King of the Hill

I’ve been lucky enough to experience high quality gaming audio since the late 80’s starting with Access Software’s way-ahead-of-its-time RealSound which output high quality digital music and sound effects through a standard PC speaker to the Adlib then on to the first Sound Blaster to the present 2020 and the pinnacle of gaming audio, the Sound Blaster AE-9. I’ll never forgot the bleeps, blips, and blops of gaming audio before this but now, it’s almost unthinkable to how crystal clear and at the same time, booming modern audio has become.

I’ll cut right to the chase: Whether gaming, listening to music or enjoying your favorite flick, the AE-9 renders it all stunning clarity and power. From the lightest footsteps to the biggest shotgun blasts, the AE-9 never lets up. Zombie Army 4 was especially delicious as we tore through.. armies of nasty undead. Yet, after shutting that down and throwing on some relaxing tunes, it was equally impressive.

Wanting more action, we dove into the latest Pacific maps of Battlefield V and wow, can we say we were in nerd heaven?! Gunshots pounding, planes buzzing overhead and tanks rumbling through the jungles were absolutely thrilling. Gaming with the AE-9 is as good as it gets. ‘Nuff said.

Check out the specs below and while the AE-9 doesn’t come cheap ($350 MSRP), it is definitely the King of the Hill. The Cream of the Crop. The absolute pinnacle of modern audio that never let us down and we put it through the ringer and then some. We’ve come a long way since those tinny sounds emitting from a simple PC speaker. The future of audio, is here now.

SPECIFICATIONS

Weight

Main Card: 230g, Audio Control Module (ACM): 480g

Dimensions

Main Card: 178 x 22 x 127 mm, Audio Control Module (ACM): 150 x 128 x 65 mm

Headphone Amp

Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 16–600Ω, IEM: 16–31Ω (1.5V Rms), Normal: 32–149Ω (3V Rms), High Gain: 150–600Ω (5.3V RMS)

Audio Technology

Sound Core3D

Direct Mode

Playback Resolution (Stereo): PCM 16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0, 384 kHz, PCM 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0, 384 kHz, PCM 32-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0, 384 kHz, DSD64 (2.8 MHz)
Playback Resolution (Optical Out): 16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz, 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz
Playback Resolution (Surround 5.1): PCM 16-bit / 48.0, 96.0, 192.0kHz, PCM 24-bit / 48.0, 96.0, 192.0kHz

Recording Resolution

Mic-in: 16-bit / 16.0, 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0 kHz, 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0 kHz, 32-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0 kHz
AUX-in: 16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz, 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz
Optical In: 16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz, 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 192.0kHz

DSP Mode

Playback Resolution (Stereo & Surround 5.1)
16-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0kHz, 24-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0kHz, 32-bit / 44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0kHz

Platform

PCI-e

Connectivity Options (Main)

1 x TOSLINK Optical In, 1 x TOSLINK Optical Out, 1 x ⅛″ Rear Out, 1 x ⅛″ Center / Sub Out, 1 x ACM Link, 1 x 6-pin PCI Express (PCI-e) Power Header (required for ACM), 2 x RCA (L/R) Front Out

Connectivity Options (Accessory)

Line In:
2 x RCA (L / R)
1 x ⅛″ Mic-in (Mono)
1 x ⅛″ HP Out (3-pole)
1 x ¼″ HP Out (3-pole)

Headphone Amp

Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 16–600Ω, IEM: 16–31Ω (1.5V Rms), Normal: 32–149Ω (3V Rms), High Gain: 150–600Ω (5.3V RMS)

DAC

Dynamic Range (Stereo) : 129 dB, THD+N (Stereo) : 0.0001%

ADC

Dynamic Range (Stereo) : 123 dB, THD+N (Stereo) : 0.0004%

Power

PCI-e bus power, +12V for ACM (requires 6-pin PCI Express power connector from PC power supply)