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Creative Sound Blaster E5 USB DAC/Amp Combo
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Creative Sound Blaster E5 USB DAC/Amp Combo
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Product Description
The Sound Blaster E5 comes from Creative Labs, a Singapore company that’s been on the leading edge of digital audio since 1981. Dubbed by TechHive “a Jack of all trades, with nary a significant compromise,” it bundles a 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution USB DAC, best-in-class headphone amplifier, USB device, and more into a portable, battery-powered package that can fit in the palm of your hand Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downGhost_Pack
71
Feb 7, 2017
A few notes for people looking to use this as an audiophile DAC/Amp
1. The amplifier stage is crap for the price. It’s noisy enough to be noticeable with moderate to high sensitivity headphones and it produces varying amounts of distortion depending on the settings, but distortion is definitely high enough to be noticeable.
2. DAC section is actually very good but do note that the line out is not fixed and can output more than the 1-2V rms that most consumer and audiophile devices expect as a line input (i.e. be careful of clipping).
3. The DSP and crap ton of inputs are super useful for people who often work with multiple inputs and outputs. I actually work as a sound engineer and use this guy as a pocket mixer and test bench. However, it takes quite a while to get used to all the idiosyncrasies and nuances of this device.
4. The Software. Holy crap the software… It’s terrible. Highly confusing, prone to screwing up inputs and outputs and distorting signals without you noticing. Very difficult to save and recall settings, and it can change settings depending on what you’re plugged in to (or if you’re using it stand alone) which gets quite confusing. I find myself reseting to factory default quite often, usually to fix distortion coming from some random setting I forgot. However, the settings are SUPER comprehensive and allow you to manipulate the I/O in almost any way you can imagine, once you get used to using them.
5. THD+noise measurements of this device can change dramatically based on the settings of the software, strength of the I/O, battery charge, whether it’s plugged in or not, temperature, weather, orientation, alignments of the stars, how many human sacrifices you preformed earlier that day, and any other form of voodoo magic. Factory default settings get you fairly close to optimal measurements however. just be careful when managing the mixer settings.
6. Effects are meh. EQ is half decent, but is far from linear (I can do much better with a decent software plugin). Surround sound is good, but adds distortion. Any other sound output effects are garbage.
7. Bluetooth connectivity is a great feature, and is very reliable even at longer distances. I often find myself using this to watch videos on my tablet in the kitchen. It basically allows me to Bluetooth enable any pair of headphones, and is great for general semi-portable home use.
8. As a music professional, this device is a godsend. I can setup simple PA performances entirely using a device I can fit in my pocket and take anywhere. The inbuilt mixer can take inputs from the analog/mic/optical input and mix them with both the USB and Bluetooth inputs without any external software (all firmware). The USB input can not only function as a way to record or play music but also as a digital interface, allowing me to use additional software effects on my computer. Possibly the best feature is the ability to change any firmware settings over bluetooth, allowing me to mix inputs on the fly from anywhere on the stage, even while the E5 is buried in a rats nest of stage cables and equipment.
9. Mic input is where this guy really shines. The 3 internal miss sound crystal clear. The noise and echo rejection are wonderful. Built in mic effects work well. External mic and inputs work well (assuming you have a mic preamp) and are easily integrated.
TL;DR
-If you’re a gamer who does streaming and is looking for an all in one solution, this is an AMAZING value for your money.
-If you’re a musician or audio professional who’s willing to learn a somewhat confusing interface, this will surprise and reward you with a great multi-purpose tool.
-If you’re an audiophile looking for a portable DAC/Amp, this is ok, but not the best value.
-If you’re an audiophile looking for an all in one desktop setup, look elsewhere.
1. The amplifier stage is crap for the price. It’s noisy enough to be noticeable with moderate to high sensitivity headphones and it produces varying amounts of distortion depending on the settings, but distortion is definitely high enough to be noticeable.
2. DAC section is actually very good but do note that the line out is not fixed and can output more than the 1-2V rms that most consumer and audiophile devices expect as a line input (i.e. be careful of clipping).
