Creative Launches its Sound Blaster AE-7 and AE-9 Audiophile Sound Cards

Discussion in 'Frontpage news' started by Hilbert Hagedoorn, Jul 10, 2019.

  1. holystarlight

    holystarlight Master Guru

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    I dont get why people buy PCIE Sound cards, when there are so many decent USB external DAC out there that are cheaper and sound better and most of them are plug and play without the need to worry about Creative crappy driver support or the noise from inside the PC etc.
     
  2. TalentX

    TalentX Master Guru

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    They feel cheap because they are cheap. These companies you mentioned are all considered "noname" in the headphone market.
    I recommend you try beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, AKG or Teufel. These are truly valuable and strong.
     
  3. alanm

    alanm Ancient Guru

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    Why not do it through your GPU HDMI?
     
  4. TalentX

    TalentX Master Guru

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    HDMI is digital, not analog, that's why.
     

  5. alanm

    alanm Ancient Guru

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    Wrong answer. The receiver will re-convert the analogue back into digital if you are going to use its digital formats (Dolby, DTX, etc) and/or DSP functions. And sound cards 'analogue' was already digitial beforehand and went thru its own DAC to become analogue then into the receiver to become re-digitalized again. HDMI bypasses the sound card stages altogether.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
    Alessio1989 likes this.
  6. dcGColts

    dcGColts New Member

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    Most DACs don't have the customization a Sound Card does like with Creative if you know what your doing when it comes to FPS and hearing footsteps night and day difference.
     
  7. SHS

    SHS Master Guru

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    Wrong next time look at actual pins label it will say SPDIF_Out not SPDIF_In
    We talk about Optic cable (TOSLINK), while SPDIF is usually transmitted over a coaxial "RCA" cable and is not very good this prone to ground loop unlike Optic cable.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
  8. Alessio1989

    Alessio1989 Ancient Guru

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    Next time have a chamomile. DDL and DTS software encoding of creative are meant for crap digital system. I have a cheap speaker set with both analogue input and crap digital receiver. Crap digital receiver have crap dsp, damn high latency and (quite) no control about what and how the signal is processed. Using digital output has no advantage at all over analogue on those systems.
    On better system you will not use a creative toy nor it's crap software DDL/DTS encoder (which is also still the same since 10+ years with the same glitches and software issues).
    Creative (or ASUS and other "gaming" bands) audio dedicated internal audio cards are meant for analogue usage, everything else is a waste of money for a wrong product. Yes, you can use some of the software gimmicks (some of which are tons better than onboard audio software suites) to process the signal again, before reconvert it again to digital and then optical, but still you are using that hardware for the wrong/worst purpose it can accomplish.
    Again, digital output has no meant to exist on those audio cards, and everyone who still wants use digital optical for a crap digital system can save money and use the onboard solution, most good range of recent MB should include a DTS or a DDL encoder in the audio package (if not you can still google it searching something like "Realtek HD DDL DTS unlocker"). Moreover, with the saved money maybe you can buy a better analogue stereo solution too.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2019
  9. schmidtbag

    schmidtbag Ancient Guru

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  10. Alessio1989

    Alessio1989 Ancient Guru

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    RCA coaxial is rarely used today. RCA Coaxial I/O over internal S/PDIF pins is rare and most related to older MB models. S/PDIF today is almost always transmitted via TOSLINK on recent hardware, on the back I/O panel if talking about PC motherboards. Even on modern TVs is almost vanished, leaving only TOSLINK for legacy purposes and HDMI.
     

  11. SHS

    SHS Master Guru

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    Make and Model motherboard with an actual manuel that show it has it and can't not be some 15+ year motherboard nor a porotype board
    The last photo look very familiar and petty sure the pin out goes to Sound Card I/O bracket
     
  12. TalentX

    TalentX Master Guru

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    Have it with me! I'll invite you, while we have a talk.

    I get the point you're up to, but using the term "crap" I am not sure if you're being serious or just sarcastic... To be fair, how do you even define a "crap" audio-system?
     
  13. kcajjones

    kcajjones Active Member

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    This could have been a big announcement if these had been the first cards with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X support!
    It seems silly that these cards support Dolby Digital and DTS encoding when media in surround sound is now almost entirely lossless and object based without relying on set channels or speaker locations in the same way as 5.1 and 7.1 setups have for years.

    The PC would get a great addition if you could have 7.1.4 speaker outputs via analogue with decoding by a sound card instead of having to spend £1000+ on an Av reciever/amplifier that will be out of date in a few years.

