Creative Sound Blaster X7 Named as a Double 2015 CES Innovation Awards Honoree

Groundbreaking Sound Blaster X7 Honored in the ‘Home Audio/Video Components and Accessories’ and ‘Computer Hardware and Components’ Categories

Creative Technology Ltd today announced that it has been named a 2015 International CES Innovations Awards Honoree for its Sound Blaster® X7 – the ultimate upgrade for pro-gamers and audio enthusiasts.  This feature-packed ultra high resolution audio (HRA) device acts as an external USB DAC and a powerful audio amplifier with low-latency Bluetooth® connectivity and Dolby Digital decoder.

The Sound Blaster X7 was awarded in two categories:

• Home Audio/Video Components and Accessories
• Computer Hardware and Components

The Sound Blaster X7, which will be showcased at the 2015 International CES, the world's largest innovation playground, scored highly across the following judging criteria:

• Engineering qualities
• Aesthetic and design qualities, including how the product directly compares to other offerings in the space
• The product’s intended use/function and user value
• Specifics regarding the Sound Blaster X7’s unique and novel features, as well as features that consumers would find attractive
• How the design and innovation of the product directly compare to other products in the market place

Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, independent engineers and members of the trade media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 28 product categories.

Designed to connect with a range of gaming and entertainment systems, the Sound Blaster X7 functions as an ultra high-end external Sound Blaster audio solution with an impressive 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution 127dB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a 100W-capable audio amplifier.  It enhances audio quality and delivers the clearest, most powerful high-resolution audio experience for games, music and movies – meeting the most discerning demands of audiophile listeners and enthusiast gamers alike.

Compact Consolidated Design

The Sound Blaster X7 is designed with one goal in mind: to provide a superior, pure and lossless listening experience for games, music and movies.  Using only the finest audiophile-grade components, including a 127dB Burr-Brown PCM1794 DAC for one of the highest-quality audio conversions available – up to 24-bit/192kHz, a Texas Instruments TPA3116D2 Class D amplifier that efficiently delivers up to 100W* to power passive bookshelf and tower speakers, Nichicon “Fine Gold” series capacitors that ensure tight bass registers and clear highs, and a 120dB Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 headphone amplifier that is capable of driving all audiophile-grade headphones on the market with full and detailed clarity – coupled with Sound Blaster's proprietary multi-core DSP, the SB-Axx1, and audio design expertise, the Sound Blaster X7 is equally adept at delivering a mind-blowing immersive gaming audio experience as well as perfectly reproducing the full range of sounds from music recordings with high-fidelity and pristine detail.

*100-watt speaker output requires upgrade to high power adapter (24V 6A)

The stylish and compact trapezoidal prism, symbolizing the "Everest of Audio," is packed with a unique multitude of connectivity options such as digital USB, analog, optical and wireless Bluetooth. This allows connectivity to a wide variety of gaming and entertainment platforms including PCs, Macs, game consoles, smartphones, tablets, dedicated media streaming devices and even smart TVs.  The Sound Blaster X7 can be connected to passive speakers using bare wires or banana plugs, powered 5.1 analog speakers for immersive surround sound, 1/4” (6.3mm) studio-quality headphones, or 1/8” (3.5mm) headsets.  The built-in beam-forming CrystalVoice™ microphone array offers crystal-clear voice recording apart from the 3.5mm microphone input.

“We are thrilled and truly honored that the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® selected  the Sound Blaster X7 as a 2015 CES Innovation Awards Honoree in both the ‘Computer Hardware and Components’ and ‘Home Audio/Video Components and Accessories’ product categories, recognizing the innovation and audio technology effort behind it, which is what Creative is all about.  They highlight our goal of providing users a one-stop audio solution across all platforms so that they may enjoy the best audio in the way it’s meant to be heard, and in the way they want to hear it – especially in the comfort of their own home,” said Wong Hoo Sim, CEO of Creative.  “The world has changed, and so must Sound Blaster.  Audio content for games, music and movies has changed so incredibly in detail and complexity in this day and age, and is consumed on so many platforms – PCs, laptops, smart devices, TVs and game consoles to name a few – and by many different generations of users.  That’s why we’ve created the Biggest, Baddest, Boldest Sound Blaster to date – the Sound Blaster X7!”

About the CES Innovation Awards

The prestigious CES Innovation Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the producer of the International CES, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technology, and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976.

Products chosen as CES Innovation Honorees reflect innovative design and engineering in some of the most cutting edge tech products and services coming to market.  2015 International CES Innovation Awards Honoree products are featured on CESweb.org/Innovation.

The Sound Blaster X7 will be demonstrated at the Creative Labs, Inc. Booth (30331) in Tech East, Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center (LVCC), South Halls 3 – 4, Upper Level & Connector at the 2015 International CES, which runs January 6 - 9, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sound Blaster X7 will also be displayed at CES Unveiled Las Vegas: The Official Media Event of the International CES from 4 - 7 p.m. on Sunday, January 4 at Mandalay Bay.

Pricing and Availability

The Creative Sound Blaster X7, priced at USD399.99, will be available in December 2014 at the online store at creative.com.  For in-store availability, please refer to local authorized dealers.

For more information about the Creative Sound Blaster X7, please visit www.soundblaster.com/X7/.

Ryan Schlieper

Product Marketing

Creative Labs, Inc.

408-546-6489

ryan_schlieper@creativelabs.com

About Creative

Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products.  Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions, premium wireless speakers, wireless headphones and portable media devices.  Today, Creative re-invents the Sound Blaster, which has a user base of over 400 million,

with its ground-breaking Sound Blaster Roar and Sound BlasterAxx that aim at the new mobile networked generation by bridging the worlds of the computer, smartphones, and tablets.  Creative’s proprietary technologies, innovative hardware, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment – anytime, anywhere.