Sound BlasterX AE-5 vs Sound Blaster Z vs ZXR Specs Comparison
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Sound BlasterX AE-5 vs Sound Blaster Z vs ZXR Specs Comparison

If you are looking for a Sound BlasterX AE-5 vs Sound Blaster Z vs ZXR Specs Comparison this post might help you.

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Creative has been one of the prominent names when it comes to sound cards and other audiophile-grade accessories. Among a host of products under offer from Creative, choosing the right sound card can be a massive task in itself. We thought we would provide you with access to a comparative review of the three sound cards from the manufacturer. We will analyze Creative Sound Blaster AE-5, Sound Blaster Z, and Sound Blaster ZXR in today’s post and compare them together.

Creative Sound Blaster AE-5 – A Concise Review

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The product comes with a PCIe interface along with the discrete headphones and a DAC. You would find that the sound comes in a rectangular form factor. The bottom edge offers you the regular PCIe connector. The reverse also comes with a Molex connector for the included RGB set up. However, if you are not among those who love RGB lighting, you can leave them just like that.

The rear panel has impressive connectivity options. The connections include a 3.5-millimetre audio jack for the line in / mic in, headphones, front (L / R), the center/ subwoofer, and the rear (L / R).

A few specific features offered by sound card would include

X-Amp Discrete Headphone Amplifier

The X-Amp amplifier is an excellent option offered by Creative Sound Blaster AE-5. You can have a custom-designed choice for headphone amplification. You can be assured of a high-end audio fidelity.

SABRE 32 Ultra Class DAC

You can be assured of a high fidelity sound performance for all your games, music, and movies. You get 32 bit 384 kHz playback with extremely ultra-low jitter and distortion.

Blaster X Acoustic Engine

Creative is known for its high-end performance over the years. The Sound Blaster AE-5 sound card is yet another excellent option that lives on the legacy that it has created over the years. The BlasterX Acoustic Engine offers you a sleuth of audio processing technologies. You can even customize them to whatever you like it to.

Scout 2.0

Touted as the world’s first smart gaming companion ever, Scout 2.0 lets you have a look at your opponents over radar in any FPS game. It offers you an enhanced level of in-game audio cues. This will help you accurately detect the enemy moves right away.

Aurora Reactive Lighting

Enjoy the lights and sounds all at once. You have access to RGB LEDs on its body along with an RGB LED strip. You can set up over 16.8 million colors using the Sound Blaster Connect software.

You can be assured of an outstanding and precise audio performance ever. You can definitely find it to be efficient enough as a sound solution.

Creative Sound Blaster Z – A Sneak Peak

Asus Strix Soar vs Creative Sound Blaster Z

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That is an excellent option to use with a small form factor PC. You can have access to a 5.1 capable sound card. It has been considered to be the cheapest and lowest option for a new generation sound card.

The sound card is quite useful in its smaller form factor for an entry-level device. It does come with a beamforming microphone. Of course, you would not get a desktop controller, as in the case of expensive sound cards. The back panel of the sound card consists of five mini-jacks and two TOSLINK S/P-DIFF connectors. You can be assured of excellent sound performance compared to the inexpensive and low-end devices.

You have access to a new quad-core sound processor along with the Creative Sound Blaster Z. It should be able to handle all the signal processing needs you may throw at it. The hands-on experience with the sound card offers an excellent musical experience both for music and gaming.

Some of the features offered by the sound card would include a great set of features, an 11 band equalizer, and an easily navigable driver suite. You can be assured of an exciting performance with headphones amplification.

Creative Sound Blaster ZXR – An Overview

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That is a flagship sound card from Creative and provides you access to an enhanced sound performance both for your gaming or music. Of course, the exact quality would be dependent upon the peripherals you have opted for.

The SoundCore3D processor powers the sound card. It does not come with XLR or TRS inputs. But the RCA inputs should be capable enough for an existing HiFi system. Designed to be an excellent option for gamers, it can work effectively for listening to music as well.

