ASUS Intros Xonar DG 5.1 Channel Value Gamer Sound Card

[btarunr]

ASUS today expanded its Xonar series of sound cards and audio devices with a new value for money yet gamer-oriented PCI sound card, the Xonar DG. This low-profile card is driven [surprisingly] by C-Media CMI8786 Oxygen HD chipset, which is a 6-channel variant of the CMI8788 Oxygen HD. Pitched as a 5.1 channel sound card, the Xonar DG supports HD (24-bit/96 kHz) output with HDCP compliance. Apart from the four 3.5 mm jacks for 5.1 channel output plus one 2-channel analog input, there's one TOSLINK-type optical SPDIF output. The card gives out standard HDA front-panel connections, along with internal analog and SPDIF inputs.

Despite its lean feature set, the card features an on board headphone amplifier circuit that lets you tune impedance to suit your headset, it lets you select between VOIP, Gaming, and "Exciter" modes. The CMI8786 chipset is aided by a Cirrus-Logic made DAC that has a signal-noise ratio of 105 dBA, with a frequency response 10 Hz to 48 kHz, supporting 24-bit sample resolution. The software is backed by an ASUS GX 2.5 Gaming Audio engine. ASUS' new sound card is expected to be priced under £30 in the UK, well under $50 in the US.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Anarchy0110]

OMG !! Cut-down version of Xonar DX
For a price of 50 bucks,

 

[btarunr]

It could be lower (I'm expecting $39~$45). The ≤$50 US price was derived by currency conversion.

 

[Anarchy0110]

50 bucks is about 950k VND
What a price for a gaming sound card
Some company @ my city sells out Creative X-Fi and stuffs for about 2-3 million VND (100-150 USD) Depends on version, still very expensive

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

... million?

 

[Anarchy0110]

... million?

1 USD is about 19000 VND, here u go

 

[SuperSonic X 316]

I need a sound card so maybe this will have to do later on.

 

[Kitkat]

i know its good and it works mainly because i have the highest and the (previous lowest) one Just get this one or one higher. Top one is cool but isnt worth it much yes the F one

 

[CDdude55]

Wow, looks like i can finally pick up a sound card.

Awesome price.

 

[tkpenalty]

105db SNR?...

Also, whats up with 48kHz max?

 

[btarunr]

105db SNR?...

Also, whats up with 48kHz max?

That's frequency response, not sample rate. Do some reading.

 

[Mussels]

so asus have just released a basic card without any fancy features? no dolby encoding, no EAX workarounds?


not that i'm opposed to cheap alternatives, but it seems a very budget card with not many features.

 

[Kitkat]

so asus have just released a basic card without any fancy features? no dolby encoding, no EAX workarounds?


not that i'm opposed to cheap alternatives, but it seems a very budget card with not many features.

yes no maybe

 

[Kitkat]

Wow, looks like i can finally pick up a sound card.

Awesome price.

depending on your speakers as you know... yes. Im sure it will be no worse than the mid one out now. I was surprised when i bought the previous lowest... I should have just bought that one for mine. If it sux just buy one up

 

[btarunr]

so asus have just released a basic card without any fancy features? no dolby encoding, no EAX workarounds?


not that i'm opposed to cheap alternatives, but it seems a very budget card with not many features.

Dolby encoding is there, so is ASUS GX software (that do those tasks).

 

[Mussels]

Dolby encoding is there, so is ASUS GX software (that do those tasks).

maybe i suck at reading, i didnt encoding mentioned.

good to know what the GX software does, at least.

 

[wahdangun]

wow, what useless, you better get creative its have more feature than this thing

 

[AsRock]

I wounder if it's much better than the Supreme FX II as that can do DTS \Dolby encoding and 96Khz. Don't believe there be much difference and not a big fan of dolby anyways.

 

[theubersmurf]

I wounder if it's much better than the Supreme FX II as that can do DTS \Dolby encoding and 96Khz. Don't believe there be much difference and not a big fan of dolby anyways.

Ever seen the Dolby Axon demos? Kinda liked them.

 

[Mussels]

I wounder if it's much better than the Supreme FX II as that can do DTS \Dolby encoding and 96Khz. Don't believe there be much difference and not a big fan of dolby anyways.

if you run digital, you need it for gaming.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

given the choice between this card & an XF-i Xtreme gamer - id rather take the XF-i

how can they keep flogging us Audio cards when their DS3D GX that brings EAX/DirectSound back into games doesnt even work half the time??? its even worse now they have actually labled a card 'Gamer Sound Card' - you can play games on it, just dont expect it to be so gung ho about some older & possibly newer EAX/DirectSound games. this sh!t will make your pc completely BSOD or even constantly crash your games. however if you dont play any EAX/Direct sound games - still choose the creative. people use to gripe n moan about creatives terrible drivers but then they got better, Asus still havent fixed bugs with most of their soundcards, especially when it comes to the DS3D GX system. so for games its best to steer clear of it. with creatives own cards you wont get as much clarity in sound as you would on a D2X or higher end ST/STX but it will work on games flawlessly. Auzentech cards come highly recommended as they have the XF-i chip & quality caps n opamps

If you are a true gamer - go with an Auzentech XFi Forte (because its roughly in the same price range) or XF-i XtremeGamer.

Asus really need to feed their devs n get them working on 'maturing' the Xonar drivers.

 

[aj28]

It seems this is pretty much just a 5.1 version of the DS, no? Even the PCB design is near identical... With the DS already at $50 (which can frequently be had with a $20 MIR), there is not much room for this card. As an Audigy SE competitor ($30) it might do well, but there are plenty of cheap C-Media cards out there that I think consumers in that segment would rather snatch up to save a buck...

 

[caleb]

Just wondering what FPS/RPG game can you actually play using EAX nowdays ?

 

[silverlai3]

NEHHHHHHHHHH............No game using EAX anymore... stop moaning about EAX, IT"S DEAD!


Anyways, Xonar DG is the FIRST sound card at this price range to have onbaord headphone amp, and that's good to hear.

Driver issue? never happened to me here. ^++^

 

[Kitkat]

maybe i suck at reading, i didnt encoding mentioned.

good to know what the GX software does, at least.

nah its in the picture u dont suck at reading