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Best Sound Cards for Gaming 2024

Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Hi-Resolution PCIe Gaming Sound Card

Creative 70SB174000000 Sound...
  • Product Type:Camcorder
  • The Sound Blasterx Ae-5 Is A Sabre32 Ultra Class Pcie Dac Which Is Perfect For Hi-Resolution Audio For...
  • The Ae-5 Has Customizable Rgb Leds On Its Body, And Also Features An Included Rgb Led Strip.

Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 not only delivers high-resolution sound with the best quality in its class, it’s also the best sound card on our list. That’s right, this baby is loaded with RGB LEDs that flash and glow inside your PC case. Also, the overall appearance is a perfect match for the BlasterX Acoustic Engine software for vivid sound and use. As for use in games? Destroy the competition with Scout 2.0, which lets you hear your enemies long before they hear you!

For fans of PC games, there is no need to introduce Sound Blaster. For years, they have been the king of sound cards. They even tested some good USB sound cards. So how does the Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Pure Edition compare to its reputation? In many ways, good enough. For starters, you get a higher bit depth, with 32 bits at 384 kHz. Combined with a signal-to-noise ratio of 122dB, you get virtually zero distortion. This remains true even when you have turned the volume all the way up.

Located near the top of Creative’s sound card food chain, this is a best external sound card. It is coated with aluminum to minimize interference and equipped with RGB lighting to give it a stylish look in case your PC case has a glass display port. But it is not just a question of aesthetics; Under the hood, the board is built on top of the ES9038PRO SABER DAC, one of the best DACs money can buy today. Supports 8 channels of 32-bit 384 kHz audio playback with 120 dB (0.0001%) of total harmonic distortion. It also has two independent op-amps (which can be user-replaced, for that matter) to independently control the left and right channels. Perhaps the most frustrating disappointment here is that it requires a 6-pin Molex cable for power, so make sure your PC has a free power cable before choosing to upgrade to this one. .

Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 comes with a custom designed discrete headphone amplifier: Xamp. This means that all audio channels are individually amplified and this results in crisp, clear sound that also reaches each earphone. Customers who love bright lights will appreciate its responsive Aurora lighting system. Include up to 16.8 million colors in different patterns with free downloadable Sound Blaster Connect software for PC. Additionally, the AE-5 is equipped with a PCIe SABRE32 Ultra Class DAC, making it a perfect sound card for HR audio.

ASUS Sound Card Essence STX II

ASUS Sound Card Essence STX II
  • Keeping the audiophile spirit and philosophy alive
  • Legendary audio quality that just got better
  • Ultra-low jitter

The ASUS Essence STX II is a great high-end sound card. Together with high-end headphones or hi-fi speakers, the card shines in every way. Wide and crystal clear soundstage and well balanced sound. It can compete with amps that cost ten times the price, which is a safe recommendation for anyone who uses audiophile gear and wants a quality sound card to match their setup.

The ASUS Essence STX II has been running since 2014, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. This 7.1 channel sound card is near the top of the heap when it comes to features and specifications. It offers a formidable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 124dB, compared to an average of just 88dB for most car audio chipsets; that’s the background noise you’ll notice right away during A / B testing.

ASUS offers interchangeable op-amps and offers two versions next to the board. The bundle includes LME49720 and MUSES8820 and they both sound great. You can install your favorite op amp as the card comes with an op amp swap kit. The STX II works very well with IEMs because its low gain setting is ideal even for super efficient IEMs. On the gaming side, the card sounds good, but keep in mind that this is an audiophile card for music lovers. Overall, this is a great card for anyone looking for an exceptional sound card that can deliver a great listening experience in high-end setups.

The op-amps on this card are completely interchangeable. You get three interchangeable op amps on the main board as well as nine additional op amps on the daughter board delivering 7.1 channel surround sound. This gives you complete freedom to design the audio experience the way you want. It’s true that audiophiles like to replace op-amps to fine-tune the sound, and ASUS is really looking into that by including a swap kit with three additional op-amps, two Texas Instruments LME49720 and a MUSES 8820, and a tuning tool. making it easy to remove the microchips from the op amp. Some people may be a bit obsessed with customizing their op amps, but if you start with quality amps that are properly tuned (and ASUS includes high-quality op amps, of course, swapping them out doesn’t necessarily lead to better audio, but it’s nice to have that option.

If you’re ready to invest in the best internal PCIe sound card on the market, look no further than the Essence STX II, widely known as the first internal solution. This is not cheap and is not recommended for gaming only, as there is little reason to invest as much in sound as a player, but if you are not just gaming, but also to perform some kind of professional audio playback, details matter, this it’s the best you’ll get out of a PCIe card.

