Do You NEED a Sound Card? -- Creative Sound Blaster Z SE

[@Nicolas11x12English]

Do you currently own a PCIe sound card or an external DAC? 🤗 If yes, which one? 😅 If no, have you ever owned a sound card or DAC in the past? 😋

[@Purjo92]

I own a PCIe sound card which has internal DAC and headphone amp. When my card eventually dies or driver support ends, I will get external DAC (with amp), since they don't have similar electrical interference internal cards do - not that I can really notice that, but still.

[@Rainbow__cookie]

I have a pcie soundcard i rather have a pcie soundcard than usb gets more cleaner and not as much cables My soundcard is a asus dgx pcie somehow my on board audio died so I got a pcie soundcard It was just 2 years old my b350

[@martinxyz]

I own SoundBlaster Z. In the past i had SoundBlaster Audigy 2, SB 5.1, SoundBlaster 32 ( i guess ) and even the one with 16bit in the beginning of the 90s

[@edmac1090]

Yep. I have a Sound Blaster Zx. I wanted a better sound solution than my onboard, and didn't want to take up a USB slot.

[@vikpar]

I have an asus strix 7.1 Raid Pro paired with a razer tiamat elite 7.1 analog headphones, it sounds really good in movies and games, much better than motherboard sound

[@fazum]

I really miss the EAX technology. That was a badass sound quality

[@Krystalmyth]

EAX was something else for gaming. We're honestly missing out. You used to be able to pick up sounds coming from the floor above or below you. It was insane.

[@DanzoSrife]

@@Krystalmyth Even on my high end mobo, Realtek positional audio is still subpar and few games have good directional audio, very few fps are actually up to par. Also, 5.1 surround was done extremely well in games

[@linkfreeman1998]

​@@Krystalmythscrew Windows vista for starting the trend of removing the function...

[@dieglhix]

hifi sound died in the 90s

[@terrapinflyer273]

There is a way to enable EAX with some Creative software (I forget the name of it atm, but there's one for specific Sound Blaster [X-Fi?] cards, and one Universal version of the program that allows EAX to be enabled in games for any sound device. Whether it outputs audio comparable to actual EAX enabled hardware, I cannot say. As I've never experimented with actual EAX or Aureal3D hardware. There's also OpenAL and OpenALsoft which I think does the same thing? I was able to switch EAX on in-game with them and noticed some difference in audio fidelity. What I'm most curious about is the integrated SC-55 capabilities with some Realtek on-board drivers. Still haven't figured out how to actually utilize it though.

[@HugoAguilera]

Great information. A solid soundcard is immensely underrated. I had originally skipped using my 5-year old Soundblaster Z in my recent Ryzen 9 build, but when I heard how quiet the onboard audio was I was so disappointed. Going back to my SBZ gave me better and more importantly LOUDER audio. I was blown away at the difference, and quite frankly was shocked more people weren't talking about this.

[@TheChrisDecember]

Hi, I'd like your opinion. I have a Ryzen 9 5900X. I'm not looking for louder, but more wider, open soundstage. I run Dolby Access, Sennheiser HD58X w/ Schiit Fulla 4, & Kanto Yu6+Sub8. Will this card help me achieve that? Only drawback is single toslink. I need 2 minimum.

[@Shendue]

A lot of younger people never even thought about using a dedicated audio card because they have no means of comparison, therefore they can't tell the difference.

[@theCoverVerse]

After 20+ years with 2.1 speakers I bought a pair of Edifier speakers.... Then I got this soundcard... The sound is amazing!

[@MaxiMuM1441]

i have a soundblaster z and i love the crystalizer. makes quite a big difference to my ears. im also using studio monitors

[@m3gami_]

I recently added a sound blaster z to my build and it’s night and day. I love it

[@tivikemajom]

Soundblaster Z here, wouldn't game without it.

[@Angel_Espinal]

what headphones do you have?

[@tivikemajom]

@@Angel_Espinal Razer Kraken v2.0

[@Angel_Espinal]

@@tivikemajom do you have em connected to the sound card still right? im planning on getting the Beyerdynamic DT 880 ones, switching from the logitech g pro because it won't take them as they are USB generic audio type of headphones.

[@drunkhusband6257]

The soundblaster z sounds worse than new mobo sound not to mention interference sounds. The sound blaster Z is like...10 years old

[@tivikemajom]

@@Angel_Espinal with 3.5 mm, actually I have a Senheiser as well, but the Kraken pro is somehow better to my ears, suprising but I like it a lot. Soundblaster is also a good choice.

