Отзывы о Внутренняя звуковая карта ASUS Xonar DG

ProsGood sound quality with speakers or phones way better and way louder than my on board Realtec sound .Good alternative to moderately priced outboard DAC and separate headphone amp or amp/dac combo with low impedance phones .****The DGX PCIe card has some issues and fixes that I've outlined in detail below resulting in a lot of bang for the buck ! *****The provided built in headphone amp is powerful used with low impedance probably 64 ohm or less phones as specified .You might be able to get away with 150-300 ohms just fine but volume **may** be reduced I have not confirmed that.YMMV.If you have 600 Ohm phones you may want to get an amp of some sort.This card uses the same **or nearly equivalent** DAC chip that is found in many moderately priced but more expensive consumer outboard Dacs and amp/dac combos.Decent DAC chips have been commodities for many Years contrary to what some would like you to believe this one is no exception and is fine for consumer use. Chip data sheets are freely avail on line . I bought it at here at Amazon refurb/used and discounted , it came in OE packaging like new or new condition. I installed with downloaded latest drivers and features for win 7x64 version PCI-DGX-120312-7.12.8.1800(W7-FR-01) (recommended) from ASUS web site . Their web site is a little wonky but once you get signed in the various drivers are there . Maybe they need to hire some Google ,Apple or Amazon coders. It works and sounds very good plays nice with windows 7x64hp.The CD included that I did not use is the same file version I downloaded YMMV.Major improvement for not much money . No brainer if you have been using on board for phones or speakers.If you have phones the built in headphone amp is a major plusI'm driving KRK KNS 8400 studio headphones 32 ohm but usually a little hard to drive no problems here loud and decently clear.compares well to moderately priced headphone amps as well as my M audio interface .AD copy :Built-In Headphone AMP. Powers up every sound detail in gaming. 3 headphone Amp gain modes for different usage scenarioDolby Headphone for an immersive 5.1 surround imagingGX2.5 for realistic 3D audio effectsAutomatic jack-sensing front-panel output. Audio auto-switched from back to front with headphone plugged in.Rear panel Optical S/PDIF Toslink out and internal S/PDIF header for HDMI audio supported video card******* WARNING ************** WARNING **********WARNING ******* The automatic Front panel headphone jack detection/auto switching does NOT WORK on the DGX. You have to switch it manually in the sofware interface with the DGX PCIe card *** The DG PCI card does not have this issue *** I suspect these issues may be present with the ASUS Xonar DS PCI and DSX PCIe cards*** respectively.The Xonar DS PCI should be free from these issues and like the DGX, may be present on the DSX cards but I have not confirmed that.AL 97 or HD audio settings make no difference front panel automatic detection still doesen't work on DGX PCI-e card***** the work around is down below ***** ****WARNING ***** The headphone output from front panel jack is weak and low volume is present when set to frt panel headphone.****** the fix is down below. *******Amplified speakers work fine from front panel jack and front panel speaker setting is usedHeadphones work fine when plugged into ** rear jack ** and output is set to headphone. I ended up plugging Phones into rear Paneland speakers into front panel it works fine but backwards that way .I believe the front panel headphone loudness issue is a hardware issue relating to the power distribution for the headphone amp or or Op amp on the PCIe buss and the bridge chip on the DGX board that is my opinion I have not confirmed this. . *** Get the DG if you have a PCI slot everything else is the same and you won't have frt. panel sound / headphone detection or auto switching issues and everything should work normally ..***** warning ***** you may have to install / uninstall the drivers a couple of times or more for them to work with all the features.3rd time worked for me you may have to try re booting a couple of times to get features to work the first time. once that happens you are fine. Once installed and working the drivers are stable and it plays nice with windows. First Disable on board audio in bios/enable sound card then uninstall drivers.*** install new card and re boot then install ASUS drivers **OR ** uninstall old sound card and drivers before installing this after installing this card boot into windows and install ASUS drivers. Make sure to uninstall drivers and re boot between driver installs /re installs if multiple attempts are needed so windows can re detect the device and assign it a PCI address.very important should you have to re install the drivers 2 or 3 times like I did.There are alternative free unity drivers available they are unsigned and may be wonky and difficult to install in win.7 Fugget about it in win 8. I d

