Asus Audio Card XONARDG User Manual

Xonar DG  
PCI 5.1 & Headphone Amp Audio Card  
User manual  
Contents  
iii  
Notices  
Federal Communications Commission Statement  
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the  
following two conditions:  
This device may not cause harmful interference, and  
This device must accept any interference received including interference that  
may cause undesired operation.  
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a  
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are  
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a  
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio  
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s  
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,  
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If  
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,  
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is  
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following  
measures:  
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.  
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.  
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the  
receiver is connected.  
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.  
Canadian Department of Communications Statement  
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions  
from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the  
Canadian Department of Communications.  
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.  
Australia statement notice  
From 1 January 2012 updated warranties apply to all ASUS products, consistent  
with the Australian Consumer Law. For the latest product warranty details please  
visit http://support.asus.com. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be  
excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or  
refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable  
loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the  
goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major  
failure.  
If you require assistance please call ASUS Customer Service 1300 2787 88 or visit  
iv  
 
Safety information  
Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals  
that came with the package.  
To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply  
before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any singal cables  
to the device.  
If the device is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service  
technician or your retailer.  
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected. If you  
detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.  
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from  
connectors, sockets and circuitry.  
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in  
any area where it may become wet.  
Place the product on a stable surface.  
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified  
service technician or your retailer.  
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical  
and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local  
regulations for disposal of electronic products.  
Trademarks  
Xonar and ASUS logo are trademarks of ASUSTek Computer Inc. “Dolby”  
and “Dolby Digital Live”, “Dolby Pro Logic IIx”, “Dolby Virtual Speaker”, “Dolby  
Headphone” are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. EAX and A3D are trademarks  
of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft, DirectSound3D, Windows are trademarks of  
Microsoft Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of  
the respective companies with which they are associated. ASIO is a trademark and  
software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH  
License  
Dolby Master Studio driver is manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.  
v
 
vi  
1.  
Introduction  
1.1  
Package contents  
ASUS Xonar DG PCI audio card  
Low Profile Bracket x1  
Support CD x1  
Quick Start Guide x1  
1.2  
System requirements  
One PCI 2.2 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card  
Microsoft® Windows® 7 (32/64bit) / Vista (32/64bit) / XP (32/64bit) / MCE2005  
Intel® Pentium® 4 1.4 GHz or AMD® Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU  
256 MB (or above) DRAM system memory  
60 MB available HDD space for driver installation package  
CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive ) for software installation  
High-quality headphones or powered analog speakers to enjoy the ultra-high  
fidelity sound of the card  
ASUS Xonar DG  
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1.3  
Specifications summary  
Items  
Description  
Audio Performance  
105dB for 5.1CH  
100dB for Headphone-out@150ohm loading  
Output Signal�to�Noise Ratio A�eighted  
Input Signal�to�Noise Ratio A�eighted�  
103dB  
Output Total armonic Distortion Noise at 1k  
A�eighted�  
Up to 0.0025% (-92dB)  
Input Total armonic Distortion Noise at 1k�  
A�eighted�  
Up to 0.0022% (-93dB)  
Frequency Response �3dB, 24�bit/96kinput �  
<10Hz to 48kHz  
Output/Input Full�Scale oltage  
1Vrms (3Vp-p)  
eadphone Impedance  
Optimized for 32~150�  
Bus Compatibility  
PCI  
PCI v2.2 or above bus compatible  
Main Chipset  
Audio Processor  
C-Media CMI8786 High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 6Hz24bit)  
Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 12Hz24bit) Cirrus Logic  
CS4361*1 (103dB DNR, Max. 12Hz24bit)  
D�A Converter of Digital Sources�  
A�D Converter for Analog Inputs�  
Sample Rate and Resolution  
Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution  
Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution  
S/PDIF Digital Output  
Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 12Hz24bit)  
44.1486Hz @ 1624bit for all channels  
44.1486Hz @ 1624bit  
44.1486Hz @ 1624bit, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro  
44.1486Hz @ 1624bit  
ASIO 2.0 Driver Support�  
I/O Ports  
Analog Output ack�  
3.50mm mini jack �3 (Front/Side/Center-Subwoofer)  
3.50mm mini jack �1 (Line-In/Mic-In)  
Analog Input ack�  
Other line�level analog input for CD�IN/TTunerAux-In (4-pin header on the card)  
High-bandwidth Optical Connector supports 6Hz24bit  
-additional SPDIF-out header for HDMI audio output  
Digital S/PDIF Output  
Supports headphone jack-detection, automatically switch audio output from  
back-panel to front  
Front�Panel Audio eader  
Driver Features  
Operation System  
Windows7/ Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005  
Dolby Headphone technology allows users to listen to music, watch  
movies, or play games with the dramatic 5.1-channel surround or realistic  
3D spacious effects through any set of stereo headphones.  
Dolby® eadphone  
DS3D GX 2.5.0 supports EAX gaming sound effects and DirectSound 3D  
hardware enhanced functions on Windows Vista. (DirectX/DirectSound 3D  
compatible)  
DirectSound3D Game tensions 2.5 DS3D GX  
2.5/DirectX  
Normalizes thhe volummee of all auudio sourrces intoo a constaant levell and also  
enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming  
Smart olume NormalierTM  
The latest vocal effect technologies for gaming and VoIP, including:  
- VoiceEX: produces vivid environmental reverberation for your voice in  
EAX games  
- ChatEX: emulates different background environment effects when you  
chat online  
ocalFXTM  
- Magic Voice: changes your voice pitch to different types (Monster/  
Cartoon) for disguising your real voice or just for fun in online  
chatting  
Music Pitch-Shifting, Vocal Cancellation, and Microphone Echo effects  
with Stereo Mix recording (Wave and Mic-in) for online Karaoke or online  
DJ applications  
Karaoke Functions  
FleBassTM  
Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system  
Adjustable virtual 7.1-speaker positioning  
Xear 3DTM irtual Speaker Shifter  
(continued on the next page)  
2
ASUS Xonar DG  
 
