If you are like me from the old school days, the term “Sound Blaster” would evoke a physical card that plugs into the mainboard’s PCI (or ISA in the early 90s), allowing PCs to play and record real digital audio. Before Sound Blaster, PCs could only make beeps. A dedicated sound card may be obsolete since the 2000s, but Sound Blaster lives on as a brand for USB DACs, gaming headsets, and more.
Today, it has been further transformed. Enter the new age of Sound Blaster, the Creative Sound Blaster Re:Imagine. And no, it is not a sound card like Gen X folks remember it. It is a modular audio hub with AI (but of course!), designed for streamers, content creators, or basically someone who appreciates improved sound, wants to declutter, and perhaps is tired of fumbling blindly for the audio port that is around the back of the PC. Not all PC cases have a headphone jack on the front panel, after all.
Aesthetically, Sound Blaster Re:Imagine looks like something out of Teenage Engineering’s design book. It is oozing with the OP-1 vibe. Not going to lie. I thought it was a collab with the Swedish consumer electronics outfit. But it is not.
The setup includes the Horizon Base Unit and modules such as a touchscreen, buttons, a dial, and a slider. Every pledge comes with the Horizon Base Unit paired with a Smart Screen. Users can rearrange the modules in a way that best suits their setup and workflow. If the stretch goal is achieved, a second option — the Vertex Base Unit — will be unlocked, offering a rectangular 6×2 grid layout instead of the power-strip form of the Horizon.
The system lets you switch between platforms like PC and console, mute video calls, launch apps and shortcuts, control Matter smart home devices, and basically turn your desk into a command center. True to its Sound Blaster lineage, it also gives your desktop speakers a proper boost thanks to a built-in studio-grade DAC with 32-bit / 384 kHz playback and an amp capable of driving everything from pro headphones to chunky desktop speakers.
Connectivity-wise, it packs USB-C, line-in, optical-in, a mic jack, a dedicated USB port for PC, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth. And if you like tinkering, this thing is a playground. It runs Linux with full root access, letting power users write their own apps and macros.
It also has a “brain” of its own: an octa-core processor, 8 GB RAM, and 16 GB of expandable storage, which means the hub can run apps natively. With the built-in screen, you can fire up retro DOS games, enjoy music visualizers, or let the AI DJ generate tunes based on your mood. For longtime fans, even Dr. Sbaitso and the Sound Blaster Parrot are back, now reimagined with modern AI.
Creative chose Kickstarter so the community can help shape this next chapter of Sound Blaster — much like how gamers and creators fueled the brand’s rise in the 90s.
The Sound Blaster Re:Imagine starts at S$453 or about US$349. The campaign has already smashed its funding goal with support from hundreds of backers contributing over US$220,000 at the time of writing.
Images: Creative Technology.
Story via Hardwarezone.