This PCI-Express Asus sound card is absolutely great. There is not a lot to say other than that this card does everything that is advertised to do and does it outstanding. Great sound threw all 4.1 of my Klipsch THX speakers. This card gave this old speaker system new life and the headphone amp is also excellent. It's a great gammer card for anyone that plays first person shooters and would like an edge against the enemy. Really nice surrond effects in headphones or with a surround speaker system. Makes you forget about that lame Realtec on-board sound that's been the main stay for too many years on all boards. This Asus card uses the O2 C-Media chipset that is found on the much more expensive Asus cards.People are complaining about the software and having issues getting the microphone to work. Well no such troubles for me, it works just perfect with the latest drivers and software available at Asus's web page.If your looking for a really nice sounding card, that won't make you pay for a name then this is the one. I have been working in I.T. since 1994 and am a Level 3 Tech. This is the most bang for the buck that you will find in a nice slender, PCI-Express 1 sloted sound card, bar none.Note after working more with the card:Don't expect the built in amp to work effectivly with the HD front port. It does work however if your using high end headphones similar to my Sennheiser 598's with a rated impedence of 50 ohms you will need to plug into the back of the card and use the software E.Q. to boost your Headphones by 20 D.B.I tryed various settings with the card and my Klipsch Promedia 4.1's sound fantastic with this card. I can blow myself out of my apartment with these 4 little speakers and the huge subwoofer that are all amplified like most P.C. speakers, but with much more power and with maual adjustments as well.However if you plan on using headphones for gaming you are limited to using the cards middle selection of 32 to 64 ohms to get the proper game sound effects through this card. Also this setting is a bit on the low side with it's impedence rating. My 50 ohm headphones do sound really great on the high setting for music playback, when set on the 64 OHM amplifier setting. I always do my research at HardOCP.com and TomsHardware first, then check out a few reviews to narrow the field and then buy, based on that information. If for some reason I don't like it; I send it back and go with a different card. This go's for Video cards, sound cards and even Motherboards, although I have always been very happy with Asus when it comes to Motherboards.So this card is a lot of take, and a little give. So you have to manualy change your plugs from your speakers to your High End headphones if you want the best sound. This is not ness. if you have cheaper very low impedence head phones. If that's the case you can simply change the setting thru the software and be happy. I'm a picky gamer and very picky with my music. So others might not care at all about this little inconvience, I know I didn't. Also keep in mind that this card does not have any type of sheilding like some of the $200 cards with amps do. But once again it's only $40 and well worth it. I would have paid $65 and still kept this card, maybe even $80 since I could see no sound improvment between this a the new S.B. 4 core amplified card.The S.B. Quad core audio card has a lower D.B. rating of 100 D.B.; this Asus card is rated at 105 D.B. The Asus card also has a 2.1, 4.1, and a 5.1 setting to use with you speakers or your headphones.The S.B. Quad cores only advantage is the more powerful headphone amp, and it's 256 individual gaming sounds, which is double that of the Asus. However it will not support 4.1 surround sound speakers and with a price of over double the Asus, does not even come close to the depth of music playback quality of the Asus, 24-96 HZ as opposed to the high end cards 24-192HZ. I can'thear the difference between this cards analog 4.1 surround sound, and the Hi-Def Onboard running thru a Digital co-ax thru a Sony reciever. This little Asus PCI-Express x1 24-96 hz. 105 D.B. audio card is beter or on par with just about every new sound card I have heard. Plus the fact it can run my Kliptch 4.1 Promedia speakers without me using a seperate reciever really sells the card! Now my desk is clear or that bulky Receiver, and I'm again using a $300 4.1 speaker system that quite simply rocks my apartment, with great music and nice game sound effects as well. Just thought I would give everyone an update, so they know what to expect as well as what not to expect. If you have trouble setting up the microphone, then you need to follow the instuctions. It's not hard to do, but as usual I find so many customers that can't follow simple instructions and then want to blame the hardware! Something I have grown very used to since 1994.Still if you buy your sound cards thru Amazon you have the option of just returning the card if your not happy with it. I h

