Our Verdict
The Sound Blaster EVO ZxR are not good everyday headphones. They have a lot of features that make them good for gaming, but they're too cumbersome, heavy and leaky for casual use. They also don't isolate well.
- Audio customization with Sound Blaster app.
- Sturdy build.
- Overwhelming bass.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Leaky ear cups.
Mediocre for neutral listening. They have a bass heavy sound quality and their closed back design limits their soundstage. They're also uncomfortably tight.
Average for commuting. They're wireless and have a competent if a little confusing control scheme. However, their noise-cancelling is not efficient enough for loud environments and noisy commutes.
Not designed for sports. They're wireless and have a decent control scheme, but they're bulky and unstable.
Average for office use. They leak a lot and have poor isolation. They won't block the chatter of a busy office efficiently.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
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Test Results
The Sound Blaster EVO ZxR look stylish, if a bit bulky. The two-tone color scheme is visually appealing and the futuristic design looks good for gaming. They may not be the most sleek headphones to wear in public but their style and color scheme is above what most gaming headsets have to offer.
The large ear cups of the Sound Blaster EVO ZxR fully encompass most ears and the headband is decently padded. The padding on the ear cups, however, is not very pliable and does not mold well around the ear. This slight stiffness also adds a little tension around the ear and can get uncomfortable over time.
The Sound Blaster EVO ZxR delivers a lot of functionality: Call/music, track skipping, volume, noise cancelling and talk-through controls. Unfortunately, the awkward placement of the buttons can take some time to get used to and is not the most intuitive.
The Sound Blaster EVO ZxR are below-average portable headphones. They have large ear cups, and they do not fold into a more compact format. The earcups lay flat to take a little less space, and they will fit in relatively small bags or handbags. However, they are too cumbersome to carry around on your person and will not fit into any pockets, even larger jacket pockets.
Comes with a fabric pouch that will protect the headphones from scratches and doesn't add much bulk. unfortunately the fabric will not shield your headphones from water damage or hard falls.
Build quality is above average. These headphones feel solid thanks to the metal frame and dense plastic used for the headband. The ear cups also feel dense and able to withstand a fair bit of physical stress. However, the transparent plastic covers on the ear cups look susceptible to cracking if the headphones are dropped a few times.
These headphones are not designed for sports. They are bulky and heavy, and the large ear cups sway as you tilt your head. They're able to maintain a decently stable fit during casual use but will quickly fall off your head while running or jumping. On the upside, they have a wireless design that doesn't require a cable, which can get hooked on something and pull the headphones off your head.
- Creative Sound Blaster EVO ZxR Headphones
- Audio cable
- Carrying pouch
- USB cable
- (US) power adapter
- Airline adapter
- Mic/Audio computer adapter
- Manual
Poor overall isolation. The passive isolation provided by the ear cups is good. It is mostly effective in the treble range, reaching a maximum of -36dB of attenuation at 3KHz. The active noise cancellation, however, is quite poor, maxing at -8dB of attenuation at 100Hz.
Average leakage. There is not a lot of high-frequency leakage here, as the majority of sound being leaked is in the mid-range, starting at around 400Hz and extending up to 3KHz.
The Soundblaster have a worst battery life than some wireless in-ears. For full sized over-ear headphones the drain time is way below-average and won't last you throughout the day or even a prolonged gaming session. On the upside, they have an auto off timer within the provided app and can also be used while connected to a power source so if you're at home or the office this could be a way to extend the poor battery life.
The Sound Blaster Central app is not the sleekest and most modern app, but it offers a great suite of features and an amazing level of control. You get a full graphic equalizer with preset options, surround sound and microphone tweaks, an in-app player, a battery status display and even an alarm. Unfortunately, there's no auto-off timer, but the sheer number of options make the sound blaster central a phenomenal app.
Sound Blaster Evo Zxr in-app player (IOS)
