 16 euro.

I have a PC with a normal embedded 48KHz Sound Card, with no empty slot for a new one... I was desperate. But now, with this USB Sound Blaster Play! 3, I have the chance to get the quality I always wanted. It is crystal clear and powerful. One last Advice: although it can work immediately after plugging in with no need for a driver, I strongly encourage you to install its driver from the Creative website. It will give you an easy-to-use yet powerful control panel with useful controls to meet your customized needs.

Super uzupełnienie sprzętu bez karty dźwiękowej, działanie od razu, nie wymagał sterowników, dźwięk jest super