Old SoundBlaster USB on WIN 10

[Karl in NY]

I have a Sound Blaster Live USB external sound card (# SB0490) that I have migrated from an WIN XP machine to a WIN 10 desktop.

Creative Support is ignoring me, and my request for their forum access has been "pending" for days, so I'm here.

The product is listed "beyond end-of-product life", but a WIN 10 driver was available, but no compatible supporting applications like equalizer or diagnostics. Tried to install them from an earlier edition using compatibility-mode, but WIN 10 rejected the install.

Do I have any options? I'm hearing-impaired and really need the equalizer, even with hearing aids. Most of Creative's other external sound boards are also old, introduced about 6 years ago, as they seem to be ignoring that segment.

BTW, new CPU is Intel Skylake i5, which does not natively support 5.1 sound.

BTW, this Sound Blaster does work on WIN 10, driving a Logitech 5.1 speaker system, but, no diagnostics, and no equalizer.

Suggestion welcome...like a software equalizer that will work with my combination, or, a more recent 5.1 USB sound card with good equalizer.

 

[Dunlop0078]

What motherboard do you have? Any skylake motherboards built in sound card is probably leagues better than some creative thing from an XP system. The onboard sound card for your motherboard should have some drivers and when installed you should get a manager with an equalizer, let me know what motherboard you have and I should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[Karl in NY]

What motherboard do you have? Any skylake motherboards built in sound card is probably leagues better than some creative thing from an XP system. The onboard sound card for your motherboard should have some drivers and when installed you should get a manager with an equalizer, let me know what motherboard you have and I should be able to point you in the right direction.

It's a Dell OptiPlex 7040, and only audio output jack is a single green one...

 

[jsmithepa]

Most of Creative's other external sound boards are also old, introduced about 6 years ago, as they seem to be ignoring that segment.

An EQ's original purpose was to "flatten" a signal, fixing the peaks and valleys introduced by electronics, and ending up giving you a flat, uncolored system response. These days electronics for the street-Joe consumer is good enough that EQ is often not needed.

Am surprised this old SB even works in a W10 box, and that there is even a driver for it. These days, sound is built-in and no sound add-on is needed except for the very finicky.

Have you Google "sound chip equalizer?" Sound chip being the one built-into your Mobo. *Someone* may had developed an eq app for it.

 

[Karl in NY]

Well, the WIN 10 driver was only available since it covered about a dozen different SB models, many much newer than
than my Live SB0490.

I self-configured the OptiPlex when ordering it, and am somewhat disappointed...it shipped with a non-working optical drive, and to run two HD monitors required using their Displayport outputs, few of which existing monitors even have yet...I had to buy DP-HDMI adapters, , $80 I wasn't expecting.

And with only a single green audio jack, I either need an internal or external sound board to support Dolby 5.1.

This my 4th OptiPlex in years, since we had 300,000 of them in service where I work...but, they are cutting corners, and even the case latch broke when I opened it to replace the defective CD/DVD drive.

But, most legacy programs have installed using WIN 10 compatibility mode, but not the SB ones...
Karl