In 2024, the global esports scene is once again swept by the craze of "CS:GO," thanks to the stunning performances of top players and the exciting maneuvers of numerous streamers. These captivating moments have attracted a large number of players to join in, hoping to create awe-inspiring moments in the game as well.
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For "CS:GO" players, a high-quality gaming headset is crucial for enhancing the gaming experience and competitive performance. Premium headsets offer clear sound positioning, helping players quickly identify enemy locations and gunshots, which is vital in battles.
Today, our review lab will be testing the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI headphones, which feature advanced Super X-Fi spatial holographic audio technology. This technology significantly enhances the headphones' sensitivity and sound details, allowing gamers to easily capture crucial audio cues and gain an edge in their gameplay.
Not only that, the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI is also an excellent pair of music headphones. It features a 40mm full-range titanium-coated dynamic driver unit, active noise cancellation technology, and a detachable microphone, allowing for an easy transition from gaming headset to high-quality music headphones. This enables users to enjoy immersive sound quality while indulging in gaming fun. Next, we will delve deeper into the specific performance of the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI.
The innovative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI wireless earphones unboxing | accessories | design | comfort
On the packaging, the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI by Creative features a delicately printed colorful box, with abundant product information and key parameters such as low latency, SXFI technology, Scout gaming mode, RGB lighting ring, and more.
In addition to the headphones themselves, the accessories include a USB-C to A data cable, a detachable microphone, the BT-L4 wireless SXFI audio transmitter, and a paper manual.
In the latest ZEN HYBRID PRO series, three new models of headphones have been introduced. These new products inherit the core concept of ZEN HYBRID 2 in design, and feature an added RGB halo on the surface of the ear cups, enhancing the sense of fashion and gaming aesthetics.
In terms of appearance design, the headphones feature a style that is both understated and modernly minimalist. By avoiding excessive and intricate color schemes and patterns, they exude a classic and elegant aesthetic, enhancing their versatility and adaptability. The all-black body paired with slightly raised ear cups highlights the craftsmanship while maintaining overall design harmony and balance.
To enhance a unique visual effect, the headphones feature antique bronze accents at the hinge, adding a touch of retro style. Inside the ear cup, the "RL" logo is designed in gold foil, elevating the overall quality of the product and giving the headphones a more premium and personalized look.
One highlight of the design of the ZEN HYBRID PRO series headphones is the circular RGB light strip decorating the surface of the ear cups. Despite covering a small area, this light strip can display up to 16.8 million colors. Especially when used at night, this rich color display is particularly eye-catching, adding a sense of luxury to the product. Users can adjust the light strip seamlessly through a dedicated mobile app and can also preset specific colors based on different usage scenarios.
In terms of wearing experience, the innovative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI series also performs exceptionally well. Firstly, the headband is made of fabric material with embedded sponge filling, ensuring both softness and enhanced comfort when worn. As for the contact surface of the ear cups, artificial leather material combined with lightweight sponge is used. This classic combination not only provides a more delicate and soft touch but also effectively reduces pressure on the ears, ensuring comfort even during long-term use.
The adjustable headband supports multi-level adjustments, allowing people with different face shapes and head sizes to wear it comfortably.
The headphones feature a foldable design, making it convenient for users to carry them outdoors. However, it does not come with a headphone carrying case, which I hope the manufacturer can consider including in the future.
Innovative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI Wireless Earphones: SXFI Setup Experience | Gaming Audio | Subjective Sound Quality Experience
Since we mentioned the SXFI technology, let's personally experience this feature. First, users need to download the official Creative SXFI App, which can be easily found on the Apple App Store and domestic app stores. The app's interface design maintains a classic style, using a clear two-level menu layout.
In terms of personalized settings, the app provides a unique feature - adding head and ear models. Users need to take photos of their left and right ears and face. These photos will be used to measure biological features such as ear distance for personalized configuration. This customized setting based on individual physiological structure can greatly enhance the authenticity and immersion of the audio experience.
After establishing the SXFI personalized model, we first delved into the music experience. Before the experience, let's introduce the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI. Not only does it feature a 40mm driver, but it also supports Bluetooth 5.3 technology, allowing for simultaneous pairing with up to two Bluetooth devices. Moreover, it incorporates cutting-edge LE audio technology, a new standard supporting multi-stream audio and broadcast audio sharing, significantly enhancing flexibility and audio quality. Additionally, the headphones support various audio codecs, including LC3+, LC3, AAC, and SBC, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices and audio sources. It's safe to say that both the hardware and software aspects are top-notch.
