Question to audio specialists - I have Sound Blaster ZxR, will this be an improvement over ZxR?

Both yes and no, depends if 32bit audio is getting pushed up by the industry anytime soon. 24-Bit/192 kHz is more than enough for studio usage, Blu-ray and some audio DVD's. For listening to music, gaming and watching DVD's you won't need more than 16-Bit 48000Hz. The AE-5 would be a downgrade for my usage, but that's more a matter of connectivity via proper cables to external equipment.

Most (if not all) PC sound cards are a waste of time. It's all marketing BS in my experience, function is pretty limited compared to products that aren't aimed at PC enthusiasts. Get a decent USB DAC + amp or a receiver and don't look back.

I partly agree to that since a lot of higher end motherboards have proper sound-cards included, but remember that most of them only offer mini-jack and the same crappy TOSLINK as most soundcards. All comes down to the price-tag. Decent USB Audio Interfaces do have about the same price as decent PC Soundcards, while they offer more connectivity they lack features meant for gaming and watching movies. The SB ZxR as example is probably the current most all around card available and works pretty well with a mixer looped in between but might be a bit overkill if it only is used for movies, games and music, no need to pay the extra for the included daughter board. I just wish that they would replace that TOSLINK with HDMI.

Interestingly, when I was moaning about how bad are Xonars last time when Asus introduced new sound cards (STRIX), all of the sudden 2 units of Sound Blaster Z`s in my system behaved very badly in games one after another, Creative couldn't solve it, AsRock couldn't solve it, game developer couldn't solve it. Why are PC sound cards always a bit iffy ?

Most (if not all) PC sound cards are a waste of time. It's all marketing BS in my experience, function is pretty limited compared to products that aren't aimed at PC enthusiasts. Get a decent USB DAC + amp or a receiver and don't look back.

Yeah if you are badly deaf then its all marketing bs but i am half deaf myself and i can tell that there are a super big different btween my supposedly hi-end onboard sound chip vs second hand Sb zxr with modified circuit, custom op-amp and all these with a second tier or maybe 3rd tier stereo speaker, Tt is one of the best thing i have ever purchase for my pc really, The sound really do make huge experience improvement. More immersive and Clarity. I am now using it with Bose speaker for Flac and other lossless files and this zxr still going flawlessly strong.

I wouldn't waste my time or money on this 1: Useless RGB 2: It will most like have very poor support under Linux just like with Sound Blaster Z. 3: No Optical Input. The only reason why I keep my Sound Blaster is I need Optical Input for my satellite receiver do anybody know of any USB Optical Input device that also Linux compatible ?.

My Creative X7 is still better then this for me. As u know i have SLI and there is no space anymore for such a nice soundcard, airflow is going to get destroyed and more heat between them ti,s.

I partly agree to that since a lot of higher end motherboards have proper sound-cards included, but remember that most of them only offer mini-jack and the same crappy TOSLINK as most soundcards. All comes down to the price-tag. Decent USB Audio Interfaces do have about the same price as decent PC Soundcards, while they offer more connectivity they lack features meant for gaming and watching movies. The SB ZxR as example is probably the current most all around card available and works pretty well with a mixer looped in between but might be a bit overkill if it only is used for movies, games and music, no need to pay the extra for the included daughter board. I just wish that they would replace that TOSLINK with HDMI.

Man you just reminded me of an MSI GT60 2QD laptop I just bought (2nd hand), apparently it has pretty good realtek (if such a thing exists) sound which combines with Sound Blaster Cinema... Went to plug it into my home cinema system, it's PC got taken out by a lightning strike, to watch some movies the other night, got video up, but no sound 🙁 Had to buy a damn TOSLINK cable to route sound to the amplifier and reroute the HDMI bypassing the amp (so no more nice menu system for the amp onscreen). From a little reading on forums etc it seems MSI must Really want people to use this stupid low bandwidth optical cable which does not support HD surround sound so much they even went out of their way to disable HDMI sound passthrough on this laptop >_< I hear some people got as much as stereo sound working over HDMI with some effort, others not, me not too so far lol -_-" just about to go try out this shiny new optical cable which arrived today.. just -_-

quite wrong

People need to consider how they're using the soundcard. Regular 2 ch via headphones? Then you may need to argue about DAC specs/quality, OP amps, etc. If 5.1 or 7.1 surround with AV receiver, you will probably not see much difference between a regular sound card vs a high end one.

