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Creative Labs shows high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9
Good soundcards are a dying breed, most motherboards these days offer an audio solution that is plenty enough for the 99% of end users. However, there are always audiophiles that would like that little bit of extra. Hey, meet the Sound BlasterX AE-9.
The new Sound BlasterX AE-9 has configurable (replaceable) opamps and uses an ESS Sabre 32 digital-analog converter which we assume is the same as the ES9016 from the AE-5 . The DAC would have a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 129 dB. The card will have AE-9 has xamp for each separate headphone-stereo channel. The AE-9 also has an external 6-pin power connection, which means the card could use up to 75 watts. We, however, assume that is needed for an external breakout box connected here.
The breakout box will get two microphone connectors and two headphone outputs at the front and two RCA connections at the back. The AE-9 should become available later this month for about $ 300.
Creative Labs shows high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 - 12/11/2018 09:10 AM
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Creative Sound BlasterX H6 50mm USB Gaming Headset for PC - 10/11/2018 08:00 AM
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Download Display Driver Uninstaller DDU version 18.0.0.0 (Preliminary Realtek and Creative Support) - 09/10/2018 08:05 AM
Display Driver Uninstaller DDU version 18.0.0.0 is available for download - DDU is a driver removal utility for AMD/NVIDIA graphics card Realtek and SoundBlaster drivers and packages. This release in...
MSI Debuts P65 Creator for the Creative Minds - 08/31/2018 07:34 AM
MSI now aims to let the users create their own with its prominent technology. Unveiled in 2018 IFA Berlin, “P65 Creator” - as its name - is made for creative talents including phot...
Creative announces the Sound BlasterX G6 - 08/27/2018 02:06 PM
Creative today announced the Sound BlasterX G6, the latest flagship addition to the Sound BlasterX G-series of Gaming Amps and USB Sound Cards....
sykozis
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#5618750 Posted on: 12/19/2018 01:25 AM
Realtek audio chips are actually pretty cheap. That's why they're available on every motherboard.
Realtek audio chips are actually pretty cheap. That's why they're available on every motherboard.
Zagmak
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#5618753 Posted on: 12/19/2018 01:32 AM
It's a good news that new high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 is coming, but what about their famous crappy support(everyone who had Creative sound card know that)? Hey, Creative, what the hell do you think you're doing? You make good products, but why you not hire few good engineers to produce good software/drivers? Why you not hire this talented guy DANIEL KAWAKAMI, who resurrected and gave life to your dying products? Their forum ruined down in 2018 since hacker's attack's and they(Creative) make decision to shut the forum down completely(what a brilliant idea). So, where your users will be able to report bugs/glitches, when your forum is gone? You're destroying your own reputation. SHAME ON YOU Creative! SHAME ON YOU Sim Wong Hoo!
Creative, before you make a product, ask the users what they want to have in the new product. I hope Sim Wong Hoo, will read this, and if he care, he will do something about it and soon Creative won't swimming in money, but in ocean of money.
I own Sound BlasterX AE-5, It's nice but would have been even better if had Dolby and DTS encoding for optical out + Dolby Atmos. I decided to sell it, to buy a AE-9 if it's worth it. I read in comments, the AE-9 will come up with ES9028PRO DAC? If it's true, why you, Creative, instead of put ES9028PRO, not put ES9038PRO in AE-9, the price range between ES9038PRO and ES9028PRO is ~40$(It's not a pain to die) if we invoke this source.
It's a good news that new high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 is coming, but what about their famous crappy support(everyone who had Creative sound card know that)? Hey, Creative, what the hell do you think you're doing? You make good products, but why you not hire few good engineers to produce good software/drivers? Why you not hire this talented guy DANIEL KAWAKAMI, who resurrected and gave life to your dying products? Their forum ruined down in 2018 since hacker's attack's and they(Creative) make decision to shut the forum down completely(what a brilliant idea). So, where your users will be able to report bugs/glitches, when your forum is gone? You're destroying your own reputation. SHAME ON YOU Creative! SHAME ON YOU Sim Wong Hoo!