Bought a set of audiophile Sennheiser headphones a little while ago. Wanted either a DAC amp or a new sound card for my pc. I'm in the middle of upgrading my pc and this card was cheaper than most DAC's so I went with this.Tech Specs:- Card will fit into a PCI 2.2 or higher slot in your motherboard.- Has a cable connecting to your pc's front audio jacks (if there) so you can still use those but will be powered by the card.- The DG also even have a headphone amplifier built in (eliminating my need for the DAC entirely).- It supports 5.1 surround sound and is just a great looking card in general.- Comes with support cdHad the card set up in a few minutes, windows 7 64 bit did not actually recognize the card on start-up, didn't find drivers. Took my chances and used the driver in the support disc given with the card (rather than finding drivers off-site). Installed properly, restarted and the card worked perfectly! Support disc is great. *Remember to disable onboard sound before installing this, I forgot when I first put in card and driver install didn't work that time* So far working great, one quirk were my front panel doesn't play audio (those jacks are old), just reselected Front headphones and it worked fine again. Might just be a minor glitch.Now Asus and the DG's descriptions edge it to the use of gaming sound more, but from the specs it seems like it would be just as solid as a audiophile card. I was right.Let me just say first, Xonar DG Audio Center is amazing. That is some quality software that throws my mind completely off that it comes with this card. It gives you master control, mute option and the equalizer right on the home. By expanding the little dashboard a second window pops up. Has main menu for Analog out, channels etc. You can run test sounds here. Has a few features I haven't tested but seem interesting (mixer, karaoke, voice effects etc).My favorite menu, Effects. This is where it turns audiophile, it has standard setting for environment size then multiple preset equalizers settings. You can choose to use the standard EQ's or preset your own. I used 'Metal' as a starting point then tweaked it to my preference. Total control from 20+ to 20- and can save a number of presets you have created under different names so you can easily switch through them. You can really make your headphones shine through this, the card itself will boost headphone quality on its own (large factor because of the built in amp) but fine tweaking the EQ will really push them past expectations. Works for any music genres in this case, considering you can decide over the sound output if you use the EQ properly.I have not tested much in the way of gaming unfortunately. I used them for a older game (Dawn of War Soulstorm), not exactly known for its audio but they did make my Turtle Beach's sound much more powerful than when using onboard sound. Once I test them with Guild Wars 2 (highly anticipated PC game this year) I will update.I have used onboard sound mostly and have listened through higher priced sound cards than this. None of them compare, the software on the card alone is great, giving you customization EQ (always a huge deciding factor for me), the built-in headphone amp and just the flawless audio output on the card surpass the rest. I highly recommend this card to audiophiles and gamers (headphones for sure) and even anyone wanting to get out of on-board sound. It's less than 30$, its a steal.If you're still unsure. For the gamer, I've used a friend's Dolby Digital DAC (the one turtle beach promotes) while good, did not give off the same level of sound quality as this card.For audiophiles, I have also used my headphones in a receiver. The card is just as good, I'd say better. Note - for a full surround set up, receiver does give better quality(although there easily 4x the cost of this card) and supports more channels - card limited to 2 through Toslink I believe.Great card, great software, great price.Would buy again in seconds.Thanks for reading.Update: Since the release of Guild Wars 2 (as promised) and recently purchasing Battlefield 3, this card does live up to gaming standards! Guild wars sounds beautiful and as battlefield 3 is known for their immense sound quality, does it ever live up to what Dice was talking about. The gun fire and explosions are crystal clear and running vehicles is a very different experience with such sound. I have never been so into a game when that enemy helicopter is directly above trying to find you. If you were skeptical of its gaming performance since I mainly focused on Music then I recommend this card even further with its great performance on Guild Wars 2 and Battlefield 3's stunning audio. Also, I fixed the issue with sound wasn't running through my front panel, it's a setting on the Xonar Audio centre under Main tab to select where audio comes from, I had selected Headphones when it should of been Headphones FP (Front panel). If you're having that problem, make sure it

I generally do not review products I purchase online, but in this case I am compelled. To start off, I would like to say that for the price I paid I got what I paid for and then some. The sound quality and amount of options vs my on board sound (Realtek ALC 892) isn't comparable one bit. I generally have never considered a sound card, as a good bit of people online state that on board is very close to on board sound. There really has never been an issue that I've noticed with my on board sound until now.The sound quality from this card is amazing, and the options in the software are a great feature as well. I recently purchased some Creative Aurvana Live! headphones from Amazon. Upon using on board sound they were what I am used to sound wise. It wasn't until I plugged this card in a few days later and listened to the CALs that my opinion on sound cards in general changed. This card just brought a whole new dimension to sound clarity to my PC and my life. The cheaper pair of speakers I have found the same boost in quality as well.Pros:-Superb sound quality if you haven't heard recent sound cards in action. (At least this one in particular as I haven't heard any other models / brands.) The highs are bright, the mid range is crisp, and the lows are punchy.-Great price to performance ratio-A new take on sound quality in general, as this has changed my perspective on sound quality in general. I'll never use on board again..-The headphone amp really pushed my headphones into a new class of power without making the sound signature muddy, at least with the CAL!s / Speakers.- Amazon's super fast shipping via UPS. (Two day shipping selected, but it arrived here a day early.)ConsA small con, but easily fixable. The card was not recognized via the driver installer or via Windows update drivers. So I searched google for "Asus Xonar DG device not found" and came across a website talking about the cards EPPROM getting overwritten and causing this issue with some motherboards. I just downloaded the linked file and burned the ISO to a DVD and ran on boot. This rewrote the EPPROM with the correct hardware ID and enabled the card to be recognized by the driver. I am not taking a star away as there was a super easy fix readily available online that took less than 5 minutes to complete. Just one of those things I guess.All in all this card is a no brainer if you've only used on board sound in the last 5 years. You will experience a noticeable difference with quality headphones / speakers. Plus its under 40 bucks, so you wont frown while viewing your bank account balance.