i have lurked here for years, not really having much to add to the more experienced voices on most topics. but in this case i'm the expert and very few postings are accurate let alone expert. i've worked in the consumer electronics business for over 30 years from manufacturing to marketing to (commercial) sales. and while there is no doubt a frack-ton of marketing hype to separate similar products for the consumer, there are real differences in what you hear and why. 1) in all cases, the most audible difference will come from upgrading your power supply and/or in (power) line filtration. this is without exception. the quality of the parts used here determine the overall quality and sets limits on what's actually audible. 2) the Blaster AE-5 is *Qualitatively better* than anything yet on the market. to surpass it (using the same or different dac) you would have to spend $600-700.00 on an outboard unit and the sound difference would be down to the discrete power supply on the Oppo Sonica (or it's ilk) or to the 100% d/c battery of the Chord Hugo... which also uses different technology in it's FGPA dac...which you'll not find on any pc card anyways. These are the two *least expensive* units on the market that sound *better*. 3) knowing what i know, the ESS Sabre32 was the sole deciding factor for my purchase of the MSI GE63MVR 7RG laptop because it's the only one on market with the chipset. mind you, the Blaster AE-5 should be even better sounding than the laptop because of discrete circuitry and a more robust power supply (almost anything is better than laptop power bricks). but i know for a fact (having tested the marketplace before my purchase) no laptop sounds as good AND sounds way better than my asrock taichi x370 plugged into my Focal Shape 50 /Electrovoice ELX118P studio rig. btw... the laptop also sounds way better than any Schiit or Asus dac including the Asus Essence STXII pcie - which is on my desktop until i buy the Creative Blaster AE-5. P.S. the Blaster AE-5 will sound better than any pc solution on the market until you get to the price of audiophile separates.

A Windows 10 update last month killed the sound on my Soundblaster Z drivers. No warnings just did it in the background, thought I blew a channel. Took me 4 hours of research to find out you can roll back Windows driver versions before I fixed it. You would think the Soundblaster drivers would be better but they make is sound so tinny. Great hardware but my word software is a nightmare.

You know you can disable driver updates that come through windows update, right? First thing i did.

Most (if not all) PC sound cards are a waste of time. It's all marketing BS in my experience, function is pretty limited compared to products that aren't aimed at PC enthusiasts. Get a decent USB DAC + amp or a receiver and don't look back.

I pretty much agree...which is surprising since awhile back I only used external speakers & amp--no phones. Well, the 970Gaming mobo I'll use until I go to Ryzen or TR (still collating on that one) has made a believer out of me for nice mobo sound and headphones--it has most everything the add-in SB card has (except possibly the software--don't know what comes with SB's these days)--the 600 Ohm Headphone Amp coupled with this Realtek 1150 & supported by the latest iteration of Creative SB Cinema 2--is hard to beat. MSI calls it AudioBoost 2--dedicated circuitry, gold jacks--up to 24-bit/192kHz/5.1/7.1 speaker support, etc. I didn't pay $150 for the entire motherboard--'bout 2/3 of that, actually...;) https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=258375.0 Before this I used Creative primarily--back during the days when on-board audio was the pits. My last Creative Product was the Creative X-Fi PCIe--I think I paid something like $200 for it, believe it or not. Haven't missed it at all in the intervening years....Only reason I can think of today for buying one is if it comes with pro-level editing and creation software that is excellent and that I could not find anywhere else.

