Reddit reviews ASUS Xonar DGX PCI-E GX2.5 Audio Engine Sound Cards

It depends on whether or not you're an audiophile.

This one will do just fine for people like me who aren't that picky about sound.

But if you really want to go balls to the wall something like this would be better.

The problem you might run into is the people that review sound cards. Half of them just want something super simple and half of them are audiophiles that are super picky about their sound.

I have this card for Dolby Digital (EDIT: It's Dolby Headphone) and it's fantastic:

ASUS Xonar

There's also custom drivers for it as well which are nice.

Not the guy you're asking, but you don't need to go apeshit and buy some $150-$200 headset. But two things help better audio quality... better set of headphones and a dedicated sound card or at least an on board that has a build in headphone amplifier.

Also, I would buy a separate desktop microphone + headphones. A lot of times it's tough finding a good headphone with a good sounding microphone. Furthermore, there are issues with headsets where you get a lot of popping, lip smacking, etc since it's close to your mouth or it can catch your breathing and be annoying for people you're playing with. When you separate the two, you get the best of both worlds with a good microphone and a good set of headphones that you can also use to listen to music in public without looking like an idiot wearing a headset.

I'm using this sound card with Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone. Although, the Sony headphones are really high in price right now for some reason, you can get them for $70-80 if you look around. The reason I went with the Sony headphones, they're studio quality professional monitors. I bought these at a suggestion of a Tested review with Patrick Norton about headphones. Basically, he said that so many people who care about accurate audio representation (that's the key, no over Bass, etc) use these headphones as reference. Before, I was using Koss PortaPro Headphones which are still probably the best headphones under $100 by a long shot. My only problem is that they were open and not closed ear, so you get ambient audio mixed in and harder to isolate sounds. If you have a noisy environment around you, look for a closed headphones. They also have a short cable, so you'll need a headphone cable extension if you want to use these on a PC. The Sony have something like an 8 foot cable.

I'd probably say get the SHP 9500s plus the v-moda Mic, they're compatible and it's still just one cable.

I'd recommend a cheap Asus sound card too, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1486457963&sr=8-6&keywords=asus+dx

A decent but cheap sound card can make your headphones and microphone sound massively better. But that can be something to look into in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlm1LmbLwGU

If you do ever get an Asus sound card, their drivers suck, but you can get custom drivers that fix issues here: http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/

Please read this first and edit your original post.

Off the bat, I can tell you that if you want semi-decent surround sound from your headphones you will have to look into either a PCI-E soundcard or USB device unless you purchase one of the many headsets that come with built in dolby headphone support (they usually connect via USB).

Headphones with multiple drivers (like the Razer Tiamat) are generally pretty garbage and I would recommend avoiding them. Likewise, most headphones/headsets labelled as 'gaming' products are also pretty poor value for money.

For something cheap, the Audio Technica AD700 is the go to for seemingly most people that want accurate positioning. You'll also want to pick up a cheap soundcard like a Xonar DGX to give you the benefit of Dolby Headphone (basically virtual surround sound).

Oh man, I so want this product now but extras like the software and the extra sound card keep creeping up.

My main soundcard is this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Does that mean I need another one?

Thanks,

Your first step should be to get off onboard sound. The two easiest routes here would either getting a dedicated sound card or a USB DAC/amp combo.

If you decide on upgrading your sound card, something like the Asus DG/DGX will do fine to start with; they'll clean up the sound nicely and will be good enough to drive an efficient set of headphones. Later when you upgrade your headphones, you can then upgrade to the ST/STX and get yourself a proper amp like the Matrix M-stage or 02. That would imo be the better option in the long run.

The USB DAC/amp combo like the Fiio E10 will be a better option if you plan on getting slightly harder to drive headphones from the get go, e.g. Senns, Beyer...

That leaves you with around $250-$300 for the headphones. For your uses(movies and rock), an open pair of headphones like the AD900 would be a great all rounder; great comfort and very efficient. Also have a look at the Beyer DT880, also a good choice within your budget. These would have a wide soundstage perfect for movies and be versatile enough for most music. An open set will generally sound more natural than a closed one.

