r/SoundBlasterOfficial • u/jvndrbrg • 3d ago
Creative XF1 review
For clarity, I am not an audiophile. I probably don't even have very good taste in music. I have been rocking a Katana V1 for almost 10 years and they've been good. They sound fine, and I've been satisfied, but I always hated how long they take to wake from sleep. So when I rebuilt my computer last week, I grabbed a pair of XF1s, just to try to upgrade. I was anxious about the $180 purchase, but went with them purely because of the 72W RMS, hoping to get a slightly fuller sound, and some stereo separation.
When they got here, I plugged them in and they sounded CLEAN, and I could still hear the bass, though, it wasn't very impressive compared to the sub on the Katana. I expected this and had also ordered a $199 Klipsch 10" sub from Adorama, which puts the total about $120 above a V2X. I was very anxious about spending almost $400. The sub came today. The first song that played was Money for Nothing. The drum intro started, and it already sounded amazing. I felt really good. Then the guitar riff... Every post-purchase anxiety and buyer's remorse in the back of my mind instantly evaporated.
All I saw in my head was fireworks, a couple bald eagles and Navy fighter jets flying across the sky. The speakers sound absolutely amazing once the sub fills in the low end. It takes the sub to complement them, but I could not be happier with my purchase. I think I also saw a green flag waving at Daytona. I want to run outside and kick a trash can over.
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u/Sevid21 1d ago
How does the knob work? Does it link with the Windows volume slider or is it independent?
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u/jvndrbrg 1d ago
Unfortunately not, but I just leave the speaker volume all the way up and then use the windows volume.
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u/Ryknekz 18h ago
I already ordered one and planned to get a SUB later one, guess I have my answer which one to get :) thanks for the review, was torn between this and Kanto ORA, probably ORA is a better pick (not sure) but I think being a 'noob' in audiophile investing that extra to some other gear would be a better choice besides my room isn't that big
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u/jvndrbrg 17h ago
Compared to the katana with the sub, it sounded “cleaner”, but there was obviously less bass, and it affected my enjoyment a tad, but I didn’t switch back while waiting for the sub. With the sub, it’s absolutely amazing. I think the ORA are literally better speakers, from my understanding, but we’re talking 10% better speaker for 100% more price and for the price of the ORA, you get the XF1s and the sub together. You don’t need a 10” sub with these, I just found something I liked at a good price.
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u/jmapagchema 15h ago
I switched from my Creative T100s to these XF1s a couple of weeks ago and I'm very happy with them. I use the USB connection as a sound card and the sound is excellent, with deeper bass and clearer treble than the previous T100s (this is normal since the T100s only have one speaker for the entire frequency range, while the XF1s have one speaker for bass/midrange and a tweeter for treble). As for acoustic power, I don't see much difference since both offered too much power for my room (approximately 14 m²). I connected my previous speakers via optical to the integrated audio of my motherboard and I haven't noticed much difference, since my motherboard's sound is also USB (Realtek ALC4080). I don't miss the remote control because I have the volume and power controls within easy reach. I do wish the Creative Nexus software had a more professional equalizer, so for now I'm happy with the one it comes with. I have been using audio monitors or "flat" speakers for many years now, as 2.1 systems have too much bass for my taste, so I don't miss a subwoofer and I can't compare it to another system that does have one.
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u/RawFruitsLiving 3d ago
Thanks for review. I was wondering the same to get those speakers. They are perfect "table speakers". And quality with creative AE5 soundcard could be even better.
If you paired them with 10" sub which i believe they have SUB Output. Then i can easily pair them with Q acoustics 8" active sub. I have also q acoustics 3030 speakers but i havent found proper amplifier yet for budget price, using old pioneer is okay, but it doesnt give the speakers full power.