Creative will be showcasing its latest next generation sound card for the first time in Europe at gamescom, the Sound BlasterX AE-5. The Sound BlasterX AE-5 delivers audio performance with custom-designed Xamp – a discrete headphone amplifier that powers each channel individually, coupled with a 122dB 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC, audiophile-grade components.
The AE-5 is also the world’s first sound card with, wait for it .. yes an integrated RGB controller powered by Aurora Reactive Lighting that lets users personalize their rig with 16.8 million colors. It comes with the option of attaching up to four 30cm light-strips to enhance the look of a gamer’s rig even further. The custom-designed PCB also allows for RGB lights to actually shine through on three sides of the card, including the logo on the AE-5’s casing. The back of the card incorporates white geometric patterns that reflect the lights, lending a distinctive character to the AE-5.
Imbued with industry leading audio processing for enhanced realism with immersive 7.1 surround sound, the AE-5 also supports the all-new Scout Radar, a gaming audio technology converging PC and mobile devices, and brings gaming and entertainment on PCs and laptops to new levels of fun and acoustic awareness. Gamers can now not only enjoy amazing audio, they will also be able to see the direction of the sound sources on their smart devices.
More info here.
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• Audio/DSP processor |
: Sound Core3D |
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• Channels |
: 5.1 discrete speaker out |
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7.1 virtual headphone surround |
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• Interface |
: PCIe |
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• DAC |
: ESS ES9016K2M SABRE32 Ultra DAC |
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o Max playback resolution |
: 32-bit/384kHz* |
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o DNR |
: 122 dB |
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o THD + N |
: 0.00032% |
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• ADC |
: Sound Core3D |
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o Max recording resolution |
: 24-bit/96kHz |
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• Headphone amp (600 Ω) |
: Custom-designed discrete headphone amp (Xamp) |
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o SNR |
: 116 dB |
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o THD + N |
: 0.0009% |
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o Output impedance |
: 1 Ω |
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o Headphone impedance range |
: 16 – 600 Ω |
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• Connectivity |
: 3 x 3.5mm line out (front, rear, center/sub) |
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1 x TOSLINK optical out |
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1 x 3.5mm headphone out |
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1 x 3.5mm microphone/line in |
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1 x Intel HD audio front panel |
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