Connectors for power and a ribbon cable to the daughterboard. As mentioned, the Deluxe model features a daughterboard that provides six surround channels of analogue audio. The additional card is made necessary by the large amount of PCB real estate taken up by analogue circuitry, which must be duplicated for each additional channel supported. It also makes room for larger, more robust RCA connectors instead of the standard mini-jacks.
Adaptor cables are included to support mini-jack speaker systems, but the card is really designed for HiFi audio components that can take advantage of the better electrical characteristics of RCA connectors. Mother and child. The main card itself supports only two analogue channels, and reuses several of the jacks to provide as much functionality as can fit onto the back of a single PCI slot.
The video signal is generated as usual by the graphics card, output via DVI or HDMI and then fed into the sound card where sound and possibly some video processing is added to the signal. A composite signal containing both the audio and the video is then output by the sound card through a completely different cable.
This has the added advantage of ensuring that the audio and video are in sync, but it does open up the video signal to tampering. HDMI connectors in the foreground; daughterboard in the background. Popping the EMI cover off reveals an immensely complicated circuit board — a testament to the wide variety of features on the card. Note the front panel audio and AUX in ports along the top edge. The most interesting part of the card from a circuitry point of view is the analogue stage, pictured above.
All of the electronics come from highly reputable sources and can be expected to do a good job. Both chips use a DIP8 package and can be replaced by those who like to tinker. The two stage design appears to be intended to allow a second possible analogue source, with a separate first stage for each. It should be noted that the DJ chip is not duplicated on the surround daughterboard, but the first stage op-amp is as are three additional PCM DACs , which suggests a fairly long analogue signal path for surround channels decoded by the DJ All of the op-amps in the input path use a DMP8 package which is not user-replaceable.
SPCR does not have a set methodology for testing sound cards, but our examination focussed on the following tests:. Tests were performed at sample rates of Line-in level was set to , and speaker out level was set to CDs were playing in iTunes, with the application, driver, and system sample rates all set to The two sources were then volume-matched by ear in the Xonar sound panel.
This turned out to be unnecessary, since both sources sounded the equal at volume. The speakers hooked up to this system were a pair of floor-standing transmission-line speakers custom-built by SPCR editor Mike Chin.
They sound extremely clear, and are estimated to have a flat frequency response down to approximately Hz if only the same could be said for the room. Using this setup, we listened to each test track through fully using each output, and then a third time switching back and forth between the two sources.
No attempt was made to do blind ABX testing. All other elements of the signal chain remained constant between the two tests. The following power efficiency figures were obtained for the Antec Earth Watts power supply used in our test system. Note that the results are for the , while our test system for the HDAV1. It is likely that the W model has slightly higher efficiency in the range we are using it, but the difference is unlikely to be significant.
This data is enough to give us a very good estimate of DC demand in our test system. We extrapolate the DC power output from the measured AC power input based on this data.
While we can make guesses about which tasks are most power intensive, there is no easy way of isolating those tasks from the stress they put on the other parts of the system.
Spot checks during simple stereo playback did not reveal a significant boost in power consumption under load. Even at idle, the power gobbled up by the HDAV1.
While not in the same league as power hungry graphics cards, it did eat up about 11W at idle, increasing the total power consumption of our modest test bed by about a third. A proper lab test using RMAA would test each input and output in isolation using reference equipment with known audio characteristics that are significantly better than the card being tested. Ideally, the test suite would include multiple reference levels and usage patterns. Unfortunately, advanced though the SPCR lab is, we are not set up to do this kind of advanced electronic testing.
So, we offer a compromise. RMAA has a test mode called external loopback testing in which the output of the card is looped back into the input via an external cable. The test suite is then run, and the results include the performance characteristics of both the input and the output sections of the card. Whichever section has the worst performance will limit the results, but, barring distortion in one section that is corrected by the other, both the input and the output should be guaranteed to have performance at least as good at the test results.
So, with those caveats, we present the results of our loopback test for 96 kHz, tested at bit depths of 16, 24, and 32 int. Only a portion of our RMAA test data is reproduced here. Those who are interested may download our complete set of results , including every combination of sample rates and bit depths from The noise floor is about dB for 24 and 32 bit depths, and at 16 bits.
