Xonar DG

PCI 5.1 & Headphone Amp Audio Card

User manual

E7802
Second Edition (V2)
October 2012

Copyright 2012 ASUSTeK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any
means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written
permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (ASUS).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless
such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS
DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),
EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY
DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR
INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,
AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO
RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS
MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or explanation and to the
owners benefit, without intent to infringe.

ii

Contents
Notices.......................................................................................................... iv
Safety information........................................................................................ v
Trademarks.................................................................................................... v
License.......................................................................................................... v
1.

Introduction...................................................................................... 1
1.1

Package contents............................................................... 1

1.3

Specifications summary...................................................... 2

1.2
2.
3.

4.
5.

Xonar DG card layout...................................................................... 4

Installing the hardware.................................................................... 6
3.1
3.2

Connecting to a TV tuner card............................................ 7

Connecting speakers and peripherals........................................... 9

5.1

Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater)......... 9

5.3

Connecting Analog Speaker Systems............................... 12

5.4
5.5

Connecting stereo headphones........................................ 10

Connecting microphone.................................................... 16
Connecting Line-In audio sources.................................... 17

Xonar Audio Center....................................................................... 18

6.1

Xonar Audio Center GUI................................................... 18

6.3

Mixer/Volume.................................................................... 28

6.2
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
7.

Installing the audio card...................................................... 6

Installing software............................................................................ 8

5.2

6.

System requirements.......................................................... 1

6.10

Main Setting...................................................................... 20
Effects............................................................................... 31
Karaoke............................................................................. 33
FlexBass........................................................................... 35
AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation).................................... 36
Smart Volume Normalization............................................ 38
DS3D GX and DSP Modes............................................... 40
VocalFX............................................................................. 42

Troubleshooting and FAQs........................................................... 45

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 manufacturers
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
us at http://support.asus.com
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.

vi

1.

Introduction

1.1

Package contents

ASUS Xonar DG PCI audio card

Support CD x1

Low Profile Bracket x1

Quick Start Guide x1

1.2

System requirements

One PCI 2.2 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card

Intel Pentium 4 1.4 GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU

Microsoft Windows 7 (32/64bit) / Vista (32/64bit) / XP (32/64bit) / MCE2005

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

1.3

Specifications summary

Items

Description

Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise

Ratio
(A-Weighted):

105dB for 5.1CH

100dB for Headphone-out@150ohm loading

Input Signal-to-Noise

Ratio
(A-Weighted):

103dB

Output Total

Harmonic Distortion
+
Noise at 1kHz
(A-Weighted):

Up to 0.0025% (-92dB)

Input Total

Harmonic Distortion
+
Noise at 1kHz
(A-Weighted):

Up to 0.0022% (-93dB)

Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input ):

<10Hz to 48kHz

Output
/Input
Full-Scale

Voltage

1Vrms (3Vp-p)

Headphone Impedance

Optimized for 32~150

B
u
s Compatibility
PCI

PCI v2.2 or above bus compatible

Main Chipset
Audio Processor

C-Media CMI8786
High-Definition Sound Processor (Max.
96
KHz/24bit)

D
-
A Converter

of D

igital S

ources:

Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit) / Cirrus Logic

CS4361*1 (103dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit)

A
-
D
C
onver
ter
for

A
nalog I

nputs:

Cirrus Logic CS4245*1 (104dB DNR, Max. 192KHz/24bit)

Sample Rate and Resolution

Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution

44.1K/48K/96KHz @ 16/24bit for all channels

Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution

44.1K/48K/96KHz @ 16/24bit

S/PDIF Digital Output

44.1K/48K/96KHz @ 16/24bit, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro

ASIO 2.0 Driver

S
upport:

44.1K/48K/96KHz @ 16/24bit

I/O Ports
Analog Output Jack:

3.50mm mini jack *3

(Front/Side/Center-Subwoofer)

Analog Input Jack:

3.50mm mini jack *1

(Line-In/Mic-In)

Other line-level

analog input
(for CD-IN/TV Tuner):

Aux-In (
4-pin
header on the card)

Digital S/PDIF Output

High-bandwidth Optical Connector supports 96KHz/24bit

-additional SPDIF-out header for HDMI audio output

Front-Panel Audio Header

Supports headphone jack-detection, automatically switch audio output from

back-panel to front

Driver Features
Operation System

Windows7/ Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005

Dolby Headphone

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.