    This doesn't excite me as my Auzentech X-fi Prelude is already outputting better quality 7.1 analogue sound than I will ever be able to discern and my HTPC outputs via hdmi to my Av receiver in 7.1 lpcm for games or bit streams films in any Dolby or DTS variant.
     
  14. alanm

    alanm Ancient Guru

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    Lets get this out of the way. There is no straight analogue sound coming from a PC (that is not initially digital). Its all ones and zeros read from your drive, network or other media which then passes through a DAC or codec to become analogue. Nothing special about analogue in that sense. Purist audiophiles often have a fetish for analogue sound, but its NOT the type you associate with computers. Purists associate analogue as only from vinyl record turntables or magnetic tape decks fed into integrated amps or pre/power amps. There is no DAC in the chain as we would see in PCs or sound cards or AV receivers. I have a feeling some people may have heard about the superiority of analogue over digital, but its not referring to anything coming out of your PCs or speakers. Its referring to turntables and magnetic tape decks.

    On a PC, you may get good analogue output from a good DAC, sure. Analogue channels, being separate, dedicated lines, are capable of carrying greater bandwidth than the usual digital conduits (ie, Toslink, Coax) and thats why analogue multi-ch is preferred vs Toslink/coax. In 2 ch, analogue is not any better, since in 2 ch toslink/coax can be lossless too. HDMI otoh, is full, lossless multi-channel capable and carries much more bandwidth easily. Sound cards are not as well equipped as AV receivers to handle multi-ch sound and dont even have HDMI outputs. They may be good in 2 ch stereo with headphones or 2 speakers, but thats about it. AV receivers kill them for multi-ch use, period.
     
  15. svan71

    svan71 Active Member

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    Sure I'll buy one Creative, just guarantee working drivers for 5 years and don't screw your customers when Microsoft puts out a new os that you refuse to support.
     
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  16. SHS

    SHS Master Guru

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    Don't forget Linux
     
  17. 0blivious

    0blivious Ancient Guru

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    Sounds like it's great! But I'm not touching them. The only reason I'm using a Soundblaster Z now is I got it off Craigslist for $30. Otherwise, I know better. I have already been burned by Creative numerous times over the years. They are great when they work. But, between the notoriously terrible driver support and a couple of my cards dying just out of warranty, I will never buy a new one again.

    I do have decent speakers though and on-board just ain't gonna cut it. Whatever my next purchase is, it won't be this, unless I find a cheap used one again.
     
  18. Glasofruix

    Glasofruix Active Member

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    Uh, can you name a few of those medias you're talking about? I only know about three modern games on pc that use hrtf for stereo and object based audio, the rest are plain 5.1/7.1 with no object based sound whatsoever. Add to that the really shitty way it's tied to window's control panel and you're golden.
     
  19. Alessio1989

    Alessio1989 Ancient Guru

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    My Logitech Z-5500 is a crap system, especially in digital mode. The control pod has a low-tier DSP, and all the PCB has poor capacitors and poor amps. Creative DDL/DTS encoders at least made the system more reactive but nothing more, it sounds like a low-end Trust-like system in digital mode (OK, maybe a little better, I do not want offend Logitech too).
    I tried also on an old Realtek HD onboard, the difference was minimal in digital mode (didn't tried with the last MB "SupremeFX" S1220 but I bet it doesn't sound worst) . So no highe difference between an old Titanium Fatal1ty and a very old Realtek HD. Yes, that's what is a crap sound system for me..
    In analogue mode is at least a little better (probably because the PCB part involved is shorter than in digital mode!), and with a tuned EQ it doesn't stab my ears... Yes, the Z-5500 was a good system if you start modding the control pod (and the woofer) PCB replacing AMPs and capacitors, bu I never had time to start learning micro-soldering..
    Yes, when I bought it I wanted 5.1 multichannel and that was the best set I could buy at a "low" price.. But today I would never buy a system like that, with the same money we can buy good tier stereo speakers that sounds 10 times better.
    As for chamomile I usually drink the Twinings with honey and vanilla flavours, better than others and it doesn't taste like pee XD.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2019
  20. warlord

    warlord Guest

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    Creative upgraded and threw out a whole new application called sound blaster command.

    So no go for ae5. Sound blaster connect is dead. My card is dead like x7 and g6. Creative is the worst company since for ever I remember... :(
     

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