If you really need closed, the Brainwavz HM5 would be a good choice and way under your budget, enough left over to get yourself a set of Grado SR80. Grados are known as the hardest rocking headphones around, with a fast energetic and upfront sound that goes great with rock/alternative/metal/anything fast paced.

As some others mentioned, the Beyer DT770 are a nice set but a bit too bassy for my liking. I much prefer the DT250-80, which have a great smooth midrange.

Since you're not doing anything special, a relatively cheap card will do: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TMZ1BK/

I looked up your motherboard model number. Yeah, bottom of the barrel budget stuff there. Definitely no premium audio built in.

It really depends on what you want. If all you're looking for is louder, clearer audio, then something like the internal PCIe based Asus Xonar DGX is relatively cheap and "good enough":

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TMZ1BK/



If you want a bit higher end experience, the a USB DAC with built in headphone amp would be nice:

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2

Beyond this, the sky is the limit, you can end up spending a lot of money on pro/audiophile equipment.

Either way go with a sound card. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

The Asus Xonar DGX has a front panel audio header on it.

Edit: I missed the part about the PCI slots. The Asus Xonar DG is basically the same thing with a PCI connector. That's the one you want.

Nice writeup OP! For those looking to save a bit more.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAG1ZG0

https://smile.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

with a zalman gives amazing sound/audio for under $100 for everything. i cant go back to "gaming" headsets.

What's your budget?

Xonar DGX is like 40$.

I think I used to have that board, and I think I remember, just possibly, that the software can repurpose the outputs.. Open up the realtek control panel software, plug some earbuds into one of the other jacks, and see if you can change it from stereo to 5.1...

if not, a PCiE sound card that will be better than onboard audio shouldn't take much of your budget at all.. something like this would work: http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK?ie=UTF8&keywords=sound%20card%20PCie&qid=1465427164&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

I used to have those speakers connected to an HTPC. Your motherboard doesn't have the audio connections to use surround sound with them. The motherboard would need the black, orange and grey ports for rear, center and middle speakers.

This ASUS Xonar DGX has what you need for those speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK
I have this one, very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/

Can anyone ELI5 "Dolby Headphone"?

I've never used headphones for gaming, but I'm looking to start. As I understand it from reading on /r/headphones, the virtual surround technology du jour is called "Dolby Headphone"

Does an onboard soundcard like on my asrock z97 pro4 support Dolby Headphone?

Do the headphones need to support it, or does it only depend on the hardware? Do I need to run any additional software, or does the driver take care of it?

Do I need to select any special setting in each game to somehow "enable" Dolby Headphone, or is it just recognized automatically?

I've seen sound cards like ASUS Xonar recommended frequently, can I leave my headphones plugged into this, and leave my speakers plugged into my onboard, and somehow automatically switch to the addon card/headphones when I launch a game?

Your best bet is probably getting it from Amazon Warehouse, currently on sale with 20% off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007TMZ1BK/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Comes to ~28 after tax(10%).

hi I'm currently using the "akg k7xx" headphones with the Asus Xonar DGX Audio Card

I wanted to know what the optimal setup was for this on the Xonar DGX Audio centre

https://gyazo.com/f0626cf50d641e838133aeca6a778442

Current settings

Try a bios update for the motherboard. If that doesn't work look into a sound card.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007TMZ1BK/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1521271840&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Sound%2Bcard&dpPl=1&dpID=411rdurQRkL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

I made a separate post for this first before a kind user pointed me here so bear with me if you already saw this.

I've been hovering on the edge of deciding whether to invest in good headphones for awhile now and I need the final word in whether or not to do it. I own a pretty powerful desktop and do a lot of gaming; I also have hundereds of gigs of music and enjoy listening to all kinds daily. Quality is pretty important to me and I love it when a song can fully immerse me. I listen to many different genres ranging from alternative/rock to electronic/ambient. I currently own a pair of Grado SR 60i's right now and they do the trick for casual listening but I feel like I could be getting more. I did some reading and based on some reviews I picked out some new headphones along with some peripherals to enhance my listening experience. I would really appreciate it if you fellas would weigh in on my choices and let me know if I am making the right decision with my purchase.

Headphones- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A8CW2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Sound card- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TMZ1BK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Amp/DAC- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VO7LG6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK

Is there anything I am missing? Something I am skimping on? Will the headphones suit my needs(in a head-fi article I read that 598's were great for gaming as well)?

