• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Creative Introduces Sound Blaster X5 USB DAC and Headphones Amp

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
46,476 (7.66/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Creative Technology launched Sound Blaster X5, its latest USB DAC and amplifier sound card that ticks all the boxes on a discerning audiophile's gear wish list. Decked with class-leading components, breakthrough audio technologies, a comprehensive connectivity profile and sporting a premium look and feel in a sleek build, the X5 simply pulls out all the stops as a compelling audio solution like no other.

Sound Blaster X5 personifies the best of Creative's audio engineering and design expertise, equipped with audiophile-grade components to achieve exceptional audio quality. It is the first Sound Blaster to feature a dual-DAC design - 2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs deliver high-resolution lossless playback in 32-bit / 384 kHz over PCM with ultra-high dynamic range of up to 130 dB SNR. These DACs can also decode audio formats in DoP128 and DSD256 for high-fidelity audio streaming. Audio distortion is practically non-existent with an oversampled multi-bit modulator for an incredibly low Total Harmonic Distortion rating of 0.00018%.



From studio-grade headphones with impedance of up to 600 ohms, including the most demanding planar-magnetic headphones, to sensitive in-ear monitors with 1 ohm output impedance, Sound Blaster X5 drives them all effortlessly. The award-winning Xamp discrete headphone bi-amplification technology, which is found in the high-end Sound Blaster AE series and Sound BlasterX G6, receives a design upgrade that, coupled with a dual-DAC and dual-Xamp configuration, delivers a fully-balanced headphone output and experience on the X5. A next-level design for audio fidelity makes its debut, using 2 dedicated Xamp circuits that amplifies the left and right channels separately in isolation throughout the entire chain of amplification, effectively eliminating in-circuit interference, noise and cross-talk. What makes the X5 stand out even more is the fact that this type of audio design is a rare find in its price category (sub-US$300).

Audiophiles with a lean to customize their own audio signatures can do just that with the Sound Blaster X5. When connected to the Creative app, they can make adjustments with a 10-band equalization frequency graph, add on Acoustic Engine effects like Surround, Crystalizer, Bass or Dialog+, or use CrystalVoice to improve communication quality. When in the mood for gaming, Scout Mode enhances in-game audio cues to highlight details for a competitive edge.

Sound Blaster X5 also supports ASIO 2.2 for low-latency playback and recording, as well as easy access to multiple audio inputs and outputs.

Sound Blaster X5 is a competent audio hub in its own right; its versatility means it is also compatible with various devices, including gaming consoles, DVD players and other living room entertainment systems. There are two-way RCA and TOSLINK Optical connectors, a convenient USB-C audio and power port, as well as a 3.5 mm microphone-in port with an easy-to-access mic gain knob. There is also a 4.4 mm port for studio-grade balanced headphones, and a 3.5 mm port for regular headphones. All 3 ports use premium gold-plated connectors for better performance. It features a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver and a dedicated USB-A host audio port for connection to wireless audio transmitters, as well as external USB speakers, headsets and microphones.

With a set of controls designed for an intuitive user experience, Sound Blaster X5's front-mounted buttons and switches are easy to access and right at the fingertips for the audiophile's convenience.

Pricing and Availability
Sound Blaster X5 is priced at S$369 and is available at the Creative online store.

