Thursday, April 16th 2020

Creative Rolls Out Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Gaming Sound Card

Apr 16th, 2020 06:36 Discuss (93 Comments)

Creative rolled out the Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus, a discrete internal sound card with PCIe interface. The card is a step up from the Sound BlasterX AE-5, and is positioned below the AE-7 the company debuted in June 2019. The new AE-5 Plus uses the same Sound Core 3D audio processor as the rest of the AE series, but with an ESS Sabre Ultra DAC carried over from the AE-5, which offers 122 dB SNR, sound resolution of 32-bit 384 kHz, and 0.00032% total harmonic distortion. Much like the AE-5, it lacks user-replaceable OPAMPs. What sets the AE-5 Plus apart is support for Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoding, just like the AE-7 and AE-9, which is something the original AE-5 lacks. It also only comes in a black color-scheme, unlike the AE-5. The company didn't reveal pricing, although we expect it to be around 10-15% pricier than the $149 AE-5.

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93 Comments on Creative Rolls Out Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Gaming Sound Card

Ferrum Master

Well... douche move...

Creative had options to buy optional software components in the past. Like Alchemy, then it went free...

Instead opting that dreaded DTS or DDL only for those who really need it, as each license really costs around 5-10€ for each device for creative. Buy the key and live happy.

They decided to push another set of cards... as a carrot to make an upgrade and toss the older card... tsk tsk tsk...

Th3pwn3r

What about Dolby Atmos and DTS -X?

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

If I wasn’t satisfied wth my ZX I would consider this

Ferrum Master

Th3pwn3rWhat about Dolby Atmos and DTS -X?

Buy the Atmos or DTS-X codec in windows store and use it on any device... wake up...

ZoneDymo

This just looks so cheap

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.

INSTG8RIf I wasn’t satisfied wth my ZX I would consider this

Same here, my SBZ just sounds good enough so no need to upgrade. At least not with ~150EUR.

trparky

Does anyone use dedicated sound cards anymore?

noel_fs

for the price of this you can actually get a dac/amp combo and not this trash

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

trparkyDoes anyone use dedicated sound cards anymore?

I would never use onboard to “power“ my Z906s ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ prob sounds like it’s coming from a tin can.

#10

trparky

INSTG8RI would never use onboard to “power“ my Z906s ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ prob sounds like it’s coming from a tin can.

Have you tested that theory of yours? Because seriously, today's onboard audio is definitely not the onboard audio of years ago. Onboard audio has become very decent lately.

#11

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

trparkyHave you tested that theory of yours? Because seriously, today's onboard audio is definitely not the onboard audio of years ago. Onboard audio has become very decent lately.

INSTG8RI have a pretty decently specced on paper on-board but I don’t have to hear it know it will sound inferior.one is a mass produced “necessitie“ and the other has been purpose built to do one thing. My CPU can do graphics too but I’m gonna use my 5700XT

#12

Ferrum Master

trparkyBecause seriously, today's onboard audio is definitely not the onboard audio of years ago.

On the paper. In practice the implementation varies wildly... It is not about the DAC often, but how you build it. The space matters, you can do much more dedicated area versus the limited side spot for mobos.

noel_fsfor the price of this you can actually get a dac/amp combo and not this trash

Prove your claim. That the average Joe china rubbish device doesn't actually perform worse. People are shouting these slogans yet they have no idea how to really compare two devices. Some Youtube sponsored clowns making claims for it, thus we have proof now? They have pros and cons, each device has it. USB DAC ain't the magic bullet also.

Money wise it costs what it costs. It ain't easy to make a good device under 200€. BOM gathers up really fast.

#13

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

Ferrum MasterOn the paper. In practice the implementation varies wildly... It is not about the DAC often, but how you build it. The space matters, you can do much more dedicated area versus the limited side spot for mobos.

Prove your claim. That the average Joe china rubbish device doesn't actually perform worse. People are shouting these slogans yet they have no idea how to really compare two devices. Some Youtube sponsored clowns making claims for it, thus we have proof now? They have pros and cons, each device has it. USB DAC ain't the magic bullet also.

Money wise it costs what it costs. It ain't easy to make a good device under 200€. BOM gathers up really fast.

This guy gets it as usual. :rockout:

#14

Apocalypsee

I'm still using X-Fi Titanium HD, because of superior hardware DSP (yeah EAX is dead but I still play EAX games) and like INSTG8R I never use onboard sound, they only good 'on paper' spec but sound wise nope, not even close.

