The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus from Labs is a SABRE ultra-class hi-res PCIe gaming sound card and DAC with customizable RGB LEDs on its body and comes with an included RGB LED strip. It has also been built with an Xamp discrete headphone amp that uses bi-amplification technology as well as a full suite of audio processing technologies including Surround Virtualization. Compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 8.1 8 and 7 the AE-5 Plus features an ESS SABRE Ultra DAC that delivers a 122 dB DNR at up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM playback plus a low Total Harmonic Distortion of 0.00032%. It also features a 1 Ohm headphone output impedance that can drive studio-grade headphones of up to 600 Ohms 5.1-channel discrete surround and up to 7.1-channel virtual surround. It requires an Intel Core i3 or AMD equivalent processor and an Intel AMD or compatible motherboard. On the back of the card there are three 3.5mm 5.1 line outputs for front rear and center channels a TOSLINK optical output a 3.5mm headphone output and a 3.5mm mic/line input. There is also an Intel HD Audio front-panel connection.
The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus from Labs is a SABRE ultra-class hi-res PCIe gaming sound card and DAC with customizable RGB LEDs on its body and comes with an included RGB LED strip. It has also been built with an Xamp discrete headphone amp that uses bi-amplification technology as well as a full suite of audio processing technologies including Surround Virtualization. Compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 8.1 8 and 7 the AE-5 Plus features an ESS SABRE Ultra DAC that delivers a 122 dB DNR at up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM playback plus a low Total Harmonic Distortion of 0.00032%. It also features a 1 Ohm headphone output impedance that can drive studio-grade headphones of up to 600 Ohms 5.1-channel discrete surround and up to 7.1-channel virtual surround. It requires an Intel Core i3 or AMD equivalent processor and an Intel AMD or compatible motherboard. On the back of the card there are three 3.5mm 5.1 line outputs for front rear and center channels a TOSLINK optical output a 3.5mm headphone output and a 3.5mm mic/line input. There is also an Intel HD Audio front-panel connection.
The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus from Labs is a SABRE ultra-class hi-res PCIe gaming sound card and DAC with customizable RGB LEDs on its body and comes with an included RGB LED strip. It has also been built with an Xamp discrete headphone amp that uses bi-amplification technology as well as a full suite of audio processing technologies including Surround Virtualization. Compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 8.1 8 and 7 the AE-5 Plus features an ESS SABRE Ultra DAC that delivers a 122 dB DNR at up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM playback plus a low Total Harmonic Distortion of 0.00032%. It also features a 1 Ohm headphone output impedance that can drive studio-grade headphones of up to 600 Ohms 5.1-channel discrete surround and up to 7.1-channel virtual surround. It requires an Intel Core i3 or AMD equivalent processor and an Intel AMD or compatible motherboard. On the back of the card there are three 3.5mm 5.1 line outputs for front rear and center channels a TOSLINK optical output a 3.5mm headphone output and a 3.5mm mic/line input. There is also an Intel HD Audio front-panel connection.
The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus from Labs is a SABRE ultra-class hi-res PCIe gaming sound card and DAC with customizable RGB LEDs on its body and comes with an included RGB LED strip. It has also been built with an Xamp discrete headphone amp that uses bi-amplification technology as well as a full suite of audio processing technologies including Surround Virtualization. Compatible with 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 8.1 8 and 7 the AE-5 Plus features an ESS SABRE Ultra DAC that delivers a 122 dB DNR at up to 32-bit / 384 kHz PCM playback plus a low Total Harmonic Distortion of 0.00032%. It also features a 1 Ohm headphone output impedance that can drive studio-grade headphones of up to 600 Ohms 5.1-channel discrete surround and up to 7.1-channel virtual surround. It requires an Intel Core i3 or AMD equivalent processor and an Intel AMD or compatible motherboard. On the back of the card there are three 3.5mm 5.1 line outputs for front rear and center channels a TOSLINK optical output a 3.5mm headphone output and a 3.5mm mic/line input. There is also an Intel HD Audio front-panel connection.
