Creative's Zen Hybrid SXFI headphones have a Spatial Holography superpower (if you don't use a Pixel phone)

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

ZDNET's key takeaways

The Creative Zen Hybrid SXFI headphones are available now on Amazon for $99With clear/clean sound, amazing comfort, and an outstanding battery life, these headphones are a great option, so long as you're not looking for audiophile-quality sound.
Until Creative fixes their apps not functioning on Pixel phones, we can't say these headphones work for all users.

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The last time I reviewed a pair of Creative Headphones (earbuds, actually), I was blown away by the sound, feeling as if the company was onto something special. The earbuds in question were the Aurvana Ace 2. That was another instance where I wondered if a new technology (xMEMS) was a gimmick. 

Turns out it very much wasn't.

So, when Creative's PR sent me a pair of headphones with what could be yet another gimmick, I was excited to see what was what.

Also: The best headphones you can buy: Expert tested

The "gimmick" in question is Spatial Holography. According to Creative, the idea is to "Recreate the same expansive depth, details, and soundstage of an immersive multi-speaker system on headphones."

Intriguing.

As you might expect, I had my doubts, especially given these headphones run for only $99 on Amazon. Even with those doubts, I was sure Creative would deliver on some level.

Let's find out how the Zen Hybrid SXFI fared.

View at Amazon

The specs

40 mm Neodymium driversHybrid ANC, Adaptive ANC, and Ambient mode
Wireless (via Bluetooth 5.3) or wired connection (via included 3.5 mm cable)
70 hours of playtime on a full charge with ANC off and 40 hours with ANC on
Built-in mics
SXFI Spatial Holography
Low latency mode
Colors - Black or light gray
Sound customization via the Creative app
Audio codecs - AAC, SBC
Siri/Google Assistant support

My experience

As always, my first test was to fire up "Analog Kid" by Rush on my Pixel 8 Pro. The SXFI Spatial Holography is enabled out of the box, so when the intro to the song kicked in, I was taken aback. My initial thought was that it sounded as though Creative applied a bit of reverb to give it a more immersive sound. It was almost like listening to studio music in a concert setting, or using headphones with a surround sound effect.

At first, I didn't like the effect, so I switched it off. With Spatial Holography off, I could hear what the headphones were truly capable of, which was quite good: bass was tighter (which is always important when listening to Rush), mids were toned down a bit, and highs had a bit more sizzle.

Also: The best headphones for music you can buy: Expert tested

After that first test, I connected the headphones to the Creative app (Android and iOS), not knowing there was also an app to customize the SXFI profile (Android and iOS). I don't usually like counting on apps to improve the sound of headphones and earbuds, but this had me intrigued.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Before all that, I decided to upgrade the firmware for the headphones, and let me tell you that took far longer than I expected. The firmware transfer was stuck at 3% for so long that I assumed something was wrong. During that process, I wasn't able to use, interact with, or turn off the headphones. After 15 minutes of waiting for the transfer to get beyond 3%, I grew concerned. If I've learned anything over the years, however, it's that you do not mess with firmware updates, so I allowed it to continue.

And continue.

And continue.

And continue.

Lunchtime!

I decided to let those wheels keep spinning while my wife and I went out for lunch. 

Unfortunately, the Creative app still doesn't function well with Pixel phones. I ran into this same problem with the Aurvana Ace 2 earbuds and eventually gave up on trying to connect the app to the earbuds. Fortunately, after restarting the headphones, they finally connected.

Instead of updating the firmware, I decided to try the SXFI app. The first thing it asks you to do (after creating an account) is map your head. You're supposed to allow the phone to snap a photo of your right ear, your face, and then your left ear. Snapping a photo of your ears is not easy. On top of that, it's not clear whether the photo will happen automatically or if you have to tap a shutter button. If you've ever tried to tap a button on your phone screen when you can't see said screen, you understand how challenging that can be.

So, I had to have my wife do the head mapping. It turns out that you have to arrange the phone so that your ears line up in a very specific way, which you cannot do yourself. Once that was taken care of, I assumed there'd be customizations offered.

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Nope. Not with my Pixel phone. I couldn't even adjust the EQ because the app doesn't support Pixel devices. This shouldn't surprise me, given my problems when reviewing previous Creative products and trying to use my Pixel 8 Pro with Creative's apps.

Ergo, I had to review this based on the default sound. Fortunately, the Zen Hybrid SXFI headphones deliver on that front. These headphones are not audiophile quality, but for $99 they still impress. Sadly, the Spatial Holography is kind of a loss on Pixel devices because you can't really do any customizations. So, I switched the feature off and just let the headphones do their thing.

Although the sound did have a bit more mids than I prefer, I came away feeling like these headphones want to live in the range of studio monitors. The sound leans toward neutral, without heavy-handed lows or highs. They don't quite reach studio monitor status because you can definitely hear a good amount of processing going on, which precludes them from being truly neutral. With the Spatial Holography on, the headphones are as far from neutral as you can get.

ZDNET's buying advice

I really wanted to love these headphones. They're comfortable, offer fantastic battery life, and can connect wirelessly or via a wire. If Creative could solve the issue with their apps and Pixel phones, I'm guessing the experience would be considerably better. Because of that, I would not recommend these headphones to anyone planning on connecting them to a Pixel device. If your phone of choice is made by a company that isn't Google, you might have a wonderful experience with these headphones.

The good news is the basic sound from the Zen Hybrid SXFI is on par with about every headphone I've ever reviewed at this price point. So, if you're looking for a very comfortable pair of over-the-ear headphones with long-lasting battery life, and you aren't looking for audiophile-quality sound, these babies fit the bill. Otherwise, look elsewhere.