For more information, visit the product page.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
632 (0.19/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 3800X / AMD 8350
Motherboard ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X / Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 Revision 3.0
Cooling Stock / Corsair H100
Memory 32GB / 24GB
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 6800 / AMD Radeon 290X (Toggling until 6950XT)
Storage C:\ 1TB SSD, D:\ RAID-1 1TB SSD, 2x4TB-RAID-1
Display(s) Samsung U32E850R
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Black rev. 2 / Fractal Design
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 1300G2 / EVGA Supernova 850G+
Mouse Logitech M-U0007
Keyboard Logitech G110 / Logitech G110
My Soundblaster X-Fi is still working very well with the minor caveat that once every few days the audio gets distorted and I have to restart the Windows Audio service to resolve the problem. I have Realtek onboard audio for my ASRock motherboard and the sound quality is just absolute trash. I like having a very high range with very low volume in Winamp by default so I have very finite control over low volume and high volume for when I'm drying off with a commercial fan that makes a lot of noise. With Volume2 I can change the volume scrolling my mouse wheel while the mouse cursor is over the taskbar which is very handy for two reasons. One, my backup keyboard's volume control is busted and secondly some games block changing the volume until after their loud and obnoxious introduction videos have finished playing. Now, I have total control. But with the Realtek audio I can literally hear feedback as if it's perhaps the hard drive activity on the mass storage drives or even CPU peaks even at middling volumes. Let's not get in to the fact that the Realtek website hasn't been updated in year and their equalizer software doesn't exist in spite of the hundreds of screenshots of it! Plus I don't need an outright equalizer 99.9% of the time; I have the old fashioned Bass and Tremble controls in the X-Fi device controls in the (normal or "classic") Control Panel. I'm actually a little hesitant to upgrade my PCI-Express sound card as I don't want to lose those two controls.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2012
Messages
1,786 (0.41/day)
Location
Netherlands
System Name TheDeeGee's PC
Processor Intel Core i7-11700
Motherboard ASRock Z590 Steel Legend
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory Crucial Ballistix 3200/C16 32GB
Video Card(s) Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti 12GB
Storage Crucial P5 Plus 2TB / Crucial P3 Plus 2TB / Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
Display(s) EIZO CX240
Case Lian-Li O11 Dynamic Evo XL
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster ZxR / AKG K601 Headphones
Power Supply Seasonic PRIME Fanless TX-700
Mouse Logitech G500s
Keyboard Keychron Q6
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
Benchmark Scores None, as long as my games runs smooth.
My Soundblaster X-Fi is still working very well with the minor caveat that once every few days the audio gets distorted and I have to restart the Windows Audio service to resolve the problem. I have Realtek onboard audio for my ASRock motherboard and the sound quality is just absolute trash. I like having a very high range with very low volume in Winamp by default so I have very finite control over low volume and high volume for when I'm drying off with a commercial fan that makes a lot of noise. With Volume2 I can change the volume scrolling my mouse wheel while the mouse cursor is over the taskbar which is very handy for two reasons. One, my backup keyboard's volume control is busted and secondly some games block changing the volume until after their loud and obnoxious introduction videos have finished playing. Now, I have total control. But with the Realtek audio I can literally hear feedback as if it's perhaps the hard drive activity on the mass storage drives or even CPU peaks even at middling volumes. Let's not get in to the fact that the Realtek website hasn't been updated in year and their equalizer software doesn't exist in spite of the hundreds of screenshots of it! Plus I don't need an outright equalizer 99.9% of the time; I have the old fashioned Bass and Tremble controls in the X-Fi device controls in the (normal or "classic") Control Panel. I'm actually a little hesitant to upgrade my PCI-Express sound card as I don't want to lose those two controls.
Same experience with the onboard on my ASRock Z590 Steel Legend, it sound horrible compared to my Sound Blaster ZxR from 2013. Glad my ZxR is still supported on working flawless. I use AKG headphones and they require more power than usual.

I actually thought about swapping the op-amps on my ZxR with ones from Burson.

It's a shame there hasn't been a soundcard like the ZxR anymore which doesn't need a ACM on the desk. The successor would be the AE-9 but has the ACM required to function.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2023
Messages
229 (0.50/day)
Same experience with the onboard on my ASRock Z590 Steel Legend, it sound horrible compared to my Sound Blaster ZxR from 2013.

Glad my ZxR is still supported on working flawless. I use AKG headphones and they require more power than usual.

I actually thought about swapping the op-amps on my ZxR with ones from Burson.

I replaced the op-amps of my AE-9 with Sparkos, way better than Burson, but this card apparently doesn't seems to have replazable op-amps.


What I don't like about my AE-9 is that when switching from Headphones to Speakers the volume goes to 100% so I almost got deaf by switching between headphones and speakers.

Another think that I don't like about the AE-9 is the microphone amp, it just sucks, I don't know if the microphone preamp of this new card sucks.
 
