5.0 out of 5 stars Great piece of kit

A. · 3 December 2024

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Brilliant piece of kit if it's what you're looking for. I use it USB connected to my laptop and power two monitor speakers and also a soundbar/sub via the optical out option.I've also just purchased an Akai MPC Live 2 music production unit and this feeds into the line in option on the back of the SB unit.It sounds fantastic and although I don't really use all the available extra options for customised sound via the app on the laptop, it does the job of blasting music and enhancing game play dramatically as is for me.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Value for Serious Listening and Versatile Setups

D. · 27 April 2025

As someone who’s cycled through a fair share of DACs and amps, I picked up the CREATIVE Sound Blaster X5 not expecting it to seriously compete with my more expensive setups — but I’m honestly impressed by how much value and flexibility it offers, especially at this price point.First, sound quality: the X5 delivers truly clean, detailed audio across the board. Running high-res 32bit/384kHz files, the clarity is immediately noticeable — excellent separation, wide but natural soundstage, and a tight, controlled low-end without any mud. Mids are clean and voices sound extremely lifelike. Treble is extended but smooth, avoiding the harshness you sometimes get in cheaper DAC/amps. It genuinely brings out the nuances in well-recorded tracks without coloring the sound too much.The balanced Xamp bi-amplification is the real deal — it drives my planar headphones (HIFIMAN Sundaras and a pair of Focal Clears) without any issue, and with noticeably better dynamics compared to single-ended setups. Even at higher volumes, the background remains silent with no audible hiss.Inputs and outputs are extremely versatile. RCA in/out, optical in/out, USB-C connection, mic/headset jacks — it's basically a full desktop hub. Bluetooth receiver quality is surprisingly decent too; not as pristine as wired, obviously, but perfectly acceptable for casual listening.Mic support is a bonus if you’re gaming or streaming. It’s clear Creative designed this unit to bridge between pure audiophile listening and high-quality general desktop use — and it does so better than I expected.Minor notes:No MQA support (if that matters to you), but native high-res support more than makes up for it.The software is robust but takes a bit of time to tweak if you want to customize everything (thankfully it remembers your settings).It’s not the smallest unit, so make sure you have space on your desk.Overall:If you’re looking for a serious, audiophile-grade DAC/amp that can also handle all the extras (mics, gaming, Bluetooth, optical setups), the Sound Blaster X5 is a phenomenal piece of gear. It punches way above its weight class and would be an easy recommendation for anyone who wants flexibility and genuinely high-end sound without getting lost in the £1,000+ rabbit hole.

2.0 out of 5 stars What it's supposed to do

R.B. · 1 June 2025

Yeah not too shabby

5.0 out of 5 stars Great device

P.o.F. · 3 May 2025

I don’t really know that much about amps or DAC or whatnot but I really like this for being able to give me some extra oomph across various devices.I particularly like pairing my old iPod touch via bluetooth and using this to amp it through to a pair of Marshall speakers - gives a heck of a lot more power and much better sound than just the iPod and speaker combo. I also played it through an old pair of Sennheiser Momentum (and Momentum 2) using the 3.5 aux jack - brilliant.I have also used it connected to my Xbox Series X using the supplied optic cable and using this to play back through a Sony soundbar which was also fantastic - much better quality than just banging it through the soundbar via TV.There are loads of connectivity options and it’s very easy to use.I suppose essentially, if you have a source and a (pair of) speaker(s) then this acts as your stereo guts really - at least that’s how I’m mainly using it.I think it’s great.

1.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly awful product

M. · 11 December 2024

Honestly, I would have given 0 stars or - stars!!! Very bad sound card! I can't believe that Creative's best is such horrible product! Static and sparks noise only, almost damaged my speakers! Terrible and expensive!

1.0 out of 5 stars Bigger

C.c. · 2 December 2024

Much bigger than expected. I would compare it to 1 and a half house bricks

Cracking and popping Sound Blaster X5

F.F.P. · 14 November 2024

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } I buy a SoundBlaster x5 soundcard on 24 juni 2024, nice soundcard, but all the time after in three months, the only what I hear is the crackling and popping, I have done every fix you can read at forums.Being a company that is dedicated to sound, and knowing that these cards are going to be used in computers, they should have engineers who know how to implement the exact components so that the sound of any digital equipment such as computers can make use of these and not try to sneak around by putting the following solution on their website (¨Solution ID: 200261¨) Which indicates to me that their sound card is not suitable for the computer market, since in a computer there will always be programs that are running internally.It is like saying if you have the washing machine running, you cannot turn on the light in the house.The interferences of this card are in the simple complexity of using USB.Likewise, the latest drivers 3.6.3.0 do not solve anything at all, in fact they make things even worse.I have lost three months trying to fix the faults of this SoundBlaster x5 sound card and 300 euros thrown away, simply because Creative Labs does not recognize its responsibility.So Creatieve labs, it's time to take this card problem very seriously.