Creative, before you make a product, ask the users what they want to have in the new product. I hope Sim Wong Hoo, will read this, and if he care, he will do something about it and soon Creative won't swimming in money, but in ocean of money.
I own Sound BlasterX AE-5, It's nice but would have been even better if had Dolby and DTS encoding for optical out + Dolby Atmos. I decided to sell it, to buy a AE-9 if it's worth it. I read in comments, the AE-9 will come up with ES9028PRO DAC? If it's true, why you, Creative, instead of put ES9028PRO, not put ES9038PRO in AE-9, the price range between ES9038PRO and ES9028PRO is ~40$(It's not a pain to die) if we invoke this source.
Mufflore
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#5618757 Posted on: 12/19/2018 02:07 AM
It's a good news that new high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 is coming, but what about their famous crappy support(everyone who had Creative sound card know that)? Hey, Creative, what the hell do you think you're doing? You make good products, but why you not hire few good engineers to produce good software/drivers? Why you not hire this talented guy DANIEL KAWAKAMI, who resurrected and gave life to your dying products? Their forum ruined down in 2018 since hacker's attack's and they(Creative) make decision to shut the forum down completely(what a brilliant idea). So, where your users will be able to report bugs/glitches, when your forum is gone? You're destroying your own reputation. SHAME ON YOU Creative! SHAME ON YOU Sim Wong Hoo!
Creative, before you make a product, ask the users what they want to have in the new product. I hope Sim Wong Hoo, will read this, and if he care, he will do something about it and soon Creative won't swimming in money, but in ocean of money.
I own Sound BlasterX AE-5, It's nice but would have been even better if had Dolby and DTS encoding for optical out + Dolby Atmos. I decided to sell it, to buy a AE-9 if it's worth it. I read in comments, the AE-9 will come up with ES9028PRO DAC? If it's true, why you, Creative, instead of put ES9028PRO, not put ES9038PRO in AE-9, the price range between ES9038PRO and ES9028PRO is ~40$(It's not a pain to die) if we invoke this source.
Perhaps they have something lined up with the 9038.
Also the 9028 is a drop in replacement for the 9018 so older designs can be used.
The 9038 is a lot harder to get the best from it.
It's a good news that new high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 is coming, but what about their famous crappy support(everyone who had Creative sound card know that)? Hey, Creative, what the hell do you think you're doing? You make good products, but why you not hire few good engineers to produce good software/drivers? Why you not hire this talented guy DANIEL KAWAKAMI, who resurrected and gave life to your dying products? Their forum ruined down in 2018 since hacker's attack's and they(Creative) make decision to shut the forum down completely(what a brilliant idea). So, where your users will be able to report bugs/glitches, when your forum is gone? You're destroying your own reputation. SHAME ON YOU Creative! SHAME ON YOU Sim Wong Hoo!
Creative, before you make a product, ask the users what they want to have in the new product. I hope Sim Wong Hoo, will read this, and if he care, he will do something about it and soon Creative won't swimming in money, but in ocean of money.
I own Sound BlasterX AE-5, It's nice but would have been even better if had Dolby and DTS encoding for optical out + Dolby Atmos. I decided to sell it, to buy a AE-9 if it's worth it. I read in comments, the AE-9 will come up with ES9028PRO DAC? If it's true, why you, Creative, instead of put ES9028PRO, not put ES9038PRO in AE-9, the price range between ES9038PRO and ES9028PRO is ~40$(It's not a pain to die) if we invoke this source.
Perhaps they have something lined up with the 9038.
Also the 9028 is a drop in replacement for the 9018 so older designs can be used.
The 9038 is a lot harder to get the best from it.
StefanHH
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#5620878 Posted on: 12/25/2018 11:27 PM
Can it be expected to be in the class of ASUS Xonar STX (II) regarding music?
Can it be expected to be in the class of ASUS Xonar STX (II) regarding music?
sverek
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#5620893 Posted on: 12/26/2018 01:07 AM
For better price performance in music, you should consider standalone DAC/AMP. Topping D30 + A30 (for headphones) is around $200 for example.
