ASUS Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card

by Jeff Bouton in Sound

Just a few years ago, if someone said that integrated audio would deliver great performance with many of the features of a full-blown add-in card, it might have raised an eyebrow or two. Today, however, thanks to vastly improved integrated technologies, today's integrated audio solutions are often more than satisfactory for a large portion of consumers. Nonetheless, there are those who want a better audio experience, which can only be delivered from the likes of an add-in card.

A few months ago, ASUS jumped into the audio card market with both feet with the introduction of the Xonar product line. One of the first models to market was their premium class Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 sound card. The D2 boasted a superb retail package with all of the cabling, software and extras one would need thrown in, along with a slick, eye-catching design, for around $180. Not only did the Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1 deliver on all fronts, it proved to be solid competition for Creative, who garners the majority of the add-in audio card market.

To further infuse themselves into the audio card market, ASUS didn't stop with the Xonar D2 Ultra Fidelity 7.1. ASUS has also developed several other models to meet the needs of consumers of all budgets. Today, we're going to take a look at ASUS' latest offering which targets the mainstream market, with our assessment of the Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 Audio Card. Selling for about $89, the Xonar DX takes many of the Xonar D2's more desirable features and condenses them into a smaller PCI Express ready PCB with the goal of delivering a major improvement over common integrated audio solutions.