This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X5 audio interface (DAC, ADC, Mic input) plus DSP and headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and sells direct for US $270.
As you see, the X5 is a good sized box allowing for a large volume control which I appreciated. Overall look is very nice with a number of hard buttons and switches with positive action. Alas, the package is plastic so doesn't weigh like it should. A bit of lead on the bottom would have helped. Back panel is kind of bare:
As you see, the device is powered through its UBC-port (a cable from that to USB-A is provided). Being consumer oriented, there is no balanced input or output. There is a toslink optical input and output. Alas, there is no way to select that on the device itself. I could not get it to do anything with that port until I read on a forum post that said you have to be in DSP mode for it to work! As you see later, this comes with a compromise in performance. A day after testing, I tried to get Toslink to work again but could not. I swear I saw an icon in the control app that no longer appears there.
Speaking of the app, it puts itself in the start up menu which I don't like (but you can disable). It seems to be cleaner and less of a bloated app of the previous Creative products. It is there that you manipulate DSP parameters. I was very interested in the EQ but sadly, it is a graphic, not parametric. This is the default for "music:"
I have no idea why that is a desirable curve. But you can select one of many profiles or make your own using above controls. There is also bass management in the form of delay, level (and I think,) frequency. Not sure how to drive the subwoofer though as there is no extra output for it.
Dual ASIO drivers are provided, one of which is for playback and the other, for recording (took me a while to figure this out as there is no documentation on this, or the above app). The recording sample rate though is set through the app and not through ASIO driver.
It took me two full days to test all of the X5 functionality. I was tired when I got to the microphone input and got frustrated that no matter what I did, I could not get anything to come through there. The only adapter I have for 3.5mm is stereo so maybe that was the issue. So please don't ask for Mic tests.
Creative SoundBlaster X5 DAC Measurements
Let's start with USB input, volume set to max and in direct (non-DSP) mode:
The crystal DAC in there is doing a good job of producing low distortion and noise, landing the X5 squarely in the middle of our "excellent" category:
Switching to DSP mode with either USB or Toslink sharply reduces performance:
I don't know if this is due to headroom allowance or what. 17 dB of noise performance is a lot to lose.
Whether it is true jitter or distortions created by the DSP, performance with Toslink suffers there as well (although USB also has issues):
Multitone shows some strange noise floor modulation:
Just testing dual tones in IMD test we do get good results though:
Linearity was excellent:
Filter performance is generally good but has a spike:
The wideband THD+N measurement vs frequency show much elevated noise+distortion:
We can see the cause by running an FFT using the same bandwidth of 90 kHz:
We have a component spike like our dashboard but near the sampling rate now.
Finally here is our frequency response:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 ADC Measurements
As usual we start with our dashboard:
I was surprised to see the channel mismatch as far as timing. Performance as is (just below clipping) is kind of average:
Frequency response is flat enough:
I am getting inconsistent THD+N vs level compared to IMD+N vs Level:
The former is not great but the latter is.
Wideband THD+N vs frequency shows rising distortion at low levels:
Low level linearity is poor due to mains hum/power supply noise:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 Headphone Amplifier Measurements
With some exception, headphone output on audio interfaces is more of a checklist item than a performant one. I was pleased to see that the X5 lands in the latter for high impedance loads:
The balanced output really helps get more power out with a small noise penalty vs unbalanced:
X5 shuts down though when pushed much with 32 ohm load:
You actually get more power out of unbalanced output:
Noise performance is not great at 50 mv but comes to life at full output:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 Headphone Listening Tests
I started with my everyday Dan Clark Stealth headphone which is a very insensitive headphone with impedance of 32 ohm. I made a mistake of trying to crank up the volume as soon as I plugged it, causing the X5 to produce some nasty static and shut down. This was using the balanced output which as I reported, will do this (due to being self-powered over USB). Keeping levels low produced a decent performance. I then switched to high impedance Sennheiser HD650. Here, the X5 drove it with authority, producing strong bass notes with excellent fidelity even at max volume. This test was also with balanced output.