If you're not looking to spend 75-150 for a headphone amp you could also get something like this....works well.

ASUS Xonar DGX

Ooh, that's even better, you can use an internal sound card. Don't know your budget, but I doubt you want to spend more on the sound card than your headphones. The Asus DGX is a great budget option:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007TMZ1BK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1457320597&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=pcie+sound+card&dpPl=1&dpID=41yjIym3gPL&ref=plSrch

Look this over.

Rather than go with an all-in-one headset with a crappy mic and crappy speakers, I researched for a couple years then pulled the trigger and haven't been happier. It was 2015 and I spent $245 on my headphone/mic setup. It still feels brand new. Here's what I am using:

• Audio Technica ATH-AD900X $145
  
• Antlion Audio ModMic 4.0 Attachable Boom Microphone - Omni-Directional $49
  
• ASUS Xonar DGX PCI-E GX2.5 Audio Engine Sound Card $36
  
  To hold the mic cable to the headphone cable I got this AntLion Audio ModMic Accessory Cable Clips $1
  
  I got this hanger so I don't have to have my headphones laying on my desk when not in use: Brainwavz Hengja - The Headphone Desk Hanger $14
  
  prices may have changed
  
  Read the first link to learn about headphones and soundstage vs. "3-D" and "multi-speaker" headsets. Everyone has their biases, but I've been convinced. (source: pc gamer and builder for 27 years)

Hmm, well I use a HyperX 2 headset most of the time so it came with its optional own USB DAC.

Worst case scenario I could always get a sound card for 50$ if it's really that bad. Would those be good on Amazon? HERE

DGX is just a PCI-E version of DX afaik, get whatever one you need to get.

I would go for Audio Technica ATH-AD700 + Zalman Zm-Mic1 or ModMic + Asus Xonar DGX

Yeah. The Superluxx Solution with an external Mic is absolutely awesome and beats any Complete HS far 150 USD.
You can go the "New" Variant what costs a bit more:
HS: HD 681 Evo
Mic: Reloop

With this Combination youve got a real Headset Style, cause the Microfone will sit Right were other Mics are on the regular Headsets.

Now to the "Classic" Combination, cheaper but no loss in Quality:
HS: HD 681
Mic: Zalman Mic1

With both Solutions youre ready to go.
Only thing to Mention. You WILL need Soundcard with Headset Amplifier such as:
for PCI Slot: Xonar DG
for PCI-Ex Slot: Xonar DgX

Both are Equal in Sound Quality, take the one who fits in your computer, and then:

Enjoy awesome Sound :)

I honestly have no idea. I think some of them can have different surround features maybe? I have this one currently in transit to me, in part because of the static I experience, but also because my onboard sound can't push the new headphones I'm getting.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this but let's try.

Hey guys, I'm really new to all this audio stuff and I need some advice to buy an amp for my new headset.

So I just bought a G4ME Zero headset and after I bought it I saw some reviews on youtube telling me that I'll need an amplifier (Ok so I didn't even know that existed for headphones).

Since I already dropped a big amount on the headset, I would like to get the best option as cheap as possible to go with my g4me zero.

As far as my research went, I came with these options:

-Fiio E10k: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fiio-e10k-usb-dac-and-headphone-amplifier (60$ CAD)

-Objective 2 : https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/ (130$ US)

-Asus Xonar DGX : http://www.amazon.ca/Asus-PCi-E-Engine-Xonar-DGX/dp/B007TMZ1BK (52$ CAD)

-Creative SoundBlaster Z : http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102048 (125$ CAD)

I really have no idea if it's better to get an external amp or a dedicated sound card ? (pros and cons?)

And also I don't really understand what they mean by ODAC and stuff ? what is this?

This amp is gonna be used for gaming and listening to music on my PC.
I would like to stay under 100$ CAD IF POSSIBLE.
Thank you for your help redditors !!

Xonar DG(PCI)/DGX(PCIe) have an integrated amp that's higher-powered than most PC jacks. Fiio and Creative make portable amps in your price range.

Many recomend the ASUS Xonar cards, but I had too much problems with drivers for other ASUS products to even consider them anymore. I'm using Creative Labs ZXR and Im very satisfied with it. As far as I can tell they are equally good. If you are on a budget chose Sound Blaster Z or ASUS Xonar DGX. Sound cards below these perform as well as the built in solutions of the high end motherboards.