Other ffects  
10-band Equalizer27 Environment Effects  
7: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound  
SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds  
processing capability  
Vista: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW,  
DirectSound SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D  
sounds processing capability  
3D Gaming Sound ngines/APIs  
XP: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound  
SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds  
processing capability  
Accessories  
Accessories  
-Low-profile bracket  
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
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4
ASUS Xonar DG  
2.  
Xonar DG card layout  
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
Audio ports  
1
2
3
4
5
ASUS Xonar DG  
5
 
No Item  
Microphone In port  
Description  
Connect your external PC microphone to this 3.5mm port for  
voice input. Built-in high-quality Microphone pre-amplifier.  
1
Connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players,  
music synthesizers and other line-level sound sources to this  
3.5mm port for audio recording or processing.  
Line In port  
Connect your headphones or 2/2.1 channel speakers to this  
3.5mm port. For multi-channel speaker systems, connects to  
the front left/right input on the powered speakers.  
eadphone/Front  
Out port  
2
Connects to the surround channel input on 4/4.1/5.1 powered  
analog speakers.  
Side Surround Out  
port  
3
4
Connects to the center/subwoofer input on 5.1 powered  
analog speakers.  
Center/Subwoofer  
Out port  
Optical TOSLINK digital output port. Connects to external  
digital decoder or digital speaker systems, Home Theater  
systems, AV receivers for outputting digital audio including  
PCM, DTS Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro, etc.  
5
6
S/PDIF Out port  
9-pin Intel AC’97 / HDA front-panel which supports audio  
jack-detection and audio FP Headphone selection for Analog  
Out on the Audio Center.  
Front panel audio  
header  
4-pin header. Usually connects to the Analog Audio output of  
TV tuner card or other sound source inside your PC system.  
(To monitor your TV tuner card’s audio from this Aux-In, you  
must enable the “monitor” function for Aux-In in the Xonar  
DG Audio Center’s recording mixer.)  
7
8
AuInput eader  
S/PDIF Out header  
Connects to the supported graphics card with HDMI.  
6
ASUS Xonar DG  
3.  
Installing the hardware  
3.1  
Installing the audio card  
Before you proceed with the following installation steps, it’s recommended that  
you disable your onboard audio device in your BIOS settings, or uninstall any  
other audio cards on your PC. (For BIOS setting or uninstallation of other sound  
cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and audio card.)  
Installing the Xonar DG card  
1.  
Power OFF the computer, the monitor, and all other peripheral devices  
connected to your computer.  
2.  
3.  
Unplug the computer power cord from your computer and power outlet.  
Touch the metal back or side panel of the computer to avoid static electricity.  
Remove the chassis cover.  
4.  
5.  
Remove the metal bracket from an available PCI slot for the Xonar DG audio  
card.  
6.  
Carefully insert the audio card into the PCI slot. Ensure the audio card sits  
properly in place.  
7.  
8.  
9.  
Secure the audio card with screws and the metal bracket.  
Put back the chassis cover.  
Reconnect all cables.  
10. Plug the power cord to the computer and to a power outlet.  
11. Power ON the computer.  
2
ASUS Xonar DG  
7
 
3.2  
Connecting to a Ttuner card  
1. If you have a traditional PCI TV tuner card on your PC, you may need to  
connect it to the Xonar DG card to send the tuner card’s sound to your PC  
speakers.  
2.  
3.  
Secure the PCI TV tuner card and screw it into the back-panel.  
Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header  
of the Xonar DG card.  
For optimum TV audio quality, Xonar DG uses ADC recording to digitize the  
signal and loops it back to DAC playback. Select Aux-In as the recording source  
in the Xonar DG Center’s recording mixer and enable the monitoring button  
to pass this signal to the audio output. Using this setup, you can even turn on  
sound effects such as Dolby Headphone to expand the stereo TV audio to 5.1  
channel surround sound in any set of headphones. TV audio on your PC will  
become even better than on your TV set.  
8
ASUS Xonar DG  
 