Last updated at 09/02/2026 10:02:29
Creative Sound BlasterX AE 5 Plus Hi Res PCIe Gaming Sound Card 70SB174000003 - Sound Cards
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Creative Sound BlasterX AE 5 Plus Hi Res PCIe Gaming Sound Card 70SB174000003 - Sound Cards
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Creative SoundBlaster AE-5Plus PCIe Gaming DAC Soundcard Black
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originally posted on walmart.com
1. You need a free PCIe x1 slot.2. An extra power cable is not necessary if you don't plan to use the RGB functions and included LED strip. The voltage on PCIe slot is enough to power the card itself.3. Be sure to disable your onboard audio device through UEFI/BIOS or you may experience problems such as sudden channel switching, speakers dropping etc.4. Avoid using the front panel audio jacks if possible, the best quality connection is directly into the card's rear gold-plated ports, and many PC cases have no/poor shielding on front panel cable.The built-in amp is more than enough to drive my Sennheiser HD650 phones, no complaints so far.
originally posted on neweggbusiness.com
To start, I have heard of issues with the Sound Blaster software in Windows, but since I don't own a copy of Windows, I cannot confirm not deny this. I purchased this specifically for recording through the line-in jack on the card. I have a Yamaha MiG 16/4 mixer running into it with a 1/4" > 3.5mm adapter on it, getting L/R channels. With the mixer off, the noise level is ~70dB, so that's the card itself (I do have this card directly above my GPU, which is a noise issue when recording, but that's on me, not the card.) All testing was done with the FX features turned OFF (via alsamixer, giving direct hardware control.) I knew that the Integrated audio on my board (Sound Blaster Cinema 3) was really good, but the line-in was lacking, thus the whole reason I bought ... MoreTo start, I have heard of issues with the Sound Blaster software in Windows, but since I don't own a copy of Windows, I cannot confirm not deny this. I purchased this specifically for recording through the line-in jack on the card. I have a Yamaha MiG 16/4 mixer running into it with a 1/4" > 3.5mm adapter on it, getting L/R channels. With the mixer off, the noise level is ~70dB, so that's the card itself (I do have this card directly above my GPU, which is a noise issue when recording, but that's on me, not the card.) All testing was done with the FX features turned OFF (via alsamixer, giving direct hardware control.) I knew that the Integrated audio on my board (Sound Blaster Cinema 3) was really good, but the line-in was lacking, thus the whole reason I bought this sound card. On the line-out, you can notice a small difference (I did an A/B test by patching both the X-AE 5 and the Integrated into my mixer and toggling each line in Pulseaudio). I tested it with some ATH-M50x headphones, so I could tell pretty well. If I were just playing audio, I would've stuck with the Integrated (Again though, really high-quality Integrated audio, the regular motherboard will see a huge improvement.) The line-in, however, that's where I saw the biggest improvement. I saw the noise level drop a good 10dB when I set both the Integrated and X-AE5 to the same levels. The latency of input went down a good ~12ms, and there is WAY LESS distortion when nearing the 0dB point. Running sine waves from a Moog shows that really well, both in ear and on wave spectrum. Normal USB ADCs/Interfaces can have who-knows-what tacked into it for "Audio Normalization." But I know this X-AE5 has all that turned off, which is a huge peace of mind for all the analog stuff I patch itno it. One thing people might like, the EQ'ing on this card is NOT software. It is pure hardware (reference AlsaMixer picture). This cannot be said of any integrated sound cards, and some dedicated cards as well. I actually wouldn't feel bad about runnign the dedicated EQ settings if I had to (I have an external EQ, so I don't.) Sure, the X-AE7 is a huge step up from this on paper, but if you're just looking for good audio-out, then just get this. Recording is superb too when you set it up properly (Windows can do... Anything with this card, I have no idea, and I have no idea how you'd turn everything off hardware-wise in Windows.) Buy it, slap it in, run it, enjoy it. You have my word.
originally posted on microcenter.com
I have an Asus TUF Gaming Z590M-Plus Mobo, and while it has a decent Realtek sound chip on the board, I was hearing some negative sound when the volume was above 40% and my GPU is running an overclocking profile. I can't explain it.Since installing this card, not only is the negative sound gone, but sound, whether watching a movie, YouTube, Twitch, listening to music, this card is solid. It performs very well.I also like the fact that I can play with the RGB with this card. Now, even though this card comes with an RGB strip and has a MOLEX connector on the back, unless you are running the included RGB strip, you do not need to plug in a MOLEX cable into the card. You will not see that written in the instruction manual, so figured I share this now. I think ... MoreI have an Asus TUF Gaming Z590M-Plus Mobo, and while it has a decent Realtek sound chip on the board, I was hearing some negative sound when the volume was above 40% and my GPU is running an overclocking profile. I can't explain it.Since installing this card, not only is the negative sound gone, but sound, whether watching a movie, YouTube, Twitch, listening to music, this card is solid. It performs very well.I also like the fact that I can play with the RGB with this card. Now, even though this card comes with an RGB strip and has a MOLEX connector on the back, unless you are running the included RGB strip, you do not need to plug in a MOLEX cable into the card. You will not see that written in the instruction manual, so figured I share this now. I think another review mentioned this as well.If you are looking for more crisp sound, and getting tired of the cheap performance of onboard sound, I would recommend looking at this card for smoother sound performance.
