Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Review

Rating: 8.5.

With a long history in the gaming audio market, Creative is continuing to refine its products to deliver the best audio experience. Today we assess the Sound BlasterX AE-5, a PCIe sound card with Xamp technology and support for 32-bit/384Khz playback. Is it worth £129.99?

Over the years, sound cards have gradually been phased out as on-board audio gets better and better. It will be interesting, then, to look at the Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5, especially so given it is not cheap at £129.99.

Specification

• Power: PCIe bus power, +5V for Aurora lighting (requires 4-pin molex peripheral connector from PC power supply)
• Audio Technology: BlasterX Acoustic Engine
• Dynamic Range (DNR): 122dB
• Connectivity Options (Main): 1 x TOSLINK Optical Out, 1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Mic In/Line In, 1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Headphone/Headset Out, 1 x 1/8″ Front Out, 1 x 1/8″
• Rear Out, 1 x 1/8″ Center/Sub Out
• Connectivity Options (Accessory): 1 x Front Panel Header, 1 x RGB LED Header (support 5V RGB strips)
• Supported Headphone Impedance:16 – 600 Ω
• Audio Technologies: CrystalVoice, Scout Mode
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows® 7, Windows® 8, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10
• Dimensions: 145 x 20 x 128 mm
• Platform: PCIe
• Recommended Usage: Gaming, Home Entertainment

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