Direct
Sound3D Game
Extensions 2.5
(DS3D GX
2.5)/DirectX

DS3D GX 2.5.0 supports EAX gaming sound effects and DirectSound 3D

hard
ware enhanced functions
on Windows Vista. (DirectX
/DirectSound
3D
compatible)

Smart Volume NormalizerTM

Normalize
s
the volume of all audio sources into a constant level and also
enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming

VocalFXTM

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
- Magic Voice: changes your voice pitch to different types (Monster/
Cartoon

) for disguising your real voice or just for fun in online

chatting

Karaoke Functions

Music Pitch-Shifting, Vocal Cancellation, and Microphone Echo effect

s
with Stereo Mix recording (Wave and Mic-in) for online Karaoke or online
DJ applications

FlexBassTM

Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system

Xear 3DTM Virtual Speaker Shifter

Adjustable v
irtual
7.1-speaker positioning

(continued on the next page)

ASUS Xonar DG

Other Effects

10-band Equalizer/27 Environment Effects

3D Gaming Sound Engines/APIs

7: DirectSound3D GX 2.5, EAX2.0&1.0, DirectSound HW, DirectSound

SW, A3D1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds
processing capability
Vista: DirectSound3D GX 2.5, EAX2.0&1.0, DirectSound HW,
DirectSound SW, A3D1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D
sounds processing capability
XP: DirectSound3D GX 2.5, EAX2.0&1.0, DirectSound HW, DirectSound
SW, A3D1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds
processing capability

Accessories
Accessories

-Low-profile bracket

*Specifications are subject to change without notice.

ASUS Xonar DG

ASUS Xonar DG

2.

Xonar DG card layout

1
2
3
4
5

Audio ports

1
2
3
4
5

ASUS Xonar DG

No

Item

Description

Microphone In port

Connect your external PC microphone to this 3.5mm port for

voice input. Built-in high-quality Microphone pre-amplifier.

Line In port

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.

Headphone/Front
Out 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.

Side Surround Out

port

Connects to the surround channel input on 4/4.1/5.1 powered

analog speakers.

Center/Subwoofer
Out port

Connects to the center/subwoofer input on 5.1 powered

analog speakers.

S/PDIF 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.

Front panel audio

header

9-pin Intel AC97 / HDA front-panel which supports audio

jack-detection and audio FP Headphone selection for Analog
Out on the Audio Center.

Aux Input 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 cards audio from this Aux-In, you
must enable the monitor function for Aux-In in the Xonar
DG Audio Centers recording mixer.)

S/PDIF Out header

Connects to the supported graphics card with HDMI.

ASUS Xonar DG

3.

Installing the hardware

3.1

Installing the audio card

Before you proceed with the following installation steps, its 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.
2.

Power OFF the computer, the monitor, and all other peripheral devices
connected to your computer.

Unplug the computer power cord from your computer and power outlet.

3.

Touch the metal back or side panel of the computer to avoid static electricity.

4.

Remove the chassis cover.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Remove the metal bracket from an available PCI slot for the Xonar DG audio
card.
Carefully insert the audio card into the PCI slot. Ensure the audio card sits
properly in place.
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.

ASUS Xonar DG

3.2

1.
2.
3.

Connecting to a TV tuner card

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 cards sound to your PC
speakers.
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 Centers 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.

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.exe 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

10

ASUS Xonar DG

5.

Connecting speakers and peripherals

5.1

Connecting digital speaker systems (Home 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

Description

Optical cable

Plug your decoders TOSLINK optical cable into the S/PDIFOut connector.

ASUS Xonar DG

11

5.2

Connecting stereo headphones

5.2.1

Connecting Stereo Headphones

12

No

Item

Description

Front Out/Headphone
Jack

The Front Out jack has a built-in high-quality amplifier to

drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones directly
to this jack.

ASUS Xonar DG

5.2.2

Connecting 5.1 channel Headphones

1
2
3

No

Item

Description

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

14

No

Item

Description

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

Connects to the left surround and right surround input

ports of the analog amplifier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.

Center/Subwoofer

Connects to the Center and subwoofer input ports of the

analog amplifier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.

