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| Introduction and Product Specifications | ||||||
Just a few years ago, if someone said that integrated audio would deliver great performance with many of the features of a full-blown add-in card, it might have raised an eyebrow or two. Today, however, thanks to vastly improved integrated technologies, today's integrated audio solutions are often more than satisfactory for a large portion of consumers. Nonetheless, there are those who want a better audio experience, which can only be delivered from the likes of an add-in card. A few months ago, ASUS jumped into the audio card market with both feet with the introduction of the Xonar product line. One of the first models to market was their premium class Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 sound card. The D2 boasted a superb retail package with all of the cabling, software and extras one would need thrown in, along with a slick, eye-catching design, for around $180. Not only did the Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 deliver on all fronts, it proved to be solid competition for Creative, who garners the majority of the add-in audio card market.  To further infuse themselves into the audio card market, ASUS didn't stop with the Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1. ASUS has also developed several other models to meet the needs of consumers of all budgets. Today, we're going to take a look at ASUS' latest offering which targets the mainstream market, with our assessment of the Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card. Selling for about $89, the Xonar DX takes many of the Xonar D2's more desirable features and condenses them into a smaller PCI Express ready PCB with the goal of delivering a major improvement over common integrated audio solutions.
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| ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card |
The Xonar DX PCI Express sound card is closely related to the premium Xonar D2 Ultra, but because its targeted at more mainstream consumers, naturally ASUS had to do some trimming. First, the retail package doesn't overflow with extra cabling and software like the premium class D2. The Xonar DX package is simpler, offering a Quick Start Guide, Installation CD and a low-profile bracket along with an optical TOSLINK adapter for S/PDIF use. The Setup CD includes the Xonar DX Driver for Windows XP and Vista (32/64-bit versions for both), an electronic User's Manual, and Portable Music Processor Lite, which converts digital and CD audio to WMA or MP3 files with Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker and Smart Volume Normalization.;) ;) ;) The Xonar DX itself is very small, with a compact PCB and PCI-Express x1 interface, making it suitable for standard and low-profile applications. While the Xonar D2 Ultra we assessed back in the Fall was built around the ASUS AV200 High-Definition Sound Processor, the DX utilizes an ASUS AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor rated for 192KHz/24-bit. Other differences include the trading off of a single Burr-Brown 24-Bit DAC (123dB SNR) for digital sources to a dual Cirrus-Logic configuration, with one for the front speakers (120dB SNR) and a second for the remaining channels (114dB SNR). Both Xonar cards utilize Cirrus-Logic 24-Bit DACs for Analog inputs, with the DX rated for 114dB SNR while the D2 Ultra offers 120dB at 192KHz/24-bits. Both models support the same Analog Playback / Recording Sample Rates as well as S/PDIF Digital Outputs (44.1/48/96/192KHz - 16/24 bit), with support for Dolby Digital and DTS. The Xonar D2 Ultra takes things higher with S/PDIF Inputs and ASIO 2.0 support. ;) ;) ;) The tail end of the card has Analog Out, In, Aux-In and Digital S/PDIF Out using a TOS-Link with the Line-in/Mic jack. The Xonar DX also comes outfitted with a Front Panel Header for headphone and microphone connections. Additionally, the Xonar DX requires supplemental power to operate, utilizing a four-pin floppy power connection. Some may find this a problem as some PSU units no longer come with floppy power connectors, such as the Tagan 1100w PSU used during testing. Ideally, ASUS should consider adding an adapter to the retail package, which may be more useful than a low-profile bracket. One of the biggest talking points with this card is ASUS' approach to EAX 5.0 support, through DirectSound 3D GX2. ASUS claims the Xonar DX can deliver EAX 5.0 effects through software emulation. Thanks to Vista's Universal Audio Architecture, Vista users need a software solution for EAX 5.0 support, and ASUS believes the end results, whether achieved through dedicated hardware or software, are the same. Creative has made it clear that they don't believe ASUS can offer true EAX 5.0 support, but it's all relative in the end. Interestingly, while ASUS does this all neatly within the driver package, Creative forces users to install an add on software package called ALchemy, that is only free for X-Fi users. Audigy users have to pay to use ALchemy. |
| ASUS Xonar DX Driver Features |