I have a modified OEM HP desktop running a Phenom II based MOBO, circa mid-2009, that I installed the DGX into. The Realtek integrated audio was lacking, to say the least, and my NVIDIA videocard kept overriding the Realtek causing settings to disrupt one another based on which program was active.I never take the time to familiarize myself with all the technical specifics, but I can say the DGX is louder, clearer and seems to support more effects simultaneously. All good things. Mine's for gaming, you'll hear the nuances of whatever the sound designers intended for both music and effects. The software and drivers install easily, although it has a tendency to default to front panel headphone every time I boot, easy to switch it back. I have a simple, but powerful set of 2 channel Logitech speakers which now sound like they should. I don't have any issue with the front panel audio, but I'm using analog 3.5mm Bose headphones for it. The front panel is perhaps 20% quieter than a direct connection.Nowhere in the instructions or on the website does ASUS walk you through enabling front panel audio if you're switching from integrated to a soundcard. Maybe it's common knowledge for builders, but ASUS can't assume everyone that buys their product has installed a soundcard before. That was frustrating, but easy enough to figure out if you've ever taken apart a desktop before (just find the port that isn't occupied on the top of the soundcard, find the matching port on your MOBO, unplug from MOBO, plug into soundcard). Not difficult, but not mentioned anywhere. You will have either 1 channel audio from the front panel (left or right) or no audio at all without switching.The DGX does not seat well in the MOBO's PCI-E x1 slot, slides around a bit. Not an issue for me, this machine doesn't get moved at all. I could see that being a problem if you regularly shift your desktop.At $30-40 I recommend the DGX, but only if your MOBO can't support the apparently more reliable, and cheaper, DG. The DG is basically the same thing, but houses in the older PCI slot. True audiophiles will want a far more expensive piece of equipment either way.

Never have I been disappointed enough to write a bad review on ANY PC part, and I build all my desktops from Amazon.YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: This card will NOT perform properly with front panel audio, period.I can only guess my issues have not been replicated or observed simply because this card is so new, and few likely have anything to compare it to.I have gone through 2 of these cards and EXTENSIVELY tested both in two different computers, both of which are high end (one with an i5 2500K, another with the i5 3570k, both with ATI HD 6950's, etc etc). The one with the i5 2500k has the Asus Xonar DG (the PCI version of this card) in it, and the other the Xonar DGX, the PCI-E version.THEY ARE NOT THE SAME CARD AT ALL. I have been inclined to believe they have the same chipsets and just different connector types, which is very likely, but one card actually works right, the other does not.Basically, the front panel audio headphone amp DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY on the Xonar DGX. The volume doesn't even compare at all to the DG's. I could barely go above 30 or 40 on the DG with my Denon AH-D2000's on Excite it was so powerful, but i can literally go to 100 maxed out on the same settings on the DGX and its just barely a little too loud...and the umph of the low frequencies take a noticeable dive. In fact, I can LITERALLY dance from 50 to 100 volume with NO VOLUME CHANGE whatsoever on the DGX from the front panel headphone out.I thought it was just a bad card, no biggie, but sure enough when I got my second one after an RMA, SAME ISSUE. It occurs in BOTH computers, so I know the front panel connector on my cases is NOT the issue, especially since it works on the DG.I have tested both the Uni drivers (which work flawlessly with the DG) and the official DGX (crap) Asus drivers from May 2012 (their latest), and both exhibit the same problems with the front panel being entirely too quiet (and surprise surprise, the Uni drivers work better still for a card they aren't even sure it supports yet...just sad, ASUS). I have also played with every setting imaginable...and nothing.However, the REAR PANEL works as intended on the DGX, where it has a comparable volume to the DG's front and rear amp'ed audio.All ASUS told me was that it was likely my front panel connector, even though I told them I have ONE OF THEIR OWN SOUND CARDS that works flawlessly with it and tested it in 2 different computers. Good job, ASUS, five star support. They were willing to finally RMA it after I was adamant that it was not my fault, but why bother, Amazon does it hassle free and 100x better. Thank you for your amazing service, Amazon. They took BOTH back 0 questions asked, and fully refunded my purchase. Now THAT is customer service.I NEVER EVER write reviews...but BUYER BEWARE. Get the DG.