i have lurked here for years, not really having much to add to the more experienced voices on most topics. but in this case i'm the expert and very few postings are accurate let alone expert. i've worked in the consumer electronics business for over 30 years from manufacturing to marketing to (commercial) sales. and while there is no doubt a frack-ton of marketing hype to separate similar products for the consumer, there are real differences in what you hear and why. 1) in all cases, the most audible difference will come from upgrading your power supply and/or in (power) line filtration. this is without exception. the quality of the parts used here determine the overall quality and sets limits on what's actually audible. 2) the Blaster AE-5 is *Qualitatively better* than anything yet on the market. to surpass it (using the same or different dac) you would have to spend $600-700.00 on an outboard unit and the sound difference would be down to the discrete power supply on the Oppo Sonica (or it's ilk) or to the 100% d/c battery of the Chord Hugo... which also uses different technology in it's FGPA dac...which you'll not find on any pc card anyways. These are the two *least expensive* units on the market that sound *better*. 3) knowing what i know, the ESS Sabre32 was the sole deciding factor for my purchase of the MSI GE63MVR 7RG laptop because it's the only one on market with the chipset. mind you, the Blaster AE-5 should be even better sounding than the laptop because of discrete circuitry and a more robust power supply (almost anything is better than laptop power bricks). but i know for a fact (having tested the marketplace before my purchase) no laptop sounds as good AND sounds way better than my asrock taichi x370 plugged into my Focal Shape 50 /Electrovoice ELX118P studio rig. btw... the laptop also sounds way better than any Schiit or Asus dac including the Asus Essence STXII pcie - which is on my desktop until i buy the Creative Blaster AE-5. P.S. the Blaster AE-5 will sound better than any pc solution on the market until you get to the price of audiophile separates.

Dude... for 5.1/7.1 surround systems ... external high-end DACs do not apply. They are a 2 channel affair (with very rare exceptions, ie, Oppo 205 blu-ray pre-amp). People with their high end DACs are committed to 2 or 2.1-ch speakers/headphones... which are NOT my thing. I do not care about DSD or other high def, hi-bit rate, hi-sampling rate content which I will not find in gaming, movies or other audio entertainment of the sort I listen too. I do not care to 'down-grade' to 2 channel to enjoy the so called 40khz rarified air of dog whistle material. I'll just leave it at that, thanks. 😉 Re power conditioning quality, sorry there as well. I prefer to stick to my own opinions on that matter. Properly designed equipment/hardware should not have a need for power conditioning, as its already part of the amps or other electrical components in the audio chain. Not saying in some scenarios with poor parts synergy or weird mains behavior, it wont make a difference, it may. But like $5000 audio interconnects and those who swear by massive differences in sound, I KNOW there are those who swear by power conditioners, even high end ones that may cost hundreds if not thousands.. just not me. Gaming can only be immersive - to me - with full surround speaker systems preferably driven by multi-ch amps or receivers. Not everyone has the same audio listening preferences or content priorities. Thats why I said the not all sound cards will bring the same benefits to everybody in all situations. An AE-5 or STXII will not improve on my SB-Zx plugged into an AV receiver + 5.1 speakers for gaming, movies, casual music listening.

No, and No. Difference is there, and its significant. DAC lacks the flexibility of PC audio card, unless only thing you plan to do is listen to the music.

I'm still with my MOTU MicroBook II and I don't have any lacks of flexibility ^^ :banana:

A Windows 10 update last month killed the sound on my Soundblaster Z drivers. No warnings just did it in the background, thought I blew a channel. Took me 4 hours of research to find out you can roll back Windows driver versions before I fixed it. You would think the Soundblaster drivers would be better but they make is sound so tinny. Great hardware but my word software is a nightmare.

Yeah, that happened to me a few weeks ago as well. I thought my center and sub channels were dead. (Logitech Z906) I too spent hours messing with cables, trying my onboard, etc. Installed a new driver from Creative and it started working fine again. This isn't the 1st time Win10 has done that. Couple that with Creative's notoriously bad driver support and it's not an ideal software situation. My next card will something non-Creative even though I like how they sound when working.

No, this card will not be better then the ZxR. Take a look at both pcb's and you will see. On a side note, last few months I have gotten rid of my ZxR in favor of a Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Schiit Lyr 2 / Fostex Headphones. The only downside is, you loose surround. that being said, I use the Razer Surround program, witch does the same thing as the Creative Surround app so, it is a wash for me. I love it so far. I am with you Witcher....Sound Card SLI Sandwich kind of sucks. If you are unable to hear the difference in things and think they are all the same, the equipment is not the problem. :wanker:

How is Schiit Modi 2 Uber compare to SB ZxR sound quality-wise? I'm not interested in other features that the ZxR has.

