ASUS Xonar DX vs on-board

[xitzmojox]

Hey all! New to to forum but have used it in recent months to gather info

So back in August I built my PC and was under the impression that generally on-board audio has come a long way and a discrete card is no longer needed for the most part. The motherboard I currently have is the Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 and it supports 7.1, HD Audio, Dolby Home Theatre, and has the Realtek ALC889 codec.

I've had a great deal of interest in the Razer Tiamat 7.1 headset that is being released at the end of January but they recommend having a good sound card. One that has caught my eye is the ASUS Xonar DX but am unsure if this will give any noticeable difference opposed to my current onboard setup right now. I know a few years back this would be a no brainer and the DX would be the way to go. So will the Xonar DX be a noticeable upgrade or should i just stay with the onboard?

Thanks,

-Mojo

[Excalabur50]

Go the DX it will give you much better audio than on board you wont be disappointed.

[fcb]

Yes, a sound card will almost always perform better than the onboard sound. If you don't want to jump straight into more expensive sound cards yet, you can take a look at the Xonar DG. It offers very good sound for its price. As it's also aimed towards headphone users, it's a great card to have. The DX is definitely a great upgrade. I'd definitely go for the DX. It will last you through many systems.

[xitzmojox]

sounds excellent. The DS is currently on sale for $30 and the DX is on sale for $60 at my local shop. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only difference between the two is that the DX supports Dolby Headphones and is PCI-e? Anything else that would warrant the DX over the DS?

[fcb]

Originally Posted by xiTzMojox

sounds excellent. The DS is currently on sale for $30 and the DX is on sale for $60 at my local shop. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only difference between the two is that the DX supports Dolby Headphones and is PCI-e? Anything else that would warrant the DX over the DS?

Nope, there aren't really any major differences between them. Since the DX is a PCIE card, it's more likely you'll be able to continue using it through the years.

Here's OC3D's review on the Xonar DG for your reference.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/a...ar_dg_review/1

[xitzmojox]

Originally Posted by CocaCola

Nope, there aren't really any major differences between them. Since the DX is a PCIE card, it's more likely you'll be able to continue using it through the years.

Here's OC3D's review on the Xonar DG for your reference.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/a...ar_dg_review/1

That seems like an amazing card for the money. Too bad it's not available anywhere around here and isn't even in stock on newegg

DX it is!

[PEXON]

Xonar has an amp built in so will drive your headphones better!

[BaMb1N0]

DX it is :-)

[xitzmojox]

So my onboard has a SNR of 108 where the DX has an SNR of 116. Will that difference even be noticeable?

[fcb]

Originally Posted by xiTzMojox

So my onboard has a SNR of 108 where the DX has an SNR of 116. Will that difference even be noticeable?

It's guaranteed to be better, but you still have to take into account your speakers as well. What I mean is that you can't just pair up a pair of $10 speakers and a good sound card and expect wonders to happen; you have to set a balance between the two as well. From my experiences with sound cards, I've always been able to pick out the differences in the audio quality and elements from the music that were not exactly present or was muddied by the background when using the onboard sound.