There more options like JDB Labs if you life in USA.
Can it be expected to be in the class of ASUS Xonar STX (II) regarding music?
For better price performance in music, you should consider standalone DAC/AMP. Topping D30 + A30 (for headphones) is around $200 for example.
There more options like JDB Labs if you life in USA.
insp1re2600
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#5659590 Posted on: 04/12/2019 05:02 PM
what ever happened to this card? wasn't it due out months ago?
what ever happened to this card? wasn't it due out months ago?
Andrew LB
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#5659592 Posted on: 04/12/2019 05:26 PM
Ryan @ Creative said on their reddit forum (which they actually communicate to the public on) said they'll be releasing it at the time of their upcoming 30 year anniversary for soundblaster.
Ryan @ Creative said on their reddit forum (which they actually communicate to the public on) said they'll be releasing it at the time of their upcoming 30 year anniversary for soundblaster.
volkov956
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#5683544 Posted on: 06/23/2019 05:40 PM
what made me now watch is they said no USB onboard to pcie on Unit that is the reason i avoided the evga nu audio. Dedicated DAC through PCIE
Evga is DAC to USB to PCIE :/. I am worried though what they will ask $
what made me now watch is they said no USB onboard to pcie on Unit that is the reason i avoided the evga nu audio. Dedicated DAC through PCIE
Evga is DAC to USB to PCIE :/. I am worried though what they will ask $
EarlZ
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#5692861 Posted on: 07/20/2019 05:02 PM
Between this or the Topping DX3 Pro which would be a better buy? Primary use is gaming and some spotify on the side. I am using a KRK Rokit 7 Gen4 speaker
Between this or the Topping DX3 Pro which would be a better buy? Primary use is gaming and some spotify on the side. I am using a KRK Rokit 7 Gen4 speaker
DmitryKo
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#5692936 Posted on: 07/20/2019 10:55 PM
BlasterX AE-series main feature is audiophile-grade headphone amplifier - if you mostly listen through studio monitors, consider an external box with balanced preamp outputs, something like SMSL M300 http://www.smsl-audio.com/productshow.asp?id=155 that uses Asahi Kasei AK4497 converter.
BlasterX AE-series main feature is audiophile-grade headphone amplifier - if you mostly listen through studio monitors, consider an external box with balanced preamp outputs, something like SMSL M300 http://www.smsl-audio.com/productshow.asp?id=155 that uses Asahi Kasei AK4497 converter.
samhain1969
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#5714155 Posted on: 09/24/2019 07:22 PM
slyphnier
So in order to have a good sound i need to pop $300 each 5 years for mobo that can barely overclock my CPU to it's turbo clocks? :O
I see that you focus on the DAC that is good if you have a beans sized headphones , headphone AMP or speakers with AMP but if you just have a regular headphones then what ?
I can tell you what , you barely hear the really good high resolution DAC on the mobo , ok let's say I'll buy good speaker system wait it has a DAC inside with SPDIF copper or Optical connection - then why do I need the DAC on the mobo or the dedicated sound card ?
Since i changed around 7 mobos in the past 19 years i can tell you the only ones that cared enough to have proper output that i came across (not only DAC resolution) were Epox boards with NF2 chipsets , and even then some revisions had just a basic DAC without proper headphone AMP.
So right now i have right in front of me an ASUS Z97 DELUXE with all the bells & whistles and the mega powerfull CRYSTAL SOUND 2 that costed more than $350 4 years ago (took it second hand year and a half ago with some crappy i3 and 8 gigs RAM for my GF for just $150). Guess which one can pop my ear drums out through my headphones CRYSTAL SOUND 2 or Creative X-FI Titanium.It is not the ASUS.And despite the fact that the Realtek inside has the mighty SNR of 112dB compared the the very bad 109dB of the Creative I just can't hear the Realtek in first place
So all in all it is good to have a dedicated Sound Card the same way it is good to have a dedicated GPU so when you swap the mobo not look how good the audio is but how good the actual mobo is for it's money in the matter of power components , slots arrangment , PCB thicknes (oh yes I lost one GPU a decade agoe cause it bended and a friend lost his mobo for the same reason) , and then the trivial stuff how big is the BIOS panel with swtiches and how much output ports the mobo has.
