Sound Blaster line is back as a modular audio card

If you grew up during the 1990s playing PC games, it’s very likely that you remember at least the name of the Sound Blaster line. A reference in the dedicated sound card sector, the brand lost ground as motherboards incorporated more audio elements — and, in recent years, it survived in the form of models for enthusiasts and DACs.

However, Creative Labs believes the name still carries a lot of weight and has the potential to appeal to a new generation of consumers. This week, the manufacturer announced the Re:Imagine product, which promises to be a modular audio card that will be based on open source and the use of artificial intelligence.

The proposal is to be a mix between a DAC, conventional sound card and a system control system, in the style of the Stream Deck. Therefore, in addition to adjusting the audio that passes through your speakers and headphones, the Sound Blaster Re:Imagine user will also be able to use it to manage streaming and various functions on their PC.

Sound Blaster Re:Imagine promises modular, open design

According to Creative Labs’ proposal, its new product can become the audio center for practically all the devices a person has at home. In addition to controlling the PC’s sound, the modular device will also allow you to manage headphones, speakers, consoles, extended displays, musical instruments and smartphones, among other devices.

The Sound Blaster Re:Imagine features a basic unit, to which several modules can be magnetically coupled. Like this, the product can be gradually expanded to offer the functions that consumers really want. It can work either alone or connected to a PC (via USB cable) and promises a high-resolution 32-bit/384 KHz DAC, 3-inch screen and an Octa-Core ARM SOC with integrated NPU.

Other features include 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (expandable with TF cards) and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. In addition to offering several programmable buttons, the device will also be able to run games and simple applications with the power of its hardware and open source.

Although the proposal seems interesting, Creative Labs does not want to take any risks with it: to finance the project, it turned to Kickstater — where it already has a successful campaign. If you are interested in pre-ordering the new version of Sound Blaster, you will need to invest at least US$426 (US$2,276) in pre-saleor US$500 (R$2672) when the device commercially debuts in July 2026.

Fonte: Tom’s Hardware, Creative Labs