Conclusions
The X5 is not a direct competitor to many of the products we test. It is more of a PC peripheral with a lot of functionality. Inclusion of DSP makes it more powerful than many of those products as well. I expected lackluster performance but in many cases, the X5 produces very competent performance. I like the use of large volume control and physical switches. There are a few performance and functionality issues that keep the X5 from rising to the top of the heap. What is there though satisfies with both looks, functionality and performance.
I am going to recommend the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X5.
Scout Mode
Home Entertainment
----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome. Click here if you have some audio gear you want me to test.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
As you see, the X5 is a good sized box allowing for a large volume control which I appreciated. Overall look is very nice with a number of hard buttons and switches with positive action. Alas, the package is plastic so doesn't weigh like it should. A bit of lead on the bottom would have helped. Back panel is kind of bare:
As you see, the device is powered through its UBC-port (a cable from that to USB-A is provided). Being consumer oriented, there is no balanced input or output. There is a toslink optical input and output. Alas, there is no way to select that on the device itself. I could not get it to do anything with that port until I read on a forum post that said you have to be in DSP mode for it to work! As you see later, this comes with a compromise in performance. A day after testing, I tried to get Toslink to work again but could not. I swear I saw an icon in the control app that no longer appears there.
Speaking of the app, it puts itself in the start up menu which I don't like (but you can disable). It seems to be cleaner and less of a bloated app of the previous Creative products. It is there that you manipulate DSP parameters. I was very interested in the EQ but sadly, it is a graphic, not parametric. This is the default for "music:"
I have no idea why that is a desirable curve. But you can select one of many profiles or make your own using above controls. There is also bass management in the form of delay, level (and I think,) frequency. Not sure how to drive the subwoofer though as there is no extra output for it.
Dual ASIO drivers are provided, one of which is for playback and the other, for recording (took me a while to figure this out as there is no documentation on this, or the above app). The recording sample rate though is set through the app and not through ASIO driver.
It took me two full days to test all of the X5 functionality. I was tired when I got to the microphone input and got frustrated that no matter what I did, I could not get anything to come through there. The only adapter I have for 3.5mm is stereo so maybe that was the issue. So please don't ask for Mic tests.
Creative SoundBlaster X5 DAC Measurements
Let's start with USB input, volume set to max and in direct (non-DSP) mode:
The crystal DAC in there is doing a good job of producing low distortion and noise, landing the X5 squarely in the middle of our "excellent" category:
Switching to DSP mode with either USB or Toslink sharply reduces performance:
I don't know if this is due to headroom allowance or what. 17 dB of noise performance is a lot to lose.
Whether it is true jitter or distortions created by the DSP, performance with Toslink suffers there as well (although USB also has issues):
Multitone shows some strange noise floor modulation:
Just testing dual tones in IMD test we do get good results though:
Linearity was excellent:
Filter performance is generally good but has a spike:
The wideband THD+N measurement vs frequency show much elevated noise+distortion:
We can see the cause by running an FFT using the same bandwidth of 90 kHz:
We have a component spike like our dashboard but near the sampling rate now.
Finally here is our frequency response:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 ADC Measurements
As usual we start with our dashboard:
I was surprised to see the channel mismatch as far as timing. Performance as is (just below clipping) is kind of average:
Frequency response is flat enough:
I am getting inconsistent THD+N vs level compared to IMD+N vs Level:
The former is not great but the latter is.
Wideband THD+N vs frequency shows rising distortion at low levels:
Low level linearity is poor due to mains hum/power supply noise:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 Headphone Amplifier Measurements
With some exception, headphone output on audio interfaces is more of a checklist item than a performant one. I was pleased to see that the X5 lands in the latter for high impedance loads:
The balanced output really helps get more power out with a small noise penalty vs unbalanced:
X5 shuts down though when pushed much with 32 ohm load:
You actually get more power out of unbalanced output:
Noise performance is not great at 50 mv but comes to life at full output:
Creative Sound Blaster X5 Headphone Listening Tests
I started with my everyday Dan Clark Stealth headphone which is a very insensitive headphone with impedance of 32 ohm. I made a mistake of trying to crank up the volume as soon as I plugged it, causing the X5 to produce some nasty static and shut down. This was using the balanced output which as I reported, will do this (due to being self-powered over USB). Keeping levels low produced a decent performance. I then switched to high impedance Sennheiser HD650. Here, the X5 drove it with authority, producing strong bass notes with excellent fidelity even at max volume. This test was also with balanced output.