I bought this card when it was above the $20 range... and I considered it a steal. Having built a DIY tower recently and working on another for fun, I can honestly say this is the best,smartest purchase to upgrade your desktop.Firstly, its relatively small and doesn't require a lot of power unless you use the headphone amp (which I haven't found any need to use... ever). So if you bought a retail desktop, if it has a PCI slot, I cannot emphasize how much of a no brainer this is.Features & Software:Before I say anything else, this card will *only* work on windows. I used it for windows 7. There is no linux support whatsoever, anywhere. Unfortunate, but if you own a computer you can put this in, you're likely using windows anyways.Audio quality is outstanding. Unless you've spent $300+ on headphones or $400+ on "audiophile" marketed speakers, this has a full featured Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) with coverting abilities higher than many consumer USB DAC's. If all you want, or mostly want, is high fidelity music using your desktop as the source, this is high enough quality for most people that spending 5x as much for a music streamer II is flushing money down the drain.The software's utility is great. Intuitive and easy to use. The surround sound software is great. It can't hold a candle to Dolby Headphone technology (which is hard to find even in sub $200 video cards). What it can do is let you is turn on the 5.1+7.1 features (I advise not stopping at the 5.1 setting, a friend who wanted to try it out agreed there was a noticeable upgrade in sound).It works too. Lots of claims fall flat, but watching a movie I've turned around before thinking a sound behind me was from my apartment, not the film. It also is able to give you a very real surround sound effect with music too, which is a true feat since most music files are in stereo.The software suite takes up very, very little processing power. Keep it running, minimize it and forget about it.It doesn't take up much room either. When buying a component, its a very justifiable fear that it won't fit your case. This card will fit in pretty much anything though. As I said as well, it takes up very little power. So all you guys with dell or lenovo or gateway desktops? You're small chassis and unimpressive power supply will still be able to handle this card!In closing... I know I'm coming off as almost ranting trying to convince people to buy this. I don't have any vested interests. But when I find something like this which gives me most of what I expect/desire at a price you'd expect from a utter trash product... its always good to indirectly tell the company "hey, make more quality products without the mark-ups!".

This sound card gave me issues when installed on TWO different systems. It was purchased for a friend of mine who had an older Athlon XP based system that was upgraded to Windows 7. I told him I recommended ASUS because of my experience with the brand. I never actually owned an ASUS sound card but they seemed like they'd work well enough.But installing it was a nightmare.I made sure to disable the onboard sound on the guys system and make sure that no sound utilities were loading up on startup. I then shut it down and put in the Xonar in the next available slot from the top. Booted it up and Windows couldn't find drivers, so I used the cd. The progress bar went on and on until it reached the end...and then went off the border!!! After an hour of waiting I shut down the system during the install and booted it back up. I got to the Device Manager and saw a "CMedia Controller" entry under sound cards. I manually tried to update the driver from the inf, which got the driver to install but none of utilities Argh! Plus the system just seemed slow afterward, the cpu graph in Task Manager constantly ran at 100%. Youtube was pathetic. Again, this was an older system so I told the guy modern websites and videostreaming might not run too well anyway.I stayed over at my friend's house and tried putting it into different slots until finally I asked if I could take it home and try to get it installed on my pc. I had just built a new pc the week prior, a custom AMD based system with an ASUS motherboard. Same steps as before, disabled onboard sound and checked to make sure no sound utilities booted on startup. Shut it down and installed the card, booted into Windows. Again, Windows couldn't find drivers so I tried to get the cd to install. SAME RESULT! The progress bar just magically floats off the border to the side and the system just seems to be stuck on something. Powered off and got to the device manager, "CMedia Controller" entry, manually updated from inf (no utilities). Now MY system started to feel laggy, so I ripped the damn thing out and boxed it back up.I told my friend I had the same experience and sent it back. ASUS I hope you fix this thing, I was terribly disappointed.

I had absolutely no problems installing the card and the drivers on a Windows 7 64bit machine, sound quality is good, DSP features are very nice (especially for the price). However, I was greatly disappointed by one particular feature of this card: I was going to use it to feed 2-channel sound to a stereo receiver, so I thought that connecting the 1st output to the receiver would do the trick, however, after every reboot the software reverts to "headphones" mode, so I have to manually reset it to use the output to 2ch stereo. This is an annoyance and is inconvenient, as I was going to use this card in this particular mode of operation only (with a cable connecting its output to the receiver always in (a hard to reach) place, as the back of this machine is normally blocked from easy access). After I discovered this feature I did a web search that confirmed the issue. Solutions to this "problem" exist, but none of them are convenient enough for mypurposes. The bottom line: I wanted a (recently designed) cheap PCI card that would give me decent sound on linear out (and no static noise), but I didn't expect that such card could come with such "interesting" feature. I had to remove the card (that I will use elsewhere) from the computer and replaced it with some of the 7-8 year old SB's that I have in my "treasure" (a.k.a. trash) bin. Didn't want to use those in the first place because the drivers for these SB's are very, very old. The summary: an excellent (for its purposes) value card with decent DSP, sound quality and software (all these 5 stars), but the particular feature I described in this review makes it a 3-star product for my particular purposes.