Also dont forget that for good sound quality beside a soundcard you need an equally good headphone.

Thanks! So do you have another soundcard besides the one you linked to, or you take the audio straight from your motherboard and run it to that amp? Looks like my motherboard may not have digital out, so I guess I'd need a sound card like this to use that DAC:
http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_mrai_1_dp

Probably, yes. You might need to get a new part and do some soldering though.

Photos of the actual broken part could help us giving better answers, both sides of the motherboard.

If you need help soldering or replacing parts, consider asking in /r/AskElectronics

If you feel that's too much of a hassle, just buy and install a sound card like this and call it a day. Plus, your audio will sound better.

Hey Zeos, I'm looking to run a SMSL SD-793ii as a DAC/AMP but my motherboard doesn't have a S/PDIF output. I know that you linked the fanmusic USB to S/PDIF as an alternative but I was wondering if something like this would also work. If it does, do you suggest I go with this route or the fanmusic route?

EDIT: Would something like this also be an alternative?

Thank you!

This is a hardware thing. Cheap DACs and amps in consumer grade hardware are usually pretty crap, unshielded, and prone to interference. Luckily for you, there are a lot of options. Cheap PCIe sound cards like this are easy to install and work great if you have a spare PCIe slot. If not, there are USB options as well. I personally like the FiiO E10k but the Schiit Fulla is popular as well. You can find either of these pretty cheaply on somewhere like /r/AVexchange/ if new is too expensive for you.

I personally use Creative Aurana Live! 2 with Asus Xonar DGX. That combo is very cheap and has insane quality and surround if properly configured. When it comes to audio never buy anything marked as "gaming".

Creative Aurvana Live! 2 (Around $60-$65): https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Aurvana-Headset-Drivers-Line/dp/B00FC2R7ZC/

Asus Xonar DGX (Around $40): https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/

I don't recommend buying anything other than DG (PCI) or DGX (PCIe) since the software will be different and it might lack some options.

Better Cable (highly recommended): https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Upgrade-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B00KAKGQCQ/

The default cable is thin and only coated in rubber while the Sennheiser one is sleeved and very solid. It also delivers a better quality of sound.

Those products might look old and not gamer like but I have personally tried even $150 sound blaster ae-5 card and this $40 innocent looking card beat it hands down.

Can't tell you how many times I got called out for wallhack in CS:GO due to amazing surround depth and sound separation.

If you will decide on that I can even give you instructions on how to configure it. I'm using this combo for few years already.

JVC Harx700 + Zalman mic. Runs about $45, and much better quality than any "gaming headset".
There is a more expensive ($60) JVC Harx900 headset if you want to get something a little more pricey.

If you want to get fancy you can get some snakeskin cabling, some heatshrink, and a lighter and semi-permanently combine the mic cable to the headphone cable.

https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ
https://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX700-Precision-Sound-Headphones/dp/B0013OWPV4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013P3ZOE/ref=psdc_12097479011_t1_B0013OWPV4

While you are at it a decent soundcard will do wonders if you are using an onboard card. You can get a decent entry level card for about $40. Just like a standalone mic is better than a headset mic. A standalone sound card is miles ahead of an onboard card in the vast majority of cases.

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK

I have a DT990 Pro 250 ohms with this amp and an Asus DGX sound card. I have the amp and the sound card connected optically, and have installed the necessary drivers for the sound card but no sound will play. There are two ASUS DGX devices listed under playback devices, a speaker and a digital output. However, neither of these will play any sound through my headphones. Are those the correct devices I should be selecting as playback devices? Anything I've done wrong or need to do to enable my headphones?

There's also the ASUS Xonar DG and DGX (which is PCI-E)

Quick(ish) question: Topping NX2 (amp/dac) or an Asus Xonar DGX (soundcard) for either a Philips SHP9500 or an AKG K240 studio (haven't decided yet), mostly for gaming. I'm open to recommendations for other options as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-GX2-5-Audio-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK

this card has front panel. however no idea if it's linux ready. both my cases have front panel, too bad the audio jacks on the front panel are caked with dust..

what I do, is buy the microsoft lifechat. in online gaming, it works well enough, i can hear myself echo through the other guy's speakers. so i buy a usb headset, because I always kick the cord, and break the motherboard, either that, or there's a humming noise that's louder than my voice

Unless you want two monitors, you might as well bump up to a 1440p display. I have the VG248QE and love it btw, but the 1080 is just completely overkill for it.