3. The DSP and crap ton of inputs are super useful for people who often work with multiple inputs and outputs. I actually work as a sound engineer and use this guy as a pocket mixer and test bench. However, it takes quite a while to get used to all the idiosyncrasies and nuances of this device.
4. The Software. Holy crap the software… It’s terrible. Highly confusing, prone to screwing up inputs and outputs and distorting signals without you noticing. Very difficult to save and recall settings, and it can change settings depending on what you’re plugged in to (or if you’re using it stand alone) which gets quite confusing. I find myself reseting to factory default quite often, usually to fix distortion coming from some random setting I forgot. However, the settings are SUPER comprehensive and allow you to manipulate the I/O in almost any way you can imagine, once you get used to using them.
5. THD+noise measurements of this device can change dramatically based on the settings of the software, strength of the I/O, battery charge, whether it’s plugged in or not, temperature, weather, orientation, alignments of the stars, how many human sacrifices you preformed earlier that day, and any other form of voodoo magic. Factory default settings get you fairly close to optimal measurements however. just be careful when managing the mixer settings.
6. Effects are meh. EQ is half decent, but is far from linear (I can do much better with a decent software plugin). Surround sound is good, but adds distortion. Any other sound output effects are garbage.
7. Bluetooth connectivity is a great feature, and is very reliable even at longer distances. I often find myself using this to watch videos on my tablet in the kitchen. It basically allows me to Bluetooth enable any pair of headphones, and is great for general semi-portable home use.
8. As a music professional, this device is a godsend. I can setup simple PA performances entirely using a device I can fit in my pocket and take anywhere. The inbuilt mixer can take inputs from the analog/mic/optical input and mix them with both the USB and Bluetooth inputs without any external software (all firmware). The USB input can not only function as a way to record or play music but also as a digital interface, allowing me to use additional software effects on my computer. Possibly the best feature is the ability to change any firmware settings over bluetooth, allowing me to mix inputs on the fly from anywhere on the stage, even while the E5 is buried in a rats nest of stage cables and equipment.
9. Mic input is where this guy really shines. The 3 internal miss sound crystal clear. The noise and echo rejection are wonderful. Built in mic effects work well. External mic and inputs work well (assuming you have a mic preamp) and are easily integrated.
TL;DR
-If you’re a gamer who does streaming and is looking for an all in one solution, this is an AMAZING value for your money.
-If you’re a musician or audio professional who’s willing to learn a somewhat confusing interface, this will surprise and reward you with a great multi-purpose tool.
-If you’re an audiophile looking for a portable DAC/Amp, this is ok, but not the best value.
-If you’re an audiophile looking for an all in one desktop setup, look elsewhere.
Soko
224
May 7, 2017
Ghost_PackHey I want to use an amp with my reloop sh-1 headphones and dj controller by reloop mixon 4. What should I do?
NiToNi
0
May 10, 2017
+1 on that! I just hit the "Follow" button and looking forward to reading more of your most valuable and no-nonsense "non-reviewer" opinions ;)
thomwithah
47
Jun 15, 2015
I bought this a couple weeks ago from Amazon. They are able to drive the AKGK7XX even on the low gain setting. If it gets to the $150 mark I'd say it's a good buy. Nothing else at that price point offers the same feature set, or close.
SQ wise there may be better options at the MSRP. That said, SQ isn't bad, it just may not be the best. I'd guess most people would be surprised by how capable the E5 actually is in terms of SQ. I didn't expect much, so maybe I was more easily impressed. With some IEMs there is a slight but noticeable hiss at higher volumes. These volumes (with hiss in ultra sensitive IEMs) are generally louder than I like personally, anyhow. The E5 is really quite good at streaming audio via Bluetooth if your media device supports Apt X. Honestly it's the best SQ for portable audio over Bluetooth that I've experienced. When on the go I really don't need better SQ than it offers. Sure, I always want the best possible SQ, but the situations where I use the E5 aren't those situations where the a SQ bump is even so easily perceived, by me.