4.  
Installing software  
Installing the card driver  
Ensure that you have installed the audio card driver before installing the Xonar  
DG driver. Otherwise, driver installation error may occur.  
1.  
2.  
3.  
After you have installed the Xonar DG card, turn on your computer. Windows®  
automatically detects the audio card and searches for device drivers. When  
prompted for the drivers, click Cancel.  
Insert the support CD into the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled in your  
system, the setup starts automatically. If not, run setup.ee from your  
support CD.  
Follow the onscreen instructions to finish the installation.  
The version and content of the support CD are subject to change without notice.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
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10  
ASUS Xonar DG  
5.  
Connecting speakers and peripherals  
5.1  
Connecting digital speaker systems ome Theater  
The Xonar DG makes playback through your home theater system possible,  
creating an immersive and impressive cinema surround sound experience. A single  
digital cable connection can carry high-quality digital audio from any of your PC  
audio sources to any digital speakers or AV Receivers.  
1
SPDIF Out  
No Item  
Optical cable  
Description  
1
Plug your decoder’s TOSLINK optical cable into the S/PDIF-  
Out connector.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
11  
 
5.2  
Connecting stereo headphones  
5.2.1  
Connecting Stereo eadphones  
1
No Item  
Description  
1
Front Out/eadphone  
ack  
The Front Out jack has a built-in high-quality amplifier to  
drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones directly  
to this jack.  
12  
ASUS Xonar DG  
 
5.2.2  
Connecting 5.1 channel eadphones  
1
2
3
No Item  
Description  
1
2
3
Front Out  
Connect the front-channel 3.5mm plug of your 5.1  
headphone into this jack.  
Side Surround Out  
Connect the surround-channel 3.5mm plug of your 5.1  
headphone into this jack.  
Center/Subwoofer Out  
Connect the Center/Bass-channel 3.5mm plug of your 5.1  
headphone into this jack.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
13  
5.3  
Connecting Analog Speaker Systems  
5.3.1  
Connecting Analog Power Amplifier  
1
2
3
No Item  
Description  
1
2
3
Front Out  
Connects to the “left front” and “right front” input ports of the  
analog amplifier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.  
Side Surround Out  
Center/Subwoofer  
Connects to the “left surround” and “right surround” input  
ports of the analog amplifier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.  
Connects to the “Center” and “subwoofer” input ports of the  
analog amplifier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.  
14  
ASUS Xonar DG  
 
5.3.2  
Connecting 2/2.1 channel speakers  
2 Speakers  
1
2.1 Speakers  
1
No Item  
Description  
1
Front Out/eadphone  
ack  
Connect the 2/2.1 speaker set’s 3.5mm plug into this Front  
Out jack.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
15  
5.3.3  
Connecting 4/4.1 Channel Speakers  
4 Speakers  
1
2
4.1 Speakers  
1
2
No Item  
Description  
1
Front Out  
Connects to the Front input port of the 4/4.1 speakers with  
the mini-jack cable.  
2
Side Surround Out  
Connects to the Surround input port of the 4/4.1 speakers  
with the mini-jack cable.  
16  
ASUS Xonar DG  
5.3.4  
Connecting 5.1 Channel Speakers  
5.1 Speakers  
1
2
3
No Item  
Description  
1
2
3
Front Out  
Connects to the Front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the  
mini-jack cable.  
Side Surround Out  
Center/Subwoofer  
Connects to the Surround input port of the 5.1 speakers with  
the mini-jack cable.  
Connects to the Center/Subwoofer input port of the 5.1  
speakers with the mini-jack cable.  
ASUS Xonar DG  
17  
5.4  
Connecting microphone  
1
2
1
Mic In  
1
2
eadphone Out  
No Item  
Description  
1
Microphone Input  
ack  
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug into this Mic-In jack  
for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.  
2
eadphone ack  
The Front Out jack has a built-in high-quality amplifier to  
drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones directly  
to this jack.  
18  
ASUS Xonar DG  
 
5.5  
Connecting Line�In audio sources  
1
Line In  
No Item  
Line Input ack  
Description  
1
Connect the 3.5mm plug of the CD/MP3 Player or any other  
Line level analog audio sources into this Line-In jack for  
sound recording (See the “Mixer” section of the driver guide).  
ASUS Xonar DG  
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20  
ASUS Xonar DG  
6.  
Xonar Audio Center  
6.1  
Xonar Audio Center GUI  
1.  
After the driver installation is complete and  
your computer has been rebooted, you will  
find the Xonar Audio Center’s icon in the  
system tray on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Double click this  
icon to open the Xonar Audio Center utility.  
If the icon could not be found in the system tray, launch the Xonar Audio Center  
from the Windows desktop by clicking Start > All Programs > ASUS Xonar DG  
Audio > Xonar DG Audio Center.  
2.  
The Xonar Audio Center is the Graphic User Interface (GUI) for the Xonar  
DG driver. You can control the functions and features of the Xonar DG driver  
on the Xonar Audio Center. The following picture shows a basic overview of  
the Xonar Audio Center. The following sections of this manual will describe its  
functions in more detail.  
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
ASUS Xonar DG  
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