It appears that ASRock got a little bit too excited and posted a Computex video earlier today that contained a brief glimpse of its upcoming X670E Taichi motherboard. The screenshot that was captured by Wccftech doesn't give away too much details, but the board appears to have at least three M.2 slots and a pair of PCIe x16 slots, of which at least one is meant to be of the PCIe 5.0 variety. The rest of the board is covered in heatsinks and various shrouds. The board will feature Realtek's ALC4082 USB attached audio codec, as well as a ESS ES9218 DAC. It is also said to sport a 26-phase VRM setup. The board is also expected to have Thunderbolt 4 support. The video has unfortunately been taken down, so we'll have to wait until next week to find out more details.

In related news, @momomo_us has leaked details of several upcoming AM5 motherboards, of which four models are from ASRock and two from ASUS. The ASRock models are the X670E Taichi mentioned above, the X670 PG Riptide, X670 Phantom Gaming 4 and the X670 Steel Legend. The two ASUS models are the ProArt X670E-Creator WiFi and the ProArt B650-Creator. Finally Gigabyte has revealed that the company will be displaying its X670 Aorus Xtreme, X670 Master, X670 Pro AX and X670 AERO D at Computex next week. The company mentions PCIe 5.0 for both graphics and the M.2 interface, which pretty much cements the earlier rumors about AMD offering PCIe 5.0 support for the M.2 interface on the AM5 platform.

Sony Electronics Inc. today announced their newest addition to the LinkBuds series: LinkBuds S. The latest model empowers a new sound experience through Sony's sensing technology and partner collaboration, while retaining a "Never Off" wearing experience perfect for staying connected to online and offline worlds due to their ultra-small and lightweight design with natural ambient sound. By leveraging sensor and spatial sound technology, they deliver new and immersive sound for AR games such as Niantic's game Ingress. for consumers looking for new options for entertainment beyond music and calls. The model also makes music listening easier than ever with a new and unique "Auto Play" feature. By detecting the listener's environment, such as wearing LinkBuds S, the feature enables their music to play automatically, delivered accordingly to their activity.

LinkBuds S are perfect for streaming content all day long. Consumers can enjoy music, video, or social media content just as the creator intended with Sony's highly acclaimed noise canceling technology and high-resolution capability. Sony Electronics has engineered these remarkably small and lightweight truly wireless headphones with comfort in mind. LinkBuds S combine a shape that matches the human ear with an ergonomic design for a more stable fit to avoid discomfort in the ear that gets in the way of entertainment.

Creative Labs is a name that's as old as PC gaming itself—pioneering PC audio since its formative years. The Creative Sound Blaster line of sound cards helped generations of gamers realize the power of high-quality audio in competitive gaming—when you can hear what your rivals don't. Your GPU will only show you what's on the screen, but not enemies hidden around the corners. Most competitive games have audio cues such as footsteps, reload sounds, or taunts. This is where Creative's engineering steps in—the highest quality DACs, paired with the best DSPs fine-tuned for various genres of games; and a purpose-designed set of analog components that present that best possible sound-stage for gaming, as well as high-resolution lossless music listening for audiophiles.

Creative Labs partners with TechPowerUp to bring gamers special discounts on its entire range of gaming DACs and sound cards. The Sound BlasterX G6 is best suited for game consoles, such as the Xbox One/Series, PlayStation 4/5, Switch, and PCs. It takes in analog or digital (optical) input from your device, and processes it for high-quality amplified analog output, along with Game Voice Mix, Scout Mode, and more. The Sound Blaster GC7 supercharges game streamers' desktops, with studio-quality audio mixing controls right at your fingertips, along with Creative's top-of-the-line Super X-Fi audio circuitry. The Sound Blaster X4 is a powerful, well-priced USB DAC that works with all consoles and PCs, including most essential DSP controls right on the device. Still in two minds about whether you even need special gaming audio hardware? Check out our post on the topic aptly named USB Sound Cards Explained: Tech, Benefits, Do I Need One?.

Use the TechPowerUp-exclusive coupon code POWERUP15 to avail 15% Off on the entire range of DACs and sound cards from Creative, on the Creative United States online store. Offer valid until July 31, 2022.

Buy Creative Sound Blaster Sound Cards and Gaming DACs

Sharkoon Technologies, an international supplier of high-performance quality PC components and peripherals, now presents the SB2. This is a successor to its popular sound card and features an accessible microphone mute and the quick and simple control of the volume. The sound card requires no drivers, enabling fast and easy use on all computers and laptops. In addition, thanks to the sound card, any headset or headphones with 3.5 mm audio plugs can be connected. The personalized configuration of the audio is made possible using the 10-band equalizer available with the software. The extra-large buttons allow quick and simple volume control and microphone mute.