The E5 is fairly well supported by creative with new software/firmware updates fairly regularly. The Windows 10 Support is expected by the middle of July. Sometime these even bring new capabilities such as bring the recently added Scout Mode ability that was already offered on the lower tier E series devices. Creative also made changes which now allow users a choice in whether or not the E5 will charge connected devices when connected. Many people didn't like that the E5's run time was shortened because it was always charging their phones, so, Creative changed it and offered the choice. That impressed me. It has some OK things for games like this Scout Mode and nice things when it comes to microphone capabilities. If like me you thought about using this in combination with a Mix-amp on a game console, it possible, but not as cleanly as I would have liked. It takes a mix of cables, and things like size and weight make the E1/ E3 or other completely different amp a better choice for that specific use.
There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding it's ability to process Dolby and other surround signals. Without getting into that to much it's safe to say both that Creative is proud of what they have done, and some people want more than that. Namely they'd like to see Dolby Headphone support, which it doesn't have. There are rumors that this might happen in the future, but I think that's unlikely. At least, with the current hardware it seems true surround processing wouldn't be implemented. With 24-bit 96 kHz PCM support it can allow most signals to pass through, so to speak.
It's bigger than you might think and much bigger than the E3. It's pretty thick too. I don't consider it heavy. The overall impression of quality is OK for the price, save one thing. The soft rubber on the bottom of my unit has become discolored under the microphone mount. This happened in a VERY short amount of time. I would guess less than 4 hours of actual use, and 3 days of ownership. I contacted Creative support and was told “We have received an update from our product team and we need to inform you that this is a normal behavior for rubber surfaces. The rubber surface exposed to the environment will have different tone mark compared to the rubber surface which was not expose to the environment. This is the normal characteristics of rubber surfaces. Try using a rubber cleaner to clear the different tone mark.” I don't think it's “normal” and have requested that the case be escalated. The said they'd look into it more but it's been a slow process. So much so that I contacted Amazon.com and asked them if it would be possible to extend my refund period while I wait for a resolution from the manufacture. As they have always been for me, Amazon was great and agreed to extended my return period by 1 month. Attached is a pic I first sent creative if you'd like to see what I'm talking about.
Still, for $150 or even $179 and the capabilities of the device including the SQ with Bluetooth I'd recommend it. At $200, I'm not quite as confident. I'm actually very curious if others have seen the rubber discoloration issue as I have. I haven't seen anyone else report it. If I was confident it wasn't a common issue, it would be much easier to recommend the E5 at MSRP. Again, before someone decides to come here and bash me for using SQ and Bluetooth together, let me just reiterate that it's acceptable, to me. The convenience of a wireless connection between my player (phone) and the E5 is worth the drawbacks in SQ while I'm on the move. I like to use it while downhill long-boarding. I can have the E5 closer to the outside of my pack, and my phone more well protected in case something goes wrong... Also, if the day goes long I can use it to top up the battery of my phone. I guess, all in all, for me, it's not the best at anything other than portable wireless SQ, on the go, for comparatively cheap.
SQ wise there may be better options at the MSRP. That said, SQ isn't bad, it just may not be the best. I'd guess most people would be surprised by how capable the E5 actually is in terms of SQ. I didn't expect much, so maybe I was more easily impressed. With some IEMs there is a slight but noticeable hiss at higher volumes. These volumes (with hiss in ultra sensitive IEMs) are generally louder than I like personally, anyhow. The E5 is really quite good at streaming audio via Bluetooth if your media device supports Apt X. Honestly it's the best SQ for portable audio over Bluetooth that I've experienced. When on the go I really don't need better SQ than it offers. Sure, I always want the best possible SQ, but the situations where I use the E5 aren't those situations where the a SQ bump is even so easily perceived, by me.
