ASUS Xonar DGX PCI-E Sound Card Review

[Money]

ASUS does sound cards right with their Xonar series of sound cards. Any of their sound cards will perform very well and produce great sound, so it's basically impossible to go wrong when purchasing a Xonar. This review will be specifically about the DGX variant. It is a PCI-E sound card targeted towards headphone users who want the most out of their gaming headphones/headset. I purchased it because of the many recommendations Linus has made towards the Xonar cards. I am not disappointed at all with my purchase. It GREATLY improved all audio, whether it be games, music, or movies. The bass is fully, the mids are more powerful, the highs are soft yet prevalent. It also completely removed any excess noise from the motherboard which on-board audio can sometimes provide. The low PCB also allows any fans from a card above it to breathe easily. I can confirm that because I have a 6870 directly above it and it stays perfectly cool. Inside the box it comes with a manual including many languages, a driver CD (Throw that away and download the latest drivers from the ASUS website ;) ), and the card itself in an anti-static bag. It also comes with a low-profile bracket. I honestly can't think of a reason you'd every want to use that. Now for the conclusion!

This was the first sound card I have owned, and I can honestly say the difference is HUGE. If you're on the fence about buying a sound card BUY ONE. RIGHT NOW. Go to NCIX.com, search Xonar, and look for the sound card that fits your needs. You won't regret it in the slightest. I give the Xonar DGX 9 Bengal Cats out of 10 Bengal Cats.

Xonar DGX Soundcard: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=73088&...nufacture=ASUS

[MicroApple911]

Completely agree! Even a low-end sound card makes a HUGE difference from on-board.

[Brad]

I agree also. I picked up the same model based on Linus' recommendation and couldn't be happier.

[Finboy]

I agree too, Great soundcard with low price.

[christophercolumbusdog]

Completely agree! Even a low-end sound card makes a HUGE difference from on-board.

Mind taking a look at my post under sound cards? :P I don't know, but I don't seem to be experiencing any significant difference...

[christophercolumbusdog]

Completely agree! Even a low-end sound card makes a HUGE difference from on-board.

Mind taking a look at the post I made under the sound card section about the XONAR DX? :P I don't seem to be experiencing that much better sound quality with it....

[Money]

Completely agree! Even a low-end sound card makes a HUGE difference from on-board.

I didn't really think the difference would be that grand before I installed the sound card, but after getting all the settings... set, the difference ended up being very noticeable.

[J_Rod_S]

I found that the DGX is not really great. The only reason i got it was because the onboard soundcard (MSi 890FXA-GD70) decided to not work at all anymore.

It only supports up to 96KHz 24bit format which is lacking these days (192 KHz does make a difference).

I found that the soundcard in my Asus Vivobook and the onboard card (MSi 890FXA-GD70) both has much better output, compared to the DGX.

Also, I found that the placement of the front panel header is not in the most ideal spot, should have been placed at the end of the card rather than the side.

Personally, I would recommend spending the extra $30 or so for the DX if you want a soundcard.

[Money]

Really? Huh... Well Im happy with the results vs. my onboard. Maybe I should've done a little bit more research before purchasing it however!

[J_Rod_S]

Really? Huh... Well Im happy with the results vs. my onboard. Maybe I should've done a little bit more research before purchasing it however!

Audio is very subjective, not everyone will have the same opinion on the matter. Most mobos do have rubbish onboard though, so the DGX is a good starting point for a dedicated soundcard, besides, there's not much selection for pci-e cards out there anyways.

[Money]

And indeed a PCI-E sound card was essential for my set up. My 2 6870's cover up everything except, you guessed it, a PCI-E port.

[dav1257]

I actually did spend a long time fiddling with my Xonar D2X and thought there was significant improvements if u tried to listen carefully to find them, but the improvements were nowhere near as drastic as some ppl claim.

As J_Rod_S sez, sound is very subjective.

I felt there was more little improvements as opposed to 1 large immediately noticeable one.

I would just say to ppl buying there 1st soundcard to be prepared for this

[Money]

I was expecting as few subtle changes, but there was about 25 noticeable, but still small, improvements.

[BeyondNight]

Im thinking about pickling on of these up because my onboard has pretty much no EQ, hows the software/is it easy to setup ?

i was hoping i could get by with my Onboard because its got 108 dB SnR (says so on the mobo itself) and has anyone used the headphone AMP with this card ?

[Money]

The software is very easy to use indeed. But be sure to change the impedance to suit your headphones. That setting is buried in a small button unfortunately which made it hard for me to find.

[Bakayar�]

I run an Xonar DG personally. I was lacking audio outputs, and had some interference issues. Picked one up for cheap, and solved all my issues. The built in amplifier helps to drive Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, while removing the pesky interference I had.

[Money]

Yeah, that headphone AMP is beautiful to have.

[Angelus]

I brought a Asus Xonar DGX two mouths ago and it's doing great, I upgraded from using onboard sound. I got it because Linus suggested the Xonar series of sound cards on his live stream once and it hasn't dispointed me. It got rid of the coil whine coming from my speakers, but my speakers are still shit and i'm saving up for a headset instead.

[191x7]

Linuses videos about headphone amps and sound cards made me buy a Asus Xonar DG about a year ago. And I didn't regret buying it.

To all Xonar users - I hope you're using the UniXonar drivers from BrainBit -> http://brainbit.wordpress.com/category/uni-xonar/

[191x7]

Linuses videos about headphone amps and sound cards made me buy a Asus Xonar DG about a year ago. And I didn't regret buying it. To all Xonar users - I hope you're using the UniXonar drivers from BrainBit -> http://brainbit.wordpress.com/category/uni-xonar/

It is for all Xonar cards, one could say that it's an unified driver. :)

[eftj]

I've been using my DG for about 6 months now. Absolutely love it, I can't go back to onboard.

[xserd]

I upgraded my sound card from a Creative SB Audigy value to Asus Xonar DGX 5 months ago. It was really worth the upgrade, I'm still enjoying it until now. I have it paired up with a Sennheiser HD 439 and sometimes I use my Razer Carcharias when I needed a mic.

[Money]

Glad to hear you like the DGX as much as I do!

[Hypnotoad]

I own a DGX as well, though I do have a complaint about it. I'm not sure if the card is the issue here, but whenever I load up a game like Assassin's Creed 3, there is a soft static noise that kicks up in the background and never goes away. The sound is not present when I am doing anything other than gaming, like listening to music or YouTube.

[Money]

That's really really strange. Perhaps theres some sort of game profile for AC3 in a Xonar settings menu?