For whatever reason, the built-in audio failed on my motherboard. Since the motherboard was otherwise working normally, I decided to buy a PCI sound card to restore my computer's audio capability. The ASUS XONAR DG has turned out to be a great choice.I want to mention up front, I have given this product 4 stars instead of 5 since the "out of the box" experience was not the greatest. I tried loading the driver using the supplied CD and the installation failed on my Windows 7 64-bit system. Interestingly enough, after I rebooted following the faulty driver installation, Windows recognized the sound card and I had audio. But the apparent success was short lived and I started getting the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death." Wow, it was like a 90's flashback! And not a good one either.I went to the ASUS site and downloaded the latest driver for Windows 7 64-bit. After reloading the driver, the sound card is operating fine and the system is stable.Unfortunately, I am not as much of an audiophile as some of the other reviewers. All I can tell you is I am extremely pleased with the sound coming out of my PC's 5.1 speaker system. I have only started playing with the ASUS user interface software but be sure to open that and configure the audio for your particular set-up. It defaults to 2.0 (and even then sounded good) but once I set it up for 5.1, I was thrilled with the quality of the audio. I was also pleased to see it gave me a significant improvement over sound quality from the motherboard's onboard audio (back when it was working). Being able to get great performance for less than $20 was icing on the cake.In summary, I highly recommend this card as a great value. However, I strongly recommend not using the CD and downloading the appropriate driver for your system from the ASUS site.

I had steadily grown tired of my SB Audigy 2 card and looked off and on for weeks hoping to find a card with better sound that wouldn't break the bank. For the money this card packs a nice punch. The fidelity, clarity and crispness of the music is so much better than my outdated Audigy and now I realize I really should have purchased this card a long time ago.Games are not my thing so I can't comment about the card in that respect but I'm listening to 10 year old music like it's the first time again and the detail is amazing! For example, on John Mayer's acoustic version of "Good Love is on the Way" I can hear the guitar pick touch the strings before the actual note is plucked. It's not on all songs, and it wont bring out sounds that are not there, but the clarity is so much better that I'm amazed at what this card does for so little money. If you're on the fence like I was I suggest making a move on this card ASAP. I'll never use my Audigy again - ever.The only negative I can find so far is that the EQ mixes seem to drift a little. I'm not sure but I'm almost certain of it. Mids will sometimes rise and fall as if I am tweaking the EQ but it only lasts a moment and it's back to being awesome again. It could be the MP3's but I don't know for sure because I never had a card capable of extracting so much detail from a sound file before. Don't let the specs fool you. My Audigy has better specs but my ears tell me it's lying.Of course sound quality is hugely objective and if you have a standard set of desktop speakers you probably won't notice any improvement over on board sound or some $9 card. I'm using the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 THX speakers and they do make a difference.Technology has improved over the years. My old school card looks like a powerhouse compared to this diminutive little card, but my suggestion is to ignore your eyes and trust your ears on this one.As far as bloatware... there is none. The driver and control panel are in one package and the whole thing comes in at just under 12 megs at the ASUS site.The card comes with a low profile bracket which makes it suitable for any case or motherboard with an available PCI slot.Enjoy your music for the first time - again.What the card is used with:Gigabyte GA-970 UD3 motherboardAMD Phenom II X4 945Windows 7 64 bit

Loving this card.High points:The Flex Bass LFE crossover settings are much more convenient than physically crawling behind my sub.Great headphone amp. I noticed a difference, even though my cans have low impedance. Make sure to use it. Main -> Set analog out to correspond to the correct port -> click the hammer to adjust the amp.Tip: Connect your computer case's onboard sound cable to the Xonar's AC'97 port. (That means unhooking it from your mobo, since that's where you had it plugged in before). This will let you amp other ports, which will be more convenient to plug headphones into.Cautionary Note:Windows 8 Issue (resolved): Upon initial installaction, my microphone refused to work, regardless of which port (mobo, case front, Xonar) I used. Fix: Reboot. Open Xonar DG Audio Center -> Arrow to slide it open -> Mixer button -> Record tab. Fiddle with things there.Annoyance:Xonar doesn't intelligently swap between speakers and headphones, based off of whether phones are plugged in or not. Because Xonar only shows one entry under Windows's "Playback Devices" listing, Windows can't automate this in Xonar's stead.