The E5 is fairly well supported by creative with new software/firmware updates fairly regularly. The Windows 10 Support is expected by the middle of July. Sometime these even bring new capabilities such as bring the recently added Scout Mode ability that was already offered on the lower tier E series devices. Creative also made changes which now allow users a choice in whether or not the E5 will charge connected devices when connected. Many people didn't like that the E5's run time was shortened because it was always charging their phones, so, Creative changed it and offered the choice. That impressed me. It has some OK things for games like this Scout Mode and nice things when it comes to microphone capabilities. If like me you thought about using this in combination with a Mix-amp on a game console, it possible, but not as cleanly as I would have liked. It takes a mix of cables, and things like size and weight make the E1/ E3 or other completely different amp a better choice for that specific use.
There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding it's ability to process Dolby and other surround signals. Without getting into that to much it's safe to say both that Creative is proud of what they have done, and some people want more than that. Namely they'd like to see Dolby Headphone support, which it doesn't have. There are rumors that this might happen in the future, but I think that's unlikely. At least, with the current hardware it seems true surround processing wouldn't be implemented. With 24-bit 96 kHz PCM support it can allow most signals to pass through, so to speak.
It's bigger than you might think and much bigger than the E3. It's pretty thick too. I don't consider it heavy. The overall impression of quality is OK for the price, save one thing. The soft rubber on the bottom of my unit has become discolored under the microphone mount. This happened in a VERY short amount of time. I would guess less than 4 hours of actual use, and 3 days of ownership. I contacted Creative support and was told “We have received an update from our product team and we need to inform you that this is a normal behavior for rubber surfaces. The rubber surface exposed to the environment will have different tone mark compared to the rubber surface which was not expose to the environment. This is the normal characteristics of rubber surfaces. Try using a rubber cleaner to clear the different tone mark.” I don't think it's “normal” and have requested that the case be escalated. The said they'd look into it more but it's been a slow process. So much so that I contacted Amazon.com and asked them if it would be possible to extend my refund period while I wait for a resolution from the manufacture. As they have always been for me, Amazon was great and agreed to extended my return period by 1 month. Attached is a pic I first sent creative if you'd like to see what I'm talking about.
Still, for $150 or even $179 and the capabilities of the device including the SQ with Bluetooth I'd recommend it. At $200, I'm not quite as confident. I'm actually very curious if others have seen the rubber discoloration issue as I have. I haven't seen anyone else report it. If I was confident it wasn't a common issue, it would be much easier to recommend the E5 at MSRP. Again, before someone decides to come here and bash me for using SQ and Bluetooth together, let me just reiterate that it's acceptable, to me. The convenience of a wireless connection between my player (phone) and the E5 is worth the drawbacks in SQ while I'm on the move. I like to use it while downhill long-boarding. I can have the E5 closer to the outside of my pack, and my phone more well protected in case something goes wrong... Also, if the day goes long I can use it to top up the battery of my phone. I guess, all in all, for me, it's not the best at anything other than portable wireless SQ, on the go, for comparatively cheap.
thomwithah
47
Feb 29, 2016
Yours looks much better than mine did in regards to discoloration of the pad. Creative ended up replacing mine for a new unit internationally although I was only entitled to a US warranty. It took time and was a hassle, buy the did go the extra mile, so to speak. That said, mine was clearly defective. The limited time and mild environment it was exposed to should not have (IMHO) caused the radical change I observed in such a short time. I believe it was heat generated by the device itself and poor matarial quality that caused the discoloration. I do not belive my use (or enviroment) was good reson for the discoloration. I'm guessing Creative didn't either considering it was replaced. I've decided not to use the stand with the replacement unit and it has maintained uniform coloration of the pad. I'd recommend not using the stand to anyone else concerned with possible discoloration.
Evshrug
3775
Community
Feb 29, 2016
thomwithahBy the way, liked your review on the first page of discussion!
Snafu1
14
Aug 15, 2017
Just did a search and the E5 is for sale on Amazon for $166. Not such a great drop, is it?
