CONCLUSION

   As with previous audio cards I used the Sound Blaster AE-9 with two surround sound systems (5.1 Yamaha Amp with Crystal Audio Speakers / 7.1 Yamaha Amp with Tannoy Speakers - optical) and two stereo speaker sets (Harman Kardon Nova / Edifier S1000DB - analog) and even though these are far from the best speakers out in the market they do point out possible differences between cards, quite effectively I might add. So as expected I compared the Sound Blaster AE-9 to the previous X-Fi Titanium HD and ZxR models and the EVGA NU Audio and NU Audio Pro models for a total of 17 days with several movies (Blu-Ray), lossless audio tracks (FLAC) and games (Star Citizen, Forza Horizon 4, Doom Eternal, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Grand Theft Auto V and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey). Just like in the case of the EVGA NU Audio/Pro cards sound quality is very noticeable between the X-Fi Titanium HD and ZxR models and the Sound Blaster AE-9 (in pretty much everything) but when comparing the former with the latter (NU Audio/Pro & Sound Blaster AE-9) things get somewhat complicated. You see in movies and audio all 3 cards (NU Audio/NU Audio Pro/Sound Blaster AE-9) perform roughly the same (with the NU Audio Pro model leading by a very small margin) but when moving to games (especially like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Doom Eternal) the Sound Blaster AE-9 is the clear winner thanks to its incredibly detailed audio, probably because of its several cutting edge gaming enhancements, scout mode included. This is not really a surprise since Creative has been in the business of making gaming oriented cards since the 90’s but that difference didn’t exist with the ZxR so it’s obvious that they put more effort in the development of this model. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier I was surprised to see that the rear top LEDs are neither RGB nor can they be controlled from within the Sound Blaster Command software. Another issue is with the ACM since it’s made out of plastic and feels quite “cheap”. Granted the material used comes second to its features but when you pay such an amount for an audio card you expect more, at least i do. Also, i did reach out to a certain OP-AMP manufacturer since I did want to swap the stock ones out and see what gains one can get by doing so but no reply as of yet (if that changes i will be sure to update the review).

   With a price tag currently set at USD351.54 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 380.82Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Sound Blaster AE-9 by Creative is probably the most expensive gaming audio card in the market today. Because of its price the Sound Blaster AE-9 needs to be perfect in every single thing and honestly, it’s not. It does excel in games and does extremely well in movies and audio but it lacks RGB LEDs (we are in the RGB era after all / I think the AE-5 model does have RGB LEDs), backplate (would improve looks, reduce temperatures and increase durability) and even though the external audio control module can be very useful to some people it lacks the “finesse” I’d expect in terms of build quality. Some people may say that I’m nitpicking and i just might be but remember that this is an audio card that costs the same as a GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card (or a Radeon RX 5700 XT) so i need to (just like i always do with products that carry hefty price tags). This of course doesn’t mean the Sound Blaster AE-9 isn’t worth your money because if you're an audiophile it obviously does (especially if you’re also a gamer), it’s just that i hope Creative puts more weight in all aspects of their next cards. All said and done the Sound Blaster AE-9 is without doubt the best audiophile-grade gaming audio card in the market today and for that it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Premium Audio Components (ESS / Nichicon)
- Excellent Audio Clarity / Detail
- Impressive 3D Positioning Audio
- Swappable OP ΑMPs
- Creative 3D Enhancements
- External Audio Control Module
- 5.1 Analog & Digital Surround Sound Outputs
- Optical Input & Output
- EMS Shielding Shroud
- Sound Blaster Command Software (Available Settings)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- ACM Build Quality
- Lacks RGB LEDs & Backplate