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

Testing audio quality is very subjective and cannot be measured without thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.  Even then, no two people hear sound quite the same way.  Still comparing audio provides a way to determine how clearly you might hear different instruments on a music track or how well you can identify direction in a surround sound game.

For gaming testing, I connected my trust Sennheiser PC 363D headphones in and played some extended sessions of Battlefield 2042. I set the sound mode to Gaming and also tried the built in Call of Duty settings. Sound clarity was outstanding providing crisp directional audio even without Scout Mode enabled. Hearing enemy solders around you is almost like cheating!

To test the audio, I used my Sennheiser HD 6xx headphones and my Hifiman HE-560s.  I tested in both Direct mode and in the Music preset. The HD 6xx headphones are an industry recognized 300ohm setup that really thrives under the individually amplified audio channels. The HE-560’s are a full sized Singled-ended planar magnetic driver that require a higher output to really shine.

First, I fired up some of my favorite FLAC recordings. As always, I like to start with Pink Floyd’s Money to get a good impression of the richness of the sound stage and the positioning.  Without adjusting the equalizer, the sound is rich and neutral. The improvement over my X7 setup was so much more noticeable than I expected for a DAC at this price point! I am truly impressed!

To test the X5 as a preamp/DAC I connected the subwoofer from our recent subwoofer project  and a set of Creative’s E-MU XM7 Speakers.

For a clear comparison I used the same testing tracks as with my Creative X7. I set the output to music and loaded up FLAC files from both Daft Punk and Pink Floyd.  Its nice to put our custom Subwoofer to work!  The audio is clear and warm with outstanding audio positioning.  The sound is easily the equivalent of my aging X7.

One mystery is the lack of support for Super X-FI processing. This proprietary technology is supported on every other X Series product.  I wonder if they are saving this technology for a future revision of the X7?

The Creative Sound Blaster X5 Hi-Res Dual DAC USB Sound Card is not only one of the most versatile Sound cards on the market, it’s also one of the best. With its dual DAC for balanced output and the surprisingly powerful Xamp bi-amplifier, the X5 easily handled both my gaming and audiophile headphones. Connectivity for my 2.1 setup only scratches the surface of what you can do.

Every time I fire up my Sound Blaster X5 it brings a smile to my face. I love the ability to switch back and forth between a game and my favorite music without sacrificing sound quality. I strongly recommend the Creative Sound Blaster X5 as both an upgrade to your PC and as a capable Headphone AMP/DAC solution.

Industry leading sound quality
Support for a wide range of devices
Ease of installation
Intuitive operation

No Super X-FI support
Labels can be difficult to read
Plastic shell feels fragile