An optional software to configure the audio according to personal taste and requirements can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. In addition to virtual 7.1 sound, configurations can also be made using a 10-band equalizer. In addition, quick settings are available in the form of 12 preset equalizer modes. These can be used to tailor the audio to, for example, different styles of music.

ASUS has today announced two new gaming headsets during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with the ROG Fusion II 500 and ROG Fusion II 300. The headsets both feature the high-resolution ESS 9280 Quad DAC paired with 50 mm ASUS Essence drivers to deliver a virtual 7.1 surround sound experience. They also feature addressable ASUS Aura RGB lighting and integrated beamforming microphones featuring AI noise-cancellation. The Fusion II 500 features extensive connectivity options including 3.5 mm, USB-C and USB-A along with a dedicated game volume chat control wheel while the Fusion II 300 is limited to USB-C and USB-A. The ROG Fusion II 500 (179 USD MSRP) and ROG Fusion II 300 will both be available to purchase worldwide in Q1 2022.

Although we're going to try and cover all the newly launched Intel Z690 based motherboards more thoroughly before the retail availability date, we had a quick look already on what's on offer and we were struck by something rather odd when it comes to Gigabyte, most of their new boards only have two 3.5 mm audio jacks around the back. This is not limited to their cheaper SKUs, but is found through the entire product stack.

We're not entirely sure what's going on here and will check with Gigabyte once someone is awake that we can talk to about it, but we're fairly certain that this is going to cause a bit of a backlash from their customers. This was actually something we kind of saw in the leaked image of one of the Aero boards, as it didn't look like it had any audio jacks at all, but that wasn't the case. Instead, it seems to have something to do with Gigabyte's move away from the Realtek ALC1220 Intel HD audio based codecs that the company have been using for the past few generations of boards.

LG has gained a pretty good reputation for its UltraGear monitors and the company has now launched its first accessory, the matching GP9 gaming speaker. At first glance, it just looks like a compact soundbar, but looks can be deceiving and that's very much the case here, as not only is it a portable, battery powered speaker, but it hides quite a few features that aren't apparent at first glance.

For starters, LG has incorporated what they call a "Quad DAC" with some help from ESS in the shape of the 9038Pro, which is ESS' flagship 32-bit DAC. LG uses this to deliver virtual 7.1-channel audio and the GP9 is Hi-Res Audio certified. The GP9 also has a built-in noise cancelling microphone, so you can use it for voice chat or online meetings if so inclined.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster GC7, the first premium gaming DAC and Amp in a new product series specially designed to enhance the user experience of avid gamers, aspiring content creators and streamers. Users can take full control of the gameplay easily with intuitive one-handed controls and fully programmable buttons, and enjoy the award-winning Super X-Fi and Sound Blaster technologies, in Creative's most comprehensive external sound card yet.

Creative today has announced an updated to their Sound Blaster Z discrete sound card. The updated Sound Blaster Z SE keeps the up to 116 dB SnR and 24-bit/192 kHz sound of the sound card it updates, but adds 7.1 support for headphones and 5.1 discrete audio on speakers. The new dedicated sound card also features additional gaming profiles (it has specially-designed profiles for PUBG and Fortnite, for example), and new equalizer presets.

If you suppose most of these features could have been added via a software/firmware update, you'd be right; Creative is releasing most of these features via a software update for the Sound Blaster Z as well. Other specifications remain the same, with the Sound Blaster Z SE sound card featuring Creative's Sound Core 3D audio processor. Whether or not there is a requirement for discrete soundcards in this day and age of integrated sound quality is another discussion, as is the option for users to connect and process their audio via an external DAC.

New technology eliminates background noise for clear voice communication with ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter, ROG Strix Go, ROG Theta 7.1 headsets and more. ASUS today announced new AI Noise-Canceling Microphone (AI Mic) technology that intelligently eliminates unwanted background noise for clear voice communication for work or play. The new technology uses chipset-based machine learning to filter out and remove other human voices and ambient sounds like wind or traffic noise. This new technology is now available on the ASUS AI Noise Canceling Mic Adapter and the latest ROG headsets.

ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter is the world's first USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter with integrated AI Mic technology. It connects to any headset via a 3.5 mm audio jack to provide users with crystal-clear voice communication. The built‑in chipset handles all of the sound processing, so the adapter does not affect the performance of the mobile device, PC or laptop it is connected to. Weighing just 8 grams, the AI Noise-Canceling Mic Adapter includes exclusive ASUS Hyper-Grounding technology to prevent electromagnetic interference for noise-free audio. In select markets, it is available with a USB Type-C-to-Type‑A adapter.

ASRock introduced the W480 Creator premium motherboard for creators, which supports 10th Gen Core and Xeon W-1200 series processors in the LGA1200 package, based on the "Comet Lake" microarchitecture. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 16-phase VRM cooled by large aluminium fan-heatsinks. The LGA1200 socket is wired to four reinforced DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB of dual-channel DDR4-4800 (OC) memory, including ECC unbuffered DIMM support when paired with Xeon W-1200 processors; and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated, else x16). These slots are gen 4.0 capable with future processors that offer PCIe gen 4.0 support. Storage connectivity includes three M.2 NVMe slots with PCIe gen 3.0 x4 wiring, each; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports.

Much of this board's serious "creator" USP begins with its connectivity. It offers two Thunderbolt 40 Gbps ports via type-C connectors, each with its own mini-DisplayPort 1.4 passthrough input that you connect to your graphics card. Networking connectivity includes a 10 GbE wired network connection powered by an AQuantia AQC107 controller; a second 2.5 GbE connection driven by Intel i225-LM controller, and an 802.11ax WLAN connection by an Intel AX201 adapter that also provides Bluetooth 5. The onboard audio solution packs some serious hardware, with an ESS Sabre 9218 DAC handling the front-panel headphones out (130 dBA SNR), a Realtek ALC1220 HDA codec handling the other channels (120 dBA SNR), WIMA capacitors for the front outputs, and the right and left audio channel wiring being routed through distant PCB layers to minimize crosstalk. The company didn't reveal pricing.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphic cards, continuing the success co-branding their Z390 product line with G2 Esports, is launching the latest Z490 AORUS ULTRA G2 motherboard. In order to satisfy the high-performance low temperature needs of professional gaming teams, the Z490 AORUS ULTRA G2 uses direct 12 phases digital power design and tantalum capacitor array, providing strong and stable power delivery and minimizing oscillation, bringing you the 10th gen Intel Core i9-10900K excellent high-class processor.

Daisy Chain memory routing and anti-interference design deliver improved memory overclocking and stability. As for Fins-Array II, Direct-Touch Heatpipe II and 7.5 W/mK LAIRD thermal conductivity pad alongside G2 Esports optimizations, we bring you an improved efficacy stabled user experience. In addition to ESSential USB DAC's vocal cohesion and immersive sound, it makes the Z490 AORUS ULTRA G2 Motherboard a must have for every pro player, even more so the best pick for any gamer at home assembling their own gaming PC.

Cougar today rolled out the Immersa Pro Prix gaming headset. A variant of the Immersa Pro from 2017, the Pro Prix features an upgraded C-Media sourced CMI6533X1 USB DAC with Xear3D 7.1-channel virtual surround, an upgraded pair of 50 mm drivers with a wider 10 Hz to 20 kHz frequency-response range (vs. 20 Hz to 20 kHz on the original), an upgraded headband design with better cushioning, an improved microphone muffler, and a slightly longer 2.5 m cable (vs. 2 m on the original). The headset is still driven by Cougar's UIX software that provides audio- and RGB lighting control. The headset's dimensions are otherwise unchanged. The company didn't reveal pricing.

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.

ASUS today rolled out the ROG Theta Electret, a premium stereo variant of the ROG Theta headset from 2019, featuring a hi-fi grade 120 mm electret driver in charge of reproducing extremely precise high and mid frequency sound; while a conventional 45 mm neodymium driver handles lows (bass). Both drivers sit in an airtight chamber. The headset is purely analog, and features conventional 3.5 mm jacks, and ASUS made sure to get rid of all digital components, such as the USB DAC and even the RGB-illuminated ROG logo. Thanks to the electret driver, the headset enjoys a wide frequency-response of 20-40,000 Hz. The detachable microphone, too, is fully analogue. The headset supports both single headphones+mic jack, and split 3.5 mm jacks. ASUS didn't reveal pricing.

Ausounds is a newcomer to the audio market as a retail product provider, but the founders have decades of experience in the music industry, and have been creating audio solutions for musicians for a while now. The company invited us to check out the brand, as well as their new products, at CES 2020 and we obliged as we usually do in an attempt to shine more light on relatively unknown companies in addition to the mainstream ones. They took the time to introduce their new AU-X active noise cancelling planar magnetic driver headphones to us, which feature 54 mm planar drivers on each earcup and four noise cancelling microphones working in a hybrid mode to allow up to 28 dB of ANC. The headphones are tuned for a transparent frequency response combined with a large soundstage and, in my limited testing, offered excellent discerning of the mid-high tones, especially when it comes to jazz and classical music.

