ComputersEquipment

Asus Xonar D2X: Review and Feedback

ASUS company started the production of sound Xonar D2 PCI-cards for a long time, and then proceeded to manufacture the PCI-express version - the D2X model.

First impressions

Gilding and PCIe is nice to have. DAC Burr-Brown 24 bit / 192 kHz - high-end and one of the best, which can only be purchased. Dolby and DTS-encoding are also good. But who needs LEDs and protection from electromagnetic radiation? And why connect another power source? In the beauty contest Asus Xonar D2X could participate, but, frankly, this is already too much.

In the past, Creative's series was largely dictated by its Soundblaster series, whose exceptional performance was provided by the acceleration of DirectSound and support for EAX extensions in Windows XP. With the advent of Vista, the era of direct access to equipment ended, which put an end to the leadership of Creative.

Features & Benefits

Asus Xonar D2X - a high-end and uncompromising sound card, which, it is better not to want. She has so many opportunities that, for example, Auzentechs X-Meridian did not have before, but the manufacturer did not use innovations much. The most notable feature is the quasi-functional, mainly cosmetic protection from electromagnetic radiation. Quasi-functional because most of the noise comes through the PCIe power outlets. The company did not stop there and also took precautions in the electrical scheme of the card.

Main settings

If you look at the technical specifications, the list of which occupies several pages, then, removing the superfluous, one can single out the following:

  • 8-channel (7.1) 24 bit / 192 kHz output;
  • Texas Instruments / Burr-Brown DAC PCM1796;
  • 2-channel input signal 24 bit / 192 kHz, through the ADC Cirrus Logic CS5381;
  • Interface 1x PCI-Express slot;
  • Processor ASUS AV200;
  • Optical and coaxial connectors C / PDIF;
  • MIDI input and output through the daughter board;
  • Encoding DTS and Dolby Digital in real time;
  • Dolby Pro Logic IIx, headphones and a speaker;
  • DTS Connect;
  • EAX 2.0, OpenAL and DS3D GX;
  • Stylish EMP protection.

Asus Xonar D2X: Features Overview

Users always want to get a set of accessories that would allow the maximum use of their purchase. Creative traditionally led in this respect, and Asus seems to have followed suit. The set includes a lot of software, a lot of cables and even an expansion card for MIDI cables.

Another interesting feature of the Asus Xonar D2X is the inclusion of 4 cables of 3.5 mm (tulip), which indicates the company's confidence in its product. There is everything you need to connect to the receiver or active speakers. It seems strange to users that all this is included in the card package, since most prefer to transfer raw data via an optical cable, leaving the receiver with the possibility of converting them. This is also the main reason for performing DDL and DTS encoding. Given the quality of the analog output, it is worth remembering: to match it, you will need a very expensive receiver.

The standard of surround sound in Asus Xonar D2X-7.1, has long been the norm in sound cards. Also there are two analog-digital channels. The secret is that all these inputs and outputs of the highest quality are 24 bits / 192 kHz. The function, which Asus called ALT (analog ring conversion), takes advantage of such a bitrate. It was not necessary to give the DRM-camp in hand the card in the form of an analog gap name, with which you can write protected content with the least loss of quality.

Asus freely advertises its product as a legitimate way to bypass DRM, because technically nothing is hacked - content is simply played and then recorded. This is not an invitation to piracy, but only an opportunity to give the end user the right to copy the purchased music into any format that they want to have.

The Asus Xonar D2X PCI-Express-slot is not native and relies on a chip that converts PCI to PCIe. If the creative in X-Fi caused such a delay, then Asus does not seem to have such problems.

In the heart of the card is the AV200 processor, which does not quite match the C-Media CMI8788 chip.

DAC

Creative likes to point out the characteristics of the DAC (for example, SNR), but this is only half the truth. Operational amplifiers have a significant effect on the parameters of the output signal used by the speakers. The sound cards Auzentech X-Plosion and X-Meridian use interchangeable operational amplifiers. The company Asus on this path did not go and chose an unchangeable option, soldering the amplifier to the board.