Darkphoenix
63
Aug 16, 2017
Snafu1I just came out of the 166 on amazon and its a third party seller from japan. Id rather have the manual in english so im trying to cancel and jump on this asap. ive been looking for the e5 for around 150 but 160 will have to do.
sixenligne
10
Oct 30, 2017
I can say the same about your statement. I had this gear and was very disappointed with. Doesn't sound better than the internal dac of my iphone... I had the xduoo too and it was really better (at least for me) with my B&W P5 and my, AKG K701. Now that I have finally bought a High End Headphone (Audeze LCD-XC), I had to go to something more in ad-equation with it but the price is not comparable. Any, on my side, I cannot advise this dac/amp
Bruci3
6
Oct 30, 2017
sixenligneIn the end sound is subjective and if you are happy/satisfied with your set up that is all that matters. Glad you got something you are happy with.
EvilMrMe
1
Oct 31, 2017
I bought one about a year ago and have been using it on my pc. It's has decent quality for music and its awsome for gaming. I love the fact that it's portable and can charge your USB devices while being used. Some of its features are awesome like being able to take phone calls via Bluetooth to my headset and being able to screw with my friends with the voice changer.
However I do have 3 issues with it.
1. In the front you have two headphone 3.5mm outputs and a line in in the back. So if you have a headset with a mic you have to plug into both the front and the back of the unit. For someone who appreciates cable management this looks ugly and makes me want to hide the Unit. I would have preferred both a Line out and line in located in the front. 2. When I leave it plugged into my pc with both the unit and the pc tuned off the battery drains. Idk if it's trying to supply power to my pc or what is going on but it's annoying. 3. This one almost made me return the unit. If you are using a separate mic which plugs into the unit. Good luck. I was unable to figure out how to enable the line-in without the Creative software. Even with the software installed its not intuitive and requires you to play with the settings. The documentation doesnt provide an answer and the unit is set by default to use its built in mic(which is actually pretty good).
As a gaming product I would buy again.
1. In the front you have two headphone 3.5mm outputs and a line in in the back. So if you have a headset with a mic you have to plug into both the front and the back of the unit. For someone who appreciates cable management this looks ugly and makes me want to hide the Unit. I would have preferred both a Line out and line in located in the front. 2. When I leave it plugged into my pc with both the unit and the pc tuned off the battery drains. Idk if it's trying to supply power to my pc or what is going on but it's annoying. 3. This one almost made me return the unit. If you are using a separate mic which plugs into the unit. Good luck. I was unable to figure out how to enable the line-in without the Creative software. Even with the software installed its not intuitive and requires you to play with the settings. The documentation doesnt provide an answer and the unit is set by default to use its built in mic(which is actually pretty good).
As a gaming product I would buy again.
Sukinidachi
21
Oct 31, 2017
EvilMrMeI read somewhere that clicking the power button twice disables charging.
DigitalRonyn
558
Creative Labs
Oct 31, 2017
EvilMrMeEvilMrMe, thanks for the comments and feedback.
As you know we're always looking for ways to improve (like adding virtual surround capability after launch..etc). I'm forwarding the comments here to the design / engineering team. We'll also get a FAQ item up on the microphone issue. I definitely see what you're talking about in regards to it not being clear in the manual. One of the "problems" with making a product that is capable of so many things is making sure all of the items it CAN do are noted correctly. Thanks for the catch on this capability!
As you know we're always looking for ways to improve (like adding virtual surround capability after launch..etc). I'm forwarding the comments here to the design / engineering team. We'll also get a FAQ item up on the microphone issue. I definitely see what you're talking about in regards to it not being clear in the manual. One of the "problems" with making a product that is capable of so many things is making sure all of the items it CAN do are noted correctly. Thanks for the catch on this capability!
AhrimOfNor
16
Jul 23, 2016
Alright, I am not an audiophile. Since I am not an audiophile and do not claim to be, I will be avoiding talk of how the E5 sounds and will instead focus upon the things it does / does not do as a piece of tech in general.