ASUS Xonar DG

5.3.2

Connecting 2/2.1 channel speakers

2 Speakers

2.1 Speakers

No

Item

Description

Front Out/Headphone
Jack

Connect the 2/2.1 speaker sets 3.5mm plug into this Front
Out jack.

ASUS Xonar DG

15

5.3.3

Connecting 4/4.1 Channel Speakers

4 Speakers

4.1 Speakers

16

No

Item

Description

Front Out

Connects to the Front input port of the 4/4.1 speakers with

the mini-jack cable.

Side Surround Out

Connects to the Surround input port of the 4/4.1 speakers

with the mini-jack cable.

ASUS Xonar DG

5.3.4

Connecting 5.1 Channel Speakers

5.1 Speakers

2
3

No

Item

Description

Front Out

Connects to the Front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the
mini-jack cable.

Side Surround Out

Connects to the Surround input port of the 5.1 speakers with

the mini-jack cable.

Center/Subwoofer

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

18

Mic In

Headphone Out

No

Item

Description

Microphone Input
Jack

Connect the microphones 3.5mm plug into this Mic-In jack

for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.

Headphone Jack

The Front Out jack has a built-in high-quality amplifier to

drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones directly
to this jack.

ASUS Xonar DG

5.5

Connecting Line-In audio sources

Line In

No

Item

Description

Line Input Jack

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

19

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 Centers 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

2
3
4
5
6

ASUS Xonar DG

21

No

Item

Description

Display Area

This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume

level, and the status of the Dolby/DTS technologies, EQ, and
DSP modes.
Note: This area just displays information, but is not used to
alter settings.

22

Menu Open/Close

Clicking this button will move the display area and reveal
the configuration area below. Clicking it again will move the
display area back down.

Master Volume

This rotary knob controls the master playback volume. Drag

the small circle inside it to change the volume level.

SVN Button

Click this button to enable the Smart Volume Normalization

feature for constant volume from all playback sources. It will
display a blue light when enabled.

Mute Button

Click this button to mute audio playback; it will display a red

light when playback is muted.

DSP Mode

These 2 buttons give access to quick gaming surround

sound effect (GX2.5) and effect-free (Hi-Fi) modes.

Setting Menu Panel

This panel gives access to setting tabs, including Main

Settings, Mixer/volume, Effects, Karaoke, FlexBass, and
VocalFX.

Information icon

Clicking this icon will pop up drivers Information window.

ASUS Xonar DG

6.2

Main Setting

6.2.1

Sample Rate

The Sample rate determines the number of audio samples per second that the
Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) and S/PDIF digital interface will output. The
Xonar DG audio card can support sample rates up to 96KHz (44.1K, 48K, 96KHz).
Usually audio CDG and MP3 files are 44.1KHz; DVD-Video uses 48KHz; DVDAudio or other HD media may contain 96KHz high-definition audio content. Please
select the corresponding sample rate for your playback sources to get the best
audio fidelity.
1

No

Item

Description

Sample Rate

Select the sample rate that corresponds to (or exceeds that

of) your playback sources, for optimal audio fidelity. The
Xonar DG card supports sample rates up to 96KHz (44.1K,
48K, 96K). Typical values:
-Audio CD, MP3, WMA, Wave files are 44.1KHz;
-The audio of DVD-Video is 48KHz;
-DVD-Audio or other HD media may contain 96KHz highdefinition audio content.

ASUS Xonar DG

23

6.2.2

Analog Out mode

Headphone

1
2
3
4

No

Item

Description

Analog Out

The Analog Out setting is used to match your actual

speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1),
4 speakers (or 4.1), 5.1 speakers, Front Panel Headphone
and Front Panel 2 speakers (or 2.1). Xonar DG will play the
channels and do the proper 3D surround sound processing
accordingly. Select the correct speaker type for your
connected speakers.

Speaker Test

Click this button to show the speaker test window in the right
pane. Click the play button to test each speaker one by one
or click each speaker manually to test.

HP Advanced Setting

Clicking this button allows you to select the gain tuning

according to your usage scenario or matching headphone
impedance. The setting is also available for FP Headphone.