| Hardware Platform | Headphones |
| Hardware Interface | PCI Express x4 |
| Compatible Devices | Personal Computer, Headphone |
| Audio output mode | Surround |
| Speaker Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 7.1 |
Creative Sound BlasterX AE 5 Plus Hi Res PCIe Gaming Sound Card 70SB174000003 - Sound Cards
Delivery $15.28
Creative Sound BlasterX AE 5 Plus Hi Res PCIe Gaming Sound Card 70SB174000003 - Sound Cards
Delivery $13
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus - Hi-res PCI-e Gaming Sound Card and DAC with RGB Lighting, Dolby Digital Live, and DTS Encoding
Free delivery
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5+ Hi-Res PCIe Gaming Sound Card [70SB174000003]
14-day returns
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Delivery between 8–15 Sept $9.90
1. You need a free PCIe x1 slot.2. An extra power cable is not necessary if you don't plan to use the RGB functions and included LED strip. The voltage on PCIe slot is enough to power the card itself.3. Be sure to disable your onboard audio device through UEFI/BIOS or you may experience problems such as sudden channel switching, speakers dropping etc.4. Avoid using the front panel audio jacks if possible, the best quality connection is directly into the card's rear gold-plated ports, and many PC cases have no/poor shielding on front panel cable.The built-in amp is more than enough to drive my Sennheiser HD650 phones, no complaints so far.
To start, I have heard of issues with the Sound Blaster software in Windows, but since I don't own a copy of Windows, I cannot confirm not deny this. I purchased this specifically for recording through the line-in jack on the card. I have a Yamaha MiG 16/4 mixer running into it with a 1/4" > 3.5mm adapter on it, getting L/R channels. With the mixer off, the noise level is ~70dB, so that's the card itself (I do have this card directly above my GPU, which is a noise issue when recording, but that's on me, not the card.) All testing was done with the FX features turned OFF (via alsamixer, giving direct hardware control.) I knew that the Integrated audio on my board (Sound Blaster Cinema 3) was really good, but the line-in was lacking, thus the whole reason I bought ... MoreTo start, I have heard of issues with the Sound Blaster software in Windows, but since I don't own a copy of Windows, I cannot confirm not deny this. I purchased this specifically for recording through the line-in jack on the card. I have a Yamaha MiG 16/4 mixer running into it with a 1/4" > 3.5mm adapter on it, getting L/R channels. With the mixer off, the noise level is ~70dB, so that's the card itself (I do have this card directly above my GPU, which is a noise issue when recording, but that's on me, not the card.) All testing was done with the FX features turned OFF (via alsamixer, giving direct hardware control.) I knew that the Integrated audio on my board (Sound Blaster Cinema 3) was really good, but the line-in was lacking, thus the whole reason I bought this sound card. On the line-out, you can notice a small difference (I did an A/B test by patching both the X-AE 5 and the Integrated into my mixer and toggling each line in Pulseaudio). I tested it with some ATH-M50x headphones, so I could tell pretty well. If I were just playing audio, I would've stuck with the Integrated (Again though, really high-quality Integrated audio, the regular motherboard will see a huge improvement.) The line-in, however, that's where I saw the biggest improvement. I saw the noise level drop a good 10dB when I set both the Integrated and X-AE5 to the same levels. The latency of input went down a good ~12ms, and there is WAY LESS distortion when nearing the 0dB point. Running sine waves from a Moog shows that really well, both in ear and on wave spectrum. Normal USB ADCs/Interfaces can have who-knows-what tacked into it for "Audio Normalization." But I know this X-AE5 has all that turned off, which is a huge peace of mind for all the analog stuff I patch itno it. One thing people might like, the EQ'ing on this card is NOT software. It is pure hardware (reference AlsaMixer picture). This cannot be said of any integrated sound cards, and some dedicated cards as well. I actually wouldn't feel bad about runnign the dedicated EQ settings if I had to (I have an external EQ, so I don't.) Sure, the X-AE7 is a huge step up from this on paper, but if you're just looking for good audio-out, then just get this. Recording is superb too when you set it up properly (Windows can do... Anything with this card, I have no idea, and I have no idea how you'd turn everything off hardware-wise in Windows.) Buy it, slap it in, run it, enjoy it. You have my word.