Digital-to-analog converters in D2X of the highest quality and manufactured by Texas Instruments. In the PR literature, DACs are often used to give the buyer an idea of the overall level of equipment. Although the given characteristics, as a rule, can give an idea of the sound quality, but to trust them is a big mistake. The sound must pass through many circuits before it reaches the ears.

Let's lose, for example, a 16-bit 44.1-kHz WAV file. After it is launched, the file data is put into the card. Inside the audio processor, the data stream is routed to the appropriate location to change the volume, resampling, applying effects or filters), and then directed to the DAC for reconstruction to an analog one. The bits remain bits until they enter the converter. From there, the analog signal is sent to the operational amplifier, where, depending on the volume and type of load (headphones, speakers, etc.), gets into the air to reach the ears of the listener. It's nice to have a fancy DAC and LED illuminations, but nothing affects the sound like the quality of the source and dynamics. The mood, of course, also matters, but the intermediate changes should be as small as possible.

Performance

Performance in BioShock and Call of Duty 4 at 2-3 fps is slower than that of competitors. Although this is important for some gamers, but a better sound helps the player to better immerse themselves in the game world. For this, you can sacrifice a couple of frames. A nice exception was the game BF2142, where the performance is higher than that of the others, both in the normal and GS3D GX modes.

High quality

According to the users, it took them 5 seconds to understand that the Asus Xonar D2X was the new benchmark for a sound card that pushed down, for example, the popular universal Auzentech X-Fi Prelude, which sounded great in games, when playing music and watching movies. However, if the recording is poor or the bitrate of the mp3 file is low, the card mercilessly identifies all the shortcomings. This is high-definition audio and clean. Because of this, high-frequency sounds, such as cymbals, seem not so melodic. Also certain acoustic guitar recordings may seem somewhat unnatural - the absence of distortion deprives the sound of its brightness.

Software

The software is identical to the PCI-version with the same Hi-Fi interface, which looks good, but which is difficult to use. The buttons are inconvenient, poorly discernable, and sometimes confusing. The PMP program has the same limited features as before - conversion is limited to either .WMA or .MP3 with a bitrate of 128, 192 or 320 kbits, and there is no .MP3 encoder (so Asus saves on licenses), so it will have to Download separately.

ALT is entirely contained in this software, so there is no way to use it as a plugin anywhere else. The program now works much faster, but on the whole disappointing.

Drivers

Asus Xonar D2X driver is available for 32-bit and 64-bit OS XP and Vista. According to users, it is small and fast, with a minimum of bells and whistles. It is loaded with graphics, but certainly better than the basic C-Media drivers. But the program has all the necessary functions plus DS3D GX for EAX emulation. Driver updates for Asus Xonar D2X (Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7) can be downloaded from the official website of the company.

Verdict

The sound card Asus Xonar D2X has appeared for a long time, and the majority of users about it respond positively. In their opinion, it is simply amazing. The card has so much hardware and software that its price pays off with interest. It has a wide functionality, a great view and the highest quality.

Among the things that cause discontent of owners - LED-backlight and the absence of connectors for the front panel. In other respects, Asus with D2X became a real winner.

In some respects, the card represents a rather pitiful state of the industry - it was the first worthy purchase of an expansion for the PCI-Express bus and uses a bridge chip.

As for the Xonar D2X, the fans of pure sound, not burdened with additional functions of Dolby or DTS, rate the device extremely high. They regret that they have to pay for features and software that they do not use - without them it would have been much cheaper.

Also, users are unhappy with the need to connect an additional power source, which unnecessarily complicates life. If the PSU does not have a slot for the floppy drive, then it is required to look for the adapter and switch all loops, which is extremely inconvenient and chaotic. Even the usual Molex connector, which is in each power supply, would be the best option. At least, the corresponding adapter could be included in the kit.

The software package is huge and gives odds to competitors, although PMP and ALT are practically useless.

Is the Xonar D2X worth its money? Yes, if you need a good sound card for PCIe, but as an alternative to PCI-cards it is not very convincing. Costs may be justified if there is a need for at least some of the many included functions.

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