[Eric Koh]

  Kinda weird question to ask since Creative is owned and is headquartered in Singapore.
 
http://sg.creative.com/estore/
 
You can drive, take a bus or take the train and buy at the HQ.

 
They are displayed and available for testing at trade shows, and usually at a discounted price e.g. PC Show a few weeks ago. If you can afford to wait, there should be another trade show in Sept.

 

[Forty6]

You mean bought directly from hq ? There's no creative store in Singapore . Only can be purchased at their online store .

Which HQ creative is now located ?
Thanks

 

[Forty6]

Other than online and pc show , do you know is there other store which where can be purchased direct in store ?

Many thanks

 

[Forty6]

Thank you @ phenic and Eric koh .
Just got the E5 at creative Customer service care .

I like to know , how to check and determine if my E5 has the latest firmware installed ?

I had try pairing the E5 with my android phone and check it at SBX apps , but there's no firmware status shown on SBX apps .

Any other way to check the firmware of my E5 ?

Advise thanks

 

[Eric Koh]

Thank you @ phenic and Eric koh .
Just got the E5 at creative Customer service care .

I like to know , how to check and determine if my E5 has the latest firmware installed ?

I had try pairing the E5 with my android phone and check it at SBX apps , but there's no firmware status shown on SBX apps .

Any other way to check the firmware of my E5 ?

Advise thanks

You'll need to connect this to a PC or Mac to verify the firmware version, firmware can be downloaded from http://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=1&catName=Sound%20Blaster&subCatID=1135&prodID=22019&prodName=Sound%20Blaster%20E5&bTopTwenty=1&VARSET=prodfaqRODFAQ_22019,VARSET=CategoryID:1135 .

 

[Forty6]

Ok noted ! Many thanks Eric koh !

 

[Forty6]

Why is it giving me the message ( unable to gain control of sound blaster E5 ) when I use the supplied usb to connect to my HTC one max phone ?

Any help please ? Thank you

Disregard the above message .
Have found out the reason , the SBX on the E5 unit has to be turned off before using the Sound blaster central apps .

 

[Forty6]

Happy man

 

[RojasTKD]

Anyone who has or is planning to update to a device/phone with the new USB-C port, I can confirm this Micro USB to USB-C cable works, though the shortest length is 3.3 feet (there are probably shortet cables, but I don't know which ones will work):
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UUBRX0Y/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[golfpro]

Just wanna share the listening experience of the E5 which I got to take ownership for the past 11 hrs .

After updating the latest firmware on the E5 on the pc , straight away installing the Sound blaster central apps on my HTC one max and galaxy note 2 .

Both devices are equipped with 4.0 Bluetooth with aptx enabled .
And the IEM to be used is my beloved cheapo $10+USD knowledge zenith KZ ED-10 .

The first device I fired up with the E5 is the one max , but after connecting the one max with the E5 using the supplied red usb cable , for some reason I couldn't get to gain control of the E5 on the Sound blaster central .

Then not for long I found out was , the sbx on the E5 has to be turned off before connecting the usb .

Then strange things happen , there was no sound coming out from the iem ,instead of coming out from the iem , the Sound came out from the boomsound speaker on the phone . I thought that was probably cable faulty or the usb on the phone was faulty .

But as I investigate more into it , I realized the supplied cable and the phone usb port are good . No fault .
I would guess , it's probably some technical gurus at HTC choose to disable the use of the usb port on the phone as a audio output source for other devices .
Maybe for this , it's not only happen on the one max , but the others HTC one series as well ,maybe I may be wrong , but I don't have other HTC device to test it out , so couldn't confirm , but one has to take note of , on the creative E5 features page , none of the HTC devices shown up on the compatible device page .
So for this reason , we could assume that connecting using USB port to the E5 will give you zero audio playback .
But having said that , the USB does work in some ways ,at least the E5 is charging the one max .
For the mini usb port , I never get to test it out , cos I didn't have mini usb to mini usb cable at hand .

So Usb is a no go for the One max , the next option left is Bluetooth , fire up the NFC on the one max to pair up with E5 on the Bluetooth is very straight forward , once it's paired up , it was all good to go .