I have an Asus TUF Gaming Z590M-Plus Mobo, and while it has a decent Realtek sound chip on the board, I was hearing some negative sound when the volume was above 40% and my GPU is running an overclocking profile. I can't explain it.Since installing this card, not only is the negative sound gone, but sound, whether watching a movie, YouTube, Twitch, listening to music, this card is solid. It performs very well.I also like the fact that I can play with the RGB with this card. Now, even though this card comes with an RGB strip and has a MOLEX connector on the back, unless you are running the included RGB strip, you do not need to plug in a MOLEX cable into the card. You will not see that written in the instruction manual, so figured I share this now. I think ... MoreI have an Asus TUF Gaming Z590M-Plus Mobo, and while it has a decent Realtek sound chip on the board, I was hearing some negative sound when the volume was above 40% and my GPU is running an overclocking profile. I can't explain it.Since installing this card, not only is the negative sound gone, but sound, whether watching a movie, YouTube, Twitch, listening to music, this card is solid. It performs very well.I also like the fact that I can play with the RGB with this card. Now, even though this card comes with an RGB strip and has a MOLEX connector on the back, unless you are running the included RGB strip, you do not need to plug in a MOLEX cable into the card. You will not see that written in the instruction manual, so figured I share this now. I think another review mentioned this as well.If you are looking for more crisp sound, and getting tired of the cheap performance of onboard sound, I would recommend looking at this card for smoother sound performance.
Good+ Excellent audio quality, puts onboard to shame+ Better driver support than onboard+ Has a desktop audio mix recording source, useful for streaming+ Amped speaker & headphone lines very nice+ Easily usable with many OS's & versions, nice for dual/multi-boot enthusiastsLegitimate Gripes- No CD in box & defaults to 5.1 speakers. Had to download the Creative utility just to switch to 2.1 setup under Windows- Card's size makes it tricky to install in PCIe slots larger than 1Minor Gripes- Can't turn off the integrated red LED on the side of the card- In Windows, Creative utility installs to C: no matter what, but if your Program Files path is customized to another drive, it will make invalid shortcuts using the custom path, which you have to ... MoreGood+ Excellent audio quality, puts onboard to shame+ Better driver support than onboard+ Has a desktop audio mix recording source, useful for streaming+ Amped speaker & headphone lines very nice+ Easily usable with many OS's & versions, nice for dual/multi-boot enthusiastsLegitimate Gripes- No CD in box & defaults to 5.1 speakers. Had to download the Creative utility just to switch to 2.1 setup under Windows- Card's size makes it tricky to install in PCIe slots larger than 1Minor Gripes- Can't turn off the integrated red LED on the side of the card- In Windows, Creative utility installs to C: no matter what, but if your Program Files path is customized to another drive, it will make invalid shortcuts using the custom path, which you have to repoint to C: yourself
You cant count tweaking the software and getting it all dialed in as a con. I know you will have to make adjustments & some of the capabilities aren't for everyone. I didn't use a lot of the items they said would make everything sound better. I went in and setup the equalizer the way I like, and everything just seemed to come alive. There's a lot more volume & the sound control is awesome, I have played it very loud and there was no distortion or any crackling sounds. It comes with an LED strip and needed cables to attach it to the card, however you will need to plug in the 4 pin molex (old school connector) to the card if you want to run said LED strip. I don't want the strip connected, so a non-issue for me, however may be a drag for others. You can also customize ... MoreYou cant count tweaking the software and getting it all dialed in as a con. I know you will have to make adjustments & some of the capabilities aren't for everyone. I didn't use a lot of the items they said would make everything sound better. I went in and setup the equalizer the way I like, and everything just seemed to come alive. There's a lot more volume & the sound control is awesome, I have played it very loud and there was no distortion or any crackling sounds. It comes with an LED strip and needed cables to attach it to the card, however you will need to plug in the 4 pin molex (old school connector) to the card if you want to run said LED strip. I don't want the strip connected, so a non-issue for me, however may be a drag for others. You can also customize the colors on the card itself with the SoundBlaster software. It wasn't hard to get the needed software, just a bit of pain to go thru the website to download the software, which once you find it and download it; its all good from there. Just be patient when setting it up, took a little bit to get it dialed in & then it was simply awesome. My build: Thermaltake 71 view case ASUS Rampage VI Extreme Omega Intel core i9 9900X cpu overclocked to 4.5 ghz G.Skill 64 gig set - Desktop Memory Model F4-3000C14Q-64GTZR EVGA 3080ti Hybrid XC3 Ultra gaming Corsair H150i pro 360mm water cooler w/ 6 LL series fans setup as push/pull on radiator @ front of case EVGA Super nova 1300 watt gold completely modular PSU Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2 Razer Basilisk Ultimate wireless gaming mouse SoundBlaster X AE-5 Plus sound card Logitech z906 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS speaker system Aorus FV43U 43" QLED UHD 4K monitor