Usage scenario or Headphone impedance

DAC setting

Exciter Mode or for >64ohms headsets

16 dB boost
Pro-gaming Mode or for 32~64ohms headsets 9 dB boost
VOIP Mode or for <32ohms headsets
0 dB boost
4

24

Dolby Headphone
enable/disable

Tick this checkbox to enable Dolby Headphone. Click the

textbar to switch the right window to Dolby Headphone page
for manual adjusting.
* 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter can be selected only when
Dolby Headphone is enabled.

ASUS Xonar DG

2 Speakers & 4 Speakers

1

No

Item

Description

Analog Out

The Analog Out setting is used to match your actual

speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1),
4 speakers (or 4.1), 5.1 speakers, Front Panel Headphone
and Front Panel 2 speakers (or 2.1). Xonar DG will play the
channels and do the proper 3D surround sound processing
accordingly. Select the correct speaker type for your
connected speakers.

Speaker Test

Click this button to show the speaker test window in the right
pane. Click the play button to test each speaker one by one
or click each speaker manually to test.

ASUS Xonar DG

25

5.1 Speakers

1
2
3

26

No

Item

Description

Analog Out

The Analog Out setting is used to match your actual

speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1),
4 speakers (or 4.1), 5.1 speakers, Front Panel Headphone
and Front Panel 2 speakers (or 2.1). Xonar DG will play the
channels and do the proper 3D surround sound processing
accordingly. Select the correct speaker type for your
connected speakers.

Speaker Test

Click this button to show the speaker test window in the right
pane. Click the play button to test each speaker one by one
or click each speaker manually to test.

Speaker Swap

Clicking this button will pop up an advanced setting window

to allow you to:
Swap center/bass outputs for 5.1-speaker set ups
Check the box if your speakers are outputting the incorrect
channel. Otherwise, leave them blank.

ASUS Xonar DG

6.2.3

SPDIF Out

It enables a single digital connection to carry high quality audio from your PC to
digital speakers and AV Receivers.

2
No

Item

Description

S/PDIF Out enable/

disable

Click this check box to enable S/PDIF output.

S/PDIF Output
Formats/Functions

PCM (Pulse Code Modulation, which is a typical raw audio

data format.)

ASUS Xonar DG

27

6.2.4

Audio Channels (For Vista only)

This setting only appears in Windows Vista. Vista will deliver the audio channels
to the audio driver according to this setting, no matter what the original audio
content is or how many channels they have. Therefore, you need to set this in
accordance with your audio content before you play it. Please note that this setting
is synchronized with Vistas system speaker configuration and changing the
setting during playback will cease the audio playback program. You may have to
restart the program after the change. Its recommended that you close all playing
programs before you change the setting.
1

No

Item

Description

Audio Channels

Here are some typical suggestions:

-MP3, WMA, AAC, CD, VCD, 2D games => 2 channels
-DVD-Video with Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 => 6 channels
-DVD-Video with Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES => 8 channels
-3D games => 8 channels

28

ASUS Xonar DG

6.2.5

7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter

The 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter has the following major features:

Expanding/upmixing audio to 7.1-channel surround sound

Shiftable virtual speaker positioning allows you to adjust the best sound field
easily without moving physical speakers and wires

Virtualizing 7.1 surround sound over any set of speakers

No

Item

Description

Shifter enable/disable

Click this check box to enable the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.
Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to the
Speaker Shifter page for manual adjustments.

Drag speaker or
listener

You can drag each speaker or listener to a different relative

position virtually using only your mouse. The Xonar DG
card will process it and virtualize each speaker position in
real-time. The Subwoofer has no directional sounds, and
hence can be moved only closer or further away.

Reset

Reset all Speaker Shifter settings to the defaults.

Increase/decrease
volume

Click + to increase volume (move speakers closer); click to

decrease volume (move speakers further away)

Counter-clockwise

Make all speakers (except Subwoofer) rotate counterclockwise

Clockwise

Make all speakers (except Subwoofer) rotate clockwise

Manual Rotation

Manually drag and rotate all speakers (except Subwoofer)

Manual Drag Mode

This is the default mode that allows you to manually drag

each speaker or the listener with your mouse.