Conclusions
The X5 is not a direct competitor to many of the products we test. It is more of a PC peripheral with a lot of functionality. Inclusion of DSP makes it more powerful than many of those products as well. I expected lackluster performance but in many cases, the X5 produces very competent performance. I like the use of large volume control and physical switches. There are a few performance and functionality issues that keep the X5 from rising to the top of the heap. What is there though satisfies with both looks, functionality and performance.
I am going to recommend the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X5.
SPECIFICATIONS: (Copied from Manufacturer’s Website)
Headphone Output Power (Unbalanced)
0.98 Vrms (60 mW) @ 16Ω, 1.47 Vrms (65 mW) @ 33Ω, 4.11 Vrms (112 mW) @ 150Ω, 4.14 Vrms (52 mW) @ 330Ω, 4.15 Vrms (29 mW) @ 600ΩHeadphone Output Power (Balanced)
1.18 Vrms (86 mW) @ 16Ω, 1.90 Vrms (109 mW) @ 33Ω, 5.86 Vrms (313 mW) @ 150Ω, 8.25 Vrms (206 mW) @ 330Ω, 8.28 Vrms (114 mW) @ 600ΩRemote Control (BLE)
Android devices, iOS devicesHeadphone Amp
16–600ΩDynamic Range (DNR)
130 dBAudio Technology
Sound Blaster Acoustic EngineConnectivity Options (Main)
1 x TOSLINK Optical In, 1 x TOSLINK Optical Out, 1 x RCA Line-in, 1 x RCA Line-out, 1 x 3.5 mm Headphones-out (Unbalanced), 1 x 4.4 mm Headphones-out (Balanced), 1 x 3.5 mm Mic-in, 1 x USB-C port of PC/Mac/PS4/PS5, 1 x USB-A Host Audio-out portHeadphone Amp
16–600ΩMax Channel Output
StereoAudio Technologies
CrystalVoiceScout Mode
Supported Operating Systems
Mac OS X v10.5 and above, Windows® 10 Ver 1703, Windows® 11DAC
2 x Cirrus Logic CS43198 high-resolution DAC, PCM 32-bit / 384 kHz playback, DoP 64, 128 support, DSD 64, 128, 256 support, THD: -115 dB, DNR: 130 dBADC
DNR: 114 dB, THD+N: -105 dBPower
USB-CRecommended Usage
GamingHome Entertainment
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows- Intel® Core™i3 or AMD® equivalent processor
- Microsoft® Windows 11, 10 32 / 64-bit Ver 1703 or later
- > 4 GB RAM
- > 4 GB of free hard disk space
- Available USB 2.0 / 3.0 port
- Macintosh running macOS 10.15 or later
- > 4 GB RAM
- > 4 GB of free hard disk space
- Available USB 2.0 / 3.0 port
- Firmware Ver 5.0 or later
- Available USB port
- Firmware Ver 20.02-2.26.00.00-00.00.00.0.1 or later
- Available USB port
- Android OS Ver 8.0 or later
- iOS Ver 12.0 or later
- Built-in Bluetooth Low Energy support
PACKAGE CONTENTS
- 1 x Sound Blaster X5
- 1 x USB-C to USB-A Cable (1.5m / 4.9 ft)
- 1 x Optical Cable (1.5m / 4.9 ft)
- 1 x 3.5 mm to RCA Stereo Cable (2m / 6.6 ft)
- 1 x Quick Start Guide
- 1 x Warranty and Compliance Leaflet
WARRANTY
1-year Limited Hardware Warranty
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome. Click here if you have some audio gear you want me to test.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
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