You might also want to look at Windows 10 instead of 8. Preference aside, it supports DX12 and is generally more compatible with most programs you'll be running.

Audio wise, if you don't mind spending some extra cash, I'd recommend going for a "true" solution instead of a gaming headset. I used to use a Logitech G930 and I really liked it, but it ended up being completely nothing compared to a proper audio solution. My suggestion: AKG Q701 with a sound card: either an ASUS Xonar DG or a Xonar DGX. They're practically the same, they just use a different PCI slot.

The difference it makes: the gaming headset you chose has surround sound virtualization built in to the Logitech software, using Dolby surround. In reality, the "7.1 surround" headset you've chosen is just stereo with virtualization. The sound cards I've linked use the same Dolby surround software (under the title of "Dolby Headphone"), except it's done on the card instead of the program. The key difference is that you can plug in any stereo headset (from the cheapest shit to the best) to the sound card and it'll give you 10x better surround sound accuracy than any "gaming" headset will give you on its own. Audio is one of the most overlooked aspects when building a gaming rig and I implore you to consider spending the extra cash. It really makes a world of difference. Here's a recommendation guide by an audiophile for the best headsets for your money, if you don't want to spend too much on audio.

Thanks for listening.

Cool! Thank you for the helpful replies. They're greatly appreciated!

I do have 1 more question -
I'd like to add a dedicated sound card to this build. Would something like this ASUS Xonar DGX be compatible?

That's kinda what I'm hung up on though.

Comparing these three models in the Asus line I'm not really sure what the differences are and how that translates to quality.

• DG
  
• DGX
  
• Xonar something
  
  Let alone how they then compare to the higher end Essence cards or the Creative ones.

I'm completely new to this (basically have zero experience in the audio world) but I'm looking at getting a dedicated sound card. My use case is pretty much purely gaming, but I also listen to music a lot, just not hardcore like a lot of you folks do. I'm also a VR enthusiast and would be using this heavily for VR games. My setup would consist of 2.0 speakers, IEM's, and whatever sound card I get. What's important to me, in no particular order, is audio quality, immersiveness, surround sound, positional audio, ease of use/lack of hassle, build quality, and proper EMI shielding/lack of signal noise. The quality of audio through IEM's is more important than the quality of audio through the 2.0 speakers, since I wear IEM's while in VR. I'm not considering a DAC/amp at all, so please don't suggest that. My budget is $100 or less.

Here's what I've found so far, again in no particular order:

ASUS Xonar DSX

Creative Sound Blaster Z

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy RX 7.1

ASUS Strix SOAR

ASUS Xonar DGX

Out of these options, which do you think is best for my use case? Are there any better options in this price range I haven't considered yet? Will this even be a noticeable improvement over onboard audio? (Z270 motherboard)

Also, kinda unrelated but also kinda related: If I'm not horribly confused (which I am), the 2.0 speakers would require a left audio input and a right input, like this. However, I've noticed that none of these sound cards have left audio out/right audio out ports. Just front, rear, center, and woofer. (Plus a few more, like line in/mic in, but never left/right audio out.) So, uh... Where would I plug my speakers in? >.>

Also also, a lot of these sound cards advertise support for surround sound. Do I HAVE to have a 5.1/7.1 system in order to use surround sound, or would I be able to get surround sound with 2.0 speakers? Ditto for headphones - if I was using IEMs, would I be able to get surround sound? Or would it be the same as using onboard audio in that regard/make no difference because it's still only two speakers (one in each ear)?

I'm using this Asus Xonar DGX and it's working nicely. Before I noticed my mic would pick up some electrical interference with the onboard jacks and this got rid of them as well.

It just goes straight into the back of my pc

question though.. If I buy one of these, will directional audio be a problem for me? I do not deny that along with music, listening is really important in csgo. Will getting something like that potentially mess up how sound works ingame?

edit: would this work? http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK