Best 2018 Sound Card

[bsachems]

BlasterX AE5 Pro Gamer or Asus Raid Pro DLX

 

[gamerk316]

Based purely on the spec sheets I can find, the ASUS Raid Pro DLX wins in Signal to Noise Ratio, the Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Pro Gaming wins in Harmonic Distortion and supports a higher playback rate (though I question the availability of 32-bit/384KHz audio).

It's basically a wash between the two as far as specs go; both are at the very top of the food chain.

 

[bsachems]

Thanks

 

[assasin32]

What are you using it for? Headphones vs sound system have different things that are preferred, like an built in amp or external amp for headphones. And than there is the big debate on whether you can even notice any difference going up to 32bit/384khz, actually it goes quite a bit lower where people start arguing on whether theres anything to notice. As far as I can tell the vast majority of the population can't unless they have super hearing and most of the higher audio bit rate and sample depth is more useful for recording.

 

[bsachems]

I use my PC with 5.1 speakers and Bose OE1 headphones to play games, music, and movies. I have a Gigabyte Z97X UD5H mother board with Realtek 1150.
I did buy the BlasterX AE5 Pro Gamer and it sounds great. Better than onboard Realtek. The thing is, when I go online and search for the best sound card in 2018, the AE5 never makes the top 5 or 10. Thanks for your responses.

 

[assasin32]

Sound's far too subjective and sound changes depending on the type of gear you use before it reaches the headphones and quality of the audio your using. Don't worry if your card isn't on the list, as far as I can tell sound cards aren't reviewed too often compared to other things. Were probably part of the happy middle ground if we just stop at using a sound card, the rabbit hole goes down a lot deeper. So lets be honest audiophiles are harder to come by compared to people buying GPU's, and audio cards can be transfered to multiple computers over the years till it no longer works if you want as there isn't a strong incentive to upgrade.

Enjoy your audio setup, forget reviews exist for now.

 

[bsachems]

I watched Star Wars Last Jedi last night on 5.1 Cambridge Soundworks rear and center speakers connected to my old Creative 7.1 7800 powered subwoofer and 2 bookshelf Optimus front speakers. The sound is clear and crisp with floor rumbling bass. Not the ideal setup but way better than the 7.1 7800 kit.
Thank for the input. I will stop looking for reviews. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway, right?