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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Review updated Dec 21, 2017 at 04:07 pm
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:24 am
Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Picture
6.5
Mixed Usage
7.0
Neutral Sound
6.3
Commute/Travel
6.1
Sports/Fitness
6.5
Office
6.0
Wireless Gaming
7.8
Wired Gaming
7.7
Phone Call

The Creative Sound BlasterX H5 Tournament Edition are well-built and comfortable gaming headsets with a great mic. They're a good option for gaming and watching videos due to their low latency wired connection, but won't be as convenient as some of the other wireless gaming headsets we've reviewed. On the upside, you can also use them as casual headphones thanks to their outdoor-friendly design and decent isolation.

Our Verdict

6.5 Mixed Usage

The SoundBlasterX H5 are a decently versatile gaming headset. They have negligible latency since they're wired and a comfortable over-ear design that you can use outdoors with your mobile devices. They sound decent but won't be ideal for more critical listeners and unfortunately, they're not as convenient as the other wireless gaming headsets since they have a limited range and few customization option via app/software support.

Pros
  • Negligible latency.
  • Good audio reproduction and microphone.
  • Well-built and comfortable design.
Cons
  • Slightly bulky design.
  • Mediocre software support.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
7.0 Neutral Sound

Average for neutral listening. They have a decent audio reproduction a bit too much high bass which makes them sound a bit boomy. While this is fine for gaming it won't be ideal for more neutral listeners. They're also a bit inconsistent with the bass-range, especially if you wear glasses, and they do not have the best soundstage due to their closed back design.

6.3 Commute/Travel

Average for commuting. The Creative H5 have a slightly bulky design that doesn't fold, but unlike most of the gaming headsets we've reviewed, they should isolate well enough for public transit.

6.1 Sports/Fitness

Sub-par for sports. They are stable enough for jogging but a bit too bulky for more intense physical activities. They also make your ears quite warm after wearing them for a while which will be worse if you use them to workout.

6.5 Office

Decent for office use. They block a good amount of noise and they do not leak much even at higher volumes.

6.0 Wireless Gaming

This wired gaming headset can't be used wirelessly.

7.8 Wired Gaming

Good for gaming. The Creative H5 have a great mic, a low latency wired design and a comfortable fit you can wear for hours. They also have a decently well-balanced and bass-heavy sound that should work well for gaming. Unfortunately, they're not the most breathable headset, so they will make your ears a little warm after gaming for a while. They have mediocre software support, and the lack of a wireless design makes them less convenient than some of the other gaming headsets we've reviewed.

  • 6.5 Mixed Usage
  • 7.0 Neutral Sound
  • 6.3 Commute/Travel
  • 6.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.5 Office
  • 6.0 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.8 Wired Gaming
  • 7.7 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Dec 21, 2017: Review published.
  5. Updated Dec 19, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Dec 17, 2017: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  7. Updated Sep 11, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Corsair HS60

The Creative Sound BlasterX H5 are slightly better headphones overall when compare to the Corsair HS60. The Creative Sound are more comfortable than the Corsair. They also have a detachable cable and a more outdoor-friendly design. The Creative Sound are slightly better built, although not by much, but have a much better microphone for voice chat in-game. On the other hand, the Corsair have better balance sound quality overall. They also come with a more customizable app and a USB that allows for surround sound when connected to a PC.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The Creative SoundBlasterX H5 Tournament Headset has a style reminiscent of the HyperX Cloud II and some of the Beyerdynamic headphones. They have a wide and well-padded headband and a metal frame that highlights their build quality and makes them feel a bit more premium. The ear cups are large and also well padded and you can remove the mic which makes them look more like casual over-ears that you can wear every day. The color scheme is not too flashy, unlike other gaming headphones which makes them look and feel a bit more professional and high-end.

8.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs

The SoundBlasterX H5 are comfortable headphones. They're a bit tight out-of-the-box but thanks to the excellent padding on the ear cups and headband, the pressure is well distributed. They're not ideal for very long listening sessions as they tend to get a bit hot. Also, some listeners may experience a bit of pressure since the headband doesn't quite extend far enough to accommodate all head shapes and sizes. However, for most users, they're comfortable and decently lightweight considering their size and build quality.

8.0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Decent
Feedback Okay
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control Yes
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control N/A
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons Multi function

The Creative SoundBlasterX H5 have an efficient and versatile control scheme that works for gaming and casual listening. They have an inline remote with an on/off switch for the mic, a volume dial and a call/music button to change tracks on mobile devices. The call/music button doesn't have the best feedback but it's a welcome addition that's not always available on gaming headsets.