The sound quality offered by both RCA and headphones is quite excellent and exciting. You can be assured of a powerful treble and mid-range detail. You can be assured of improved performance with the ZXR sound cards. The Signal-to-Noise Ratio of 124dB provided by the sound card will guarantee you a highly pristine sound performance.

An ultra-low latency would be one of the unique options that increase music and audio quality. The device also comes with a High-quality DBPro Daughter Board.

The Comparison Chart: Sound BlasterX AE-5 vs Sound Blaster Z vs ZXR

Well, we will not term them competing for cards in any manner. The Creative sound cards we discussed above are designed for different application areas, and each of them works efficiently for the respective applications. Let us have a detailed comparison of the features in a head to head comparison chart for the three sound cards.

Features and Particulars

Creative SoundBlaster

ZXR

Creative SoundBlaster Z

Asus Strix Soar vs Creative Sound Blaster Z

Creative SoundBlaster AE-5

Audio TechnologySound Core3DSound Core3DSound Core3D
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)124 dB116 dBNA
Audio FidelityUp to 24-bit / 192kHzUp to 24-bit / 192kHzNA
PlatformPC – PCI-e x1PC – PCI-e x1PCI-e
Audio TechnologySBX Pro StudioSBX Pro StudioCrystalVoice
ASIOASIO 2.0ASIO 2.0Playback & Recording
ConnectionsHeadphone – 1 x Amplified 1/4″ jack

Speaker Out:

2 x RCA (L / R)

2 x 3.5mm jacks (Rear, C/Sub)

Microphone In:

1 x 1/4″ jack

Line In:

2 x RCA (L / R)

Optical Out:

1 x TOSLINK

Optical In:

1 x TOSLINK

Speaker Out:

3 x 3.5mm jacks (Front,Rear,C/Sub)

Optical Out:

1 x TOSLINK

Optical In:

1 x TOSLINK

Headphone:

1 x Amplified 3.5mm jack

Line / Mic In:

1 x 3.5mm jack

1 x TOSLINK Optical Out, 1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Mic In/Line In, 1 x 1/8″ (3.5mm) Headphone/Headset Out, 1 x 1/8″ Front Out, 1 x 1/8″ Rear Out, 1 x 1/8″ Center/Sub Out, 1 x Front Panel Header
Maximum Channel Output5.1 channels5.1 ChannelsNA
System RequirementsIntel® Core™ 2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor, 2.2GHz or faster recommended.

Intel®, AMD® or 100% compatible motherboard

Microsoft® Windows® 10 (32/64-bit), Windows® 8 (32/64-bit), Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)

1 GB RAM

>600 MB of free hard disk space

Available PCI Express® (x1, x4 or x16) slot

Available I/O slot opening on the casing

Available CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor, 2.2GHz or faster recommended.

Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard

Microsoft® Windows® 10 (32/64-bit); Windows 8 (32/64-bit); Windows 7 (32/64-bit)

1GB RAM

>600 MB of free hard disk space

Available PCI Express® (x1, x4 or x16) slot

Available CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD® equivalent processor

Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard

Microsoft® Windows 10 32/64 bit, 8.1/8.0 32/64 bit, Windows 7 32/64 bit

1GB RAM

>600 MB of free hard disk space

Available PCIe slot

Warranty2-year Limited Hardware Warranty (EU Countries)

1-year Limited Hardware Warranty (Non-EU Countries)

2-year Limited Hardware Warranty (EU Countries)

1-year Limited Hardware Warranty (Non-EU Countries)

2-year Limited Hardware Warranty (EU Countries)

1-year Limited Hardware Warranty (Non-EU Countries)

Conclusion

Well, that was a complete comparison between the three sound cards from Creative. We assume the discussion and concise review above should ideally help you make a well-informed choice between the best features of all the individual sound cards and which situations they can be practically used.

The SoundBlaster ZXR and Z offer you flagship performance, while the AE-5 is an entry-level option. Check out those specs and choose the right sound card that meets explicitly your actual needs.

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