Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 (Metallic Gray)

I love how they build it

I upgraded from my AE-5 to this AE-9 and you can hear the diffrence, it's nicer and clean but soo much more expensive. The Command Center app that Windows uses doesn't seem to need an update at all, it picked up on it and was compatible from first run. No annoying software swapping and reboots. I'm a gamer so I play for long periods, and after like 30 minutes the card feels warm, like a mid setting to cook an egg. but my AE-5 gets kind of warm too so it seems to put me at ease to find them both do a similar thing but ya it's slightly warmer than my AE-5. I found no concerns online saying the card has failed from this many times but there was one case I came across where someone new to things might of messed up for other reasons and or had a bad factory build, defective in other words. but I guess I'll find out since his card died in like a year, and I just started using my card but guess what if my card dies and I find out what it was or if it's a weird unknown reason I will update this review with what I know, but in the case I don't update then the card has been good to me and I'm enjoying it with my DT 1990 Pro well, good luck to the buyers.

Playing ROON into the SB AE-9 is as though hearing my music collection for the first time! The DSD files leap to life. Even the 16 Bit 44 KHz files have renewed vibrancy. My settings are all Native - NO DSP. Frightfully expensive but worth it!

This is overkill for most people but if you want the best internal sound card, this is it. Amazon doesn’t sell this directly, you’ll have to buy it from third party sellers. My recommendation is check Creative’s website from time and time and look at their B-Stock. You’ll save $100-$150.

Love it got here just on time

Warning. When you switch from speaker to headphones dont have headphones on as you can get a max volume pop or part of the audio you are listening too play thru the headphones and it is loud. Creative really needs to address this issue. Otherwise I love it. Xlr mic input is clean. It would be nice to have a button to switch between speakers and headphone mode instead of the hold button for 2 seconds thing. If your a gamer I suggest using 48000hz 24bit for gaming and if you listen to high quality music and stuff switch it back and forth.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: ACM LINK - TOTALLLLL JUNNNNNKKK CONNECTION. MY unit will not turn on because of the JANKY CRAPPY ACM link. I spent so much money on this, and CREATIVE MADE THIS STUPID F CONNECTION! IF you do use this product, be aware this link is fragile. I had issues with my mic forever, and it happened to be the ACM, now I will use on board MB sound. I don't know why they chose this option. Oh well. Garbage.

First things first: you probably don't need this card or have better-value options. (If you don't understand this review, you don't need it.) If you're just listening to music at your desk, a dedicated DAC and headphone amp such as those made by Schiit might do you better. In my case, there were a few considerations: * I have Sennheiser HD600s with a 300-ohm impedance and no headphone amplifier away from my stereo in the other room. It takes quite a bit of voltage to properly drive these; I had then plugged into the motherboard headphone jack for lack of a better option and got good sound, but not all it could be. If you have easy-to-drive cans, it's probably not $300 better (used) than onboard audio. * I wanted an internal solution integrated with Windows rather than fiddle with knobs on two bulky boxes on the desk with two power cords, a digital cable, and a pair of RCA cables (the AE-9 comes with an amplifier box with 1/4" and 1/8" headphone outputs as well as 1/8" and XLR microphone inputs, the latter with +48V phantom power, but it comfortably sits on top of the PC case, connecting to the card I/O with a single proprietary cable.) * I was interested in the software with a strong suite of DSPs. I can listen to rock in virtual 5.1 and flip to direct mode (bypassing all processing) for jazz or classical with the touch of a button on the box. * If you need the high-end microphone input, this card is probably a no-brainer. Otherwise the AE-9 is worth it really only if you have equipment the onboard audio can't drive to its potential. The amp takes a 6-pin PCIe cable from the PSU so you'll have to dismantle your PC if you don't already have one routed below your motherboard. Thankfully I had a cable plugged into supplemental power I wasn't using. This also leaves the +2 pins hanging off the card, which you may find unaesthetic. Creative products are infamous for messing up your drivers, and the AE-9 is no exception. When I first installed it, I would get literally dozens of DLL error windows upon startup that I would have to click through, as well as one window to click through when I opened Chrome or whatever. My boot drive was a clone of a clone of a clone and reinstalling Windows fixed it. There's probably a less drastic, more time-consuming way to fix the drivers, but I needed a reinstall anyway. I use my 500GB boot drive only for OS and apps for exactly this reason: it was painless -- using a small system drive is by no means outdated advice. The I/O is unusually rich, with an opto in and out and a pair of honest-to-God RCA jacks. So in sum, unless you have a condenser mic or high-end headphones and are willing to take apart your PC to the timbers and reinstall the operating system, the AE-9 is probably not for you. If this is your use case, you're in for a treat. The Sennheisers have full, tight sound up to an unrealistically deafening level. Owned: about two weeks, no new issues in that limited time, but it was bought used from an original 2019 purchase so it's going strong after six years.

excelente sonido

Em primeiro lugar, a pergunta número um que tive que fazer antes de comprar: "Preciso mesmo de uma placa de som em 2023?". E imediatamente depois de comprar esta placa , posso dizer que sim! Você literalmente não saberá o que está perdendo até conseguir uma!! Ao contrário das GPUs ou CPUs, as placas de som nunca ficam realmente obsoletas. Não adianta utilizar um fone fraco com uma placa dessas, principalmente fones com USB. A diferença em jogos é impressionante! Cada detalhe é captado de forma cristalina. Eu poderia entrar nos detalhes do componente, mas para resumir, eles têm 2 a 3 fases integradas para ajudar na gravação e na saída limpa. Sem mencionar nos recursos de software integrados para aumentar a qualidade. O Software Creative Labs tem um conjunto completo. Qualquer coisa que você possa imaginar está inserida nele, desde o equalizador até os filtros embutidos para microfone, predefinições, etc., mas também não é super técnico (muito fácil de usar) para que ele possa alimentar o hub e fornecer +48V ao seu fone de ouvido/microfone.

Have it hooked up via rca to my Onkyo Amp, powering Passive Paradigm Bookshelf Monitors and a Monoprice 12" sub, the sound quality is top tier. Can't wait to try it with my Panasonic open ear monitors as well

A must buy for serious audio lovers..!

I bought AE-9 and have been using it with my Sony HT-RT3 home theatre system which is connected to this card via an optical cable. I must tell you that I have never experienced sound like this in my life and I have used other sound blaster and Asus cards as well in the past. If you are planning to buy AE-7, please don't. Save some more money and go for AE-9 with your eyes closed. Pros: 1. Crystal clear sound that would impress even the biggest audiophiles on this earth. You will hear each and every beat if you are using Dolby/DTS connect mode along with an optical cable. 2. Sound card is made of top notch gold plated components which makes it durable for life. 3. Best part is the Audio Control Module (ACM) which has plenty of I/O options and modes. It has an XLR mic input with 48v phantom power. I am a YouTube creator and checked the recording, it was awesome. 4. If you are creator then you don't need to buy separate interface like Scarlett for recordings, just plug in XLR and record. Cons: 1. DTS connect mode stops working sometimes but that seems to be the issue with almost all sound blaster cards. This is an issue Creative is long due to look at seriously. 2. It's a power hungry card. It needs a separate 6 pin power cable (one used for GPUs). It eats a total of 150W power, 75 from pcie slot and 75 from your PSU. So need to check your power supply esp if you already have a hungry GPU. All in all its the best choice for professionals and rival cards don't even come close in sound quality.