6.3
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 6.2 °C
5.3
Design
Portability
L 7.8"
W 7"
H 3.9"
Volume 212 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The SoundBlasterX H5 are still too cumbersome to casually carry around on your person despite being more compact than typical gaming headphones. They do not fold and the ear cups do not lay flat so they're not very portable. Unfortunately, they also don't come with a case or pouch to carry them in, which is a bit disappointing.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
8.0
Design
Build Quality

The Creative H5 have a good and sturdy build quality. The earcups are dense and the headband is flexible and reinforced with a metal frame. The materials used in their build also looks and feels premium and since they have few moving parts, they're not as susceptible to wear and tear. Unfortunately, the audio cables connecting the ear cups are exposed and could get damaged if they get hooked or tangled on something.

7.0
Design
Stability

The Creative H5 headphones are stable enough to use while jogging but are not ideal for high-intensity sports. They're still somewhat bulky gaming headphones but thanks to the comparatively compact design and flat ear cups they do not sway much under physical conditions. The cable also disconnects if it's hooked by something but not as easily as some other more casual everyday headphones.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Creative SoundBlasterX H5 Headphones
  • USB charging cable
  • Headset adapter
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-1.79 dB
Treble Amount
-1.66 dB
5.6
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.14 dB

Sub-par consistency performance. The Sound BlasterX H5 is prone to inconsistency in their bass delivery across multiple users, especially if they are wearing glasses. We measured a maximum deviation of 12dB at 20Hz. In the treble range, the consistency is also below-average, with about 6dB of deviation around 2Khz.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.5
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.42 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-3.41 dB
Mid-Bass
0.36 dB
High-Bass
5.07 dB

Good bass range performance. Low-frequency extension is at 10Hz, which is excellent. But low-bass, which is responsible for low-end thump and rumble is lacking by 3dB. Additionally, high-bass is overemphasized by about 5dB, making the bass of these headphones noticeably boomy. Also, their bass delivery varies significantly across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.

7.2
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.67 dB
Low-Mid
4.57 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.07 dB
High-Mid
-3.51 dB

Average mid-range performance. The 4dB bump in low-mid, which is the continuation of high-bass overemphasis, makes the mid-range of Sound BlasterX H5 cluttered and muddy. The 5dB dip around 1KHz on the other hand, pushes vocals and leads to the back of the mix.

8.0
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.41 dB
Low-Treble
0.36 dB
Mid-Treble
1.94 dB
High-Treble
-3.58 dB

Very good treble range performance. The response is rather inconsistent, but overall, the treble is on the bright side. The narrow dip around 4.5KHz, will have a small negative effect on the detail of vocals/leads.

6.8
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.98 dB
Dips
1.99 dB
8.5
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.41
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.52
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.48
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.69
5.7
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.8 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
7.75 dB
PRTF Distance
11.26 dB
Openness
4.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.3
8.2
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.215
WHD @ 100
0.079
Isolation
5.9
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-15.23 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
-0.43 dB
Mid
-14.46 dB
Treble
-32.13 dB

Decent isolation performance. The H5 doesn't have active noise cancellation, and therefore, don't isolate in the bass range. However, the achieve about 15dB of isolation in the bass range, and more than 32dB in the treble range. Both values being good.

7.3
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.55 dB

Above-average leakage performance. The significant portion of leakage sits between 2KHz and 6KHz, which is a narrow range. The overall level of leakage is not very loud either.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-line
No
Boom
Yes
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes

Excellent microphone performance. Speech recorded with the microphone of the Sound BlasterX H5 sounds full, detailed, clear, and will be easily intelligible. However, it could lack a little bit in brilliance and airiness. In noisy environments, the microphone of the H5 is capable of separating speech from ambient noise to a remarkable degree, and should be suitable for use in almost all environments, including a subway station.

8.5
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.58 dB
HFE
7,561.35 Hz
Weighted THD
0.405
Gain
33.75 dB

Great recording quality. Low-frequency is extended down to 20Hz, which results in a full sounding recorded speech. High-frequency extension is at 7.5KHz, meaning recorded speech will be easily understandable, but may lack in airiness. The peak around 4KHz, makes the sound of these microphones a bit bright.

8.9
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
45.08 dB

Excellent noise handling. The H5 was able to achieve a speech-to-noise ratio of 45dB, meaning they are able to separate speech from noise to a great degree.

Active Features
not tested
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
N/A
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
N/A
Charging Port N/A
6.5
Active Features
App Support
App Name BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS No
Windows Yes
Equalizer
No
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control No
Room effects
Yes
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Sound Yes

The BlasterX Acoustic Engine Lite is a decent software that offers mild customisation options for the Sound Blasterx H5. It installs drivers that allows you to select presets for specific games or game genres. This in turn increases the bass or level of simulated surround sound. It is a multipurpose driver configuration, so it will work with any stereo headphones with a 1/8 TRRS audio jack but has specific preset settings for the sound blaster headphones. It's decent but doesn't offer as much customization as other gaming headsets with more dedicated software implementation.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

Wired connection, negligible latency.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 7.5 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A