ASUS Xonar D2 Sound Card

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We had no doubts that the Asus Xonar D2 would outscore Mid- and Low-End cards, so we decided to compare it with the top card from Creative - X-Fi Elite Pro, equipped with the flagship Cirrus Logic converter on board.

We ran the tests according to our streamlined test procedure, which took much time. We understand our responsibility for published test results, so we took all possible measures to avoid mistakes, including double tests and multiple verifications. Tested cards were plugged to a passive switching center, which was used to adjust volume levels with a twin control. Then the signal went through a professional cable to ADAM S2.5A monitors. We compared audio quality by switching between the cards instantly.

Both cards demonstrate the highest audio quality, it's very difficult to choose the best card. We haven't heard any differences in some test fragments. Others demonstrated a hardly noticeable difference in playback personality. The X-Fi demonstrates a tad more distinct attack, while the Xonar D2 provides a tad wider stereo base. I repeat, the differences are so measly that we had to switch between the devices many times to hear them. It's even more difficult to understand which card sounds closer to the original.

[...]ASUS has come to the market of sound cards. The right stake on high quality converters and well thought-out circuitry yield an excellent result. You can see it in RMAA measurements and you can hear it, as you listen to music. The lack of advanced audio DSPs forced engineers to use a modern but simple on-board processor. It's partially compensated by the drivers that offer various processing algorithms based on Dolby and DTS as well as a proprietary 3D sound mode with EAX2.0. Hardcore gamers will still use Creative products. If we speak about prices, $200 for a sound card with such features is an adequate cost. Creative X-Fi Elite Pro is 1.5 times as expensive. Perhaps, the PCIe modification, Xonar D2X, will be even more competitive, because there are very few sound cards for the new advanced PCIe bus.