[@dane4890]

Creative Sound Blaster is LEGENDARY!!!

[@yorkmanngaming5888]

I recently bought a new system and decided at the advice of a friend to not get a sound card... Now I still have my old PC with a 7 year old Sound Blaster Z in and I can confirm the audio is MUCH better quality on my old sound card than the the onboard from an ASUS ROG STRIX motherboard. Internal sound cards are absolutely worth getting, especially considering how cheap they are relative to other hardware.

[@Shendue]

Yeah, people that say nowadays onboard got much better and it's the same are clearly just reading marketing and didn't test the thing themselves.

[@yorkmanngaming5888]

@@Shendue Absolutely mate. I bought a new sound card for my recent build and it's night and day. I think people who've never experienced the difference think it's not worth it, but I could never go back to onboard again.

[@Smokey4462]

I have a Creative Soundblaster Z SE card that I bought several years ago for a new Windows 7 PC. I have a 5.1 sound system. It worked so well and I loved it. It even worked well when I upgraded the OS to Windows 10. Then I bought a new PC with Windows 10 already installed, installed the Z SE and have had nothing but terrible sound problems ever since. There's distortion, crackling and random moving of sound from speaker to speaker. It's to the point where I'd almost not have any sound rather than put up with what I do get. I've traded information and emails with Creative support for almost a year without any good results - all the problems remain. Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially if you have had similar problems.

[@nelsonpiedade61]

men do an uninstal of every piece of sound software on your pc and instal the last driver and sound blaster comand. then try it again.i also have the same sound card and also have that kind of problem but since the last comand center and driver i never had any problem at all.

[@LawAbidingSociopath69]

@@nelsonpiedade61 any update is this soundcard worth buying?

[@Shendue]

Did you try changing the speakers? Or the motherboard? Sounds like a hardware problem, maybe? Did you try upgrading to the latest drivers?

[@aregularguy44]

@@Shendue I've checked all of that with the exception of the motherboard (build a new computer around the sound card?). If you read the reviews on Amazon you'll see that I'm not alone, that it is a common problem with Windows 10. But try to deal with Microsoft, Creative or HP and it's like using one of those bot apps they love so well.

[@Reveers]

I recently just switched my audio sources to run from HDMI. It's a better solution with more bandwidth for more channels, and less prone to EMI, and just about every computer has a video card these days. Granted, not everyone uses a home theatre receiver at their desktop, but there are better solutions, and I don't think sound cards are nearly as important as they used to be.

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

QLED TV setup, using audio outputs would be a step backwards.

[@CrashCarson14]

Yeah if they had hdmi that would make it pretty cool, and in input so you could decode too

[@JeffrayCrownwell]

I bought the same sound card but it came with an additional unit with volume control and connectors for headphones and microphone 3.5 mm and 1/4 also red and black. The sound quality is really amazing though I would much appreciate a different equalizer with 7 to 10 bands so I could have the sound exactly the way I want it!

[@greenmarine5]

Almost all onboard sound cards don't have a stand alone amplifier like sound cards do. The only on board sound cards that have a decent amplifier are the high end Gaming motherboards and even then most of them don't have it. However both are limited no matter how high end you go because tosslink can only handle 2 channels, it lacks the bandwidth to support true surround. Another reason why GPU manufacturers put HD audio in the video cards via HDMI.

[@birdsoup777]

Won't forget my 1st Creative Sound Card in 1998. Bought Creative and Asus sound cards till I started using dac/amps in 2017. Graphics cards taking up space and heat lead me to dac/amps

[@ronch550]

A good sound card will definitely offer a noticeably better audio experience if you have proper speakers to go with it. Still, I appreciate onboard audio too. It's practically free but sounds pretty ok. It's pretty much comparable to Sound Blaster cards in the early 2000s, I think.

[@DOSStorm]

Depends. A Sound Blaster Live from 1998 still sounds better and cleaner than most modern onboard realtek chipsets in my experience.

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

My audio goes from the motherboard over HDMI to the signal box and QLED screen and speakers, so a soundcard is pretty irrelevant now.

[@frankfarago2825]

@user-yv2cz8oj1k You get your audio -- from HDMI? Ha-ha-ha-ha. You're all set then, huh?

