Question 1

Is this card compatible with Windows 7 64-bit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is what I am currently using. However I do not reccomend the drivers from asus, lots of echo and reverb. Get the UNi Xonar drivers, made a huge difference.

Question 2

what do i need to power this card correctly? will a 4 pin work?  for example if i plug the 4 pin to a 4 pin chasy fan conector? or what do i need exacly? i want to avoid the most acble clutter i can. thank you!

Accepted Answer

In order to power this card you will need either a power supply with a floppy-power connector or a spare molex power connector. The card comes with a molex to floppy connector. It uses around 10W or less when fully utilizing the card, so make sure you have enough left on your power supply.

Question 3

what makes this sound card different and better than others?

Accepted Answer

In my opinion, it's not.  It has a clunky driver interface which Asus doesn't seem to be concerned about improving or updating.  I ended up swapping the Xonar out for a Creative Sound Blaster Z.  The Creative card sounds better in the games I play.  Where the Xonar failed to reproduce environmental sound correctly, the Creative card has no problems.

My advice is to buy a discrete sound card from someone who specializes in sound and has an investment in drivers/software/interface.  Asus is a motherboard company that dabbles in sound cards.  Big difference.

Question 4

will it work in Linux?

Accepted Answer

Just discovered that there are ways of making this card work with Linux.
I'm going to do more research, and finally have the OS I want, with the sound I love from this card!

Darin A answered this question earlier by saying:
Yes. You have to google around to figure out how to configure it though. Very important: you cannot use the front panel output jacks at the same time as the back line out jack. If you turn both on at once w/ your mixer, you'll hear the switch click but either only one will give sound at a time.

Use asound.conf:
pcm.virtuoso {
type plug
slave
{
pcm "dmix:0,0"
}
}

ctl.virtuoso {
type hw
card 0
}

pcm.!default pcm.virtuoso
ctl.!default ctl.virtuoso

and at least the following in your /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf:

options snd_hda_intel index=-2
options snd_slots=snd_virtuoso
options snd_virtuoso index=0

Zachary F also answered this question with:
According to alsa-project dot org, ALSA has supported the Asus Xonar DX (AV100 chip) since "ALSA 1.0.22 or kernel 2.6.27.35/2.6.31.1".

If you want to look for it yourself, click on the "SoundCards" link on the left. Look for "Asus". Then, you should find the Xonar DX. Follow their "details" link for instructions to install the alsa-drivers from source. However, the package is probably in the repository for your distribution.
 
I hope this helps.

Question 5

Does this card support Linux?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  You have to google around to figure out how to configure it though.  Very important: you cannot use the front panel output jacks at the same time as the back line out jack.  If you turn both on at once w/ your mixer, you'll hear the switch click but either only one will give sound at a time.

Use asound.conf:
pcm.virtuoso {
  type plug
  slave
  {
    pcm "dmix:0,0"
  }
}

ctl.virtuoso {
  type hw
  card 0
}

pcm.!default pcm.virtuoso
ctl.!default ctl.virtuoso

and at least the following in your /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf:

options snd_hda_intel index=-2
options snd_slots=snd_virtuoso
options snd_virtuoso index=0

Question 6

I'm looking for this, ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card with a windows 7 driver.  Is that available??

Accepted Answer

I saw a lot of good reviews about this card and found somewhere that it would work with my windows 7 - 64 bit.  My 15 year old sound card would not work with 64 bit so I had to upgrade.  I plan to build a new system in February and will buy a different brand.  I guess this sound card is OK but it does not have as good a sound as my old sound . In particular when I stream music with a broadcast program I hear popping that should not be there.  note: this could be my headset or the broadcast program but I never had the popping sound before I upgraded to 64 bit and this sound card.  Also if I am in a 3D virtual reality called Second Life and I stop watching video media I get a horrible sound that is very loud and the only fix is to do a total reboot.   I am going to buy a card that caters to audiophiles more than gamers.

Question 7

Is this card compatible with Windows 7?

Accepted Answer

Yes.i am running on a win 7 he with and processor.works fine with excellent sound. No problems with install but make sure you have the correct driver. Good luck Bill W4ZWO

Question 8

The product description says the card had an optical output, but the outlet labeled "optical" looks different from the outlets on my other devices. Can one use the usual optical cable with it. If not what needs to be done?

Accepted Answer

As Brian L mentioned there is an adapter included in the box that allows you to connect the standard TOSLINK connector. The S/PDIF out is shared with the Microphone and Line Input jack on the card, which is port 1 or top of the card opposite the PCI bus next to the Front audio header connector on the card.

Question 9

I just got my Z623 Speaker system today, but I begin to hear Hissing Sound from my motherboard. Would you recommend Xonar DX Sound Card to fix Hissing Sound effect from my motherboard?

Accepted Answer

Hissing is due to feedback. Feedback can be caused by gain and interference. Most of the time it is due to interference since a computer is a gigantic electronic device producing EMI. Therefore any card that stands away from the MOBO will help rid the his as it is further away from the part than an integrated, it is virtually impossible to get rid of without a noise cancelling software/hardware, or speakers with a gate/noise cancelling technology. Either way, this sound card will improve sound quality on those speakers and help fight the hiss.

Question 10

I am building a mainly gaming rig but I also want to be able to record guitars and vocals. Will this car be sufficient for that. Can I plug a mic and or guitar into this thing?

Accepted Answer

You will want probably want something with more control if you plan on doing live recordings. This is a great sounding card but it takes quite a bit of patience to get it configured correctly (at least on Win 7 x64). It sounds great for music playback but only has an 1/8" microphone input which limits the quality of the microphone you can use. Better microphones usually have 1/4" or XLR jacks. You'd probably want some kind of preamp which would handle these type inputs and would plug into the Asus.

Questions & Answers