Just got this through the mail after ordering from Amazon (free same day shipping at the same price as MassDrop is pretty handy, not gonna lie) and upgraded from the Fiio E10k (my previous dac/amp combo). I am pairing the E5 and E10k with a pair of Sennheiser HD8s as well as a set of Logitech PC speakers + subwoofer (no model number, sorry).
POSITIVES: I will say that I like the E5's customizability alot especially when coming from the e10k which has none. The included Sound Blaster software packages are very nice and allow you to modify the sound of the music to your liking. The effects of the software are toggleable on the DAC/AMP themselves which makes it pretty handy for modifying the sound on the fly. If you don't use the software you aren't getting the maximum potential out of the E5.
The bluetooth connectivity on the E5 is really nice. Range on it is about 25 feet before the signal gets choppy which is much better than expected and probably much more than I will ever need. The E5 can pair to both Android and iDevices. An additional note on this point is that the E5 also serves as an external battery pack for your phone or tablet by charging the device over usb connection. The ability to take the E5 anywhere and have a high quality DAC/Amp cannot be understated.
DRAWBACKS: Tthe line out port on the back of device is muted if there is a device plugged into one of the two headphone jacks on the front. The means that I cant have both my headphones and speakers plugged into the dac/amp device and only play audio from one of them. This is a feature I got very used to in my Fiio E10k and am sad to see it go. Additionally, I might be missing something but there does not seem to be a way to circumvent the E5 Amp circuit, leading to double-amping from both the E5 and my speaker setup which is non-ideal. Once again, this is something that was present on my E10k and I am sad to see it go. To my knowledge this device only acts as a bluetooth signal reciever and not a signal sender, meaning anyone who has bluetooth headphones might be left high and dry here.
Overall, I think the utility of the E5 makes it much better than the E10k in my eyes. The ability to share tunes with friends through easily changing inputs over bluetooth is pretty handy and its portability only adds to this. The fact that it has a build in battery and doesnt need to rely on USB power is a godsend as well.
EDIT: There appear to be major issues getting the e5 to connect to my tower pc and play audio over usb connection. The e5 works just peachy on my laptop and my sisters laptop. I am still working on potential fixes to the issue but it appears to be software and not hardware related.
Just got this through the mail after ordering from Amazon (free same day shipping at the same price as MassDrop is pretty handy, not gonna lie) and upgraded from the Fiio E10k (my previous dac/amp combo). I am pairing the E5 and E10k with a pair of Sennheiser HD8s as well as a set of Logitech PC speakers + subwoofer (no model number, sorry).
POSITIVES: I will say that I like the E5's customizability alot especially when coming from the e10k which has none. The included Sound Blaster software packages are very nice and allow you to modify the sound of the music to your liking. The effects of the software are toggleable on the DAC/AMP themselves which makes it pretty handy for modifying the sound on the fly. If you don't use the software you aren't getting the maximum potential out of the E5.
The bluetooth connectivity on the E5 is really nice. Range on it is about 25 feet before the signal gets choppy which is much better than expected and probably much more than I will ever need. The E5 can pair to both Android and iDevices. An additional note on this point is that the E5 also serves as an external battery pack for your phone or tablet by charging the device over usb connection. The ability to take the E5 anywhere and have a high quality DAC/Amp cannot be understated.
DRAWBACKS: Tthe line out port on the back of device is muted if there is a device plugged into one of the two headphone jacks on the front. The means that I cant have both my headphones and speakers plugged into the dac/amp device and only play audio from one of them. This is a feature I got very used to in my Fiio E10k and am sad to see it go. Additionally, I might be missing something but there does not seem to be a way to circumvent the E5 Amp circuit, leading to double-amping from both the E5 and my speaker setup which is non-ideal. Once again, this is something that was present on my E10k and I am sad to see it go. To my knowledge this device only acts as a bluetooth signal reciever and not a signal sender, meaning anyone who has bluetooth headphones might be left high and dry here.