In actual music performance, by playing a variety of music genres including classical, jazz, and modern pop music, the headphone's balanced performance in treble, midrange, and bass frequencies can be distinctly felt.
Taking Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" as an example, the delicacy of the violin and the depth of the string instruments are accurately reproduced. In terms of vocals, when playing Adele's "Hello," her voice details and emotional expression are captured meticulously, with every breath and subtle vocal change being clearly discernible. The instrument details are also well-handled. For instance, when playing Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," the positional sense and independence of each instrument are well presented, creating a wide and layered soundstage.
However, despite its rich detail, balanced three-frequency, and wide soundstage, the ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI falls slightly short in handling the bass. When playing electronic dance music or other bass-heavy tracks, while the bass is clear, it lacks a bit in creating a deep atmospheric feel and strong impact. This could possibly be due to the headset's tuning towards esports, leaning towards clear, spatial sound effects.
In gaming, however, by enabling the Super X-Fi sound effect, we can achieve outstanding game sound detail performance. Taking "CS:GO" as an example, positional accuracy is a crucial factor in the game. Every footstep and gunshot could determine the outcome of the match. When using this headset, I can distinctly feel the direction of the sound source. For instance, I can clearly differentiate and locate the enemy's footsteps at point B and the gunfire at point A, which is crucial for tactical responses. Furthermore, the headset's sound processing ensures the realism of the sound, capturing even faint sounds from a distance, allowing me to make tactical judgments and positional adjustments earlier.
Furthermore, the ClearVoice SXFI technology enhances the stereo sound experience in games, creating a wide soundstage. In games, this effect makes me feel like I'm truly in the game environment, with sounds of enemies turning corners with guns nearby and explosions in the distance coming from different spatial locations, enhancing the intuitive sense of identifying sound sources. This stereo sound effect not only improves accuracy in reactions but also significantly enhances the immersion in the game.
It is worth mentioning that the compatibility and functionality of the randomly included BT-L4 wireless SXFI audio transmitter are outstanding. It not only supports connection to computers but also to gaming consoles and smartphones, greatly expanding its usability and convenience. By connecting to a smartphone, it can also provide a low-latency audio experience. This is particularly important for mobile gamers. Traditionally, using Bluetooth headphones while playing mobile games often results in audio latency issues, which can put players at a disadvantage in games requiring quick reactions. However, with the BT-L4 wireless SXFI audio transmitter, players can now enjoy response speeds comparable to wired headphones, significantly enhancing the audio experience and gaming performance in mobile games.
Innovative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI Wireless Earbuds: Buttons, Microphone, Battery Life, and Conclusion
In terms of button design, the Innovative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI adopts a bottom layout, integrating ANC active noise cancellation, playback control, and song switching functions. Thanks to the equipped Bluetooth 5.3 technology and low-latency BT-L4 wireless SXFI audio transmitter, these earbuds completely abandon the 3.5mm headphone jack and fully embrace wireless connectivity.
The volume control adopts a retro-style scroll wheel design, which, although seemingly traditional, is actually more intuitive and efficient to operate.
In terms of microphone configuration, the Creative ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI features a built-in microphone utilizing DNN noise reduction technology, delivering excellent recording quality that can naturally and fully capture voices, ensuring clear communication for teammates during calls or gaming. Additionally, it comes with a detachable boom microphone to further enhance voice clarity, making it especially suitable for gaming environments that require instant communication.
During battery life testing, when connected to a PC via BT-L4, wearing the headphones for continuous gaming for 2 hours with volume set to medium and ANC noise reduction turned off, while using the microphone for team communication throughout, the test results showed only a 4% decrease in battery from 100%, estimating a battery life of over 50 hours. Official data indicates that when connected to a phone for music listening via Bluetooth 5.3 LE low-power mode, the battery life can even reach up to 100 hours. The battery life performance is outstanding, allowing for a full week of continuous gaming or music listening without the need to recharge.
With the globalization and professionalization of esports, the demand for hardware devices is constantly increasing. In this era of pursuing digital product innovation, multifunctionality, and personalization, the launch of ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI perfectly meets the diverse needs of users. Thanks to the blessing of Super X-Fi technology, this headset not only performs excellently in the esports field but also its outstanding audio performance and personalized customization features can meet a wider range of user needs, achieving a combination of "esports + high-quality audio + personalized customization." Coupled with the innovative technology's years of product reputation and quality, we have reason to believe that as a new flagship headset, ZEN HYBRID PRO SXFI will be favored by more and more players.
