Last Updated: July 6, 2023 (Refresh Now)
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
Last Updated: July 6, 2023 (Refresh Now)
8.4
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
686
Old Reviews
500
Unverified
9
Spam Test
!
3
NUMBER OF USB PORTS
Yes
USB
Review Analysis - 177 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Sound
101sound blaster, onboard, volume, creative, dac
+92%
-8%
" ... The sound quality significantly improved after I downloaded and installed the optional software from their website. ... "
" ... This little device surprised me, it sounds even better than my Sound Blaster Audigy Rx card, which costs twice as much. ... "
" ... Any direct connection to the computer sound card was causing significant hum from a ground loop. ... Pleasantly surprised to find out that the audio from this device is very clean, and all traces of hum are gone on digital modes. ... "
" ... having to cut into gain and headset audio sounds sounds normal / flat as I ... No perceptible noise on either input or output. ... "
" ... The sound quality seems very good (no buzzing or popping that I can hear even when switching input sources), but I’m not a snob either and my speakers aren’t good enough to really test the quality. ... Speakers have been great for me working from home regularly. ... "
" ... I researched budget external sound cards extensively before purchasing this one. ... "
" ... This was a really easy sound upgrade or my laptop to feed sound to my stereo. ... I think I prefer the sound of my other external DAC connected to the cd player. ... But the sound is clear and a noticeable improvement over the headphone port on my ancient laptop. ... "
" ... I bought them for my laptop, and it definitely improves the sound on it. ... "
Connectivity
63audio, laptop, port, windows, adapter
+86%
-14%
" ... Using it with a new Mac Mini which does not otherwise come with line-input audio. ... "
" ... :) All I did was plug it into an available USB-A port, and Windows auto-installed the device. ... "
" ... Since getting this, I am rediscovering all the music I use to listen on my iphone or laptop. ... "
" ... This allows me to, with a push of a button, switch my speakers to play from my work computer or from my personal computer ... This little gadget has been really handy for switching back and forth in combo with my usb switch. ... "
" ... I installed this USB sound card plug and play on my Windows desktop. ... "
" ... So I wanted to be able to use a non USB gaming headset across several computers I switch between during the day using a USB KVM. ... Switches between Windows, Mac and Linux with no issues, love it. ... "
" ... Since I started working remotely I have been using cheap USB-C to headset adapters. ... It works reliably and I can use it either on my phone or laptop with a wired headset. ... When I last tried it, there were too many quirks and bugs, but I really don't need it to use the adapter for my purposes. ... I much prefer wired headsets due to not needing a battery or charging with bluetooth headsets - wired headsets are often cheaper too. ... Also wired boom microphones seem to work better than bluetooth ones for the same price-point. ... "
" ... The quality definitely beats the other USB audio devices I own that were between the $10-$17 range. ... - plug and play on all our windows (10/11) PCs chromebook and mac ... "
Software
31windows, drivers, driver, creative, windows 10
+94%
-6%
" ... **BEWARE**, you need PC (Windows 10/11 only, Mac is not supported) to install creative app and update its firmware to get full benefits it offers. ... I downloaded the firmware and installed it accordingly. ... "
" ... I bought this to hook up speakers to a Samsung laptop and also to my home-build desktop PC with fairly new Asus motherboard. ... "
" ... Great for driver testing and speaker testing ... "
" ... Driver loads right up on Win 7 or Win 10, I measure the distortion on the harmonics of a 1 kHz test tone at better than -100 dBc. ... "
" ... I have a Windows 10 desktop PC, and it was plug and play, no software drivers needed. ... "
" ... Switches between Windows, Mac and Linux with no issues, love it. ... "
" ... You can use the button or the audio software downloaded from its official support site. ... And still provides firmware upgrade. ... "
" ... A new motherboard, new sound drivers, etc. ... "
Usage
29setup, required, easy to use, easy, control
+93%
-7%
" ... USB connection, simple install. ... "
" ... Going to switch over to a proper setup (something from FiiO). ... "
" ... The unit was completely plug-and-play for my use case, and no setup whatsoever was required. ... "
" ... this was easy to install and works like a charm. ... "
" ... There was no setup required. ... "
" ... Now my 2.1 system sounds like it did when I was running everything through a A/V receiver. ... "
" ... I needed something like this as a quick and cheap solution for my 2 PC stream setup. ... "
" ... I downloaded the Play 3 control panel and must say It sounds Awesome!!! ... "
Price
14cost, worth, price point, money, twenty
+93%
-7%
" ... Bought this given the price, figuring I had nothing to lose. ... "
" ... For the price, this is now part of my random collection of dongles I keep around. ... "
" ... The price is right on this one. ... "
" ... For the price I found it to be really good. ... "
" ... for under twenty dollars, how can you go wrong? ... "
" ... It really is a deal for the price. ... "
" ... To me it's definitely worth the extra cost. ... "
" ... Much better sound and definitely worth the money. ... "
Reliability
8defective, worked, started, sound card, adapter
+50%
-50%
" ... 3 months in, the adapter started intermittently disconnecting and needed to be reseated every few hours. ... "
" ... Ended up not using it after a month. ... "
" ... It never worked properly. ... Not sure if its systemic to these, or it might be defective. ... "
" ... As of two days ago, July 12, 2021, it is no longer working. ... "
Marketplace
6defective, wait, return, product, need
+67%
-33%
" ... Exactly as described. ... "
" ... Thank you Creative Labs. ... "
" ... Thank goodness for this inexpensive workaround. ... "
" ... No complaints really, it does as advertised. ... "
Gaming
6games, pain, music, hear, headphones
+100%
" ... And I can use them for gaming after work too. ... "
" ... - virtual surround works well in games and adds a lot to titles like War Thunder ... "
" ... I would recommend if you want better clearer sound while playing games or just listening to music. ... "
" ... Also, it's great for gaming! ... "
" ... I've noticed no issues with gaming latency or sound quality. ... "
Marketplace / Marketplace
5product, described, creative labs, advertised
+80%
-20%
" ... Exactly as described. ... "
" ... Thank you Creative Labs. ... "
" ... Thank goodness for this inexpensive workaround. ... "
" ... No complaints really, it does as advertised. ... "
Cable
5splitter, port, plug, dac, audio
+80%
-20%
" ... This is the one I have hooked to the cd player with an optical cable. ... "
" ... One other great thing is that my MacBook is trultplugand play with just one cable, vs before when I had to plug in the headphone port. ... "
" ... Plus, I don't need to switch cables. ... "
" ... extension cable to keep play 3 several feet from the PC. ... "
Size
4sound, small, sleek, portable, fit
+75%
-25%
" ... I shaped the sound to fit my likes with the program EQmac, and wow. ... "
" ... Like most portable sound cards, this one is easy to detach and store if you need something for on-the-go. ... "
Performance
4well, one, music, gets
+75%
-25%
" ... Graphics cards were hard to come by, was a decent price, had an RTX-3060 Ti, you get it. ... "
" ... do the job ... "
" ... This is the only one that gets the job done. ... "
Body
4go, water, small, sleek, portable
+75%
-25%
" ... I wasn't expecting this thing to sound that good it blows the built in pc sound card out of the water. ... "
" ... Like most portable sound cards, this one is easy to detach and store if you need something for on-the-go. ... "
Calling
3hear, games, calls
+100%
" ... If you have a quality system you will hear a difference ... "
" ... Now at least I sound like I know what I'm talking about in meetings. ... "
" ... Good sound quality for zoom calls, etc. ... "
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Specifications
Connectivity
Number of USB ports: 3
USB: Yes
Recommendations
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