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29

6.2.6

Dolby Headphone
2

No

Item

Description

Dolby Headphone
enable/disable

Tick this checkbox to enable Dolby Headphone. Click the

textbar to switch the right window to Dolby Headphone page
for manual adjusting.
* 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter and Dolby Pro-Logic IIx can be
selected only when Dolby Headphone is enabled.

DH1

Dolby Headphone (DH) provides three room filters that may

be used with any type of audio. They differ in the sense of
the spatial dimension they impart.

DH2

DH2Livelier Room: More acoustically live than DH1

DH3

DH3Larger Room: Larger room than DH1; more distant

and diffused effect.

DH1Reference Room: Small, acoustically damped room.

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6.3

Mixer/Volume

The mixer page is designed to control the volume for playback and recording
on the Xonar DG. In addition, the Xonar DG also provides a high-quality digital
monitoring function for hearing the recorded audio from the speakers.

6.3.1

Playback Volume
1

3
2

No

Item

Description

Playback volume tab

Click this button to show the playback volume page.

Source / path name

This shows the source name for each volume control slider,
including:
- WAVE: All digital audio sources except MIDI files
- SW: Software Synthesizer; control the playback volume of
the MIDI files
- CD: CD-ROM digital playback (CD-DA) volume control
- LEFT, RIGHT: the volume control for each speaker/
channel
NOTE: Windows Vista does not support WAVE, Synthesizer
and CD-In volume controls.

Mute button

Click this button to mute the audio channel; click this button
again to restore the audio output.

Volume slider

Drag this slider down to decrease the volume; drag it up to

increase the volume. The tool-tip reveals the percentage
number from 1 to 100 in terms of the full scale level.

Left/Right balance

The horizontal slider controls the volume between the left

and right channels. (On Windows XP only)

Reset

Reset all volume controls to the default settings.

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6.3.2

Recording/Monitoring Volume
1

2
3
4
5
6

No

Item

Description

Recording Volume Tab

Click this button to show the recording volume page.

Left/Right balance

The horizontal slider controls the volume between the left

and right channels.

Recording volume
slider

Drag this slider down to decrease the recording volume; drag

up to increase the recording volume. The tool-tip reveals the
percentage number from 1 to 100 in terms of the full scale
level.

Recording Selector
button

Click this button to select the path/source you are going

to record. Note that the recording function on Windows is
a one-path selector. So, you can select only one default
recording source at a time. You may have to restart the
recorder program if you switch to a different source. (Note:
On Vista, some application programs may allow you to
select the recording device/path in the recording programs
themselves.)

Microphone-In
Advanced Setting

Click this button

Microphone-In:

to open the advanced settings for the

Enabling Microphone Boost will increase a volume gain

to boost microphone input signals. For typical low-cost PC
microphone, its recommended to enable this function. You
can check with Front Mic to enable microphone of front
panel.
(continued on the next page)

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Monitoring button

Click this button to monitor and loopback recording audio to

outputs (PC speakers). Therefore, the recording volume will
influence the monitoring signals from speaker outputs. The
audio will be mixed into the streams you are playing out from
your PC and all DGP effects will be applied to the source,
too.

Source / path name

This shows the source name for each volume control slider,
including:
Mix: Stereo Mix which will record analog inputs (MIC and
Aux) and digital wave audio (Wave) you are playing on
PC
MIC: recording from MIC jack
Aux: recording from Aux-In for typically TV-tuner card audio
or other sound sources
Line-In: recording from Line-in jack for external audio devices
WAVE: recording from digital wave audio you are playing on
PC

Reset

Click to reset all volume controls to the default settings.

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33

6.4 Effects
6.4.1 Environment Effects

Environment effects can be used to create realistic listening experiences that

mimic different environments. There are a total of 27 environment options, which
can be applied to all 2D sound sources, like music.

1
2

34

No

Item

Description

Default environments

These four buttons activate Bathroom, Concert hall,

Underwater, and Music Pub environments, respectively.

More options

Clicking this button will apply the environment effect that you
select from the pull-down menu on the right side. There are
another 23 options in this menu.

Environment size

There are three size settings for each environment: Large,

Medium, and Small.

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6.4.2

10-Band Equalizer

The equalizer can modify the audio output for different frequencies, and be used
to compensate for deficiencies in your speakers/systems. There are 12 default
patterns and you can also make your own settings.
1

No

Item

Description

Default equalizer
options

There are 12 available equalizer patterns. Click one to apply

it.

