Creative has now been in the business of creating unique audio experiences for 30 years now. Year after year it has consistently reinvented its products to push their limits. From the nostalgic beep of a 1980s PC to the Super X-Fi they have today, there is a lot to be proud of.
This is what Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative, had to say about this occasion:
“The Sound Blaster philosophy is simple yet demanding. With every new product, we aim to break new ground in four key areas: technology, performance, function and platform. In our 30th year, we will make greater strides than ever before in redefining the Sound Blaster experience. The AE series, which represents our biggest leap in PCI-e sound card innovation yet, is just the beginning. Later this quarter, we will be introducing our latest addition to the ‘X’ series of multi-channel audio external sound cards; it will be the first Sound Blaster product featuring Super X-Fi, our game-changing and award-winning headphone holography technology. And in the next quarter, we will unveil our latest products under the ‘G’ banner of gaming-focused sound cards with better console compatibility and ease of use than before. Simply put, Sound Blaster makes great sound, and never stops making it sound greater.”
As part of Creative’s 30th anniversary, it is announcing the Sound Blaster AE-9 and Sound Blaster AE-7. Both of these cards are Creative’s newest flagship internal sound cards. They are expected to future proof your PC for years to come. So what is new with these cards?
Sound Blaster AE-9
Sound Blaster AE-9 is a flagship PCI-e sound card. It is expected to please the pickiest of audiophiles, pro-gamers and pro-audio users. With audiophile-grade components such as the top-of-the-range ESS 9038 SABRE-class reference DAC which provides up to 129 dB DNR, PCM 32-bit 384 kHz sampling, DSD64 playback of lossless audio with ultra-low distortion and jitter elimination. It will also use Nichicon Fine-Gold capacitors, WIMA film/foil audio capacitors and swappable op-amps to truly push its limits.
Creative is really counting on CleanLineTM Technology to boost the Sound Blaster AE-9 above its competitors. It is a new way of filtering a microphone path for “clear and uncompromised voice communication.” It claims that this specially-designed circuitry and components will eliminate voltage rail issues and isolate unwanted noises caused by power supply ripple from high-performance GPUs. That is exciting! The Sound Blaster AE-9 will be the first product to integrate this technology into its core. This means that users won’t need a desktop mixer to enjoy the benefits of having one.
Price: $349.99
Sound Blaster AE-7
This card may seem like its a lesser-spec’d version of the Sound Blaster AE-9, but the Sound Blaster AE-7 is supposed to be just as powerful on its own. The Sound Blaster AE-7 will have a hi-res ESS SABRE-class 9018 DAC that boasts up to 127 dB DNR, with 32-bit 384 kHz sampling and DSD64 playback. The audio clarity should be outstanding, with a THD of 0.0001%. A huge improvement over the Sound BlasterX AE-5 and the rest of the competition.
Price: $229.99
Audio features of the Sound Blaster AE-9 and AE-7 include:
- 5.1 and 7.1 surround virtualization along with Dolby Digital Live encoding and DTS Connect encoding.
- Xamp headphone amplifier with push-pull design
- All-new Audio Control Module (ACM)
- Display unit for direct and easy volume control
- Headphone selector switch supporting different types of headphone impedance
- Multi-function microphone input port with +48V Phantom power
- Built-in amplifier
- Newly (user-friendly) designed Sound Blaster Command software
Creative also had this to share with their consumers per its press release:
As a gesture of appreciation for their support over the last 30 years, Creative is offering an exclusive promotion to its fans – the opportunity to upgrade from their old sound cards with an attractive 15% discount off the latest Sound Blaster products. This promotion will be valid for all upcoming Sound Blaster products launched between now and the end of the year. For more information, visit creative.com/upgrade.
For more information, visit the product pages for the Sound Blaster AE-9 and the Sound Blaster AE-7.
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