All this audiowank makes no freakin difference, its all in your head!

That's what Creative told me too when i asked them to refund my X-Fi Platinum because of the popping and cracking sound problem 😉 Creative. On my short list of will never ever buy again.

Dude... for 5.1/7.1 surround systems ... external high-end DACs do not apply. They are a 2 channel affair (with very rare exceptions, ie, Oppo 205 blu-ray pre-amp). People with their high end DACs are committed to 2 or 2.1-ch speakers/headphones... which are NOT my thing. I do not care about DSD or other high def, hi-bit rate, hi-sampling rate content which I will not find in gaming, movies or other audio entertainment of the sort I listen too. I do not care to 'down-grade' to 2 channel to enjoy the so called 40khz rarified air of dog whistle material. I'll just leave it at that, thanks. 😉 Re power conditioning quality, sorry there as well. I prefer to stick to my own opinions on that matter. Properly designed equipment/hardware should not have a need for power conditioning, as its already part of the amps or other electrical components in the audio chain. Not saying in some scenarios with poor parts synergy or weird mains behavior, it wont make a difference, it may. But like $5000 audio interconnects and those who swear by massive differences in sound, I KNOW there are those who swear by power conditioners, even high end ones that may cost hundreds if not thousands.. just not me. Gaming can only be immersive - to me - with full surround speaker systems preferably driven by multi-ch amps or receivers. Not everyone has the same audio listening preferences or content priorities. Thats why I said the not all sound cards will bring the same benefits to everybody in all situations. An AE-5 or STXII will not improve on my SB-Zx plugged into an AV receiver + 5.1 speakers for gaming, movies, casual music listening.

well said. i am *not* one to support or suggest the ridiculous end of the audio market. you are however wrong on power conditioners for these reasons: 1) no engineer can design any electronic device to cope with real world electrical transmission issues found in every city on almost every continent without adding roughly $200 to the retail price. i've specifically asked this question to actual engineers whose job it was to build stereo equipment in the past. it can be done, but the economics are not there. 2) line conditioners can be had at or under $100.00 price goes up with additional wattage so 1600 watts will cost more than 800 watts. 3) line surges, brownouts, and voltage fluctuation actually damages *all* electronics over time and from *my own research* within the corporation this was the #1 reason for returns, repairs, and warranty claims every year for the twenty years i worked for brand x. and for the next company i worked for as well. and when you have a true modern multi-channel system you *are* dealing with high bit and sampling rates with superior audio. enjoy it to your hearts content and know its better than cd quality sound. by the way this was a review of the creative blaster x ae-5 add in card. it does provide for 5.1 output with all the gaming niceties. just not 7.1 or dolby atmos.

Mineria:

Both yes and no, depends if 32bit audio is getting pushed up by the industry anytime soon. 24-Bit/192 kHz is more than enough for studio usage, Blu-ray and some audio DVD's. For listening to music, gaming and watching DVD's you won't need more than 16-Bit 48000Hz. The AE-5 would be a downgrade for my usage, but that's more a matter of connectivity via proper cables to external equipment.

I agree its not an audiophiles dream but its a good step up for PC audio with internal cards. There are other benefits having 32bits to play with, it doesnt need 32bit audio to be worthwhile. 24bit audio processing inside the DAC has higher precision/less loss of detail. It leaves enough headroom for a volume control on the DAC chip for 24bit audio without the use of any other components. This is cheaper and unlike an analogue control it isnt lossy.

Mufflore:

I agree its not an audiophiles dream but its a good step up for PC audio with internal cards. There are other benefits having 32bits to play with, it doesnt need 32bit audio to be worthwhile. 24bit audio processing inside the DAC has higher precision/less loss of detail. It leaves enough headroom for a volume control on the DAC chip for 24bit audio without the use of any other components. This is cheaper and unlike an analogue control it isnt lossy.

I don't think that the theoretical headroom will do much of a difference when it comes to consumer grade audio cards. Could be interesting to see the visualized result.