Creative Sound Blaster PLAY! Hi-res External USB-C

I got the Creative Sound Blaster PLAY! 4. It is very buggy. It has a mind of its own. Sometimes it just disconnects itself. Have to unplug it and move it to a different port. Was running it at the max 24-Bit 192KHz for a while, but now, anything beyond 48Khz sounds garbled and just unbearable. It is good for a bit of a nice boost to sound but do not expect this to give you a leg up in gaming or anything. The sound quality is just a bit better than the stock Realtek HD Audio. And yes I have tried disabling the inputs. Tried modifying everything else. But cannot get the max sound I am supposed to. Of course this is not a replacement for a real sound card or an actual DAC. I would honestly skip it, save more money and maybe consider the FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC. The FiiO has optical out and my desktop speakers have optical in so it should provide better quality sound. I will be purchasing that and keeping this for maybe using it on my iPad Pro or maybe give it to my nephews so he can use it on his PS4. ** Update 13 August, 2022 ** I think I finally managed to get it work the way it should. For whatever reason, "Mode 2" is the mode that is required for Windows and Mac devices. Even though it states it in the manual that "Mode 2" is the default, mine was not working as it should. For mobile devices and gaming consoles, "Mode 1" is required. If you try to use Mode 2 on your gaming console or mobile device it may not be detected or might not work as expected.. These are my settings on a Windows 10 machine and iMac 5K in order to get the popping and random disconnections to stop. 1. Install the "Creative App" software. That is what it is called. Honestly. 2. Update the firmware and drivers. 3. Enter "Mode 2" on your device. You do this by holding down the "Volume Down" (has a CIRCLE) button for about 2-3 seconds. Once it is enabled, you will see a blinking white light. It will blink 5 times in white. 4. Mute the microphone on the device by pressing the mute button one time. A red light will appear above the button. 5. In Windows 10, go to Control Panel > Sound > "Recording" tab > Right click on "Microphone - Sound Blaster Play! 4" and select "Disable". 6. In Windows 10, go to Control Panel > Device Manager > Expand "Sound, video and game controllers" > Disable the following if you have it and will not be using it: "Intel Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio"; <--- Thunderbolt Dock Audio. I think. "Intel Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth Audio"; <--- Thunderbolt Dock Audio. I think. "HD Audio Driver for Display Audio". <--- Audio Speakers on my Phillips monitor. Not required. 7. In the "Creative App" and make sure that you lower down the microphone volume for the "Play! 4" device. 8. In the "Creative App" > Select Playback > Audio Quality > Headphones > Select "24 bit, 192000 Hz".