What goes around comes around, and I was already a bit torn during the test 5 months ago, so I decided not to judge the Creative Sound Blaster X5 on my first impressions, but to run it in parallel with my HIFIMAN EF 400 for a longer time with various headphones alternately. In principle, not much has changed in the acoustically oriented judgment, but it turns out somewhat more favorable in the end as an overall conclusion, because you get used to the cheap plastic desert over time and virtually overlook it. And yes, it’s really not enough to test with mediocre headphones, you need at least upper class and a second, preferably even better amp.
But back to the test. Creative had introduced a number of external USB sound cards that had attracted interest based on their features and functions, and I had tested them as well. However, there was also a remarkably high demand for a product more geared towards the needs of audiophiles. Creative responded to this demand at the time by introducing the Sound Blaster X5 as a sort of intermediary between the audiophile and gaming worlds. The name of this device is a bit misleading, though, as you could line it up with the Sound Blaster X4 and Sound Blaster X3, which would be completely absurd. And while these smaller sound cards also have their own unique strengths and features, the Sound Blaster X5 stands out with certain unique features in design and performance.
The Creative Sound Blaster X5 is an external USB sound card whose concept is based on a dual digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a dual-balanced headphone amplifier. At first glance, the device looks more like a hi-fi DAC/headphone amplifier combo than the typical external sound card that Creative is generally known for. However, this impression is richly deceptive: the unit is equipped with a 3.5mm microphone input and is supported by a software suite that offers a variety of digital signal processor (DSP) effects, equalizer presets, and microphone filters. This underscores its status as a full-fledged sound card, although one feature is comically missing, but more on that later.
Creative has also added a number of additional features to the Sound Blaster X5. These include Bluetooth connectivity for wireless connection to other devices, a very interesting 4.4mm balanced headphone output for improved audio performance, analog (RCA) and optical (TOSLINK) inputs and outputs for flexible connection to a variety of audio sources and destinations, and a unique USB Type-A audio host port. This port allows connection to external USB speakers, headsets, microphones, and wireless receivers, further increasing the sound card’s functionality and versatility. Compatible with PC and Mac computers, the Sound Blaster X5 also offers support for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 gaming consoles, making it appealing to a wide user base. So much for theory and marketing.
Package contents and unboxing
The packaging of the Creative Sound Blaster X5 presents itself rather plain and unobtrusive. The imprints present the main features as well as technical specifications and the actual scope of delivery. When you open the package, you will of course find the Sound Blaster X5 sound card in the box. There is also a quick start guide as well as additional warranty and product registration documents. And exactly now you could start with the first criticism. Because for a price of 309 euros, I simply expect better quality in the cables. A 1.5 meter long USB-C to USB Type-A cable, a 1.5 meter long optical cable and a 2 meter long 3.5 mm to RCA stereo cable are really lower drawer in their design. I disposed of the RCA cable altogether with much gusto because the shielding had a shot.
Technical data and manual
The technical data reads quite well, but it will be interesting to see how it turns out in practice. I used two very different headphones on purpose, because you can only classify the X5 correctly if you use balanced headphones with a 4.4 mm jack connection. But we’ll get to that later.
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