Hardware Asus Xonar DX

Quite long isn't it. Is that a front panel audio connector on top? Out of interest does using a fp audio connector pick up any more interference than for example just using the jacks?

 

Ive been having a cracking issue with my Audigy recently, and as i use Vista64 im simply putting this down to the software and the mobo electricals(pci slot).

Looks like as i listen to music mostly this is the card im going to get, pretty hard to beat for £50.

What would the difference be like with his against the first Audigy?

 

Here's a good game to test EAX support:

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. (Even the demo will work, actually.)

If EAX5 is working, you'll get nice, smooth transitions between echo regions, and you'll get obstruction and occlusion effects as you move around. If it's not working, then transitions will be jarring.
Even Creative's own host-based EAX5 implementation is broken -- if you try Uru on an Audigy2, it sounds correct, but if you run it on an "Extreme Audio" card, echoes will have a nastily metallic ringing quality.

I just wish Asus would make a notebook-compatible version of the card -- they'd need both Cardbus and ExpressCard versions, since some notebooks do still have the former.

 

Oh, and please do test that game (or demo) on the Asus card!

 

it is i haven't been able to get mine to work but i haven't really tried too hard, not alot of stuff to read about to help you with it

 

Probably night and day mate.

 

If you're actually thinking of spending that kind of money on headphones I'd say you should look at something much better tbh - £250 on headphones and then £55 on a source is just stupid.

 

Can you recommend a different card (not Creative)? I really do not need all this EAX (or whatever) surround sound gaming enhancing bs, Quake III Arena is already running with more frames than I can handle. I use it for listening to music. No (professional) recording. The thing is... I am a student, and with these headphones I am already playing with fire, there is no way I could spent another £250 on a sound card. I have around £330-£350, preferrably less.

 

i think you could get by with just this card don't have to spend the extra for the bigger. the real difference as he said in the article was the burr brown on the higher end one and if you don't really know what that is i don't think you're going to have a problem at all with the way this one sounds i have it and i think it sounds wonderful, playing through my makeshift $700 system, for music regardless of what other people gifted with godlike ears may say about it. i would recommend it to you its that or one from creative.

 

i bought this card because its a good performing card thats pci express and wasn't made by creative, smiple.

 

Typically most of Asus’s products have a shorter shelf-life so, yes, there's probable cause for concern, but an unproven track record is better than a POOR established one.

 

Oh yeah, you (article writer(s)) said you had a chance to sit down with the engineers......
If you still have their contact info, please DO put in the suggestion about a notebook-compatible version.
There's currently the USB 2.0 "Xonar U1" -- but it doesn't do EAX5 emulation or 24-bit 96-kHz, and it only does STEREO on the analog outputs.

 

...I can sell you a pair of headphones for 400€ ;-)

I could sell you the same pair for 4000€
...or 4€ (which ic what they cost)

 

Bought it two weeks ago and use the latest drivers. So far the drivers are less mature than Creatives (I had a x-fi extrememusic)
No EAX in any Dark Engine games which means System Shock 2, Thief 1 and 2. The games simple crash if I enable hardware acceleration + EAX. (Thief 1 I believe uses EAX 1 and SS2 and T2 EAX2)

Will try more games once I have time.

 

Try the new patch, it fixes quite a few EAX problems and it's only 250k

 

Then perhaps you should consider spending £125 on headphones and £125 on a decent sound card.

£125 will get you a very nice pair of headphones, and certainly good enough quality for an internal soundcard. I'd recommend Grado SR-125's, I have a pair of SR-80's and they're utterly fantastic, others swear by Sennheiser HD595's. Can't help with a sound card though, but there are a few threads in the AV forum about it.

 

So has anyone tried using this card in a game that supports EAX 5/Advanced HD? e.g. F.E.AR., Battlefield 2, GRAW, etc. I have a Xonar D2X with latest drivers and I can't enable EAX Advanced HD... is it really only a DX feature?

 

I'm producer/dj of electronica and as such I'm not a stranger to audiophiles (hate the hobby) and high end sound equipment. As of right now I'm using a e-mu 1820M. It's a PCI card (2 actually) with a breakout box via cat5. This is a $500 audio card, I'm routing it via balanced TRS cables to KRK RP8's monitors. I have partially treated my area with bass traps and properly placed speakers to reduce phasing and standing waves.
Besides not being in the realm of expertise or the having the viewership to test professional grade sound cards... errmm "audio interfaces" aren't really applicable. Ironically so this card is very bad for gaming, it doesn't support eax, dolby digital or any of those other "consumer grade features" I can run surround sound if I route the input outputs myself. likewise I've managed to get it to use stereo sound for games but it's far from the convenience of say a soundblaster or onboard solution.
does it sound better then a soundblaster or Ac'97?

Absolutely, I can also simultaneously run 8 inputs and 8 outs and sidechain 16 channels through ADAT. I don't think a soundblaster will be doing that any time soon. but the uses are totally different and the need for extremely high quality AD converters are needed in studio settings. Driver quality, input output and software features are what's needed on a consumer grade soundcard. No one worth their salt will be mastering audio on a soundblaster. for reference here's the relevant specs from a 1820M. the biggest difference in terms of computer noise will be using balanced connectors I dont' know of a consumer soundcard that does, save for using optical.

Frequency Response: +/- .05dB, 20Hz – 20 kHz

THD+N (1 kHz at -1dBFS): -110dB (.0003%)

SNR (A-weighted): 120dB

Dynamic Range (1 kHz, A-weighted): 120dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz at -1dBFS): < -115dB

Common-Mode Rejection (60Hz): > 40dB

Analogue line outputs-8

Type: balanced, low-noise, 3-pole low-pass differential filter

Level (software selectable):

Professional: +4dBu nominal, 20dBu maximum (balanced)
Consumer: -10dBV nominal, 6dBV maximum (unbalanced)
Frequency Response: 0.0/-.35dB, 20Hz – 20 kHz

THD+N (1 kHz at -1dBFS): -105dB (.0006%)

SNR (A-weighted): 120dB

Dynamic Range (1 kHz, A-weighted): 120dB

Stereo Crosstalk (1 kHz at -1dBFS) < -115dB

Mic pre and line inputs-2

Type: TFProâ„¢ combination microphone preamp and line input

Frequency Response: +0.8/-0.1dB, 20Hz – 20 kHz

Stereo Crosstalk (1 kHz min gain, -1dBFS): < -120dB

Line Input:

Gain Range: -12 to +28dB
Max Level: +17dBV (19.2dBu)
THD+N (1 kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -94dB (.002%)
Dynamic Range (A-weighted, 1kHz min gain): 100dB
SNR (A-weighted, min gain): 100dB

http://www.samplecraze.com/reviews.php?xReviewID=3 review of same card

 

It's really interesting to see that while many believed sound card biz is dead, almost in every forum sound card or recent Xonar reviews has always got the most of comments or replies.
I'll take it as a sign that people still not satisfied with onboard audio, and still want a decent sound card somehow....