In the TG Lab: ASUS Xonar DG Budget Audio Card

When ASUS released its first Xonar audio card model in late 2007, it took the PC enthusiast community by storm. No one had expected the company to deliver a truly outstanding product, but it did, and it didn’t only impress us, but audiophiles all over. Since that first launch, ASUS has followed-up with many different models ranging from $50 – $200, with each tackling a specific segment.

Not everyone wants to spend over $100 for an audio card, but I think it can be assumed that everyone wants good audio. For those who are looking for the best bang for the buck, ASUS released its Xonar DS last year, which currently retails for around $50. It offers beefy specs for the price, and is well-suited for either gaming or music listening.

Last month, the company announced a second card to be released at the same price-point, but this one takes after the Xonar Essence STX, in that it’s designed for headphone users. Does it feature a build-in amp? You bet. I’m not sure at this point in time which one, though, as I forgot to look before I installed it into my PC.

I’ve been using the card for a couple of days now, and I can say that for the money, this card looks to deliver an impressive experience. As you can see in the shot below, the card is PCI-based, not PCI Express, and no external power is required, like it is for the higher-end cards. The chipset used is C-Media’s CMI8786, while the DAC is Cirrus Logic’s CS4245.

The card outputs an impressive 105 dBA and handles frequency responses from <10Hz – 48kHz, along with support for 24-bit/96KHz audio. The amp is designed to handle impedance between 32~150 ohms, and in the screenshot below, you can see how the driver allows you to choose between the three settings. The minimum setting is for what ASUS calls “VOIP Mode” and covers 32 ohms and under, while “Pro-Gaming Mode” is designed for headphones between 32 and 64 ohms. For those cans with higher impedance levels, there’s the “Exciter mode”. What does exciter mean? Your guess is as good as mine. I think ASUS could use a spell-checker.

If you’ve ever used a Xonar card before, the “audio center” will come as no surprise. It looks the same on the DG as it does the higher-end Essence STX. On the main page you can change the number of audio channels, output, sample rates, and even whether or not Dolby Headphone is turned on. Yes, believe it or not… Dolby Headphone is included here. Not to mention ASUS’ GX 2.5 (EAX emulator).

For the $50 price point, the Xonar DG looks to be “the” card worth looking at in this price point, especially for those like me who are headphone users 90% of the time while on a PC. More on the Xonar DG soon…