Sound BlasterX AE-5

All the impressive tech specs in the world don’t mean anything if they don’t translate into real-world performance. So how does the AE-5 sound? Whether I was playing games, watching videos, or listening to music, one word kept coming out of my mouth, and that was “wow.” Everything sounds great on this card, and you can immediately and easily hear the difference between the AE-5 and onboard audio. It’s like lifting your head out from underwater.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-01-24

Creative’s new sound card is one of the highest level pieces of gear you can get for your computer. It’s the sort of thing a pro would demand, but anyone can enjoy...This is a piece of technology that does its best to offer the highest fidelity and quality audio.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-07-20

Simply put, the Sound BlasterX AE-5 is a step above every sound card device we have tested to date. If you are looking for the next step to raise your audio game or simply looking to power a set of audiophile level headphones you have come to the right place.

Hardware Asylum Recommended

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-10-29

If you’re looking for the excellent audio solution, we highly recommend the Sound BlasterX AE-5. With this, you can have an impressive audio experience that is greater than what high-end motherboard audio solutions can offer.

4.9 / 5 Stars; Kicks Ass Award; Perfect for Gaming Award

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2019-04-11

The Sound BlasterX AE-5 produces crisp, detailed audio, with a level of tonal separation that regularly has me lifting off an ear-cup because some in-game noise seemed like it was coming from somewhere other than my headset’s precise drivers....I lost a good deal of time testing the AE-5 flipping through the master-quality recordings on Tidal, I completely forgot what I was doing and utterly lost myself in them for hours. Such is the power of high-quality sound.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-12-21

If the PC is the centre of your entertainment world, it makes sense to go for an option that can deliver great audio to desktop speakers as well as headphones...If you’ve got the right gear, the Sound BlasterX AE-5 is an amazing card that absolutely deserves a spot in your rig.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-12-21

If you are passionate about music and audio in games, I am happy to say that the Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 is an amazing product....you should absolutely buy the Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 32-bit 384 KHz PCIe gaming sound card -- your ears will thank you.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-10-29

I ran through a number of games with the AE-5: Fallout 4, Divinity: Original Sin II, EVE Online, and many more. I was satisfied with the sound of every game I played and I can attest to both the clarity and power of the audio produced...After listening to my games and movies on the AE-5, I’m never going back.

4 out of 5 stars

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-09-05

Creative Labs makes a great argument for upgrading to a discrete sound card with the Sound BlasterX AE-5....At $150, the Sound Blaster AE-5 is worth every penny and can still teach an old dog set of headphones new tricks. The Sound BlasterX AE-5 shows audio nirvana for music, gaming and movies is achievable with two drivers, a good amplifier and DSP.

HotHardware Recommended Award

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-09-07

Classical music enjoyed a larger soundstage. Gaming in Battlefield 1, using the Battlefield 1 profile, also sounded stellar. Creative Labs has long been among the best for position audio, so that's no surprise. Did the 32-bit DAC make the game sound better? I'm not ready to say, but what I heard was excellent....Overall, the new AE-5 looks like a compelling package at $150.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-11-20

The Sound BlasterX AE-5 is an impressive audio solution offering an experience far beyond what we found possible by even high-end motherboard audio solutions.

9 / 10

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-12-17

Sound professionals and audiophiles alike can enjoy the Sound BlasterX AE-5. Just opening the box and looking at that quality in your hand is worth the paltry $150 -- knowing you've just made one of the best investments for your entertainment enjoyment a person can make!

Editor's Choice

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-12-15

I was very impressed with the overall performance and features of the Sound BlasterX AE-5...Beyond just the aesthetics, the performance was excellent. I may not have high-end, studio-grade headphones. But my Sennheiser HD 598s are far from low quality. With that, they have never sounded better than through the AE-5.

MODDERS INC. MUST HAVE Award

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-06-22

If you’re looking for an easy way to make an immediate difference in the audio your computer can put out, the Sound BlasterX AE-5 is definitely worth a look.

9.3 / 10

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-06-18

Creative made a good and cost-effective product in the form of Sound BlasterX AE-5. The sound is good thanks to the ESS ES9016K2M DAC paired with Creative’s Xamp; it brings out the sound and adds life to your music, movie session or gaming experience... It does improve your audio experience especially if you are coming from a (much) older sound card or from an entry level built-in audio component.

Highly Recommended

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2018-05-14

This may not be the most top of the line sound card available, but if your PC is dedicated towards gaming then you’ll be amiss to not consider the sound card.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-11-20

The AE-5 has delivered the best sound audio I’ve ever heard through headphones on my PC. If you want to play games with theater-like sound, I highly recommend adding this to your rig.

Sound BlasterX AE-5

2017-07-26

Good very good

Awesome!

A excellent sound card with a DAC that outputs quality sound, great headphone amplification and the sound card has bright and cool-looking RGB LEDs too. Never I have seen a Creative sound card with these features and I even never regret purchasing it.

Discrete sound card or a DAC? I personally chose a sound card because desk space is a premium for me due to a 34" monitor and a set of GigaWorks T40 Series II speakers. Moreover, having owed an Auzentech X-Fi Prelude, i am a firm convert of discrete sound card audio being superior to onboard audio even if the onboard audio is a good one (my old rig was a Gigabyte Sniper 3 Intel Z77 motherboard which had a Creative Sound Core3D™ quad-core audio processor). The AE-5 is Creative's latest card and since i was building a new rig this year, I decided to go for broke and get it. Immediately, after installing it and hooking it up to the GigaWorks T40 Series II speakers, with my layman ears, i could immediately tell the difference between the AE-5 and the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude which i was still using with the T40s just a few days prior. Testing the AE-5 with just a few songs from Sarah Brightman, Tsai Chin and Metallica, the sound from the T40s which i had also used with the X-Fi Prelude were richer, definitely clearer and just a little "warmer". Attaching my aged Grado SR-80s and playing more tracks, i was in audio aural bliss. The X-Fi Prelude never delivered quite the same hauntingly beautiful details which the AE-5 did. Gaming audio, which the AE-5 was marketed at, proved to excellent as well. In my T40 review, i mentioned that the T40 could not quite deliver the warmth and power of a 2.1 system insofar as bass is concerned but with the AE-5, that shortcoming evaporated and i was simply blown away. The Sound BlasterX AE-5 is a revelation and nothing short of phenomenal.

Upgraded from ZX. Love the "Direct HP" mode. Sound is an upgrade compared to the Zx. I'm a fan of Creative since SB Pro. Will continue to support future sound cards.