Specification

As per ASUS' Xonar D2, at the heart of the D2X is the AV200 HD audio processor, which supports everything from Dolby Digital Live and DTS interactive capabilities through to 192KHz/24-bit audio playback.  With the general consensus still that this audio chip is heavily based on CMedia's CMI8788, the D2X also supports 3D audio capabilities in the form of OpenAL alongside EAX 1.0 and 2.0 acceleration.  This means that there's still no EAX Advanced HD support, but the D2X does offer some exciting news for Windows Vista owners - This board is the first to use a software feature known as DS3D GX.  This is basically ASUS' equivalent of Creative Labs' ALchemy software, which is used to translate DirectSound-based EAX commands into OpenAL so that they are compatible with Windows Vista's methods of handling audio.  While it won't give you all the latest EAX goodness available to Creative-based products, it should offer compatibility for any titles that use EAX 1.0 and 2.0.  Unlike ALchemy, which basically 'patches' certain game titles, DS3D GX is designed (when enabled via the driver control panel, which it is by default) to work with all and any EAX/DirectSound games, which should give it a much broader range of compatibility than Creative's equivalent software offering.

As we mentioned in our introduction, the real big selling point of the Xonar D2X is its use of the PCI Express interface, making it a departure from the numerous PCI sound cards on the market.  However, this functionality isn't supported natively within the AV200 chip, leaving the D2X requiring the use of this PLX PEX8111 chip.  This is a PCI to PCI Express bridge chip, supporting a single PCI Express lane - Perfect for the PCI Express 1x connection required by this board.

Away from this bridge chip, the Xonar D2 also features four PCM1796 24-bit Burr-Brown DACs (Digital to Analogue Converters) which handle outputting any digital signals, together with a single 24-bit Cirrus Logic CD5381 DAC for the board's analogue inputs.

For a full list of what's what, you can find a summary of the Xonar D2X's capabilities below:

• Audio Performance
   
  - Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 118 dB
  - Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 118 dB
  - Output THD+N at 1kHz: 0.0004% (-108dB)
  - Input THD+N at 1kHz: 0.0004% (-108dB)
  - Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input): <10Hz to 46kHz (for all channels)
  - Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/192kHz input): <10Hz to 90kHz (for all channels)
  - Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage: 2 Vrms (5.65 Vp-p)
  - Sample Rate Conversion Quality: Almost lossless, high-fidelity floating-point filters, which has:
  -140dB THD+N (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)
  -145dB Dynamic Range (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)

• Main Chipset
   
  - 4-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Burr-Brown PCM1796 *4 (123dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)
  - 24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5381* 1 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)

• Sample Rate and Resolution
   
  - Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
  - Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
  - S/PDIF Digital Output: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit ，Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro
  - S/PDIF Digital Input: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
  - ASIO 2.0 Driver Support: 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit

• I/O Ports
   
  - Analog Output Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *4 (Front/Side/Center-Subwoofer/Back)
  - Analog Input Jack: 3.50mm mini jack *2 (Line-In/Mic-In)
  - Other line-level analog input (for CD-IN/TV Tuner): CD-In, Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
  - Digital S/PDIF Output: Coaxial and High-bandwidth Optical Combo Connector
  Supports 192KHz/24bit
  - Digital S/PDIF Input: Coaxial and High-bandwidth Optical Combo Connector
  Supports 192KHz/24bit
  - MIDI Ports: Additional MPU-401 MIDI I/O bracket and converter cable

• Driver Features
   
  Operation System: Windows Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005
  Dolby® Technologies: Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Virtual Speaker, Dolby® Pro-Logic IIx, Dolby® Digital Live
  DTS® Technologies: DTS® Connect (DTS Interactive Encoder and DTS Neo:PC)
  Smart Volume Normalizer™: Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a constant level
  Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter: Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning
  Magic Voice™: Modifies the sound of your voice, for VOIP and online chat applications (Windows XP)
  Karaoke Functions: Music Key-Shifting and Microphone Echo effects (Windows XP)
  FlexBass™: Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system
  Other Effects: 10-band Equalier/27 Environment Effects
  3D Sound Engines/APIs: EAX®2.0&1.0, A3D® 1.0, DirectSound® HW & SW
  DirectX: DirectX 9.0 or above required for 7.1ch output

• Bundled Software Utility
   
  Portable Music Processor utility: Backup digital music content or CD audio into regular MP3/WMA files with Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker (w/ Pro-Logic II), and Smart Volume Normalization processing (Windows Media Player 10 or above is required)
  Professional Audio Editing Utility:
  1. Ableton Live Lite
  2. Cakewalk Production Plus Pack (SONAR LE, Dimension LE, and Project5 LE)
  PowerDVD 7.0: Software DVD player with Dolby Digital 5.1 decoder

• Accessories
   
  -3.5mm-to-RCA adaptor cable *4 (8ch)
  -S/PDIF optical adaptors *2
  -S/PDIF optical cable *1
  -Additional MIDI card, cable, and external standard MIDI adaptor Y cable *1
  -Dolby Demo CD