r/SoundBlasterOfficial

Need help getting my AE9 working W11

Its all plugged in correctly, and powered, but cant get the audio out of it (and yes, speakers were plugged in the back via the optical port)

Are there drivers i need? As the support site doesnt list any

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u/thatautisticguy — 2 days ago

Jumped to Ubuntu to avoid Win11. SB AE-9 not supported =_(

I submitted a ticket through their customer support page, asking for support for Linux.

Here's how they responded. Looks like this is a "full stop" due to the use of the word "only."

Is there a Creative / SB card that will work with Ubuntu?

>Thank you for contacting Creative Labs.
 
We regret to inform you that the Sound Blaster AE-9 is only supported on Windows.   


If you are using the product outside of the recommended system, we will not be able to provide technical support, as the driver and software are designed specifically for the supported operating systems and system configurations.
 
We seek your kind understanding on this. 
 
If you require further assistance, please reply to this email and we will get back to you.
 
Regards,

>Creative Labs Pte Ltd
Worldwide Customer Response

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u/cm1802 — 2 days ago

If i were to buy one now which one should i go for G6 or a G8

There are many ongoing sales right now i just bought Sennheiser HD 550. which has an impedance of 150 ohms

so i am also planning on buying a DAC.

both g6 and g8 are available the difference between them is 20$

i mostly plan on using this on my PC . playing open world stuff, Remote Work, Listening to music, watch anime etc. I don't play competitive games..

So was wondering which one should i get.

PS i have a Gigabyte B650 Eagle AX motherboard so it has dedicated USB C ports as well.

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u/osiris2711 — 3 days ago

SOUND BLASTERX G6 CLICKING POPPING PROBLEMS NEED HELP ASAP ! ! ! ! !

Title:
Sound BlasterX G6 - Clicking/Popping on sudden sounds, profile changes and after silence (even after new cable)

Post:

Hi everyone,

I'm having persistent clicking and popping issues with my Sound BlasterX G6 and I've tried several things but couldn't fully solve it. I wanted to ask for advice from people who had similar problems.

My Symptoms:

  • Clicking/popping sound when someone starts speaking after a few seconds of silence.
  • Sudden loud sounds (someone shouting) cause a click or pop.
  • Clicking when changing profiles, EQ or SFX in Sound Blaster Command.
  • Small clicking when rapidly changing volume in Spotify and browser (YouTube/Google).
  • Sometimes a physical click comes from the device itself on PC boot, and rarely during settings changes (feels like the device resets).
  • When Smart Volume is enabled, I also hear a small background "dip" sound and sudden volume spikes when someone starts talking.
  • Spotify and browser have more issues, while changing volume inside Sound Blaster Command itself doesn't cause problems.

What I’ve Tried:

  • Replaced the original cable with a new Ugreen braided Micro USB cable.
  • Disabled USB Selective Suspend completely via powercfg commands.
  • Tried different USB ports on the back of the motherboard (both USB 2.0 and 3.0).
  • Switched to Microsoft USB Audio 2.0 driver (had detection issues, G6 disappeared after unplugging/replugging, so I switched back to Creative driver).
  • Turned off most effects in Sound Blaster Command (Smart Volume was on and made sudden sounds much worse).
  • Lowered overall volume level.

Current Situation:

Even after changing the cable and disabling Smart Volume, the clicking still happens (especially on sudden loud sounds and after silence). It improved a bit with the new cable but didn't go away completely.

What I Haven’t Tried Yet:

  • Clean reinstall of Sound Blaster Command + firmware
  • Checking DPC latency with LatencyMon
  • Trying a completely different cable brand
  • Using the Microsoft driver again more carefully (after fixing detection)
  • Checking BIOS USB power settings

Has anyone experienced similar issues with the G6 (clicking on sudden sounds, after silence, or when changing settings)?
What finally worked for you? Any suggestions on what I should try next?

Thanks in advance. btw i think device is not have a problem problem is surround or something , if anyone have a settings pls share with me ,

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u/PermitBasic7689 — 6 days ago

Is there really no way to use AE-9 headphone output without the ACM?

Got a good deal on the card the other day so I finally pulled the plug after so long. I've always wanted this card but just couldn't justify spending on its price tag.

That said, I am barely holding to not just rant on how disappointed I am when I discovered that I have to use the ACM if I want the headphone output. I want AE-9 primarily because I already have AE-5 and want something similar with more connectivity options (primarily just need the Toslink-in slot), I knew that ACM is an option but I didn't realise I literally have to use it if I want to connect both the headphone and speaker for the card.

Is that all there is to it? Do I have to just bite the bullet and content with what I've bought or is there any other way to make this set up work without having to use an external unit?

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u/e22big — 8 days ago

Soundblaster G6/ps5 help... Where do I get their exact optical cable for a replacement?

I had previously been plugging my G6 into my TV via the optical cable, and USB to ps5. The optical cable was thrown out by a family member so ive tried ordering two different replacements from amazon, neither have worked. The newest cable that came today seems to only work as AUX out to Optical In. but I think i need Optical out to AUX in? which i cant find anywhere

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u/IrishJayjay94 — 10 days ago

Aurvana Ace 3 hearing test based Sound Personalization is awesome!

I got the aurvana ace 3 to try xmems and was blown away by the hearing test based sound personalization! It has made the biggest difference in sound quality and has enhanced my music listening experience more than any eq or dsp! It’s unbelievable how songs that I used to listen to when I was younger, like Dark Tranquility Monochromatic Stains that these days sounded faded, washy, like they had been poorly mastered now sound incredibly good with personalization on. I feel like I’m back in my teens listening to Rammstein’s Sehnsucht album for the first time… absolutely amazing.

