Creative Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus Review
The Creative Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus PCIe Sound Card is widely appreciated for delivering high-quality audio with features tailored for gaming and audiophiles alike. It includes a high-grade ESS SABRE32 DAC and XAMP discrete headphone bi-amp, enabling each channel to be amplified independently and supporting headphones up to 600Ω. This setup provides clarity and richness in sound, making it ideal for both immersive gaming and high-fidelity music playback.
An enhancement over its predecessor, the AE-5, is the inclusion of Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoding, which allows real-time surround sound for games and movies when connected to an external AV amplifier. This is particularly valuable for users looking for a fully immersive audio setup. The sound card also offers customizable RGB lighting via an included LED strip, controllable through Creative’s Sound Blaster Command software, where users can also adjust audio profiles, equalizer settings, and enable “Scout Mode” for heightened awareness of in-game audio cues like footsteps and weapon sounds.
Overall, the AE-5 Plus is noted for its great performance, with reviews commending its build quality, customizable lighting, and versatile audio settings, though some users would appreciate expanded preset audio profiles in the software. This card is highly recommended for users seeking a notable upgrade over standard onboard audio, especially those with quality headphones or sound systems to take advantage of its robust capabilities.
Creative Sound Blaster Pro Gaming AE-5 Plus Review @ NikkiTech