[@frankfarago2825]

@@DOSStorm I have a SB external card from the year 2002. I would not trade it for anything being made today.

[@ronch550]

@@frankfarago2825 I don't see why you gotta laugh at him. I've actually done that too, plugging a 42" TV to my PC though HDMI, although the HDMI port is found on my Nvidia card. Nvidia and AMD graphics cards contain some audio functionality to provide audio over HDMI, although I'm not sure if they even use the Realtek audio codec on the motherboard (probably not). It's probably still processed by the CPU though. And yes, if you output to your TV via HDMI to watch movies and play games on your TV (which is actually pretty cool), I don't see why you need a sound card.

[@MISmooth420]

i used to do a sound blaster audigy because for 20 years i've had a 5.1 speaker system...but my last built (i built in 2019 before the covid crash so i was lucky) i bought sound blaster AE-9...i bought this because i used to dj and back in those days you'd have to buy studio monitors and a usb audio controller to get you DJ mixers....i did this before i built my PC mind you...But still with the AE-9 sound blaster i don't need the studio monitors and usb controller from a dj manufacturer....i can listen and here everything through my speakers...from my games...my dj software...my DAW all through on set of speakers rather than two....only reason i still use a PCI-E sound blaster card

[@HAL_-sg1up]

Thanks for the video I still have mine, I'm a old school and for there is a difference regarding positional audio I find it better, I play Quake Live and Quake Champions.

[@tiagoamaral2371]

I use a z607 + AE-7 and it's amazing! I watch movies, games, music with the highest quality. And I play old games with EAX thanks to ALchemy, and the audio is better than many current games.

[@matthewrobbins663]

HEADS UP!! Nov 2022. The regular Z version is on sale at Creatives website for $49.99. Worth the buy just because. I am getting it to run old EAX sound format PC games mostly natively without a zillion hacks.

[@technoir2584]

I have had this card for about a year now. I have had no trouble with it. Overall, it's a good card. Creative has sent out a number of updates for the SoundBlaster Command software and it works as intended in Windows 11. The only problem I have with the card is that if (like me) you put it in a normal standing PC tower you can't see the cool shroud or the chip inside. Its upside down. So, you only see the bottom of the card which looks like any other card. I can't believe they didn't think of this when they designed the card as the majority of gaming pcs out there are standing towers.

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Well they have to put the chips where they can be shielded and won't interfere with a GPU or other cards. But they could have screen printed the PCB.

[@Pat14922]

The "look" is to make you buy it. Once you've bought it....

[@adrianchioto]

i vertically mounted mine, looks cool

[@Patrick73787]

I own a Sound Blaster ZxR. An amazing sound card.

[@Edward135i]

I wish PC gaming would move beyond 5.1 and on to the newer 3d soround formats like Dolby Atmos, I'm probably one of 20 people in the world who PC games on his home theater set up, but once you hear real soround sound like that it's hard to go back, no set of headphones is going to shake your whole body when a bomb goes off in battlefield.

[@ChadLuciano]

Can't beat the real thing...I have okay headphones (JBL) I use for video editing (LOL)...but my 5.1 gig kills any experience you could have with headphones...the first time the PC got connected to a big screen meant having big sound too...there is no substitute for a 10" sub

[@Vara91391]

The AE-5 Plus I ordered did not work. PC detected it, but just would not run. Since 1995 I have had huge problems with Creative (Detection and drivers), but once I made them work, it was a blast (literally). This time I could not be bothered, after 4-5 hours and a shit load of negative comments about the AE-5 Plus, I replaced it (at no loss) with an X3 external. Here all worked just perfectly. Only downside is that headset and mic only plug in the front of it... I also miss the remote controls from back in the day !

[@Greggg57]

I have a gigabyte x470 that has a completely useless realtek audio system onboard. I stuck in a small sound blaster audio FX and it works perfectly.

[@janedagger]

I've had my SB Z in my rig for years now... I can hear the difference w/out it.. VERY easily. I think I"ll keep it. Just gotta store the drivers somewhere safe cos they can be a bish to find.

[@auntiepha8343]

I already own an ASUS Xonar sound card so I simply came to thumbs up Nicholas11x12 video. 🏆

[@Nicolas11x12English]

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

[@auntiepha8343]

@@Nicolas11x12English You are welcome. Your videos are amazing. I now favor Enermax PSU's largely due to your Enermax Revolution DF video. The last three PSU's I have bought have been Enermax Revolution Df and MarbleBron units. Thank you.