The AU-X ANC Planar headphones have dual microphones also for calling/audio out, an included battery of 800 mAh for a rated 25 hours of battery life which the company claims is on the conservative side (think closer to 28 hours), and touch controls on the earcups for volume and media playback. Bluetooth 5.0 and 3.5 mm aux inputs complement the headphones for portability, and AptX-HD + Hi-Res certification round off the headphones which are rated for a 20 Hz-40 KHz frequency response, 32 Ω impedance, an SPL of 98 +/- 3 dB, and 280 grams in mass with protein leather earpads similar to those in the Bose QC35. The AU-X headphones cost $299.95 and will ship in March 2020. Read past the break for more on their equally new AU-Stream Hybrid earbuds.

At the 2020 International CES, Thermaltake unveiled a plethora of new gaming peripherals that include keyboards, mice, surfaces, and headsets. The star attractions here were the TK5 RGB keyboard and mouse. The keyboard has a dual-tone face-plate design that looks refreshingly new. You get a detachable cushioned palm-rest. The face-plate around the main key cluster and function keys are silvery aluminium, while one surrounding the numerical cluster, arrow and editing keys is contrasting dark aluminium. The TK5 uses a floating keycap design, with RGB LED element of each individual key producing a glow around the key. There's an acrylic RGB LED diffuser that runs along the periphery of the keyboard, too. Thermaltake is using Cherry MX Blue or MX Speed Silver switches.

The TM5 mouse is wireless, but can also be used as a wired mouse. As a wireless mouse, it supports 2.4 GHz RF (needs a dongle, but provides 10 m range and lower latency) and Bluetooth 5.0 (no dongle needed). The mouse features a palm-grip optimized ambidextrous design with 8 buttons in total. RGB LED embellishments include the scroll-wheel and an RGB element that runs along the periphery of the underside of the mouse. Under the hood is a 16,000 dpi PixArt PMW3335 sensor and Omron-made switches.

Sharkoon Technologies is an international supplier of PC components and peripherals, offering performance at a reasonable price. Sharkoon now introduces the Mobile DAC and the Mobile DAC PD. These are two audio converters that are compatible with the most popular Android-based mobile devices. Both devices deliver a high-resolution audio amplification of sound output for headsets and headphones which have a TRRS connection, and, in addition, they provide quality voice transmission thanks to an integrated microphone input. Therefore, podcasters and streamers will also benefit from the Mobile DACs.

NZXT, a leader of gaming hardware, software, and PC building services, today announced its first lineup of audio products for gamers. The full suite includes the AER wired headset with Hi-Res certification, STND headset platform for sleek storage, and MXER audio control station. All are designed with the clean aesthetic NZXT fans love and expect. AER is a comfortable, lightweight gaming headset available in open and closed-back designs which pairs with STND and MXER for automatic audio switching between the headset and external speakers -- a simple solution that feels like magic.

Three all-new Bluetooth 5.0 wireless headsets from LG Electronics combine a slim, seamless design with stunning sound performance thanks to built-in Meridian Audio technology. These latest additions to the popular LG TONE family of wearable audio systems (models HBS-XL7, HBS-SL5 and HBS-SL6S) are available for purchase on LG.com starting today and coming soon through major wireless providers nationwide. Prices and availability will vary by provider and retailer.

For music lovers, each model, backed by a Hi-fi Sound Solution with Meridian Audio, comes with improvements to the design of the original LG TONE, crafted for a clearer and more balanced sound. A composite diaphragm inside the speaker unit produces clarity in high and low ranges. The high-strength metal layer creates accurate treble, while a plastic layer produces rich, deep bass.

Top-of-the-line gaming brand AORUS, reveals itself at the 2019 GAMESCOM trade show in Germany Cologne, in which the spotlight shines at the all-new 17 inch flagship gaming laptop, the AORUS 17. AORUS takes the lead yet again through the co-op with world renowned switch manufacture OMRON to innovate and develop a set of unique mechanical switches that is tailored for the AORUS 17, not only does the keys offer exceptional durability, it also offers one of the best feeling keys that gamers can find on a laptop. The AORUS greatness continues through the combination of the brand new Intel 8-core CPU, NVIDIA RTX graphics chip with Ray Tracing technology and an exclusive WINDFORCE INFINITY cooling system, the AORUS 17 steadily sits on the high-end gaming thrown with these specs.