I wasn't sure I needed to upgrade to an aftermarket sound card but I'm so glad I did. This card is probably way more than I need since I don't play many computer games. I do however stream music and review songs on this computer. This took my Klipsch computer speakers to the next level, I was completely surprised by how much this card made a difference. Music is crystal clear and games are alive now. I highly recommend this card even if your not only using it for games, its honestly one of the best upgrades I've made. You'll be surprised by how much sound you've been missing out on!
This isn't the newest card, or the least expensive for the features. I like Creative as a trusted brand. I have creative 5.1 speakers that are over eleven years old now and have traveled across three states all while continuing to work admirably. And even though I'm in no urgent need of lighting effects on any component, this card made me smile with its happy colors. The lighting strip requires an additional power connection (on the card) to the power supply to function. I'm not in any hurry to search through storage to find it either :) Overall I'd say I am pleased with this product. I wanted to improve the sound quality of regular content like YouTube and music apps., and possibly a game or three. The range is good, the distortion (mild) is reasonable. Lower ... MoreThis isn't the newest card, or the least expensive for the features. I like Creative as a trusted brand. I have creative 5.1 speakers that are over eleven years old now and have traveled across three states all while continuing to work admirably. And even though I'm in no urgent need of lighting effects on any component, this card made me smile with its happy colors. The lighting strip requires an additional power connection (on the card) to the power supply to function. I'm not in any hurry to search through storage to find it either :) Overall I'd say I am pleased with this product. I wanted to improve the sound quality of regular content like YouTube and music apps., and possibly a game or three. The range is good, the distortion (mild) is reasonable. Lower volume with fuller sound; better separation. My card acts a little buggy but returning components after waiting weeks to get them in the first time isn't something I'm willing to do again just yet. It works as suggested for now.
My trusty Sound Blaster Z failed not too long ago. It was a great performing card, but I think being butted up against the back of my GPU, the EMF more in likely damaged it. For a little more than the price of a new Z or Z SE, I could get this. I figured why not. Couldn't be worse. Installation was easy as expected, it's the same size as my old Z so it doesn't encroach on my vertically mounted GPU. But c'mon, it's 2021, can Creative and Razer just ditch the molex connector already? SATA is fine. The software is about the same, just with a fresh coat of paint. If you're used to Creative SB cards, it'll be familiar. Plenty of things to tweak. There is no EMF buzzing from the adjacent GPU, even with my Sampson SR850s on. I love the headphone switch toggle, I can keep ... MoreMy trusty Sound Blaster Z failed not too long ago. It was a great performing card, but I think being butted up against the back of my GPU, the EMF more in likely damaged it. For a little more than the price of a new Z or Z SE, I could get this. I figured why not. Couldn't be worse. Installation was easy as expected, it's the same size as my old Z so it doesn't encroach on my vertically mounted GPU. But c'mon, it's 2021, can Creative and Razer just ditch the molex connector already? SATA is fine. The software is about the same, just with a fresh coat of paint. If you're used to Creative SB cards, it'll be familiar. Plenty of things to tweak. There is no EMF buzzing from the adjacent GPU, even with my Sampson SR850s on. I love the headphone switch toggle, I can keep the headphones plugged in on the front, and just use a toggle when I need to, like if I'm going to use my microphone. Speaking of that, the noise cancellation abilities of this card is far superior to the SB Z. I use a Cherry MX blue keyboard with a Neewer NW750 condenser microphone. With the Z, every key press and click would be heard, even with the noise canceling toggle turned on. With the AE-5, people can hear only my loudest key presses, and my voice doesn't come through as compressed, and that's with the noise canceling slider on minimum. Other than that, it just sounds overall great. The bass is tighter than on my Z, although if you want the dirty bass back, you can adjust that too. Drivers and software installs and runs perfectly fine on Windows 11.