[@ragtop63]

Creative Labs was the pinnacle of gaming audio before gaming was a marketing term. Their cards were always in my builds going back decades. Unfortunately, I’ve gone almost completely wireless in most of my daily driver builds and don’t like headphone wires (or any wires) anywhere near my desk. I wish there was a way to get the amazing signal from one of these cards into a non-biased high end analog set of headphones. The Steelseries Nova Pro headset seems to be the only real candidate for this scenario but I wish there were other more “pure” options out there.

[@williamtopping]

The main issue I have with PCIE sound cards is USB DACs. If I have a nice pair of headphones (which I do), I am limited to reaching around BEHIND the PC to connect to the sound card, (And if anyone suggests I jack into the front panel... lolzzzz, riiiight)... OR you can plug your headphones into an external USB DAC that can be used on ANY computer with a USB plug, offering a wider range of audio options, with far greater convenience. If, like me, you already have a gaming 5.1 setup, I can see how these may be useful. Especially if you have a static tower PC. But to be honest, the onboard sound is adequate for my 5.1 system, as they are rather old at this point, and if I was going to replace them, I would certainly go a different route this time around. Again, this would involve an external DAC yet again.

[@ThunderKat]

When you spend all your money on the look but on the part no one has a clear view, been the back-plate... Both CPU/GPU face toward the back-plate and in some scenarios even the PSU, so I would say it doesn't have much of a shielding other than physical distance. The chip do seem to have some proper shielding, been on top of the PCB surrounded by metal. If I had to buy it today I would prefer an external DAC for future compatibility, as long as it comes with a good surround option and a simple equalizer you should be fine.

[@Equality-and-Liberty]

Thanks for the information you provided in this video. I do have to say that I love the voiceover. It's relaxing to hear and clear.

[@OlettaLiano]

I used sound cards for years. But the sound I'm getting from of my MSI X570 Unify is as good as my ears can handle.

[@Nicolas11x12English]

:D

[@Shendue]

Good for you. For me the ZXR compared to onboard audio is a night and day difference. It's like watching a movie on TV or in theaters with Dolby Surround.

[@digitalis0101]

I have X-Fi Titanium. It's still very good sound card. And as I can see in this video or in other similar content on web, the difference between SB Z (SE) or SB Recon 3D, is still small.

[@Jouco]

Need this in order to connect my Z-5500 speakers to my windows 11 pc, thank you for your informative and well made video!

[@orville126]

been awhile since I see this brand in action long live creative sound blaster

[@djlim4612]

Am using a sound blaster z. Made night and day differences to the sound. Had to slot it into full-length pcie slot after my GPU took out the space of the pciex1 slot 😂

[@sitaroartworks]

Nothing is like proprietary EAX and Creative stuff. There is a huge difference compared to Realtek on board chip.

[@KLiNoTweet]

SB 5 AE-Plus. Just awesome. Well made vid btw.

[@Nicolas11x12English]

Thank you! :)

[@4734291]

Onboard sound still a long way to go. Xonar Essence STX still the best.

[@octavianvasilegrigore3852]

There is STX II which is far better. Essence one muses is next to none. Essence III seems to be even better (is in the DAC audiophile market)

[@mirc9676]

I still use my Creative X-Fi titanium sound card from 2009, even then i bought it used. Its been more than 12 years now and it still works great. But my question is it worth to upgrade to this card? Or even get the new model of this card Sound Blaster Z SE ? Its probably the same but it would be nice to upgrade a card hehe. Awesome review !

[@ofacesig]

I went from an X-Fi Ti to the SB X3 DAC... Never looked back.

[@ofacesig]

I bought a refurbed SB X3 DAC after decades of internal sound blasters. No longer require internal sound cards.

[@martinxyz]

Not owning a decent sound card AND speakers is like not being able to breath for me...

[@Nicolas11x12English]

Same for me... :D

[@emsj86]

I use that exact creative sound blaster card with my hd558 and it’s night a d day to me. Specially being able to keep the volume at 10 rather than 99 with in board audio. Is it needed no but it makes a difference worth it for me

[@jldarkspider]

I own a soundblaster z and love it may buy a 2nd one for my media server.

