The Creative Sound Blaster AE-X is a high-fidelity PCIe sound card featuring an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC, a 130 dB dynamic range, and playback up to 32-bit/384 kHz. Its built-in headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW at 32Ω and supports headphones with an impedance of 8–600Ω. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 support provide bit-perfect playback with low latency.

The card features 7.1 Virtual Surround, Parametric EQ, and Acoustic Engine through the Creative Nexus app. It also includes AutoEQ for tuning supported headphones and 8 preset digital filters.

• Type: PCIe sound card
• DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M
• DAC dynamic range: 130 dB
• DAC THD+N: 0.0001%
• ADC dynamic range: 114 dB
• ADC THD+N: 0.0006%
• Maximum resolution: 32-bit/384 kHz
• DSD playback: Native DSD64, DSD128, and DSD256
• ASIO support: ASIO 2.3
• Surround sound: 7.1 Virtual Surround
• Headphone amplifier: Up to 350 mW at 32Ω
• Supported headphone impedance: 8–600Ω
• Headphone output impedance: 1Ω
• Maximum output voltage: 6 Vrms
• Front headphone output amplifier: 40 mW at 32Ω
• Front headphone output impedance: 10Ω
• Supported front headphone output impedance: 32–300Ω
• Headphone output: 3.5 mm
• Microphone/line input: 3.5 mm
• Analog line outputs: 2 × RCA
• Optical input: TOSLINK SPDIF
• Coaxial output: SPDIF
• Front panel connection: HD Audio
• Audio processing: Parametric EQ and Acoustic Engine
• Headphone tuning: AutoEQ for supported headphones
• Digital filters: 8 preset filters
• App: Creative Nexus
• Operating system compatibility: Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 64-bit
• Dimensions: 179 × 126 × 18 mm
• Weight: 263 g
• Package contents: Sound card, 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to dual TRS headphone splitter cable, quick start guide, compliance and warranty leaflet