{"id":1099,"date":"2010-10-08T13:40:35","date_gmt":"2010-10-08T20:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/cqtwo\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2010-10-17T15:27:15","modified_gmt":"2010-10-17T22:27:15","slug":"asus-xonar-dx-sound-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/cqtwo\/2010\/10\/08\/asus-xonar-dx-sound-card\/","title":{"rendered":"ASUS Xonar DX sound card"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wanted to upgrade from my motherboard’s built-in sound, but most sound cards seem aimed at gamers or HTPC set ups. \u00a0I was looking for something a bit different: good sound from good DACs to my powered speakers. \u00a0Not surround sound or anything fancy, just stereo speakers and headphones at times. \u00a0I didn’t need audiophile-level equipment, but I wanted quality components. \u00a0The ASUS Xonar soundcard line<\/a> gets good reviews, especially running under Linux. \u00a0There were a lot of negative comments about Creative Labs, some very passionate, especially about their support for Linux.<\/p>\n

There are also sound cards from M-Audio, who make the powered speakers I use, and from Auzentech. \u00a0But the ASUS Xonars seemed like a good safe choice.<\/p>\n

After some research I settled on a Xonar DX<\/a> for about $75. It worked out great for me and I love the way it sounds. \u00a0It installed easily; the only catch is you need power from a floppy drive controller, but even that was simple. \u00a0Ubuntu 10.04 recognized it immediately, although the less said about PulseAudio the better. \u00a0The card would have been cheaper if I hadn’t screwed up the intentionally-complicated refund process.<\/p>\n

There’s also a D1 which seems similar to the DX except that it is PCI instead of PCI-Express. \u00a0 I have both slots available but went for the DX since it seems a bit newer. \u00a0The top of the line is the Xonar Essence STX, which is known to work under Ubuntu; it retails for around $185. \u00a0It has the same audio processor as my board, but better DACs and a dedicated headphone amp. \u00a0It has, I’m told, excellent specs. \u00a0I also like that it has ‘real’ RCA jacks, which my DX lacks. \u00a0I think if you’re really into sound the STX would be a worthwhile investment; my guess is that you’d get four-fifths the quality of a much more expensive stand-alone DAC for that $185. \u00a0But audiophiles are strange that way — the last fifth is apparently worth a lot of money.<\/p>\n

There are a bunch of other Xonars, too:<\/p>\n

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