[@1985r5]

I had a lot of internal PC cards including sound blasters and xonary DG DS STX U5 and I don't know why but they played worse than the current small DACs on CX31993. I don't need these bells and whistles in the form of additional software because I use easyeffects under Linux

[@kl0wnkiller912]

Now I just need to figure out the best way to connect my Zse to my Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro wireless headphones and be aboe to switch between that and the surround speakers without unplugging...

[@roddypiper5146]

Creative that was specialized in cheap audio card (and was clone of adlib at the beginning.... not to mention multichanel pc speaker as their first project) always stood for quality? Meaybe you meant Roland or Gravis (from that era, because now you can have 10 000 dollars dac - no problem)

[@riskymusic96]

Just a clueless lady here who had one of these given to her & im just trying to figure out if there’s any value in the product if I do not have a sound card, just the part with the headphone jacks and knob.

[@Mierzeek]

I Have a SoundBlaster ZxR and love it!

[@dnate697]

I have a set of those Headphones. That said, I've 2 0f these cards and even sold one for dirt Cheap to get my SB-X AE-5. Can do giant 32bit 384 bit recordings and playback. I'm tickey enough to Build my Own speakers. Denon, Pioneer, Old School JVC, and Harmon Kardon receivers litter my Home with 4 to 5 systems in different Rooms. Motherboard sound set ups is like comparing a plain Hamburger to a T-Bone. Now I know folks who love burgers but it is not one of the top cuts of Beef. IMHO Hamburger do NOT Suck but Have one of the Prime cuts and if you think they are the same then more power to ya'. I caught the Sound Baster X AE-5 that was about 59 dollars plus free shipping as part of a clearance as the other AE-5s went on sale. I never connected the extra lights but let the light on the card run. They keep my wife's cats calm while they are under my desk.

[@7elmAl7ayah]

well, actually, i have this sound card, but the point is, why this sound card came in a flipping face ? how I make it in the right face with red-light at the top instead the down, I can't did it anyway. thanks

[@ParvathyKapoor]

need help! I connected optical out from my DTH receiver to this card optical IN to record the sounds! But when i connected i can hear only hzzzzzz noise in high DB/ Can u tell me why?

[@ParvathyKapoor]

??

[@GasBrake]

im in it for the 7.1 surround sound, for some reason the audio from my motherboard only supports 2 channels. ive tried drivers and even the optical port, nothing. just stereo.

[@potato2387]

Onboard audio has nothing on a sound card, not even close. Ive tried, and it sounds like shit IMHO.

[@BidensBreakfastTacos]

What is the difference between the Sound Blaster Z and the Sound Blaster Z SE? I can't find anything different in the specs?

[@IndieCthulhu]

I have always had issues with onboard sound not outputting 5.1 via SPDIF/Optical. Does this sound card resolve that issue?

[@leonk1ll3r43]

Definitely need one if you want the best sound output. Onboard and sound cards are like day and night

[@AllGamingStarred]

COD united offensive supports EAX but I can't run EAX. Why aren't creative cards standard in most PC's. The best buy IBUYPOWER PC's being an example of them NOT being installed.

[@justiziabelle]

a video comparing the sound blaster z to onboard sound sponsored by creative. i think my "conflict of interest"-senses are tingling. in any case, had to switch to onboard audio, because i had some audio leaking into my mic input with the sound blaster z. i miss some of the features of the SBZ, but that's not worth it in my use case (playing online games and games with VoiceAttack).

[@davideverett2]

If I had a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system I might've gone with a good sound card but I'm on a 2.1 set up so I don't see the need as my motherboard does a good enough job, that said my surround headphones are completely broken in games like those in the Borderlands series so maybe a dedicated sound card could fix that? I still have an ancient 5.1 sound card in the cupboard so I might dust it off & play around with that to see if it helps & if it does look at getting a newer sound card. In Borderlands the problem's with the megaphones. I can stand near one & hear it loud & clear but a 90 or 180 degree turn can completely turn it off as does walking away where it will switch off instantly rather than gradually grow quieter as it does on the speakers.

[@paulb4uk]

I always fit sound cards i have the ae5 plus white edition i have never been a 100% happy with on board sound .

[@petermitchell6348]

How does it compare to ALC 4080?

[@Dmwntkp99]

Same as ALC 1220VB these are good chips, waste of money getting SB z se

[@jw11432]

I'm conflicted: while I'm using onboard audio, I have it going through a Sony STR-K7100 5.1 receiver. I have no issues with my audio, it sounds great to me. I'm wondering if my setup is an exception or if I would actually legitimately benefit from an upgraded card.