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
3,464 (0.57/day)
Location
CA, US
System Name :)
Processor Intel 13700k
Motherboard Gigabyte z790 UD AC
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory 64GB GSKILL DDR5
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC
Storage 960GB Optane 905P U.2 SSD + 4TB PCIe4 U.2 SSD
Display(s) Alienware AW3423DW 175Hz QD-OLED + Nixeus 27" IPS 1440p 144Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent
Audio Device(s) MOTU M4 - JBL 305P MKII w/2x JL Audio 10 Sealed --- X-Fi Titanium HD - Presonus Eris E5 - JBL 4412
Power Supply Silverstone 1000W
Mouse Roccat Kain 122 AIMO
Keyboard KBD67 Lite / Mammoth75
VR HMD Reverb G2 V2
Software Win 11 Pro
Interesting that TPU had the review more than two weeks prior.
:laugh:
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2011
Messages
946 (0.21/day)
Location
South-Africa
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI)
Cooling Corsair iCUE H115i Elite Capellix 280mm
Memory 32GB G.Skill DDR4 3600Mhz CL18
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX 3070 Ti TUF Gaming OC Edition
Storage Sabrent Rocket 1TB M.2
Display(s) Dell S3220DGF
Case Corsair iCUE 4000X
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D2X
Power Supply Corsair AX760 Platinum
Mouse Razer DeathAdder V2 - Wireless
Keyboard Corsair K70 MK.2 Low-Profile Rapidfire
Software Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (64-bit)
I think I might have to get myself this one of these days, my current Xonar, just a little long in the tooth, what I mean by that is, compatibility and drivers are very annoying to deal with at this stage.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2023
Messages
229 (0.50/day)
I think I might have to get myself this one of these days, my current Xonar, just a little long in the tooth, what I mean by that is, compatibility and drivers are very annoying to deal with at this stage.

Yeah, nobody besides Sound Blaster keep releasing new drivers for their sound cards, EVGA's sounds cards hasn't been updating their drivers since august 2020.
 

dewd

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2022
Messages
7 (0.01/day)
every few days the audio gets distorted
holy shit ive had the same problem with my pci audigy 4 ive used since 2005 or so and always had to restart the whole pc. the card was so old and it lived through xp, vista, 7, 10 and now 11 but this distorted bitcrushy thing always persisted so i thought the card itself had something wrong.

ive upgraded to a mainboard that doesnt have pci anymore a few months back and did not expect current onboard sound to be this absolute garbage. the product page doesnt say which realtek chip it is but theres only like 2-3 it could be but i thought by today surely onboard has cought up to a almost 20 year old dedicated soundcard chip.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2021
Messages
57 (0.06/day)
This does not "tick all the boxes" because it's inexplicably missing Super X-Fi, the one interesting feature from Creative. The lower-end units like the X3 have Super X-Fi but the new X5 does not, this is mystifying.
 
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
632 (0.19/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 3800X / AMD 8350
Motherboard ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X / Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 Revision 3.0
Cooling Stock / Corsair H100
Memory 32GB / 24GB
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 6800 / AMD Radeon 290X (Toggling until 6950XT)
Storage C:\ 1TB SSD, D:\ RAID-1 1TB SSD, 2x4TB-RAID-1
Display(s) Samsung U32E850R
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Black rev. 2 / Fractal Design
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 1300G2 / EVGA Supernova 850G+
Mouse Logitech M-U0007
Keyboard Logitech G110 / Logitech G110
holy shit ive had the same problem with my pci audigy 4 ive used since 2005 or so and always had to restart the whole pc. the card was so old and it lived through xp, vista, 7, 10 and now 11 but this distorted bitcrushy thing always persisted so i thought the card itself had something wrong.

ive upgraded to a mainboard that doesnt have pci anymore a few months back and did not expect current onboard sound to be this absolute garbage. the product page doesnt say which realtek chip it is but theres only like 2-3 it could be but i thought by today surely onboard has cought up to a almost 20 year old dedicated soundcard chip.
Yeah Realtek's onboard audio sucks. If you get distortion from the sound card then do Start, Run, services.msc, click on any service, press the W key, select Windows Audio and then restart the service. I just don't have $100-$200 laying around for a new sound card right now. But damn, restarting? I did that way back in the day though I've forced myself to go through all the junk Windows has especially running services. I have tons of tweaks as as web developer I have to get and stay productive as long as possible throughout my work day. I hope this helped!

I had an Audigy 2 I think, the one with the front 5.25 bay with the MIDI connects. Unfortunately I never got to spend much time creating music or found much in the way of good audio creation software back then. They're still selling Audigy and X-Fi on Newegg, brand new and I plan on replacing this card later this year. :toast:
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2021
Messages
104 (0.10/day)
It's been announced for weeks now.. Theres already a review on this site.
 
Top