Yarp, I don't have mine connected as I have no window (so it's a bit pointless!) & it runs fine
The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Owners' Club
- Thread starter Skynet5
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Yarp, I don't have mine connected as I have no window (so it's a bit pointless!) & it runs fine
I use 3.5 for my logitech z5500 5.1, optical just does stereo
3.5mm, also the optical doesn't support the high res audio options the card is capable of if that's important to you.
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Got this card also, great piece of kit.
However i'm thinking of ditching the G4ME Ones for AKG K702's with a Schiit Magni 3 amp. Obviously still using the AE-5 dac. Worthy investment you think over the G4ME ones?
However i'm thinking of ditching the G4ME Ones for AKG K702's with a Schiit Magni 3 amp. Obviously still using the AE-5 dac. Worthy investment you think over the G4ME ones?
Optical can do 5.1 as well, but Dolby Digital Live is required. Previous Z range of cards has that, but I'm not sure if the AE-5 does.
It doesn't sadly, only stereo supported.
Speaking purely of the K702, then yes I'd say it's worth doing. You won't need to get a Magni 3 though as the AE-5 has an amp certainly good enough for the K702. Not like the Soundblaster Z, which doesn't really have an amp good enough to get the best from K702 and similar harder to drive headphones. People with a Z wanting to get the best from K702 and similar headphones would be kind of stuck without buying something else.
In any case, if you add an external amp like the Magni, there is the possible issue of double amping. To avoid that you'd have to use the speaker output, which would bypass the card's ability to get SBX prostudio to the headphones. External amp connected to the speaker output would be fine for just music use where DSP effects are not needed.
I guess Creative decided not to utilise DDL with the AE-5 to avoid paying fees to Dolby and help achieve a lower price. Also possible that 5.1 from optical is just not used that much anymore, with AV receiver based 5.1 speaker systems becoming more common now, which use HDMI and very few 5.1 systems that only have optical for digital input, like the Z5500/906.
Yeah the amp on the AE-5 is easily powerful enough to drive most headphones - it even drives my HD600s to about "95%" of their capabilities (which a lot of mainstream consumer electronics don't even get close to) though falls a bit short of what I know they can do - mostly I think because they don't have quite enough voltage on the output. Most people would probably be pretty happy with it but having heard the 600 series on some slightly more specialised circuits I'm a bit picky now.
You can however still get the headphone virtualization redirected to the speaker output when using it as a line out.
One potential reason for using the line-out and an external amp with this card is that the onboard DAC is pretty decent but the design as a whole is focused on clean, clear audio for gaming and can be a touch harsh for prolonged music listening (though I do quite enjoy the "expansiveness" they've managed to get out of it which offsets a bit the harshness of LM4562 based implementations) - sticking it through a decent external amp can give a more pleasing sound for music enjoyment.
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True, i thought that might be the case, bypassing the DSP. However i can just change it in the settings to output via Line Out. Good to know that the AE-5 can provide the power to such phones.
Audio eh, you can just go on and on with it lol. Never knew it could drive HD600's. You'l probably think im mad now but... i have HD600s buried away somewhere that haven't been touched in about 6 years. As i honestly thought no consumer sound card could drive them. There is also the case of if i do used the AE-5 amp, there is no external volume adjustment which my Game ones have.
Decisions decisions
Audio eh, you can just go on and on with it lol. Never knew it could drive HD600's. You'l probably think im mad now but... i have HD600s buried away somewhere that haven't been touched in about 6 years. As i honestly thought no consumer sound card could drive them. There is also the case of if i do used the AE-5 amp, there is no external volume adjustment which my Game ones have.
Decisions decisions
That is the thing I miss with the external AMP I used with the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude. It was handy reaching over for the dial.
As I can't even use the keyboard volume controls since I'm using Voicemeter Banana.
Just installed my AE-5 and installed the drivers. Got the card set to 32bit/96kHz and left the presets to Gaming. I’m using Ruark MR1 MK2 desktop speakers (connected by 3.5mm cable to Front L/R jack), should these be set as full range within Windows, any other settings recommended?
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Plugged in my HD600's today and fired up my FLAC's and omg it's brilliant! The AE-5 drives these incredibly well!
These are a bit long in the tooth but, i need your opinions on this. I'm thinking of keeping these and replacing the ear and head pads. Or sell them on and get some AKG K702's, with a Magni 3?
These are a bit long in the tooth but, i need your opinions on this. I'm thinking of keeping these and replacing the ear and head pads. Or sell them on and get some AKG K702's, with a Magni 3?
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I love my k702's for the sound stage and the mids but when paired with my ae-5 which drives them perfectly, but seem very harsh, a shrill even, with some generes of music. Even some games, dirt 4 for example the female co driver hurts my ears after a while. But I am a little sensitive to highs.
I ended up buying a little dot I+ (with a pair of voskods) connected to the line out. That seemed to calm things down a little. Drives the 702's brilliantly.
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Btw, about the Line out. Does direct headphone only apply to the AE-5 headphone amp or to both?
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I use stereo direct for the line out when listening to music on my lil dot. And leave it on headphone 7.1 and use the redirect to line out option when using the lil dot for gaming.
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Ah i see, as im thinking of getting a Magni 3. I'm still playing around with the 702's atm. They are very good, a bit harsh like you say. I'm hoping i get used to them. They are incredibly clear also.
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There's lots of things you can do to tame the 702's. Underneath the earcups there is a foam ring. You can change the material used or make another out of different thicknesses of felt etc.
Even a layer of tissue paper underneath the original foam reduces the harshness a little.
With the little dot i+ tube amp adding some warmth I just settled on a 3mm thick peice of wool felt that fits inside the hole of the original foam ring.
Even a layer of tissue paper underneath the original foam reduces the harshness a little.
With the little dot i+ tube amp adding some warmth I just settled on a 3mm thick peice of wool felt that fits inside the hole of the original foam ring.