[@Reveers]

The only problem with Optical is that it only handles 2 audio channels, even if you are pushing a PCM signal. EMI isn't an issue when it comes to optical so soundcard vs motherboard makes no difference, imo. You can use the analog multichannel but WILL be susceptible to line interference. These days, running an HDMI cable to your receiver from your video card for audio will be your biggest upgrade. You can have true multichannel PCM up to bit-rates you'll never use.

[@sonnybowman]

I agree with you. My Yamaha sound system is fantastic.

[@matthewrobbins663]

@@Reveers Very confused. Optical supports several older 5.1 streams, not just 2 channel.

[@MigotRen]

I use an external DAC/AMP because of the high impedance headphones i have.

[@stanislao_criscuolo]

have you noticed any bumps from the speakers when turning on the pc with the Sound Blaster z se ?

[@DejaVu0]

This was a great review. Have the non SE version of this card and needed info if I should continue using this or not for my next build.

[@nelsonpiedade61]

you dont need to change this beauty. just instal the new driver and enjoy.(the sound blaster comand)and enjoy.

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Well my PC audio goes from my two PC machines straight into my QLED TV over HDMI, so audio outputs are pretty redundant at this point. 🤣

[@BomphuzzGaming]

I have a creative sound blaster Ae-5 and i love it, i love the software and it has external power wich means it doesnt really share the issues with PCIe powered sound cards it seems

[@Shendue]

What issues? I have a ZXR and zero issues.

[@BomphuzzGaming]

@@Shendue molex power connector is fragile

[@MkUnboxed]

Thank you for this in depth overview 👌🏻

[@Nicolas11x12English]

Thank YOU for watching and commenting! :)

[@zacmich6472]

Funny that I had a very old HP, which wasn't "technically advanced" with it's Intel Pentium at 550 MHz 😳 Yeah, Megahertz. BUT it sounded much better than my later "advanced tech" workstations which, in comparison, sounded plasticky and harsh.

[@takehirolol5962]

I have this one with the microphone. Good for getting compressed 5.1 Dolby Digital sound through Digital Optical for my Philips DVD Home Theater.

[@j4r3kk88]

Guys one of 1st card was "Sound Blaster Live 5.1" was a Demon in Sound...............I was loving so much in 2001 :) Big C sukers in corp MIcrosoft shout that card down and from windows xp to windows 7 instantly stop working. I have huge respect for Those Cards. they are amazing.............. well I will buy those new version for sure

[@PeterStrange-oy9ev]

The Windows sound architecture is all done in software. What is this going to buy you?

[@BeHempy]

Joking right?

[@futureshocked]

If you have to use a 3.5mm to 1/4" converter cable will that cause any audio degradation?

[@anachronicmind1922]

Thank you for the excellent job you did. I wasn't looking for the tech-oriented explanation. However, it comes in handy if someone is really trying to go the prosumer route. You covered many things and the things I was listening for were very basic but specific and you nailed my list of questions. Excellent job!! I will consider getting this for my line of work and that's thanks to your video. Creative Labs should reward you somehow and if they already did, then they did the right thing.

[@perseo007]

Great video! A score of 10/10. I learnt a lot about sound cards and gaming headset. I have been used a good sound card, Soundblaster Audigy 5RX for about 4 years, and still working very well. If I decide for an upgrade on 2023 or 2024 about a new sound card, do you reccomend me the Blaster Z SE or other?

[@dragonbleu1205]

Thank. This is THE video i was waiting for to understand well audio technica of soundcard. Hello from France.

[@sthelenshistorychannel]

I had problems with the Z, the 5.1 audio sometimes would be playing fine, and then for no apparent reason the audio would just be playing through the front right channel. I tried updates and re-installs, which did not fix the problem. I can only assume it was something to do with the 3rd party dts live mixing. I changed to motherboard audio (5.1 analog out) and never had any problems. Recently I have been wooed by the AE5 plus, enough to order one, I hope this card doesn't give me the same problems or I will return to motherboard audio for good xD

[@gojog59]

I have a question, I have a pair of Logitech z625 speakers which are a 2.1 system and a pair of hyperx cloud stinger headphones. My PC currently has a high-end z490-e gaming motherboard with a SupremeFX chip for better audio quality. Knowing my audio setup, would I still be able to hear the difference in audio quality with my 2.1 speakers. The Soundblaster Z SE doesn't mention anything about 2.1 setups. What would you recommend?