I agree... Onboard sound is never a consideration given in any MOBO review/ purchase(s) I've ever made, since being into PC building and modding. I've found with different boards, each with different sound "chips" throughout the years (talking about 30+ boards ranging from AMD 640 to Intel Z370) that no matter the newer and more improved the onboard tech got, which admittedly there has been some improvement on the gaming audio aspects, the musical-quality was/ is always/ still: shallow, dull and retains a less refined sound as compared to a separate DAC/ amp or dedicated sound card solutions.
slyphnier
So in order to have a good sound i need to pop $300 each 5 years for mobo that can barely overclock my CPU to it's turbo clocks? :O
I see that you focus on the DAC that is good if you have a beans sized headphones , headphone AMP or speakers with AMP but if you just have a regular headphones then what ?
I can tell you what , you barely hear the really good high resolution DAC on the mobo , ok let's say I'll buy good speaker system wait it has a DAC inside with SPDIF copper or Optical connection - then why do I need the DAC on the mobo or the dedicated sound card ?
Since i changed around 7 mobos in the past 19 years i can tell you the only ones that cared enough to have proper output that i came across (not only DAC resolution) were Epox boards with NF2 chipsets , and even then some revisions had just a basic DAC without proper headphone AMP.
So right now i have right in front of me an ASUS Z97 DELUXE with all the bells & whistles and the mega powerfull CRYSTAL SOUND 2 that costed more than $350 4 years ago (took it second hand year and a half ago with some crappy i3 and 8 gigs RAM for my GF for just $150). Guess which one can pop my ear drums out through my headphones CRYSTAL SOUND 2 or Creative X-FI Titanium.It is not the ASUS.And despite the fact that the Realtek inside has the mighty SNR of 112dB compared the the very bad 109dB of the Creative I just can't hear the Realtek in first place
So all in all it is good to have a dedicated Sound Card the same way it is good to have a dedicated GPU so when you swap the mobo not look how good the audio is but how good the actual mobo is for it's money in the matter of power components , slots arrangment , PCB thicknes (oh yes I lost one GPU a decade agoe cause it bended and a friend lost his mobo for the same reason) , and then the trivial stuff how big is the BIOS panel with swtiches and how much output ports the mobo has.
I agree... Onboard sound is never a consideration given in any MOBO review/ purchase(s) I've ever made, since being into PC building and modding. I've found with different boards, each with different sound "chips" throughout the years (talking about 30+ boards ranging from AMD 640 to Intel Z370) that no matter the newer and more improved the onboard tech got, which admittedly there has been some improvement on the gaming audio aspects, the musical-quality was/ is always/ still: shallow, dull and retains a less refined sound as compared to a separate DAC/ amp or dedicated sound card solutions.
MonstroMart
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#5714482 Posted on: 09/25/2019 08:45 PM
It's been a problem with Creative since the days of the original xfi cards. Good hardware but terrible software and support.
That's sweet. However, as a ZxR user, I wish they would release driver updates more often.
It's been a problem with Creative since the days of the original xfi cards. Good hardware but terrible software and support.
eGGroLLiO
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#5714485 Posted on: 09/25/2019 09:03 PM
Sorry, but this just isn't true anymore.
It's been a problem with Creative since the days of the original xfi cards. Good hardware but terrible software and support.
Sorry, but this just isn't true anymore.
insp1re2600
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#5714486 Posted on: 09/25/2019 09:04 PM
Really?
Sorry, but this just isn't true anymore.
Really?
Click here to post a comment for this news story on the message forum.
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Personally I hope they start selling a edition of top-end mobo without sound so people that use their own cards could buy hi-end mobo cheaper.
Im sure these chips are not cheap and for me its completely useless feature that I disable.
The only feature i want to come to mid and high-end motherboard not just ultra high-end like now is the OLED screen, im sure it costs them less then audio chip.