After using onboard audio, a Strix RAID and even older Creative cards, the AE-5 takes the cake after all my time using a sound card. I'll cover all shortly. The difference was night and day. Audio is clear and I even have to keep the overall master volume down to 50% as my speakers are already at the sweet spot. I have a set of Z625 from Logitech and there is nothing more satisfying than having your sub suck the air from under your desk when playing your favorite war game. The sound of a 152mm going off is SICK. No annoying clicks on boot up either or 'hums' when silent. Not only does the card look great in my case, I actually misread that this card includes a friggin' LED strip. Now I've never owned an LED strip, but I said 'F* it, this is gonna be awesome' and ... MoreAfter using onboard audio, a Strix RAID and even older Creative cards, the AE-5 takes the cake after all my time using a sound card. I'll cover all shortly. The difference was night and day. Audio is clear and I even have to keep the overall master volume down to 50% as my speakers are already at the sweet spot. I have a set of Z625 from Logitech and there is nothing more satisfying than having your sub suck the air from under your desk when playing your favorite war game. The sound of a 152mm going off is SICK. No annoying clicks on boot up either or 'hums' when silent. Not only does the card look great in my case, I actually misread that this card includes a friggin' LED strip. Now I've never owned an LED strip, but I said 'F* it, this is gonna be awesome' and installed it. I'm actually impressed. The built-in RGB is also a nice plus and can also be shut off or unplugged if that is what you prefer. Having a choice is better for buyers. Like I stated earlier- installation was painless. Overall- Sound was superior to using onboard audio. My former Strix card was unnecessarily complex and required a 6-pin power and I'm sure former Creative card users like myself, know drivers and programs used to be a nightmare for some. Let me say the AE-5 gave me piece of mind, buyer satisfaction, a solid command center download and functional drivers with beautiful sound to immerse me further in my gaming world. With a 2.1 setup, I know I haven't even unlocked the full potential of this card, but I'm sure others will. Much recommended, good job Creative.
My previous 2 rigs were X99 and X299, the nature of HEDT rigs is that the motherboards tend to have high end ancillary items such as sound cards. I upgraded to Z690 to jump into an 12th gen i7 and I prioritized price when looking for a motherboard and did not even look at the included onboard audio. There was a noticeable step down in audio quality and volume with the same headset I had used for years prior. I was very disappointed, and actually surprised.The quality was not TERRIBLE but you could tell that they skimped on the hardware on the board, and I noticed quite a few audio settings absent from it entirely. Nothing to really say as it was a 'bad mobo' but more so I had been spoiled with high end audio from the high end boards I previously owned.So I went ... MoreMy previous 2 rigs were X99 and X299, the nature of HEDT rigs is that the motherboards tend to have high end ancillary items such as sound cards. I upgraded to Z690 to jump into an 12th gen i7 and I prioritized price when looking for a motherboard and did not even look at the included onboard audio. There was a noticeable step down in audio quality and volume with the same headset I had used for years prior. I was very disappointed, and actually surprised.The quality was not TERRIBLE but you could tell that they skimped on the hardware on the board, and I noticed quite a few audio settings absent from it entirely. Nothing to really say as it was a 'bad mobo' but more so I had been spoiled with high end audio from the high end boards I previously owned.So I went around looking for options for discrete sound cards available. I was hesitant to spend 150 on a soundcard that was years old (purchased late 2022) but I really wanted some improvement to audio!Wow was I blown away, right away I had noticeable improvement in clarity and volume right away. Once I enabled direct mode for headphones and set the proper OHMS I was even more impressed with the quality of the audio output.Connecting my powered Klipsch 2.1 system was met with improvements as well.SO I could have picked a board with 'bad' onboard audio, but more than likely this thing is killer for those who have high expectations for audio. I would buy it again if I had too, it was a clear upgrade.
| Hardware Platform | Headphones |
| Hardware Interface | PCI Express x4 |
| Compatible Devices | Personal Computer, Headphone |
| Audio output mode | Surround |
| Speaker Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 7.1 |
