Xonar DX vs D2. Best stereo sound for the money?

morguk · 17 Jul 2008 at 12:59

So i have a pair of 2.0 Audioengine A2's. When i tweaked the sound on my bro's X-Fi XtremeMusic i got them sounding very nice but i know they are good enough speakers to offer something extra. Currently im just using onboard audio on my Asus P5K which absolutly stunk compared to the XtremeMusic.

After looking at various USB DAC's i have decided to just use a soundcard.
I have been looking at the Asus DX and the Asus D2.
My main priority is stereo 2.0 music quality, games/movies features are a bonus.

Owners of these two cards, what can you say about them?
The D2 has better quality DAC's (Burr Browns), is it worth the extra £30? (that i could spend on more RAM)
I can afford the D2 but i don't have much money so i need to make sure its the correct purchase.

Any recommendations/opinions welcome.
Cheers,

Morg.

P.S: Anyone have an idea of when the PCI slot will die out?

james.miller · 17 Jul 2008 at 15:01

well, the d2 is obviously better. but im confident you wouldnt hear the different between them using the A2's. IMO, go for the DX and get some more ram. the DX is a VERY good card for the price.

morguk · 17 Jul 2008 at 15:19

Excellent James, cheers! :]
BTW what kind of set up would you need to hear the difference?

morguk · 17 Jul 2008 at 19:06

Just ordered the DX :]

craptakular · 17 Jul 2008 at 19:59

Good choice. Im gonna order the D2 I think tomorrow, mainly due to it being easy to install under linux. Also it seems to have a seperate SPDIF port so I can hook it up to my receiver.

james.miller · 17 Jul 2008 at 20:02

sorry, i forgot to reply lol. i wouldnt be worrying about the different between the two cards unless you are running rather expensive amp and set of speakers

the dx is the right choice IMO

Also it seems to have a seperate SPDIF port so I can hook it up to my receiver.

the dx has an SPDIF output also

craptakular · 17 Jul 2008 at 20:08

james.miller said:
sorry, i forgot to reply lol. i wouldnt be worrying about the different between the two cards unless you are running rather expensive amp and set of speakers the dx is the right choice IMO

the dx has an SPDIF output also

doesn't it use the mic port with a flexijack like my old X-fi Xtreme gamer?

I need seperate ports for my AV REceiver and expensive 5.1 system

and need mic port for my headphones.

EDIT: Its kinda irrelevant anyway as I need the card to work under linux and atm the DX/ D2X dont work under ubuntu due to the pci-e chip. So, I'll have to get the D2 anyway. I also cant consider the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude which is a real shame as the 64-bit Creative drivers under linux are appalling, and I along with many others cant get em to work.

hohum · 17 Jul 2008 at 20:30

The irony about the PCI-e variants is that they're using a expansion slot that is more futureproof than the PCI version, yet the cards require a power connector that will probably vanish from power supplies in the near future (when floppy drives finally kick the bucket).

craptakular · 17 Jul 2008 at 20:46

hohum said:
The irony about the PCI-e variants is that they're using a expansion slot that is more futureproof than the PCI version, yet the cards require a power connector that will probably vanish from power supplies in the near future (when floppy drives finally kick the bucket).

Yeh I noticed that,I cant see PCI slots going completey from mainboards in the next 5 years? I mean they might reduce it down to 1. They should still be around on the non SLI/Xfire boards?

hohum · 17 Jul 2008 at 21:14

I think regular PCI slots will still be around for a few years yet, there are just too many different add-in cards that make use of them for it to just be dropped in a short space of time.

morguk · 18 Jul 2008 at 17:58

Listen to the DX now. I think it is a good step up from an X-FI extreme music. Just a lot more clarity and less hiss. The sound is more dynamic also, films sound so much better. I'm well chuffed, my audio is finally sorted and sounds just how i wanted it too.

Go buy yourself a DX, set it to soft rock on the equaliser (tryed loads of different options, soft rock sounds best on everything including films) and enjoy!

hibeesmad · 21 Jul 2008 at 22:35

I need a sound card which has coaxial out. Will any of these cards allow me to connect the sound card to my amp to allow 5.1 DD Live or DTS Connect while playing games? Also, if a game does not support either, would coxial allow me to get a pseudo affect?

Thanks.

silverlai3 · 22 Jul 2008 at 16:24

hibeesmad said:
I need a sound card which has coaxial out. Will any of these cards allow me to connect the sound card to my amp to allow 5.1 DD Live or DTS Connect while playing games? Also, if a game does not support either, would coxial allow me to get a pseudo affect?

Thanks.

Just get Xonar D2 ro D2X. They are the answer to your needs.

Xonar gives you DTS and Dolby, and real 5.1 gaming sound effects from your AVR and hometheater systems via single SPDIF or COAXIAL, not just pseudo effects.

You won't regret it.