Sound Blaster E5

15 reviews

Dec, 2024

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alaTest has collected and analyzed 15 reviews of Sound Blaster E5. The average rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews.

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Sound Blaster E5 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 85/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 15 reviews)

1 expert reviews

User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 10 of 15 Show Reviews: in English

Expert review by : Stuart Davidson (hardwareheaven.com)

Sound Blaster E5 Review

Motherboard manufacturers have made great strides in recent years with regard to audio quality. Better controllers, better capacitors, shielding, separate PCB areas, amps. It could have significantly impacted Creatives business however they have been...

Starting with the build quality and design of the Sound Blaster E5 we have a device which looks and feels great. There is a little bit of weight to it, which initially is a disappointment, however it actually assists in keeping it stable on any desk we...

Apr, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

A few notes for people looking to use this as an audiophile DAC/Amp

This is less of a review and more of a collection of thoughts I've had after owning the E5 for about a year. I won't go into sound quality in any detail as I don't think it's particularity noteworthy for a device of this caliber. 1. The amplifier stage...

Amazing mic quality and mic effects, Wide variety of I/O, Ability to be used as a wireless mixer

Terrible software, Inconsistent to lackluser performance as headphone amp / source

Feb, 2017

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Music from iPhone: Soundblaster e5 vs HA-2 vs iPure-20 initial impressions

My recent audio hunt has been about getting the best possible sound out of my iPhone 5s (or 3s for 30 pin use). Being very much in the Mac world with all kinds of devices, I'm eager to use my iPhone(s) as transports for music, rather than buy a...

e5 for features, tinkering; Oppo HA-2 for sound quality with Oppo PM-3

HA-2 has no Bluetooth or phone-talk capabilities; Soundblaster e5 without its DSP is sonically congested by comparison to HA-2.

Jun, 2016

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Woefully mis-marketed DAC with questionable amp

The E5 is so close to being a giant killer but it has a few major flaws in my opinion. This is a technically oriented review. I like neutral sound signatures and bit perfect playback. I don't like to EQ. Is this for me? Heck no get away fast. This is a...

SBX makes anything sound great instantly, very configurable. Lots of well implemented features & thoughful design.

Unusable Windows drivers, garbage headphone amp holds back DAC, only enough power for IEMs, DSP is always on to some degree and affects sound

May, 2016

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Swiss Army Knife? Jack of all trades? What else can I say? :)

A big thank you to @LucasCL of creative for organising this review tour and allowing me to take part in it! It's my first ever review for a source, so also another big thank you for not rushing me! Apologies for the delay here. I received the E5 quite...

Versatile. Comes with a huge variety of features, inputs and outputs. No EMI issues.

Can be troublesome to setup at first. Unable to be used as a DAC with my Samsung Note 3 except as a Bluetooth receiver and as an amp only.

Nov, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Jack of all trades.

INTRO:- We all know creative as a brand that makes quality audio products and accessories. Mostly known for their speakers, audio cards and headphones, this time around they have introduced a few portable Headphone Amplifiers, 3 to be precise, E5, E3...

Functions and features.

Battery life, Bulky, can sound better.

Nov, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Creative Sound Blaster E5: So many features, you'll probably never use them all!

EDIT: As of the October 8th, 2015 firmware update, you can now alter all of the SBX settings when connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth. Nice job, Creative! INTRODUCTION Creative is well-known for their sound cards. I remember building a PC when I was...

Good sound. Sturdy build. Feature-rich. SBX apps for computer and smartphone. No CCK required for iPhone. EQ streaming apps.

No indicator on volume knob. SBX settings can't be changed when connected via Bluetooth (NO LONGER VALID). A bit bulky.

Oct, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Sound Blaster E5 to the Rescue!

One device to hook up your headphones to... Basically anything. In the 1980's, there was a Man. So manly was this Man, he could fix or fashion any tool from materials on hand, his name became a verb for finding unusual uses for paper clips, chewing...

All the inputs!!! Solid sound, clever design, app for any PC/Mobile system. Mic works with PS4!

Dolby or DTS decoding missing for full console gaming experience.

Oct, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

Sound Blaster E5: An Ultra-Versatile Portable AMP/DAC

Creative Sound Blaster E5 Review Disclaimer: This is a review unit I received from Creative Technology Ltd. The Creative E5 is a portable DAC/AMP with tons of connectivity. I mainly used the device as a portable device with my iPad Air 2 connected via...

Tons of features, excellent bluetooth, good sound quality, and very versatile

A little on the bulky side for portable use.

Oct, 2015

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Consumer review (head-fi.org)

The Swiss Army Knife of Portable Amps

Back in July, Lucas (@LucasCL) of Creative put out a call on Head-Fi for reviewers for three Sound Blaster products: the Roar 2 portable wireless speaker, the Aurvana In-Ear3 Plus IEM, and the Sound Blaster E5 portable headphone amplifier. I was lucky...

Multi-featured DAC/Amp with power; Bluetooth; direct iDevice Lightning connection (no CCK required); no noticeable EMI issues; dual headphone out jack

A bit bulky; no indication on volume pot of actual volume; Creative Central app has some issues

Oct, 2015

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