Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 (70SB178000000)

Ninth Wave

Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 is the flagship sound card both in the lineup of the Singaporean brand and in the market as a whole. It is built on a combination of a proprietary Creative Sound Core3D audio processor and a top-end digital-to-analogue converter ESS Saber 9038 with a dynamic range of as much as 129 dB and a non-linear distortion factor of only 0.0001%.

Balanced diet

Supports Sound Blaster AE-9 DDL and DTS multi-channel digital audio encoding, as well as analogue Hi-Res audio at 32-bit, 384 kHz resolution. The interface panel of the sound card provides RCA audio outputs for stereo speakers and S/PDIF for a digital receiver. But to be honest, it's a sin to spoil such a good sound as the Sound Blaster AE-9 with an average receiver.

Audiophile constructor

The op-amp ICs of the Sound Blaster AE-9 are removable. The default amps are JRC2114D. In addition to them, Creative claims compatibility with MUSE, NJM, OPA and LME chips. The amps perform especially well when high-impedance headphones are connected to a 6.3 mm jack on an external sound card control panel. Of course, it is also possible to connect more common headphones and headsets with a 3.5 mm plug.

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Also on the external remote control of the Sound Blaster AE-9 there was a convenient large volume knob with 0.5 dB steps and an XLR microphone connector with phantom power (+48 volts, at the input of which there are Japanese Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors). All in all, the Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 is a great-sounding and highly functional audio adapter that will be appreciated by both avid music lovers and those involved in professional recording. But if you definitely don't need the latter, you can save money by choosing the AE-9 PE version without mic inputs.