For a start , I disabled the Equalizer apps , settings on the one max and start playing with the EQ , and all those settings found on the Sound blaster central sbx .
I disabled the surround , the crystalizer , cross over frequency , dialog plus .
I left smart volume enabled to loud .
And fine tune the 6 band equalizer to my liking .

On the mixer , I disabled everything out and choose to left just the speakers and Bluetooth on maximum .

The sound I'm getting from this E5 , one max combination via Bluetooth aptx was very very good and nice on my ears .
Full of bass , thumping bass , unbelievable loud . The louder you go , the more power it goes.

Too bad the one max USB port doesn't work on this E5 , so I couldn't know what the sound is like with the direct connecting of both devices .
So my personal , 8/10 for this combination .

Final thoughts and conclusions . it proof to me that The HTC one is not something which really needs a optional amp to have it power amp it up to have good sounding good music .
All it needs is a Good EQ apps with the right IEM to bundle with it and is good to go , I use ' Equalizer ' with the one max .
And the HTC one max alone in stock without additional amp, is more than enough for a dude Like me .
Unless you are bass head whom wants it much more louder, then this combination definitely won't disappointed you .



The next was the galaxy note 2 , for me this combination was very very satisfying .
Unlike the HTC one max , the USB FIRE it up once you connect it up with the E5 . Totally plug and play . Work flawlessly , perfectly.

I could test the Sound with direct USB and Bluetooth aptx on the combination of the note2 with E5 .

All sound effects , FX , Equalizer are disabled on the note2 .
Sounding are towards warmed on the note2 direct USB with the E5 , the sound blaster central sbx settings on the note2 is similar with the one max , only difference is the settings of the 6band equalizer .

Same thing , hard thumping bass , unbelievable loud , never seems to be short of power , never-ending power.

For the note2 Bluetooth aptx connection with the E5 , the Sound compared with the direct USB is very much of a difference . The Bluetooth aptx sound on this combination is bright and airy , sorry I don't know how to put it in words , anyway it's not warmed , all I can say it's very much of a difference compared connecting with USB .

10/10 for this combination . Everything works flawlessly and perfectly , lots of fun playing with equalizer on this combination .
Different sound stage with usb and on Bluetooth .

Taking note that the stock volume on the note 2 is never great. Personally I had to have it rooted and + default gains to 63 to max out it's volume . So taking account if the note2 is on stock , having a amp like the E5 to max out the volume and at the same time having the portability of playing toggle with the Eq , settings wirelessly on the go is a good idea .

Wow , I never knew my more than 4 yr old galaxy can stand out so differently with this E5 . All thanks to creative , having this E5 definitely makes me love the galaxy note2 again , just like the way when I first purchase it .

Final thoughts and conclusions on this galaxy note 2 combination with E5 .

The combination of the E5 with both HTC one max , galaxy note2 push and drives my 10+USD Cheapo IEM KZ ED-10 to the next lever which I never get to enjoy previously .
Once again it double confirm and proof that these cheapo IEM from China can really take the beating . Bass was tight , punchy crispy clean and clear throughout the listening session .
Cheapo ? Yes definitely at the cost of just $10+ USD .
But yet , it never failed to impressed . It perform so well with all of them , just like a fish meets water .
In fact it surpass my ATH- IM70 / IM50 . I had to admit , I had sold both my IM70 / IM50 in exchange for these Knowledge zenith KZ ED series IEM . I own 3 different pairs of Knowledge zenith series . And it's not stopping me , I'm getting more .



I love it, love this combination more than with the HTC one max .
Everything works just the way it should .

Unlike the case of the HTC one max ,the galaxy note2 are listed on the creative E5 features page as one of the phone model that are compatible appeared on the phone model list .
And surely , there's definitely a reason why for that .
Fortunately , I still have the galaxy note2 in the drawer . Now it's time to renewal of that personal relationship once again .


All in all , I'm very glad that the E5 can make me enjoy my music in a different ways so so much on the move with my HTC , and the old note2 .

Money is well spent on this E5 , after my experience today , even if this E5 is being marketed at a price tag of 600SGD . I will not hesitate to bring it back home with me .
I just love it so much , and love it even more when the music came out from the HTC and note 2 .

With this E5 , and the 2 smart phone at hand , I would definitely won't have to spend another hundreds or thousands bucks to get a player , and bring along those terrible cables along with me .

