ASUS' latest sound card will blow you
away
For most consumers, soundcards are one of
the last things one would consider getting. Integrated ones on motherboards are
more than capable enough to output decent-sounding audio. Audio purists would
scoff at this notion, however, and knowing their target market, ASUS has just
released the ASUS Xonar Phoebus.
ASUS
Xonar Phoebus
Named after the Greek God of Sun and Music,
the Phoebus is a 7.1 discrete soundcard labeled under ASUS' Republic of Gamers'
line of products. Whilst gamers are typically less fussy about audio quality
than audiophiles, there are a number of features that gamers would also find
highly appealing to their needs as well.
First off, the Phoebus is capable of
connecting to a full 7.1 surround sound system. Including technology like the
Dolby Home Theater V4 (works only with Windows 7 machines), it has features
such as a surround decoder, intelligent equaliser and surround virtualiser,
which helps with the surround sound process, even changing a 2-channel audio
source.
Having said that, however, the true value
of the Phoebus lies in headphones. Not only is the Phoebus EMI-shielded for
better audio clarity, it also has a 118dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) thanks to
this feature. A headphone amplifier is built into the card as well, for different
headphone gain settings via software.
An extremely nifty extra would be the
control box, which users can use to plug their headphones and microphones
without hassle. The control box has also an interesting feature called the
Command Technology, which works by combining both the external microphone and a
mini mic built into the control box, which helps to reduce environmental noise
via an algorithm. Volume control and mute buttons are also strategically placed
on the control box for easy access.
Needless to say, the audio performance here
is fantastic, offering great fidelity and clarity to go with your premium
speakers and headphones.
The
control box not only makes things easier, but comes with a set of cool features
too
The
Xonar Phoebus offers 7.1 surround sound setups, as well as the features to
support it
Pros and cons
Pros
Great audio performance
Lots of enthusiast features
Control box
Cons
None
Chip conclude
The ASUS Xonar Phoebus is the company's
answer to every avid gamer and audio purist out there. Coupled with ASUS' own
Xonar Essence One desktop amplifier and Vulcan ANC headphones, you'll have the
one of the best gaming audio setups out there in the market.
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Specifications
Price: $238
Website: www.asus.com
Bus Compatibility: PCI Express
Analog Output Jack: 5 x 3.5mm RCA jack
Analog Input Jack: 2 x 3.5mm RCA jack
Digital S/PDIF Output: 1 x Toslink, 1 x
Box link
Chipset: Audio Processor: C-Media
CMI8888DHT High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 192kHz/24bit)
Special features: Dolby© Technologies:
Dolby® Home Theater v4, Smart Volume Normalizes Xear Surround, Magic Voice,
FlexBass, GX 3.0 Game Audio Engine
Ratings
Performance: 4/5
Features: 4/5
Design: 4/5
Value: 4/5
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