Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX V2 & DBPRO Review

How Much Does it Cost?

It looks like this is being scalped on Amazon, as some idiot has it up for £120+ without the DBPRO… Don’t fall for this, please. If you order directly from Creative, you can grab the Sound Blaster Audigy Fx V2 for around £49.99, while the Audigy FX V2 DBPro is just £16.99. You can check Amazon for up to date prices and stock here too.

Overview

Creative has been a significant force in the desktop audio market for decades, and it shows. While this isn’t their most high-end solution, far from it actually, it still ticks the boxes of what most PC users would want from their audio hardware. I’ll admit, it’s about on par with what most modern motherboards have onboard, but for those lacking decent motherboard audio hardware, it’s an affordable addition to your setup.

Of course, there’s plenty of other benefits to this dedicated solution. The amount of I/O is increased for one, so if you’re looking to step up to a proper 5.1 or even 7.1 setup, fewer motherboard support that level of connectivity. The additional optical output is handy too, as I can line that out to a separate amp for using my PC through my home theatre gear.

The add-on card is really cool too, and it doesn’t cost a lot. Of course, unless you want an optical output, 7.1, or to play DSD files, then you really, really do not need the DBPRO add-on. That’s why I like that it’s split though so that most consumers aren’t paying another 30% for features they don’t need.

While this is significantly cheaper than their premium sound cards, the software suite is still fully featured. You still get their fantastic processing, mixing, EQ and other features, and frankly, that’s where most of the value lies in this sound card. The profiles are really easy to use, and the quality improvement they provide is profound. Add to that the Clearcoms that will provide powerful noise isolation, auto muting and clean microphone recording with basically no complicated setup required, and you’ve got a powerful work from home too, as well as something that will benefit your online gaming chat.

Creative continues to be the driving force for desktop audio. The older version of this card has been a hit for many years, and while the new update doesn’t change much, it’s great to see them keeping things fresh and up to date for those who don need a dedicated sound card. Plus, at this price, you’ll be hard pushed to find anything better for less.