I honestly haven't used this sound card's DSP settings, its DACs, or its audio processor because I got it for its optical S/PDIF output. I decided to use my lowest-power machine for HTPC purposes (Core 2 Duo E6550 on a Gigabyte G31-based mainboard + GeForce 8800 GT) and found that my option for audio was the mainboard's integrated codec which was inadequate for my needs. Overall, even with a 24-bit depth sampled at 96 KHz, I've experienced no issues with this card feeding an audio signal to my receiver.Comparing this to my other audio setups, an optical output is an optical output, in the case of my Maximus V's S/PDIF connected to a Schiit Bifrost DAC. In this case, the DAC, amp, and transducer (be it headphones or speakers) does more to affect output than anything.As my Creative Professional E-MU 1212m is being used for its balanced line outputs, however, it's still not a good comparison since the use is completely different.The driver package that comes with this card is pretty good, though a bit bloated in my opinion (then again, PatchMix DSP with that 1212m isn't a lightweight either) but it's caused no issues and works quite well overall.TL;DR: This is a nice sound card and most people will be happy with it.

I work out in my home gym to Youtube music videos. I legally download these via Realplayer which does a nice job. I was using the headphone jack on my Vista laptop connected to my receiver (red/white plugs on side, headphone jack other side). I used a Streamzap remote (used, $18 on Ebay, only works with XP & Vista) to move thru playlists just like an mp3 player projected on a 42" $299 black Friday LCD. Not a bad experience, sound quality was pretty good but I was curious about improving the sound quality and was tired of moving my laptop back and forth. I purchased a Vista Dell Inspiron 530 desktop on Ebay for $70 shipped (you need a full size desktop to fit the full size Asus sound card). It took about 20 minutes to get the cover off and install the sound card. The included CD drivers loaded automaticaly and I matched it up with my Pioneer VSX 820K ($65 on Ebay) and some great Polk speakers. The key here was I kept it stupid simple and decided to use the optical cable (sound card to the receiver) versus messing with the HDMI. The sound difference was jaw dropping. Noticable highs, bass and separation. A rich warm sound that quickly roars when you turn it up. Really helps me on the those long treadmill runs. The best $27 I ever spent on audio - nice job Asus!

Had problem with on board audio chip so I needed a decent add-on sound card for video or music that when I am lazy to turn on my stereo. I searched around and found this one that fits the bill:Pros- cheap- hd audio 96/24- header for front pannel ( very nice)- supports windows XP, Win7 and Linux ( all in one Pc)- Very high SNR that often can't be found from the low ends.- Optical out for those who want to send signal to the receiver.Cons:- Not PciEI didn't expect much from this card since many reviewers had problems with the sound and installation. For me the installation went smoothly. Ubuntu 12.04LTS immediately recognized the card and installed the driver on first boot. However, It doesn't switch to the front pannel when I plugged in the headphone, linux driver doesn't have option either. Installation for windows requires driver and it came with the CD. I didn't bother and went straight to Asus website to download the latest and works on both XP and Windows7.At first I didn't like the sound when using with my headphone AudioTechnica M50s on windows. The sound was low and compressed. I brought up the audio utility and found that the Asus driver switched to the front panel and used the headphone profile. I selected the 2- speakers setting and it is much better.I also compared with Realtek 889 on another pc and they both sound good. I didn't test the toslink connection.I also worried that the card is targeted to gamers who doesn't care much about music but that can be put to rest.It would be perfect if Asus offered the same card with PciE at the same price.

I purchased a pair of corsair vengeance 1300's, just to find out that it needed an amp to run the 50mm drivers correctly. Built in sound from my motherboard was alright, the highs and mids were fine, but there was no bass at all (not flat, but not enjoyable). This card provided the right amperage for the headphones, the neat little equalizer works great for fine-tuning everything in a simple way. I selected the "Pro-gaming mode", which is for 32-64ohms speakers. Normal headphones are under that, and do not need the extra boost.Pros: Easy installation, great sound, good price, a lot better than mobo sound.Cons: Didn't know how to get mic working (You need to go in your microphone preferences and disable front-mic)I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get better sound out of their computer (didn't know it was possible until I got this) and anyone with audiophile headphones. The back plate even matches my XFX 7750 card, which is a plus.(This is a PCIe x1 card, the smallest slot on your mobo)