Back to topic, Creative really being an ass by charging for Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoding which they can include them in base model.

#15

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.

trparkyDoes anyone use dedicated sound cards anymore?

Been using since the SB Live! days and will continue using a sound card also in the future.

#16

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

Chloe PriceBeen using since the SB Live! days and will continue using a sound card also in the future.

Same! I still miss my X-Fi Fatality but alas the PCI slot no longer exists..

#17

Paganstomp

meh... less Creative Labs software on my PC the better.

#18

TheinsanegamerN

trparkyHave you tested that theory of yours? Because seriously, today's onboard audio is definitely not the onboard audio of years ago. Onboard audio has become very decent lately.

Onboard is "good enough" for general use. If you play games or use any audio software, the difference between onboard and a dedicated card, whether USB DAC or sound card, is very noticeable, especially when doing surround sound. When playing audio that uses multiple channels and variosu effects at the same time, dedicated sound hardware produces a much clearer output and you can pick up individual sounds like footsteps. Onboard audio it gets muffled together. When doing 5.1 surround or 7.1 surround the difference is night and day.

Onboard audio is decent int he same way economy cars today are decent. Way better then they used to be, but not a proper replacement for a mustang/audi/cadillac ece. My question is who would buy this? If you want a sound card, a Nu Audio from EVGA has better capability for $199, and doesnt use Creative's absolute garbage software. And for $149 you can get some great USB DACs that, again, dont use Creative's garbage software.

#19

randompeep

Can someone tell me if it's worth buying a dedicated sound card(even sh, but under the 50 bucks mark) if I got a Scarlett Solo MK2 as my main audio processing unit ?
BTW I bought it mainly for good DAW compatibility.
I rarely play games or watch movies and mainly listen to music. But I want the ultimate quality whenever I do one of these. To be honest, I've been using some cheap AKG studio headphones 99% of the time the past months, but I'll be back on monitors/TV soundbar soon!!

#20

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.

INSTG8RSame! I still miss my X-Fi Fatality but alas the PCI slot no longer exists..

I'd use the good old Audigy2 ZS if I'd have a PCI slot in my main rig. :)

#21

Apocalypsee

INSTG8RSame! I still miss my X-Fi Fatality but alas the PCI slot no longer exists..

My first soundcard is Vibra 16C, then I have Dell Optiplex GX100 that also have Dell branded SoundBlaster (CT5807, SoundBlaster 16). On my next PC I upgrade to SB Live! 5.1, then later buy X-Fi XtremeMusic, next I found a bargain Elite Pro (without the external box). This was my last PCI cards as the next card I use is X-Fi Titanium before upgrading to Titanium HD till this day. Last year I bought Audigy 2 ZS for my XP gaming rig (dont need EAX 5.0 since none of the game I play uses that). The only time I buy other than Creative is Xonar HDAV1.3 in between X-Fi Titanium and Titanium HD.

#22

Tatty_Two

Gone Fishing

I am still using my 18 year old :oops: PCI Xifi Elite Pro from waaaaaay back when, in the day it was top of the range at £230+, still sounds good whether in Game or Entertainment mode...… it also has Music creation mode which I have never used but sadly after this motherboard and when I upgrade shortly it will be time to say goodbye as it's pretty much impossible to find a PCI slot on a Z390 or AM4 board which means I will pay a bit more for a new board that has Realtek ALC1220 and go on board.

#23

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.

Tatty_OneI am still using my 18 year old :oops: PCI Xifi Elite Pro from waaaaaay back when, in the day it was top of the range at £230+, still sounds good whether in Game or Entertainment mode...… it also has Music creation mode which I have never used but sadly after this motherboard and when I upgrade shortly it will be time to say goodbye as it's pretty much impossible to find a PCI slot on a Z390 or AM4 board which means I will pay a bit more for a new board that has Realtek ALC1220 and go on board.

Not 18 years yet, released in August 2005 ;)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_X-Fi#X-Fi_line-up

#24

Dave65

That customer service tho!

#25

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.

Dave65That customer service tho!

IMO Creative has improved hella lot in recent years, I can't even remember when their drivers sucked bad since I haven't had any major problems in years.

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Creative Rolls Out Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Gaming Sound Card

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