Overall, I think the utility of the E5 makes it much better than the E10k in my eyes. The ability to share tunes with friends through easily changing inputs over bluetooth is pretty handy and its portability only adds to this. The fact that it has a build in battery and doesnt need to rely on USB power is a godsend as well.
EDIT: There appear to be major issues getting the e5 to connect to my tower pc and play audio over usb connection. The e5 works just peachy on my laptop and my sisters laptop. I am still working on potential fixes to the issue but it appears to be software and not hardware related.
DarkNalel
44
Feb 4, 2017
I think they've updated the firmware because my computer sees the E5 as either a Stereo or a 7.1 device depending on if I choose Stereo or Surround on the Soundblaster panel,
RidevaDemocritus
360
Feb 6, 2017
DarkNalelI got the firmware updated as well. I use it mostly on my phone at work. I love it. Had it since September and it's a daily use for me.
IPad
7
Feb 7, 2017
Got this amp months ago. Now I'm using this Amp to power my recently arrived AKG 7xx. i think its only decent, I'm still not satisfy with the Akg's quality thou, dunno why my Skull candy Grind has a better bass comparing to it. Had the sound blaster firmware set to high gain, surround sound 100%, crystallize 40%, bass 40%. for EDM, Metal, and Pop. any suggestion for a better settings?
TheAnalyst
16
May 7, 2017
IPadHeavy bass is typically not considered an audiophile sound. Those AKG 7xx are high quality headphones and reproduce sound accurately, whereas the skullcandies are consumer garbage directed at inner-city millennials.
MrOlinad
32
Aug 16, 2017
IPad1)
On SBX Pro Studio
Turn off Surround
Crystalizer 25%
Bass 35% / 90hz Crossover
Turn off Smart Volume
Turn off Dialog Plus
Turn off Crystal Voice
Turn off Scout Mode
Turn off Equalizer
Set Headphone Speakers to Headphone (Stereo)
2) Do you have Lossless files? If you will use foobar2000, try to set Playback->Output->Device as WASAPI (event) -> Your DAC name Play it and try to feel if there is any difference. Important: While playing trough foobar2000 in WASAPI (event) mode your E5 will not be able to be used by any other software.
3) If you think it's not good yet, go to https://www.hdtracks.com/ and choose some random tracks you had never listened to.
4) If you are not satisfied yet, close the foobar and turn on Direct Mode on SBX Pro Studio under Speaker/Headphones tab and retry steps 2 and 3.
If after that you are still not satisfied so you have a problem and will have to trade something. I recommend you to try the E5 paired with a Fidelio X2/27 before you think the AMP/DAC is the problem.
Good luck
2) Do you have Lossless files? If you will use foobar2000, try to set Playback->Output->Device as WASAPI (event) -> Your DAC name Play it and try to feel if there is any difference. Important: While playing trough foobar2000 in WASAPI (event) mode your E5 will not be able to be used by any other software.
3) If you think it's not good yet, go to https://www.hdtracks.com/ and choose some random tracks you had never listened to.
4) If you are not satisfied yet, close the foobar and turn on Direct Mode on SBX Pro Studio under Speaker/Headphones tab and retry steps 2 and 3.
If after that you are still not satisfied so you have a problem and will have to trade something. I recommend you to try the E5 paired with a Fidelio X2/27 before you think the AMP/DAC is the problem.
Good luck
DarkNalel
44
Feb 4, 2017
I upgraded from an E1, and the extra features are great.
When I purchased it I sort of did so to future-proof my self. I knew I'd be getting more and more headphones over the next few years, but I didn't want to buy some huge desk setup to drive them. As has been said before, this is the Swiss Army Knife of the Amp world.
It sounds amazing. Maybe slightly warm (which is better than sibalent in my book), but otherwise flat.
Some things that won me over are a 10-band EQ, mic on the unit itself, bluetooth, Volume Normalizer, functions as external battery in a pinch, and true surround decoding as of firmware update. Crystalizer and Bass can sometimes be fun for low quality and movies respectively. The sound blaster panel works on my computer and on my phone which is cool.