Un très bon DAC mais bien trop cher.

K. · 4 October 2024

Cela fait plus de 20 ans que je ne jure que par la marque Creative concernant l'audio sur PC, et ce malgré le suivi assez pauvre de la marque question logiciel.Je leur ai donné ma confiance encore ce coup-ci en me procurant le X5.Sauf que je me suis permis de prendre en parallèle plusieurs DAC pour le mettre en concurrence, à savoir côté Fiio le K11 R2R, le K7 BT et le K5 Pro ESS et côté Topping le DX3 Pro+ et DX5.Le X5 était le plus gros de tous ces DAC, mais plutôt sobre et relativement soigné.Par contre c'était le seul tout en plastique...Le bouton de volume est en métal et bouge légèrement sur son axe si on le titille un peu.L'écran ne reste pas allumé constamment et fini par s'éteindre au bout d'un certain temps une fois les réglage trouvé, c'est un bon point.Côté praticité, il ne réclame qu'un seul est unique câble USB-C pour être alimenté et fonctionner.Il ne chauffe absolument pas, je pense que c'est dû à la taille de l'objet, il ne manque pas de place à l'intérieur comparé aux autres DAC.Niveau audio, je n'ai rien à lui reprocher, il a driver mon Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro parfaitement, les puces Cirrus Logic CS43198 sont excellentes et surtout très polyvalentes que ce soit pour du jeu avec spatialisation utilisant du HRTF que pour de la musique ou des films.J'ai malgré tout fini par le renvoyer.Pourquoi ?Son prix, même si j'ai pu le toucher à 239.99€ lors d'une promo au lieu des 299.99€, c'est le choix de matériaux tout en plastique, qui je pense finira tôt ou tard par prendre les marques, qui m'a fait le renvoyer.D'ailleurs la gravure du bouton Bluetooth n'était centrée sur le bouton et légèrement de travers, cela faisait un peu mal fini dans les détails...239,99€ quand à côté j'ai un Fiio K11 R2R à 184,90€, voir le K11 tout court à 149€ qui fait tout aussi bien auditivement parlant et est surtout infiniment mieux fini, compact et entièrement en métal.Je pense que Creative devraient revoir très rapidement leur tarif et la qualité de construction de leur produits si ils veulent rester dans la course.Actuellement je reste sur le K7 BT et le DX3 Pro+ le temps de recevoir un dernier pour faire mon choix, le Topping DX5, le reste a été renvoyé.EDIT : Le DX5 bien que très bon, voir légèrement meilleur que le K7 BT pour ce qui est des mediums et des basses moindre mais bien présentes et précises, ne vaut pas la différence de prix. D'autant plus que j'ai pu voir que la fiabilité de la marque Topping ce n'est pas trop ça.Je reste donc sur le K7 BT.

Great audiophile product with great sound quality, worth the price

z. · 7 December 2024

I like to user my Sound Blaster X5 very much, I'm an audiophile and I appreciate it's sound quality. I went from Asus Xonar Essence STX internal PCI-E sound card to this external DAC and I'm very pleased with the results, it is much better overall. I use it with AKG K612 Pro headphones and now I see that these headphones could have better bass response. Clarity is great but X5 DAC's can deliver much better bass response that my headphones could represent and my next goal is to buy better headphones. Mids and highs are of exceptional quality, bass is also good but in some areas with other headphones you can hear better punch and sub bass than on my AKG K612 Pro so it's not about X5, it's about my older headphones which could be better. My next goal is to buy balanced headphones because of much better sound and I user X5 primarily to drive headphone unbalanced output for now in Direct mode because of best sound quality, in 32 bit 44100 Hz setup. I'm very satisfied with this device and I highly recommend it to anyone who want great sound quality and not to pay too much. But you'll need good headphones or speakers to feel this great sound quality. Best sound on this device is when I'm using it with ASIO in Winyl or J.River Media Center in Direct mode, it beats any other sound output modes. Youtube videos have much lower sound quality and can't compare with real audio file (FLAC, WAV etc.). Even high quality MP3 in 320 kbps is much better than youtube sound because youtube and anything in windows uses Direct Sound output which is worse in sound quality.I highly recommend this product. This is the best soundcard/DAC I have ever owned.

Creative Sound Blaster X5

F.T. · 30 April 2025

It is an excellent unit, functions as advertised. Pleased with the purchase.

Ottimo!

A. · 16 September 2024

Spedizione super veloce ed il prodotto è semplicemente eccezionale!