ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card
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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| Audio Performance Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 116 dB for Front-out 112dB for other channels Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 112dB Output Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) : 0.00056% (-105dB) for Front-out Input Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) : 0.0004% (-108dB) for Line-in Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz format): <10Hz to 48KHz Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 2 Vrms (5.65 Vp-p) Bus Compatibility PCI Express -PCI Express Rev.1.0a specification compatible -Max. full 2.5Gbps bandwidth per direction and optimized latency for high-definition audio processing -Compatible with X1, X4, X8, X16 PCI Express slots Main Chipset Audio Processor ASUS AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit) 24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Cirrus-Logic CS4398*1 for Front-Out (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) Cirrus-Logic CS4362A*1 for other 6 channels (114dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) 24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5361* 1 (114dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) Sample Rate and Resolution Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit S/PDIF Digital Output 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit, Dolby Digital, DTS I/O Ports Analog Output Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *4 (Front/Side/Center-Subwoofer/Back) Analog Input Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *1 (Shared by Line-In/Mic-In) Other line-level analog input (for TV Tuner or CD-ROM): Aux-In (4-pin header on the card) Digital S/PDIF Output High-bandwidth TOS-Link optical transmitter (shared with Line-In/Mic-In jack) supports 192KHz/24bit Front Panel Header Headphone / Stereo Speaker Out Microphone In Driver Features Operation System Windows Vista(32/64bit)/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005 Dolby® Digital Live Dolby Digital Live encodes any audio signal on PC in real-time to Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sounds to your home theater environment through one single S/PDIF connection |
Dolby® Headphone Dolby Headphone technology allows users to listen to music, watch movies, or play games with the dramatic 5.1-channel surround or realistic 3D spacious effects through any set of stereo headphones. Dolby® Virtual Speaker Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a highly realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers. Dolby® Pro-Logic IIx Dolby Pro-Logic II is the well-known technology to process any native stereo or 5.1-channel audio into a 6.1- or 7.1- channel output, creating a seamless, natural surround soundfield. DS3D GX 2.0 -DS3D GX 1.0 supports EAX gaming sound effects and DirectSound 3D hardware enhanced functions on Windows Vista. (DirectX/DirectSound 3D compatible) VocalFX™ Xonar DX provides VocalFX, the latest vocal effect technologies for gaming and VoIP, including: -VoiceEX: produces vivid environmental reverberation for your voice in EAX games -ChatEX: emulates different background environment effects when you chat online -Magic Voice: changes your voice pitch to different types (Monster/Cartoon…) for disguising your real voice or just for fun in online chatting Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) Provides advanced Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC, eliminates up-to-40dB speaker echo return) and noise suppression technologies for best voice communication quality in VOIP applications or online gaming Smart Volume Normalizer™ Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a constant level and also enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming Karaoke Functions Music Key-Shifting and Microphone Echo effects like professional Karaoke machine FlexBass™ Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning Other Effects 10-band Equalier/27 Environment Effects 3D Gaming Sound Engines/APIs DirectSound3D® GX 2.0 & 1.0, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability ASIO 2.0 Driver Support: Supports 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @16/24bit with very low latency Bundled Software Utility Portable Music Processor Lite utility Converts digital music content or CD audio into regular MP3/WMA files with Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker (w/ Pro-Logic II), and Smart Volume Normalization processing (Windows Media Player 10 or above is required) MCE Software Kit Software kit with 10-ft GUI for Windows Media Center Edition RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.0.6 Easy but powerful software intended for testing the quality of audio equipments |
