Going through the DSP limits sampling rates to a max of 96KHz.

The 32-bit DAC delivers sampling rates up to 384KHz in direct mode, which bypasses the Sound Core3D DSP and is intended for pure listening experiences with lossless audio formats. Pioneer employs the ES9016 series in its Elite LX701 and higher-end receivers that start at $1,600 MSRP. Joining the Sound Core3D DSP is the ESS ES9016K2M Sabre Ultra digital-to-analog-converter (DAC) that’s typically found in high-end audio gear. The volume control on the AE-5 is directly mapped to the DAC volume too, so there’s no fiddling with an audio mixer to ensure you’re adjusting the correct volume slider. Differences include support for 44.1 and 88.2 kHz playback in Direct Mode and virtual 7.1 support. Creative Labs claims the Sound Core3D was engineered with emphasis on future-proofing so it’s programmed differently in the AE-5. But the Sound Core3D implementation isn’t the same as the previous generation cards despite being the same silicon. Heck, the last time we reviewed a Sound Blaster card was in 2014 with the ZxR, and we haven’t seen any new sound card releases since the ASUS STRIX RAID DLX in 2015, until now. Dubbed the Sound BlasterX AE-5, the latest PCIe sound card from Creative Labs comes with all the gamer necessities, including a high-quality DAC, dedicated headphone amp, sleek looks, and RGB lighting controls.Īt the heart of the Sound BlasterX AE-5 is Creative Labs’ in-house Sound Core3D digital signal processor (DSP) that’s also found in the previous Recon3D and Z-series. But despite all the optimizations and tweaks to on-board audio, there’s only so much you can do with cost-conscious audio codecs.Ĭreative Labs recognizes the shortcomings of on-board audio and offers a variety of USB DAC’s, like the Sound Blaster E5, G5, and X7 to provide higher quality audio output, but its internal sound card lineup has been a bit stagnant. Sound cards seem passé nowadays, as motherboard manufacturers hop up high-definition audio codecs with higher quality op-amps, capacitors, shielding and S/PDIF outputs, that make discrete sound cards a harder sell. Dont worry, the microphone cable is much longer than shown in the photo.

This card also comes with a microphone, which can be a handy item.

There were acquisitions of Aureal and Sensaura technologies that further boosted Creative's technology portfolio, too. The Creative Sound Blaster Z sound card has a front port header to support audio to the front headphone/mic ports in your case. Most of its competitors through the last three decades, like Yamaha, ESS, Turtle Beach, Auzentech and M-Audio, evolved their product line-ups or faded into obscurity. Creative Labs was instrumental in evolving PC audio with notable products, like the Sound Blaster 16, AWE 32, AWE64, Live!, Audigy, X-Fi, and Extigy, and algorithms like EAX technology.

Creative sound blaster zxr sound card