| The driver interface for the Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card is quite similar to that of the Xonar D2 Ultra. The interface is comprised of an expandable menu that reveals all of the drivers' features in a well organized menu system. The Main menu provides access to channel settings, sample rates, speaker configuration and SPDIF options. With the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter enabled, the graphic on the right becomes active and allows for dragging of each speaker into virtual position for each adjustment without the need to physically move speakers. The Mixer menu contains level controls for Playback and Record settings while the Effects menu offers a 10-band equalizer that can be set to a wide array of presets or manually. There are also 27 Environmental controls that simulate playback in an Auditorium, Arena and Forest, to name just a few. ;) ;) ;) Main Effects FlexBass There is a Karaoke menu which does a respectable job of removing vocals from music without ruining the instrumentals, and a key shifting feature can change the pitch of the song to suit the listeners/singers vocal range. The FlexBass feature allows for bass adjustments from 50HZ to 250HZ for those looking for more bass impact. This feature also offers the option for the settings to be geared to small or large speaker setups. ;) ;) AEC VocalFX Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) prevents feedback and echo when using a microphone, which often occurs when the microphone and speakers are in close proximity. The setting can reduce speaker echo to -40dB. Lastly, VocalFX allows for voice modifications while chatting during games or over VOIP applications. ChatEX applies environment effects, such as Bathroom, Concert Hall, Underwater and Music Pub while Magic Voice applies voice effects, such as Monster, Cartoon, Male and Female. |
| HH Test Setup & RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.0.6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The RMAA suite is designed for testing quality of analog and digital paths of any audio devices, be it a sound card, an MP3 player, a consumer CD/DVD player or an acoustic set. The results are obtained by playing and recording test signals passed through the tested audio path by means of frequency analysis algorithms. ASUS Xonar DX
ASUS Xonar D2
Realtek ALC888 Int. Audio
When reviewing the vital statistics of each audio solution tested, focusing on the highest quality settings, both Xonar cards offer higher quality across the board, with the Xonar DX PCI-Express card only a minor step behind that of the Xonar D2 Ultra. All tests were significantly better then the Realtek ALC888 integrated controller we used for comparison. Noise levels were significantly lower in all tests, with the DX offering roughly -25dB improvement vs the Realtek ALC888 while coming in within several points of the Xonar D2 Ultra. We saw similar improvements in Stereo crosstalk, where the signal improved -25dB as well, although the two Xonar cards were on the same level of performance. The goal with the ASUS Xonar DX is to offer better audio quality than common integrated audio and these metrics show that when it comes to overall quality, the Xonar DX is definitely a huge improvement. |
| Gaming: 3DMark Vantage & HL2: Episode 2 | ||||||||||
Now we're going to shift our focus to actual system performance, to see if the addition of a quality add-in sound card can have a positive effect on framerates and available CPU resources. We'll start with the recently released 3DMarkVantage, more specifically with its CPU performance module.
 In this test, the CPU score jumped 144 points when comparing the Xonar DX to the Realtek ALC888, a gain of 3.7%. Surprisingly, the Xonar DX managed to top the Xonar D2 Ultra, but the results were so close that it could be attributed to minor test fluctuations.
 The first test was run with audio quality set to high and all visual qualities set to their lowest setting to target CPU performance. In this test, the Xonar DX managed to trail the Realtek ALC888 by 2.66FPS, while the Xonar D2 Ultra topped the Realtek ALC888 by less than 1FPS. At this resolution, all tests were very close, showing minimal effects on the CPU with all three options.  In this test, we set the game to high quality visuals with the sound set to high and tested to see how the add-in cards affected game play at a common configuration. At this resolution, the Xonar DX managed to tack on 4.58FPS, a gain of 3.5% over the integrated solution. The Xonar D2 Ultra managed to add 6.86FPS which equates to 5.3%. |
| Subjective Experience - Audio, DVD, Gaming Quality |
For our subjective listening tests, we utilized a set of Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers connected to each sound solution via an analog connection. We ran the system through a variety of different playback scenarios and recorded our subjective opinions for each. This is the hardest part of an audio product evaluation It's very much like food, where each person can eat the same dish yet have their own unique feedback on the experience. Regardless, we tried in several usage scenarios to best illustrate the overall performance of each audio solution and offer up our objective, yet subjective, opinion.
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