The above are my personal experience with the E5 as a regular music on the go guy, I'm not audiophile . Not listening to things about high fidelity sound reproduction .
Those are not in my cells , and I don't know or can't tell a difference in them .
I'm all bass thumping . Rock , trance and techno music .
The above combination suit me very well , I couldn't ask more . I'm satisfied for now , at least . Till Creative comes out with another E series .
This E5 is gonna be added into my personal lifestyle for many years to come .

One have to understand ,like food , every one has its own taste buds .
Music / sounds are just the same .
the finest ones are never guarantee that you will like it .

You just have to find it , I found it here at Head-fi , and this is one thing I'm happy to have found it ,

Thank you head-fi Thank you HTC thank you Samsung thank you knowledge zenith and last but not least Thank you Creative .
I never been so proud as a Singaporean . Today The sound blaster E5 makes me so proud of being a Singaporean .

Thank you all , and pardon my poor England .
Happy holiday ahead !

​I agree!  I'm glad you like it.   I'm a huge fan of the E5.  It's great paired with my note 4, and unbelievable with my Onkyo X1.  With the phone I use the USB, but the X1 has a good DAC so I bypass the E5's DAC with a black dragon IC cable.  I love the E5 with my ASG 2.5's, the UE 11 pro custom's are amazing, and even the Aurisonics Harmony sound great and have enough bass for a bass head.  I still scratch my head that more people haven't discovered the E5.  I sold my mojo in favor of the E5.
 
All you need for really good sound is a decent phone, the E5, and a decent IEM with a good cable.  No need to spend thousands of dollars.  The law of diminishing return really takes over after that.  You can spend lots of money and not get much better sound.

 

[Forty6]

​I agree!  I'm glad you like it.   I'm a huge fan of the E5.  It's great paired with my note 4, and unbelievable with my Onkyo X1.  With the phone I use the USB, but the X1 has a good DAC so I bypass the E5's DAC with a black dragon IC cable.  I love the E5 with my ASG 2.5's, the UE 11 pro custom's are amazing, and even the Aurisonics Harmony sound great and have enough bass for a bass head.  I still scratch my head that more people haven't discovered the E5.  I sold my mojo in favor of the E5.

All you need for really good sound is a decent phone, the E5, and a decent IEM with a good cable.  No need to spend thousands of dollars.  The law of diminishing return really takes over after that.  You can spend lots of money and not get much better sound.

+1

 

[panzerfan]

I've used the E5 for 1 year by now, and I am experiencing failure of the Micro USB port (which I posted over at Massdrop).
The firmware really improved the audio quality of the E5 in the course of this year, although I still get the occasional EMI issue with this thing.
I drive M-100, Westone 4R and now a Fidelio X2 with it, all of these are low impedance devices. I've played with LCD-2 and HD800 with the E5 as well actually, and I actually am satisfied with the results.
 
Here's my wish list for Creative after a year of use:
 
1. Consider balanced mode support as well
2. Use combo jack so that headset with mic in can be plugged in to the front without sacrificing a port
3. A mean to shut down Bluetooth transmission completely and quickly
4. Virtual Surround directly built-in onboard so you can plug this in as with Astro mixamp just by itself
5. G5 like volume dial with better level indication 
6. Improve the casing
7. Support toslink as well.

 

[Forty6]

I've used the E5 for 1 year by now, and I am experiencing failure of the Micro USB port (which I posted over at Massdrop).
The firmware really improved the audio quality of the E5 in the course of this year, although I still get the occasional EMI issue with this thing.
I drive M-100, Westone 4R and now a Fidelio X2 with it, all of these are low impedance devices. I've played with LCD-2 and HD800 with the E5 as well actually, and I actually am satisfied with the results.

Here's my wish list for Creative after a year of use:

1. Consider balanced mode support as well
2. Use combo jack so that headset with mic in can be plugged in to the front without sacrificing a port
3. A mean to shut down Bluetooth transmission completely and quickly
4. Virtual Surround directly built-in onboard so you can plug this in as with Astro mixamp just by itself
5. G5 like volume dial with better level indication 
6. Improve the casing
7. Support toslink as well.

