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

Very Good Audio Reproduction; Excellent surround-sound and spatial positioning performance; Good Gaming Performance; EAX 5.0 Support

Limited CPU off-load benefits; Skimpy Documentation; Lite Retail Bundle

I had owned previously the D1 (PCI variant) of the DX for over 2 years, and it ran without any faults. Got the DX in, and it was easy to install, and put in the front panel audio plug. The PCI-E DX needs power though, which it comes with an included adapter.

Hardware

Software

Last year Asus released the first model of its Xonar series or sound cards, the Xonar D2. The taiwanese company continued the line up last February with the introduction of the Xonar DX.

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 PCI-E Sound Card Review Featuring Manufacturers Part#: XONAR DX Price: Click here to compare prices Availability: In Stores Now Product Page: XONAR DX Warranty: 1yr. Manufacturers The current soundcard landscape offers many options to the PC audio enthusiast.

Price point; Overall impressive sound; GX 2.0

Generic Opamps; Small bundle; No DTS features; Some minor sound issues

From my testing, it's clear to see that ASUS' Xonar DX pushes the performance envelope for a value-oriented card, offering most but not all of the performance of the audiophile-quality Xonar D2 and D2X cards – call it Xonar Lite, if you will.

Superb clarity and fidelity; Great performance for music and movies; Low-profile design provides flexibility; Affordable

Hit-or-miss gaming performance; Requires external power supply

Great soundcard - massive improvement over an on-board sound engine. Both the physical and the software installation are fast and easy. The software allows for a significant amount of customization and effect settings.