Just Bought Asus Xonar Dx Sound Card

[25GTT]

Hey all,

Well just thought i would do a small review for you all on the asus xonar dx sound card.

Firstly i have read many reviews stating that onboard sound these days is very good and there is no need for onboard sound. BUT when i go to audiophile forums they all say the exact opposite and not only does the sound card provide much better audio quality but also takes stress off the CPU.

I have been debating for nearly 3 months now, and i thought whilst going past MSY, why not?

So i have now installed it and played around with the settings.

The installation is easy, goes in the old PCIE slot BUT uses a floppy disk drive power cable to power it which i thought was different.

Drivers are provided on the CD that comes with the hardware, but they need to be updated which i have done.

Now to the good stuff. My audio components are:

Plantronics 777 headset

Yamaha TSS-1 5.1 sound system

running off an Asus P8Z68-V mboard (about 4 months old)

So took me a while to get the sound going through both units as the audio needs to be targeted to the card through windows in control panel, and then you need to use the xonar audio center.

I went to Toms hardware website and noticed some software setups on there and played around with them. I was a bit frustrated at first as the SPDIF outlet that the optic fibre cable goes into is the same slot as the microphone required for gaming, so i thought sh*t i am going to have to plug cables in and out everytime i want to go between headset and 5.1.

Although the mic issue cant be rectified, i can switch between my 5.1 and headset quite easily, so thats not a problem. To be honest i dont use a mic for gaming, if i did i would prob be annoyed that i have to plug in the mic in the same slot as the optic fibre, therefore mucking around with cables everytime i wanted to switch between gaming and stereo

Ok, so my thoughts? Well i am no audiophile but i can definately hear a lot more clarity in everything and SH*T me dead they make everything at least twice as loud as what they used to be able to go to!

For music, the bass in my headset has come down a little bit which is prob a good thing, less reverbaration and distortion than before, and when up loud they are much much clearer. with the old setup it was start to make a crackling noise at high noise levels, that has definately gone.

Now for gaming. the plantronics are advertised as 7.1 with the little USB dongle that converts the audio jack into a usb input. but now with the xonar whilst playing modern warfare 3 the sounds properly sounded left, right infront and behind and again with such clarity. as the bass is reduced the gun sounds probably dont sound as nice as they did before but i think thats minimal compared to the overall effect.

So to sum it up, YUP a definate increase of sound quality through the soundcard. if you have a chance i recommend you get one. Is it worth the $95? well to be honest, probably not again, i am no audiophile so i dont get too excited by sound, so i think $50 would be a fair price point but i definately think they are worth buying if you can get yours hands on one.

There ya go, Dans reviews done :-)

[JGTC]

great review mate been thinking about getting one of these, my biggest dilemma is choosing between a set of half descent 2.1 computer speakers ie. edifier s730s or swan m50s or going all on a cheapish home hifi set with an amp (preferably under $1000)

how are u finding your yamahas?

[25GTT]

Love the yamahas! I got them about 10 years ago at harvey norman, for my original xbox at the time but now have em on my pc. Still great quality and just that bit better now.

If its for your pc room and not a proper home theatre dont go a full $1000 system unless your an audiophile, go something like the logitech 5.1s: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=567_569&products_id=17914 or yamaha equivalent which i am trying to find for you now:-)

May i ask why the 2.1s? one of the advantages that i have found with this card is the ability to really utilise the dolby digital thingmajic in my rear speakers. Music and games are sounding amazing as i can now really hear people behind me.

Holy sh*t..... just saw the 5.1 swan's on pc case gear, they are some serious speakers!! maybe stick with the logitech 5.1s if there in you price range.

Of course you could always do this instead:

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/home-theatre/pioneer/725-watt-home-theatre-outfit-sku-70523/

So tempting now not to buy that pioneer set on the jbhifi page i linked!!! the mrs would kill me!

[J34]

I was in the same situation, I use on board sound and was thinking of upgrading to a sounds card. Kept reading mixed reviews for sound cards around $100 they always had alot of bad points.

I ended up picking up a set of logitech 5.1 Z506 for $77 which replaced some old Logitech 6.1 speakers and stuck with the onboard sound.

The Z506's sound alot better than the old speakers better looks, better sounding quality the sub is a smaller box but goes harder with less distortion and the bass can be turned down further than the old speakers.

In my opinion you could do one or the other and get a good result. Speakers just worked out to be a cheaper option for me and living in a unit and being able to turn the bass down was what sealed the deal.

[25GTT]

Hi Guys,

Ok just to rehash this old thread.

The sound card is still working great, and so were the plantronics 777! BUT i have had whiplash from falling off my bike, smashing my helmet, ending up in hospital with concussion.

Due to the size of the plantronics 777 i have found it a little achy for my neck lately, so i scoured over the net for the next level up and something a bit lighter.

In steps the razaer carcharius.

Well so far quite happy with it, purely due to its comfort and lightweight. It sounds more roomier and directional BUT the plantronics 777 sound still seems more punchier and more full, but i can understand the benefits of the razer in an FPS. These are brand new of course and i may need just a little time to adjust.

Both sound much better than the wireless logitech G930 headset, that was a bucket of puss! more bass from my foot hitting the carpet than what is in those headsets. So many good reviews about them and yeah wireless is nice, but not at the sacrifice of sh*t hollow sound. I am no audiophile but i can tell you they were dissapointing.

All in all i am happy with the purchase, i still think for music (Skrillex Bangarang) i like the 777 sounds.

Incidently if any of you guys are keen on buying my plantronics gamecom 777 just send me a PM, I bought em from JBhifi but they go now for $75 so I am sure if your keen we can sort something out.

On another side note, if you are chasing a nice headset like the razer carcharius, msy has em for $93, but go to officeworks, they sell em for $109 but they advertise they will beat competitors by 5% so i think i only paid about $89 which is pretty good if you ask me!

[R31Nismoid]

Logitech's for some reason get rave reviews (about a lot of their products). When largely they are a bit rubbish.

That said i have a G15 and a G9 which are both great and have stood the test of time, but i wouldn't touch a lot of other Logitech stuff

[25GTT]

completely agree, i have the g15 keyboard on my old PC and now sport the G19, its because of the quality of those products that i went and bought it. Unfortunately not all their products are top shelf.

[bozodos]

my Z5500s are excellent speakers, however my G510 keyboard is kinda meh, think I'll go for a mechanical one next time

[R31Nismoid]

Yeah my G15 is just about due for retirement... I'll be going Mech as well.

I have a Dell SK-8115 @ work, uses rubber dome switches. Lasted my daily abuse of it for 4-5 years now (and i type a LOT). I also have 2 spare hidden away just in case it breaks or they want to refresh me with our new gen of HP gear (which have rubbish keyboards).

For a $20 RRP Mech keyboard, i am might impressed with it.

[25GTT]

whats the difference between normal keyboard and them? other than they are quite a lot more expensive?

[R31Nismoid]

Mechanical switches, google it (and spend the next hour reading). Interesting stuff

[bozodos]

Dell mech keyboard you say...

I just use the generic flat keyed multimedia Dell KB at work, had it for 2 years, best one I've used apart from the Das Keyboard one of my workmates got the other day, that thing was a delight to the fingers, and reminded me a LOT of the old IBM one I used to have years ago

[R31Nismoid]

Dell mech keyboard you say...

For the price, 100%