Hi thanks for sharing your one year on with the E5 experience with us .
Regarding the micro usb port , what kind of failure are you experience currently ? Loosen port or ?
In my case , I had ditched the original red cable , as the supplied red cable are to much of a tightness for me to comfortably further continue using it , as I'm very worried the original ones which come with will put stressed to the port , for my case at least while plugging in and unplugging it , eventually may cause the port to loosen .
I had since change to another cables .

As I'm on 100% Bluetooth , I mainly use the port to charge nothing more .
The Micro usb port , and the headphone port are my main concern .

Hopefully when the time comes for Creative to replace the E5, the new model will be the on the same size similar to the current E5 ,
but with build quality similarly as close as to those of the Teac P50 , onkyo ha200 , audio technical PHA-100 , and not some cheaply made finishing light weight plastic casing .

Upgrade and further enhance Bluetooth with the capability to pair up with wireless headphone on APTX , enable push in volume dial with paused / stop song capability on source .

The SBX central can be further improve , not just saving the EQ settings , but the main settings on the SBX central as well .
10k mah upgraded batteries for longer used on Bluetooth .

Higher AMP output . Lower background hissing .

Carrying pouch : ( outer layer ) High grade milspec 1000x1000D nylon pu water treat .
( inner layer ) 420D with soft padding for protection against scratches.

All in all with the all new upgraded E series , cost priced will be kept within no more than 300USD .

Any wishlist for the next Creative E series ? Maybe the current user of the E5 would like to chipped in here to share the experience / wishlist for the next Creative E series .

 

[panzerfan]

Hi thanks for sharing your one year on with the E5 experience with us .
Regarding the micro usb port , what kind of failure are you experience currently ? Loosen port or ?
In my case , I had ditched the original red cable , as the supplied red cable are to much of a tightness for me to comfortably further continue using it , as I'm very worried the original ones which come with will put stressed to the port , for my case at least while plugging in and unplugging it , eventually may cause the port to loosen .
I had since change to another cables .

As I'm on 100% Bluetooth , I mainly use the port to charge nothing more .
The Micro usb port , and the headphone port are my main concern .

Hopefully when the time comes for Creative to replace the E5, the new model will be the on the same size similar to the current E5 ,
but with build quality similarly as close as to those of the Teac P50 , onkyo ha200 , and not some cheaply made finishing light weight plastic casing .

Upgrade and further enhance Bluetooth with the capability to pair up with wireless headphone on APTX , enable push in volume dial with paused / stop song capability on source .

The SBX central can be further improve , not just saving the EQ settings , but the main settings on the SBX central as well .
10k mah upgraded batteries for longer used on Bluetooth .

Higher AMP output . Lower background hissing .

Carrying pouch : ( outer layer ) High grade milspec 1000x1000D nylon pu water treat .
( inner layer ) 420D with soft padding for protection against scratches.

All in all with the all new upgraded E series , cost priced will be kept within no more than 300USD .

Any wishlist for the next Creative E series ? Maybe the current user of the E5 would like to chipped in here to share the experience / wishlist for the next Creative E series .

 
Micro USB doesn't work all the time. I use my E5 as a portable device, so the Micro USB is used when I plug to laptop. My laptop and PC are getting more and more reluctant to charge and to detect the E5 in this last month. 
I do use Bluetooth a lot when I have it paired with my phone, but the sound quality pales in comparison to OTG mode, so I'd rather stick the OTG cable into the regular USB port. 
 
I agree about the hiss and the EMI. I hope Creative can do better to address it. 
And yes, I'd like to see easier bluetooth media control (push to talk, media forward/back) on the successor to E5. I really do use this thing a lot with my phone.
I strongly feel that E5 is capable of murdering the Astro Mixamp. If it can decode Dolby and do 7.1 virtual surround all by itself, then it would completely crush the other gaming dac/amp combo short of Creative X7.

 

[Forty6]

Even though I'm not basically a gamer , For me personally i don't really mind having a multifunction E series , As long as Creative one of its kind trademark sound signature remains.

continue Using the stock cable on the E5 will eventually caused stress to the stress point of the ports and caused it to fail loosen it eventually , I strongly suggest current E5 users to stop using that red supplied usb , change to a different cable .