Asus Xonar DGX
 | Outdated Product $37.80 up to $43.44 Features: gaming; Type: internal; Interface: PCI-E; Channels: 5.1; DAC resolution: 24; Max. sampling rate (kHz): 96; Signal-to-noise ratio (dB): 105; |
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Entry level sound card
After Creative abandoned the mass market, concentrating its efforts on the professional segment (where, I must say, it feels good with the E-MU brand), the banner was picked up by the Taiwanese company Asus. Their lineup can be divided into two parts: audiophile — Strix, and gaming — Xonar. Let's talk about the latter now.
Fits anyway
The Asus Xonar DGX is an entry-level internal sound card. Its length is also small — 170 mm — it will not "get out" of the mini-ATX format motherboard. Of the connectors, we have four 3.5 jacks (three for connecting 5.1 acoustics and one for headphones, combined with a microphone input) and “optics”. The card is based on the CMedia 8786 chip, codenamed Oxygen HD. There are two DACs at once: the main Cirrus Logic CS4361 and the auxiliary CS4245 for connecting headphones. The second DAC works in tandem with the built-in amplifier to give a good headroom even for powerful high-impedance headphones of the Sennheiser HD650 caliber.
Excellent sound quality/price ratio
According to subjective feelings, the sound of the card fully justifies the price: it sounds more pleasant than any chip built into the motherboard and low-cost Creative boards like Live! 5.1, but in terms of brightness and detail, it lags behind more expensive gaming and professional cards. Priced at less than $40, the Asus Xonar DGX looks like an attractive option for those who want to upgrade their built-in audio, but don't want to overpay. A bonus for buyers will be a set of Xonar Audio Centre software that allows you to adjust the volume for each channel, adjust the sound with an equalizer or reduce distortion.