Also for context, I have taken several iphone airpods pro 2 hearing tests, recently and they always say hearing aid is not required/recommended so I don’t know why creative’s test does find things to improve but the result is astonishing…

So if you are someone that has the same issues and keeps thinking it’s the hardware or the eq/software, it might just be your ears and you may benefit from this sound personalization feature these buds have to offer.

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u/cosmaprc — 11 days ago

Sound card recommendations

Windows 10, Sound Blaster Z. Had this card for 10 years and recently it started randomly mixing up the 5.1 channels while on desktop (usually happens when I'm pulling up the start menu). I fixed it each time by either setting the channels from 5.1 to 2.0 and back to 5.1, then realized simply selecting the playback speakers in the Sound dialog and closing the menu does the same thing. I wrote a script with a hotkey that does it for me automatically each time the channels mix up but I've had enough. Tried cleaning and reinstalling drivers but it keeps coming back, usually just once per boot.

Does Creative produce any sound cards that don't have this issue? From what I've researched, they all have either this problem or other major software issues. I prefer internals but open to external recommendations because I don't know of any internal cards better than the SBZ.

Cheers.

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u/SkyDesigner777 — 14 days ago

SXFI AMP - Why not make these anymore ?

I just got a seriously pre-loved SXFI usb-c amp, the one discontinued in 2021 or so, and it’s amazing! I have other recent usbc hires dongles but this SXFI one makes my AKG K371 come to life like never before! Playing music on Tidal with volume normalization on my Moto edge 60 neo and it’s booming!

I don’t know why Creative discontinued this product couse in the current hifi hires usbc dongle market, especially since DSP dongles are rare even today or costly and usually don’t offer anything as impactful as sxfi.

I think a new version of this one would be very popular especially since it will work with any player app and with any app level DSP including volume normalization which the SXFI mobile app can’t do unless you use a dsp app that attaches to the Android mixer …

I would 1000% buy a new version of this dongle for smartphones today! Anyone else think this is an awesome sounding device even in 2026 ?

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u/cosmaprc — 13 days ago
▲ 5 r/SoundBlasterOfficial+1 crossposts

Soundbars or pebbles?

Okay so I am in need of a new pc speaker and i came across with multiple options such as creative soundblaster gs3 and the creative stage air v2 and also the creative pebble v3 so I was wondering which one could give me the best hearing quality for gaming and watching movies and also listening to music

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u/WSS_OGK — 13 days ago

Basic information needed

My trusty HP computer just died after roughly twenty years. (Windows 7!) I have zero knowledge of computers and I'm hoping for some extremely basic advice. 95% of my computer's use is to play music through my whole-house system via a Sound Blaster SB1040 unit. I've been told that I need a computer with a PCIEX1 port, and also that the SB1040 is not supported by Windows 11. Does that sound correct? Is there a chance that my SB1040 might work with a new computer? And if I must buy a new Sound Blaster, which unit would be best for me? Its all about music for me, and I have zero interest in gaming etc, so I'm hoping for a 'basic' unit. Any ideas? Thanks!

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u/BrilliantAd8707 — 13 days ago

Issues Sound Blaster GC7 / PS5

Good morning,

I have a question for the experts. Of course, I've already done some research, but I haven't really found a clear answer.

After years of using our ASTRO MixAmps, we wanted to try something newer and were excited to purchase two GC7s for our PS5s.

Our setup is as follows:

  • Samsung S95D → PS5 via HDMI
  • Samsung S95D → GC7 via optical cable
  • PS5 → GC7 via USB
  • Headset: Beyerdynamic MMX 300

We also have the same setup with an LG C1 OLED and an Astro A40 headset.

My PS5 audio settings are:

  • Sound Output: Sound Blaster
  • Audio Device Type: AV Receiver
  • Channels: 5.1
  • Output to Headphones: Game/Chat Audio
  • Audio Format: PCM

Both TVs are configured to simply pass through the audio signal.

Issue #1: We can't get sidetone to work properly.

In the app, the sidetone level is set to 55%, but no matter what we adjust, most of the time we can't hear it at all.

Sometimes it briefly works, but then disappears again as soon as we change any settings on the device.

Issue #2: With the Astro headset, the volume is incredibly loud.

The volume knob has to be turned almost all the way down, and in games like Call of Duty we had to reduce the in-game audio to almost zero.

The voice chat quality also doesn't seem particularly good.

Issue #3: With the Beyerdynamic headset, the sound is very weak/flat and there is a slight delay.

When we enable Scout Mode, the sound becomes much closer to what I expected.

However, then I lose the sidetone—or at least it's nothing like what I was used to with the MixAmp.

I understand that there are many settings that can still be adjusted.

But are my basic settings generally correct, or is there something else I should change or optimize? (I´ve read to change the AV-Receiver to HDMI in the PS5 Menu?)

Thank you very much for your help!

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u/Brotbox84 — 12 days ago

Creative Pebble Pro sound with PD

Hello, so I recently got the Pebble Pro and read that connecting to an external PD 30W brick significantly increases the volume and yes it did but it does up when I plug in the charger and gets slightly lower after a second. I also noticed that it's a lot louder when connected to aux to aux to my pc with a C to C going to the PD charger.

​

Does the speaker need to be connected to the AUX to my PC for it to enable the higher volume.

​

Is it better to plug it into aux to pc or usb a?

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u/phantom_kr3 — 14 days ago