AORUS leads the industry again by working with world renowned mechanical switch manufacture, OMRON in order to create a unique set of mechanical keys for the AORUS laptop, with gamer oriented design details, including an optimal 2.5 mm key travel and an actuation point of 1.6 mm, giving gamers both the sensational touch and sound of a crisp blue switch, which gamers can now enjoy the qualities of a full mechanical keyboard right on their AORUS laptop. AORUS pursues further by redesigning the key caps to produce stunning backlit keys with unique "concentric" keycaps, letting the LED underneath the keycap shine though evenly, increasing the overall lighting intensity by 27%, in addition to the AORUS exclusive FUSION 2.0 keyboard customization software, gamers can truly create a unique personal style.

Creative Technology Ltd continues its legacy of revolutionizing audio with the launch of its most advanced PCI-e sound cards ever - the Sound Blaster AE-9 and Sound Blaster AE-7. Built with only the most premium components, and complemented with the latest technologies from Creative, these sound cards are designed to define a new performance standard in this class for the ultimate PC entertainment experience.

Up till 1989, the only sounds coming out of the PC were mere beeps. The same year, Sound Blaster was born, and PC audio was transformed forever. Since then, over 400 million Sound Blasters have been sold; and the Sound Blaster brand has become synonymous with the term sound card and high-quality PC audio - first for gaming, and then movies and music. With experience and expertise refined over three decades of audio innovation, Sound Blaster has continued to reinvent itself with the development of digital audio processing technologies. Each new innovation served to redefine what the ultimate audio experience really means, such as when it evolved beyond the PC in the form of external sound cards for platforms like gaming and entertainment consoles.

Sharkoon Technologies is an international supplier of PC components and peripherals, offering performance at a reasonable price. Sharkoon now presents the Gaming DAC Pro S. This is a digital-to-analog converter which transforms a normal headset into a high-performance sound system. To do this, the Gaming DAC Pro S is equipped with a sampling frequency which is certified for high-resolution and a signal-to-noise ratio of 100 decibels.

Captivating Sound with High-Resolution Audio
With the Gaming DAC Pro S, acoustic details can be experienced at their fullest. This is made possible thanks to the high-resolution sampling frequency of 96 kHz at 24 bits and a high output of 2 volts. In addition, the audio converter produces a listening experience for audiophiles through precisely directed ambient sounds. Thus, in gaming, an accurate determination of direction and distance is possible as well as a continually clear voice transmission.

Sharkoon appeared quite ready to take a bite out of the competition at Computex 2019. They came to the show with a full assortment of cases, keyboards, mice, gaming chairs and even a mini USB DAC for gamers which was quite nice to see as it was unexpected and unique coming from Sharkoon. Dubbed the Gaming DAC Pro S, it packs a powerful high-resolution gaming DAC with TRRS microphone input. It can also act as a USB soundcard with headphone Amp for an immersive crystal clear audio experience. It is worth noting that it is compatible with Android on top of the Windows and macOS.

Motherboard vendors are betting big on the success of AMD's "Valhalla" desktop platform that combines a Ryzen 3000-series Zen 2 processor with an AMD X570 chipset motherboard, and have responded with some mighty premium board designs. GIGABYTE deployed its full spectrum of Aorus branding, including Ultra, Elite, ITX Pro, Master, and Xtreme. The X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi mini-ITX motherboard is an impressive feat of engineering despite its designers having to wrestle with the feisty new PCIe gen 4 chipset. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin and 8-pin connectors, and conditions power for the SoC with an impressive 8-phase VRM that uses high-grade PowIRstage components. A rather tall fan-heatsink cools the X570 chipset, with a 30 mm fan.

Connectivity options on the X570 I Aorus Pro WiFi are surprisingly aplenty. The sole expansion slot is a PCI-Express 4.0 x16, but the storage connectivity includes not one, but two M.2-2280 slots (reverse side of the PCB), each with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make for the rest of the storage connectivity. Networking options include 2.4 Gbps 802.11ax WLAN, Bluetooth 5.0 (Intel , and 1 GbE, all pulled by Intel-made controllers. USB connectivity includes six 5 Gbps USB 3.2 gen 1, and two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 gen 2 ports (of which one is type-C), and two 5 Gbps ports by headers. The onboard audio solution has 6-channel analog output, but is backed by a premium Realtek ALC1220VB Enhance CODEC (114 dBA SNR).