I'm a simple man. I don't need fancy Surround Sound, Echo Effects, a Gazillion Speakers, etc. My computer setup includes a subwoofer and 2 satellite speakers all driven off the generic speaker output on a sound card.After upgrading my current system to Win 7 64 bit my onboard sound quit working regardless of numerous drivers, software revisions, etc.I'm a independent computer consultant who fixes these and many other issues for my customers every day. I thought to myself, no big deal, the onboard sound card isn't really compatible with Win7 x64. So let's go find a card that will work with it.Man, do I miss the old days when you could buy a quality Creative Labs SoundBlaster card at a reasonable price and be assured that it was going to work. I tried some various cards in my inventory including a SoundBlaster Audigy SE but had mixed results. Some cards didn't install at all, while others would install but would give random problems like sound volume fluctuating or cutting out.After a bit of research I selected the SoundBlaster Recon 3d card thinking that would be the best fit because gone are the days of a simple sound card but hey, it's a SoundBlaster and I don't need all the whiz bang stuff.Damn was I wrong, the Recon 3d was nothing but problems.This card, the ASUS Xonar DG was not even considered on my original list but it works. The install was painful, I will admit. The physical part was no problem, but the software install just hung the computer. I was forced to do a hard reboot but the driver had installed and I finally have the basic sound on Windows 7 x64 that I've longed for since upgrading this system.I'll give it a five stars because it works not because of the problems I had. Functionality is more important to me than ease of installation.Chris

I got this because onboard sound card just wasn't cutting it. It was extremely low, so I had to resort to plugging my headphones through my Logitech speakers, which comes with a subwoofer and has a power cord, so it served as an amp. One problem though, it made a hissing/buzzing noise which pissed me off. This sound card doesn't have a hissing/buzzing noise at all, it's complete silence until I play any audio.The audio is great, can't compare it to anything but really it sounds good, what more can you ask for? I use ATH-M50 headphones with this product, it's fine but it didn't make it sound better or anything.The drivers work fine on Windows 8 64-Bit, I don't see why people were complaining. It installed perfectly, and it's very easy to work with.It even has ports for front case audio connectors, so now I have HQ sound from the front of my computer as well.For $30 you can't ask for more, this is a good deal.

It's a good little sound card. Not a ton of bells and whistles, but it does what it promises paired with a set of AD700 headphones and a Zalman clip-on mic.5.1 and 7.1 reproduction are good and the options for tuning the card are more than enough for what I need. Unlike a few others, I haven't had any issues with the drivers when using Win 7 x64. I am pairing it to an Asus Mobo, so not sure if that plays a role in compatibility.Make sure you uninstall any previous sound drivers and then reboot and disable your onboard sound card in Bio's before you plug it in. I opted to download the latest drivers from ASUS and aside from rebooting a few times it was a painless process.The sound is much better than the onboard VIA chip that I had previously and I highly recommend it as a cheap replacement to drive a pair of good quality headphones. You get your monies worth that is for certain!

I bought this card because my new motherboard doesn't have SPDIF out so I couldn't use it with my DAC (digital to analog converter). I couldn't live with on board audio after having a taste of sound quality for many months.Now, on to the sound card..The first thing I noticed is Asus software which is very complete with plenty effects and options to satisfy anyone.The sound quality on this card is way better than on board audio. The highs are crisp and detailed, the mids are there in good amount and detailed but the bass is disappointing. It's recessed to the point of being obvious, If you're not a bass head then you will probably won't mind after a while. For anyone who loves bass an adjustment on the EQ should be enough.

This was a real disappointment. I've bought quite a few ASUS products - including about seven motherboards, a monitor, an NVIDIA GTX470 video card, and more - and I have come to expect better than this. The quality control was atrocious, which I could have lived with if the microphone input worked. It didn't. I could listen but could not record.If it were just that the microphone input didn't work, I'd chalk it up to bad luck. I'd assume that it was the occasional defective unit that even the best company will inevitably produce, but the poor quality control on this was what really struck me, and may have accounted for the defective microphone input: 1) Several components on the card itself were bent, as though something had pressured the card very hard. They weren't just slightly bent. It was major. The damage is very visible, something that anyone would see immediately upon first looking at at the card. There was no damage to the packaging, so it had to have happened at the factory and should have been caught before leaving the assembly line. 2) The mounting screws for the half height bracket were loose in the box. They are tiny and could easily have been lost when the box was opened. They should have been enclosed in a plastic bag. 3) There were TWO copies of the Quick Start Guide!I am returning it to Amazon and will be ordering something else. I'll continue buying other ASUS products, but will probably replace this card with a Sound Blaster.