EVGA Nu Audio Card

EVGA Nu Audio Card,...
  • Audio-grade components deliver lifelike Audio
  • Native DSD Audio support (up to x256)
  • Engineered by EVGA and audio Note (UK), Ltd.

The EVGA Nu audio card is a sound card for high-end audio equipment for 7.1 surround sound audio quality. If you’re using a consumer gaming headset or gaming speakers, you don’t need this one. This card is for those who are looking for the best listening experience and have audiophile grade equipment to pair with the card. Remember that this card works best with stereo hi-fi equipment. If you have the big guns, this card delivers. Expect an extremely wide soundstage and crystal clear sound. Vivid sound with excellent dynamic range. For all RGB fans, we have good news. The card comes with RGB support!

The EVGA Nu Audio could be the last sound card on the market. Most of the competition came on the scene several years ago, this is a true 2022 anniversary product. It was designed in partnership with premium audiophile company Audio Note and has some of the highest quality audio components – and the best overall specs – of any sound card on the market. Powered by the XMOS xCORE-200 Audio DSP and packed with an AKM AK4493 DAC, it also has an ADI OP275 op-amp for headphone output and an ADIO AD8056 op-amp for on-board line output. The entire board is encased in a beautiful aluminum casing, which helps eliminate wireless interference. In general, the system has an SNR of 123 dB. It can accommodate headphones ranging from 16 to 600 ohms. You get 32-bit / 192 kHz playback in 7.1 channels or up to 384 kHz in stereo. Bottom line: these specs are hard to beat. It’s nice too – the card has RGB lighting on board.

The EVGA Nu audio card is a dedicated 2-channel PCIe sound card with a high fidelity pedigree. I mean, it’s a stereo (horror) soundcard designed for audiophiles, which is pretty rare these days. So if you like music, keep in mind that the EVGA Nu comes with high-end components, things like DAC: AKM AK4493, ADC: AKM AK5572, OP-AMP (headphones): ADI OP275, OP-AMP (output of line): ADI AD8056, Capacitors: WIMA, Audio Note (UK), Nichicon, etc., and on top of that it offers native DSD support (up to x256) and Audio DSP: XMOS xCORE-200. If you have the basics of audiophile grade stuff, you’ve already sold. Otherwise, all you need to know is that the EVGA Nu audio card is built in cooperation with a brand (Audio Note) that specializes in Hi-Fi equipment such as integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, speakers. speakers, CD players and DACs. So if you’re looking for audiophile grade gear for your FLAC collection (and you also own above average headphones / speakers) look no further because you just met your partner.

Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card

Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming...
  • Includes an external high quality dual-microphone array standard with card. Supported operating systems:...
  • Features Sound Core3D Audio Processor for accelerating advanced audio and voice technologies
  • SBX Pro Studio sound technologies create unprecedented levels of audio realism including stunning 3D...

Creative Sound Blaster Z is a cute sound card that won’t break the bank. It has solid audio output and should work well with quality gaming headsets. It includes cool features like virtual surround sound streaming through stereo headphones, which delivers solid results and should dramatically improve your gaming or movie viewing experience. The volume mixer has a large number of controls to set different volume levels the way you want. As for the clarity of the sound, it is quite good. It is not comparable to high-end sound cards, but is ideal for mid-range speakers and headphones. If you are using high-end audiophile equipment, you should avoid this card.

Sonic Blaster Z is one of the most popular sound cards on the market. Much of this is due to the Sound Core 3D processor and Crystal Voice technology that provides unmatched depth in and out of the game. As for the quality itself? A 116 dB SNR combined with a gold-plated I / O panel ensures amazing quality. And for just under $ 100, that’s a bargain too! This internal sound card is designed with a Sound Core3D audio processor. With SBX Pro Studio sound technology, it provides 3D surround effects for speakers and headphones. Plus, it comes with a 116dB SNR that takes audio quality to the next higher level. There is also the CrystalVoice technology responsible for improving the sound. Thanks to it, you will not feel any external echo or noise. The Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe is equipped with high-end capacitors, as well as gold I / O and Stereo Direct connectivity. Such a combination guarantees crystal clear sound with a frequency of 24 bits at 192 kHz. Please note that this sound card is compatible with operating systems such as Windows 7/8/10.

The standard “Z” model comes with a dual beamforming microphone that is of decent quality, and there is also a “Zx” model that comes with an audio control module that has a microphone array, microphone I / O and headband and headband control. No 7.1 support thinking – the Z and Zx only support 5.1. For 7.1 speakers, look elsewhere, like Creative’s Sound Blaster Audiy RX. Also note the card’s remarkable red design, which may clash with your PC’s color scheme if aesthetics are important to you; it also has a red LED lighting that you can’t. disable, so keep that in mind as well.