With the push and mass acceptance of HD video came the push and mass acceptance of widescreen HD monitors, and so too, has come the push for HD audio. 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound speakers.

Lean Xear3D drivers; Various Dolby technologies at a comparatively low price; Surprisingly clear sound; Compact size

No native ASIO support; DAC only supports up to 16-bit/48kHz; No volume control buttons; Glossy paint blemishes easily

If you've decided it is due time to finally time to do away with the onboard audio on your mobile computer, wanting something that makes your music collection worth listening to, then you can turn to ASUS for that as well. The Xonar U3 is a compact USB sound card, not much bigger than a flash drive.

It's generally accepted that onboard audio cards have gotten much better over these past few years. It was more common before to see dedicated audio cards being installed in computers, but now such components are becoming more of a niche market.

ASUS may be best known for their motherboards, video cards, and laptops; but more and more though they are making a name for themselves with computer accessories. We have covered a handful of their sound cards and other computer audio devices over the years, and in this review we will take a look at...

Simple setup; Easily portable; Adds surround sound for headphones or digital output to a home theater; Feature rich software adds value

Windows only; Audible power hum on microphone input; Disables built in speakers

For just $40, the Xonar U3 squeezes headphone and microphone jacks, an S/PDIF output, EAX emulation, speaker virtualization, and Dolby Digital Live support into...

Superb sound quality across the range, especially for something this small and a USB device at that. Dolby Headphone - done right with all 3 modes for choice. Dolby Pro-Logic IIx for stereo/5.1 to 7.1 upmixing. USB like size, very easy on the table - no clutter.

Feature rich in Dolby technologies like Dolby Headphone; Pro Logic IIx; Dolby Digital Live; 7.1 Virtual speaker shifter and GX2.5 EAX emulation

None really; for the size its awesome

I think this tiny little card has a pretty big punch when it comes to quality of sound and all the features that the software that comes with it. Of course it gives you a choice on whether you want to install the software, or just the driver.

1; WOW the sound really is that amazing, 2; The software that comes with it offers tons of features that would suit anyone! On the CD it has the driver, the software with all the features is an optional installation

1; I wish it came with an adapter that allowed RCA to USB so I could use not only my RCA headset with it, but also my USB headset, 2; The mic sound quality was no better than the quality of the on board sound port of my laptop

This was refurbished and I am really happy with my purchase, not a problem yet. I will update as necessary.

Ease of use and installation, if you are like me and are lazy, or you just don't have the tech savvy to install a sound card, this thing is for you; Upon plugging it in, all the drivers you need are installed.

Upon installing for digital sound you may see an icon for the receiver and an icon for the speakers, don't ask why but you need both enabled to use the xonar control panel; I disabled the speakers thinking i would only need the digital output to the receiver but that disabled the surround (and...

This is my third Xonar sound card after, Xonar Essence STX and Xonar U1. I sold Xonar Essence STX since I switched to laptop usage. I was using Xonar U1 for two years. But it was a little bulky for a laptop. So I decided to buy U3. Same audio quality with U1, but surely it is a way more portable.

For the price, it is hard to get dinged. Price is great. While this external card has limited features it does sound clear and great, however, performence wise, it is not that loud. Yet, I liked this card so much, I did purchase a quality head phone amp, and it is now loud and clear.