ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card released

Posted on Thursday, February 28 2008 @ 20:50 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Asus today released a new audio card, the firm claims its new ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 outputs up to 35 times cleaner audio than onboard audio chips.
35 Times Cleaner Audio Quality
The Xonar DX is capable of delivering 35 times cleaner audio quality with 116dB SNR in comparison to most motherboard onboard audio with only 85dB SNR. While noise is unavoidable, the Xonar DX dramatically reduces the amount of background noise, and it is this distinction that allows the Xonar DX to produce as little as 1/32 (-105dB) of the total harmonics distortion versus traditional motherboard audio (-75dB). As most onboard audio only provide 80~86 dB SNR audio quality, background noises are easily heard while listening to music or playing games. By adopting the CirrusLogics CS4398 audio DAC (120dB SNR & 117dB THD+N) that is often used in Hi-Fi devices, the Xonar DX provides at least 30% better quality sounds than the average onboard audio.

Latest DirectSound & Ability to Play EAX 5.0 Titled Games
With the new audio architecture in Vista, users will sometimes be unable to achieve multi-channel sounds, DirectSound; and EAX 5.0 sound effects in EAX 5.0 Titled PC games. With the ASUS Xonar DX, all these problems will be solved. With support for the innovative DS3D GX 2.0 technology, the Xonar DX automatically supports the latest EAX and DirectSound HW after installation without the need to search for additional drivers or OpenAL – as most games are DS3D/DirectX compatible.

Innovative VocalFX for Lively and Engaging Online Chats
VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology for users’ voices to enter into the realistic gaming landscape (VoiceEX), or to emulate the background scenes in online chats (ChatEX). It also allows them to disguise their voice pitches (Magic Voice). With all these features, users will have boundless entertainment while utilizing voice communications on the PC.

Dolby Sound Technologies for Ultimate High Quality Audio
Besides delivering impressive audio quality, the Xonar DX, like other members of the Xonar family of audio devices, is also packed with multiple sound technologies from Dolby to deliver outstanding entertainment experiences. These include Dolby Digital Live, which converts PC or game audio content into Dolby Digital in real-time; Dolby Headphone, which creates a surround sound listening experience when using any set of headphones; Dolby Virtual Speaker, which delivers a vibrant surround sound listening experience from stereo speakers and Dolby Pro Logic® IIx, which creates up to 7.1-channel surround sounds from stereo or 5.1 sources.


Specifications:
Items Description
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


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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