Tests at We are still scratching our head trying to figure out how our 16 bit results managed to exceed the maximum theoretical noise level for 16 bit audio 96 dB. Obviously, noise is not the only concern, but the frequency response and various distortion tests were also universally excellent.
It should be noted that our results more or less duplicate those obtained by Asus in their own RMAA tests. Elite Bastards examined the card here , while Atomic PC obtained results so bad as to throw their methodology into question in this review.
Most likely, the poor results are a result of audio mangling within the operating system and not a reflection on the hardware, but it does illustrate that there are many factors that affect audio performance beyond the hardware itself. All of our RMAA tests were done with the line-in level at and the output level at Why 40?
This was the only level we could get which was high enough for RMAA to test but low enough not to cause serious distortion at the input. This caught our attention, because we also noticed serious distortion at the outputs when doing our speaker tests during setup.
So, we decided to investigate by pulling out our multimeter and actually measuring the output levels electronically. And this is what we found…. At maximum volume, our 1 kHz test tone recorded at In fact, the standard line level for RCA outputs is a mere 0. Adding in the potential 3. No wonder the output was clipped.
Have pity on the poor pre-amps that have to accept such a hot signal. Now, to be fair, the line level is just a guideline; many products do not meet it exactly, and all designs allow for some headroom.
We also verified that a 0 dB peak on the equalizer correctly output a line level signal of roughly 0. But folks, we have to warn you, blasting the HDAV1. We also noticed that, while boosting the volume from 40 to increased the output voltage by almost a volt, the level in decibels increased only by 4.
This behavior is indicative of the fact that the volume control in the Xonar control panel sets the volume linearly , not logarithmically as it should. The practical effect of this is that it is extremely difficult to set low volumes reliably.
Tested with the volume set to , the HDAV1. On the other hand, even if it could output the signal cleanly without distortion and distortion increases as output goes up , its high output level is likely to cause distortion in whatever is plugged in to it.
By the same token, if it was tested at consumer line level when the equalizer peak is 0dB , the incredible dB SNR would magically drop to dB. In theory, this is the level that should provide the best possible analogue performance, allowing plenty of room for transient peaks.
Not only will distortion drop at lower levels, but keeping the levels closer to where other devices expect them to be should help avoid distortion further down the signal chain.
However, we repeat our caution that high line levels can damage equipment that is not designed for this kind of signal. As with the objective results, we are tempted to simply state that the Xonar is excellent and leave it at that.
If you are not interested in audiophile musings about the finer points of sound reproduction, we suggest you skip this section and jump to the conclusion. Unless your existing sound card is absolutely dreadful, any improvement that the HDAV1. It's just a perfect solution in that regard. Cons: - Low profile bracket difficult to install - Mixed use of electrolytic and solid state capacitors - Premium price.
Installing the card was a snap, and it only took me a few minutes to configure things to work correctly. Downloading and installing the newest drivers from Asus was a must, the ones on the cd were months if not years old. Cons: I don't care much for the control panel app that comes with the drivers, it's a bit confusing. But a quick search on the web had me navigating it no problem. Pros: I purchased this card to play the new high def standards with my HTPC and does so with no problem.
For Blu-ray, the verison of TMT which comes with the card appears to have a better image than the blu ray software I was using before. Cons: It does take a bit of time and tweaking to get the card working just right.
Cons: Getting the drivers for Windows 7 was kind of a pain, and not being a huge audio techie, configuring it to work with my surround sound receiver was a huge pain. Overall Review: Like most computer components, the makers expect you to come into the deal with some kind of knowledge.
Audio is a completely different beast from most other computer related subjects, and the learning curve is steep. All in all, part works great, just took some tinkering with settings for about 2 hours to get it working right.
Sold by: Newegg Shipped by Newegg. Learn More. This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked. Out of Stock. Add To Wish List. Are you an E-Blast Insider? DS3D GX2. ASIO 2. Lewis R. Verified Owner. Did you? Yes No. Erik B.
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