He Shoots.. He Scores!
Ya know, it’s getting to the point where the moment we receive a product from Creative, our expectations are immediately high and most of the time, we walk away satisfied with what we get to put through our audio ringer and paces. The new Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus is an updated version of the already fantastic AE-5 card that we looked at a few years back.. While not a night a day difference from its predecessor, it’s a worthy upgrade, especially in the surround areas that we’ll touch on later on.
Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus now touts Dolby Digital Live and DTS Encoding for more surround sound options that truly make a world of difference, especially in multiple speaker configs. It also features customizable RGB LEDs on its body and comes with an included RGB LED strip. There’s a ton of other goodies that come along with from the AE-5 card as well listed below in the geek specs.
Specs and features are great but when it comes to music, movies, and especially games, with the AE-5 Plus Creative powers on unmatched in the audio arena, mowing down its competition with sharp, detailed highs and clear, heavy hitting bass when you need it most. Playing games like Borderlands 3 with the AE-5 Plus was an absolutely sonic delight, especially for this grumpy old gamer.
The AE-5 Plus is available now online for $149.99 and is a solid choice with any serious PC gamer. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it delivers clear, powerful audio with a whole bevy of surround sound options and screams quality in every way.
“SPECIFICATIONS
Interface/Power
PCI-e bus power, +5V for Aurora lighting (requires 4-pin molex peripheral connector from PC power supply)
Audio Technology
Sound Core3D
Dynamic Range (DNR)
122 dB
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, 1 x Front Panel Header
Headphone Amp
Supported Headphone Impedance:
16—600Ω
Output Impedance: 1Ω
Low Gain: 16—149 Ω (+0 dB)
Audio Technologies
CrystalVoice
Scout Mode
DTS Connect Encoding
Dolby Digital Live Encoding
Supported Operating Systems
Windows® 10
Dimensions
145 x 20 x 128 mm
ASIO
Playback & Recording
Platform
PCI-e
Recommended Usage
Gaming
Home Entertainment
DAC
Dynamic Range: 122 dB, THD+N (DAC): 0.00032[%]”
