Sound Blaster X5 Hi-Res Dual DAC USB Sound Card review

The overall design of the X5 simply looks great. I installed off my PC using the USB cable and my own high end RCA cables for the speakers and sub.  I couldn’t help but notice just how light the case is.  The shell is made from plastic and that 879g simply doesn’t feel like a premium product. 

I would loved to see an aluminum shell at this price point.

There are a lot of buttons and switches right up front for easy access. During normal operation the power button and the volume knob are the only persistent lights.  The large monochrome LED display provides information directly related to the function you are adjusting.   The Display button provides a quick toggle through all of the current settings when clicked.

From the left, the controls are: The backlit power button, a backlit USB 5.0 button for wireless streaming, a back lit Mic mute button, the display toggle, a Mic pickup dial, a toggle switch to choose between high gain or low gain headphone output and a quick toggle between the headphones or the external speakers.

The front connectors are a standard 3.5mm Mic in, a 3.5mm 4 pole unbalanced headphone out and a 4.4mm balanced headphone out. Microphone gain can be set between -96 dB and + 9dB.

Continuing towards the right side we find: A toggle to switch between direct output and the onboard DSP, a toggle for the current Equalizer presets, a toggle between PC input or console input and the backlit volume nob.

I do like the layout but not all of the controls are labeled and, in lower lighting, the labels are quite hard to read.  There is definitely room to improve the visibility or use the same faded backlighting for the labels.  Using the software or app controls can be easier for some functions. Fortunately, the most common features, like volume and power, are pretty easy to find and use.

The back connections are pretty straight forward. The RCA line outs provide connectivity for powered speakers or an additional amplifier. The RCA Line in will support a device like a Blu-ray player or record player.

A set of TOSLINK optical connectors provide output to any compatible device like an AV receiver or a set of powered speakers. Most modern audio devices support a TOSLINK connector, even your onboard sound device might have one.

There are two USB ports. The USB-C port provides power and allows audio streaming directly from your compatible PC, Mac or PlayStation. The USB-A Host port provides a lot of versatility supporting USB speakers, headsets, microphones or a compatible wireless audio transmitter. Creative offers a BT-W5, W4 or W3 transmitter.

Creative ships the X5 with a Quick Start Guide, a Warranty and Compliance Leaflet. There are three included cables: A 1.5-meter USB-C to USB Type-A cable 1 x USB-C to USB-A Cable (1.5m / 4.9 ft), 1 x Optical Cable (1.5m / 4.9 ft), and 1 x 3.5 mm to RCA Stereo Cable (2m / 6.6 ft). The software must be downloaded directly from Creative.