Creative has launched its new Sound Blaster AE-7 and
AE-9 Audiophile Sound Cards this week making the Sound Blaster AE-9 available
to preorder and the Sound Blaster AE-7 now available to purchase directly from
the official Creative website.
The Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 is The company’s
flagship PCI-e sound card and has been specifically designed for pro-gamers and
pro-audio users. Built using audiophile-grade components such as the
top-of-the-range ESS 9038 SABRE-class reference DAC the sound card is capable
of providing up to 129 dB DNR, PCM 32-bit 384 kHz sampling, DSD64 playback of
lossless audio with ultra-low distortion and jitter elimination, and boasts
Nichicon Fine-Gold capacitors, WIMA film/foil audio capacitors and swappable
op-amps.
Even with what seem lower specifications compared to
the flagship Sound Blaster AE-9 sound card the Sound Blaster AE-7 is equipped
with a hi-res ESS SABRE-class 9018 DAC that boasts up to 127 dB DNR, with
32-bit 384 kHz sampling and DSD64 playback offering a powerful sound card in
its own right. As well as offering audio clarity with a THD of 0.0001%, an
upgrade over its predecessor Sound BlasterX AE-5 and representing excellent
value for money, says Creative.
Features for Sound Blaster AE-9 and Sound Blaster
AE-7 sound cards include:
- The Best Sound Blaster Processing Yet: Enjoy the full spectrum of Sound Blaster audio customization and enhanced audio realism with immersive 5.1 and 7.1 surround virtualization along with Dolby Digital Live encoding and DTS Connect encoding.
- Award-winning Headphone Amplification: The custom-designed, award-winning fully discrete Xamp headphone amplifier with push-pull design ensures each audio channel is individually amplified to deliver a whole new level of pristine audio fidelity in an authentic, unaltered lossless model.
- All-new Audio Control Module (ACM): Both sound cards feature ACMs built with user-friendliness in mind. Sound Blaster AE-9’s ACM stands out with a display unit for direct and easy volume control, a headphone selector switch supporting different types of headphone impedance, a multi-function microphone input port with +48V Phantom power and a built-in amplifier.
- New and Streamlined Software Interface: The newly designed Sound Blaster Command software sports a revamped user-friendly interface which drives Creative’s signature Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine through achieving more audio control customizations with lesser clicks.