[@crobbin86]

it would be a massive difference

[@TheMkourkis]

No HDMI support on any sound cards produced today so it's a none starter for me. I have the JBL bar 9.1 on my PC and you cannot get more than two channels using ANY of the ports on the back of the sound cards!!! Plug that HDMI in any video card and viola, true multichannel and atmos support to boot. Sound card manufacturers need to adapt and evolve because their making themselves irrelevant!!

[@octavianvasilegrigore3852]

the sound card is analog. The HDMI is digital. There is no use for a sound card if you use HDMI

[@octavianvasilegrigore3852]

Can the author compare this card to other? The fact that the optical out is even mentioned makes me think that the author has no clue about audio quality and DACs (every device that turns "bits" into analog signal). the optical is a bypass of the card (turns it into a "wire"). This is an entry card, worse than various onboards from premium mainboards. The majority does not need a sound card. The onboard is just fine. The rest can go external DAC

[@dragonbleu1205]

I have a VIA VT1708S , THD is 0.003 %. I buy this on an ASUS card many years ago because Realtek 887 was too crap. Before my last sound card was a Creative Labs SBLive! 5.1 Digital (PCI). My first was a Gravis Ultra Sound MAX (ISA) :-))) I use SPDIF output or analog output and I can't hear any différence. It's why i think the VT1708S is not so bad than realtek 887 / 892 ... Help me if you have tested it and if i'm wrong... Thanks !

[@mer1boss_883]

do sound cards matter even though i use a usb type c wireless headset ?

[@bhaskarbhattacharyya9357]

Hi , what's the use of this creative sound blaster z se? Why u need this ? Can't we connect to speaker or headphone to pc without this sound card ?

[@abbba2]

Does that card also have a blinding Red light like the previous one >?

[@evila9076]

Hey guys my onboard audio died. And idk which one to pick Audigy rx Xfi tiranium Or the z All seem to go for 30-50$ here I only use them for occasional gaming and listening to music on headphones and stereo speakers.

[@chillgamer8376]

What I wonder is how do I use all the channels. What audio system do I use?

[@patrick.bastiaensen]

can you test whif a external soudcard like the pioneer ddj 400 and the ddj flx6

[@jmoss99]

Sound cards for video editing. I have the MSI PRO Z790-P with it's own sound card built in, but I am thinking not to load there video portion down. So I am going to try a Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus board. It has Xamp Discrete Headphone Bi-amp, Up to 122dB SNR . I ill only be driving a stereo amp with it. What do you think?

[@scbird1]

My computer has a terrible built in sound card. My I phone and MP3 player sounded better though old pioneer SX880. I just bought a sound blaster play 3 DAC that is external and simply plugs into a USB. Was the easiest plug and play device I ever bought and sounds fantastic. I now have perfect bass and midrange. At a price of $16.00 dollars, its a bargain!

[@Paradoxwhirl]

So if my setup is HDMI audio from GPU to a hifi receiver, I would have no use for this, because the receiver functions the same as a sound card, correct?

[@puppy_BYTE]

should diverge if got it free from the company or not.

[@RunningInSuits]

Great video! I have my PC connected to my home theater receiver with a 5.1 setup all sound and video going through the GPU HDMI. Will I hear the difference if I buy one of these sound cards or is my receiver doing all the heavy lifting anyways? Will I need to run the sound by a different wire or can I continue to use my HDMI? Thanks in advance.

[@Giedrius_Savickas]

Does your receiver have digital input?

[@marcinsobczak2485]

They used to include microphone in a package few years ago.

[@retrochristmas7329]

I don't care how it sounds ide add it to my gaming rig just because it looks cool.

[@badcat8162]

But if i use a usb microphone and bluetooth headphones do i need a sound card?

[@mickaeldavid1304]

The card partially blocks my GPU air intake and I can't use the lower PCI-E slot due to some interference with a cable on the MOBO. What do you think of removing the red shroud or should I better return it?

[@sir.harlock323]

Does thi sound cartd effect an usb wireless headphone? or it just worj with directly connected headphones via minijack?

[@emrek1]

What is your microphone? Your recording quality is very good. Thanks for the review btw.

[@the_real_Wieniet]

Active monitors with a subwoofer on a dateq mixer from the soundcart with a second bord. the highest creative sold

[@TheBlueThird]

If it's not a high end soundcard, I just go with a usb dac.