I struggled a bit between the G5 and E5, and am glad I went with the E5 now that they updated to give real virtual surround decoding (5.1 signal -> magic -> 2 channel headphones surround) rather than just stereo to "stereo sounding more surroundy" (2.1 signal -> guess what sounds should be surround -> 2 channel headphones "surround").
I did a fair amount of research to figure out what chips were in the E1, E3, and E5 before purchasing, here they are: DAC Amp SNR E1 TI PCM5121? Maxim MAX97220 106 dB E3 TI PCM5122 MAX97220 112 dB E5 Cirrus Logic CS4398 TI6120A2 120 dB The G5 has the same chips as the E5
They all output 24 bit, though the E3 can do 96kHz and the E5 can do 192kHz. Why anyone would want this though is beyond me, like maybe two people ever can hear a difference between 44.1 and 96, and no one can hear a difference between 96 and 192. Plus nothing is mastered at this anyway.
One little annoyance is that both of the front jacks are only 3 band 3.5 headphone outputs, where on the E1 one of them was a headphone/mic combo so you could plug in a 4 band headset. The E1 also had an option in the Panel to use the 4 band one as a mic and the other one as the output which was good if you had a headset that terminated in two plugs - with the E5 the mic needs to be plugged into the back. ~~Another annoyance is that if I plug the E5 into my phone and use it via Usb OTG, it continually charges the E5, draining my phone battery. So it's best to use the E5 with my phone via 3.5mm cable or bluetooth.~~ UPDATE: This can be turned off by double tapping the power button.
I struggled a bit between the G5 and E5, and am glad I went with the E5 now that they updated to give real virtual surround decoding (5.1 signal -> magic -> 2 channel headphones surround) rather than just stereo to "stereo sounding more surroundy" (2.1 signal -> guess what sounds should be surround -> 2 channel headphones "surround").
I did a fair amount of research to figure out what chips were in the E1, E3, and E5 before purchasing, here they are: DAC Amp SNR E1 TI PCM5121? Maxim MAX97220 106 dB E3 TI PCM5122 MAX97220 112 dB E5 Cirrus Logic CS4398 TI6120A2 120 dB The G5 has the same chips as the E5
They all output 24 bit, though the E3 can do 96kHz and the E5 can do 192kHz. Why anyone would want this though is beyond me, like maybe two people ever can hear a difference between 44.1 and 96, and no one can hear a difference between 96 and 192. Plus nothing is mastered at this anyway.
One little annoyance is that both of the front jacks are only 3 band 3.5 headphone outputs, where on the E1 one of them was a headphone/mic combo so you could plug in a 4 band headset. The E1 also had an option in the Panel to use the 4 band one as a mic and the other one as the output which was good if you had a headset that terminated in two plugs - with the E5 the mic needs to be plugged into the back. ~~Another annoyance is that if I plug the E5 into my phone and use it via Usb OTG, it continually charges the E5, draining my phone battery. So it's best to use the E5 with my phone via 3.5mm cable or bluetooth.~~ UPDATE: This can be turned off by double tapping the power button.
DarkNalel
44
Feb 7, 2017
I am unsure if the G5 has the Noise Reduction. The E5 has "Noise Reduction" and "Acoustic Echo Cancellation" checkboxes in the CrystalVoice tab. It also has a Mic EQ checkbox with drop down menu of 10 presets which I cannot figure out how to change.
Here's a pdf manual but I can't find any real info in it: http://www.richersounds.com/static/manuals/sbe5.pdf
Brandon123
168
Nov 8, 2016
Why does it cost 21 usd to ship to Singapore if Creative is from singapore...
FireZZ
14
Nov 11, 2016
Brandon123This is only 200sgd in creative store in sg, which works out to 141usd, cheaper than here. why bother?
FireZZ
14
Nov 11, 2016
Brandon123Similarly, emu teak was also on discount at 25% which would've been 750$ sgd. it's also similar in price after shipping but you get it almost instantly.
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