User Defined

You can click this button to apply your own defined

parameters saved in the pull-down menu.

Equalier slider

Adjust the gain for each band (30~16KHz)

Save name

Key in a name for your own User Defined equalizer setting

Add / save

Click this + button to save the parameters into User Defined

list

Delete

Click this button to delete the parameters from User

Defined list

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6.5

Karaoke

The Xonar DG provides powerful features for Karaoke, including Key-Shifting,

Vocal Cancellation, and Microphone Echo. Microphone Echo can generate natural
echo effects on your singing voice just like a karaoke machine. Key-Shifting can
change the pitch of Karaoke background music, and Vocal Cancellation can
reduce the original vocal in songs and keep the music and symphony for karaoke.
5
1
2
3
4

36

No

Item

Description

On/Off

Click the switch to turn on or off the functions on this page.

Key-Shifting

Check the box to enable or disable the key shifting feature

for music playback from 4 semitones below, to 4 semitones
above.

Vocal Cancellation

Check the box to enable or disable the vocal cancellation

function and adjust the voice cancellation level from 0 to
+100. +100 will eliminate most original vocals (default value
is 50).

Mic Echo

Select the Mic Echo function and adjust the gain for echo
signals (30~16KHz)

Reset

Reset all settings to the default.

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The following message appears when Mic Echo is selected:

This message implies that the recording device will be set according to your
requirement. With Mic, you will only record audio source from microphone with
echo effects; but you are able to record all audio sources from Wave, Aux, and
Mic with microphone echo effect. Click OK to accept it or Cancel if you want
to enable it later. Checking Dont remind me again and this message will not
show up again.

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6.6

FlexBass

FlexBass, an advanced bass management and enhancement mechanism, allows

you to select each satellite speakers type for optimal sound performance from the
speakers. (Small: common speaker that cannot produce low frequencies; Large:
wide-band speakers that can produce low frequencies well). It comes with an
adjustable crossover frequency for the boundary of the bass signals. FlexBass will
filter out the bass signals from small speaker channels and redirect them all to the
subwoofer or Large speakers.
4

1
2

No

Item

Description

On/Off

Click this switch to turn on or off all functions on this

FlexBass page.

Small / Large speaker

option

Select the speaker type that you connected. If your speaker

type cannot perform low-frequency signals (bass), select
Small speaker type and Xonar DG will filter out the bass
signals and send them to the subwoofer channel. If those
speakers are full-range, you can select the Large speaker
type.
Note: Usually, low-cost PCs 2-channel speakers are
small-type speakers. Refer to the speakers specification.
If you have any questions, consult your speaker vendor.
However, common 2.1 speakers with a subwoofer should
be categorized as Large speakers because the subwoofer
can redirect the bass signals inside the two channels to the
subwoofer speaker automatically.

Picture for Small/

Large speaker

Colors for small/large speakers are different.

Orange: large speakers
Green: small speakers

38

LFE Crossover
Frequency

Adjusts the cut-off frequency (50~250Hz) for LFE (lowfrequency effects) signals. Xonar DG will filter out the bass
signals below the crossover frequency from small speaker
channels and forward them to the subwoofer. The higher
the crossover frequency, the more bass signals will be
subtracted.
ASUS Xonar DG

6.7

AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation)

Xonar DG provides advanced Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) for best voice
communication quality over your speakers. AEC technology can eliminate up-to40dB speaker echo return and suppress noises into your microphone for easier
conversation experience. AEC is an innovative feature to make Xonar DG the best
sound card choice for online chatting in VOIP applications (Skype, MSN, Google,
QQ, etc.) or online gaming. AEC provides the following benefits to you:

Reduce the voice acoustic echoes like speakerphone devices when others talk
to you on line
Minimize the playback sound echoes into your microphone during gaming or
music playback
Effectively suppress background or system noises into your microphone

32-bit floating point algorithm providing precisely adaptive echo cancellation

performance up to 40dB
Supports all VOIP applications and online games

To achieve the best performance of AEC function, the ideal system requirements
are as follows:
1.

Speakers and microphone are low distortion (max. THD < 2%)

3.

Use omni-direction electret microphone with >=40dB sensitivity

2.
4.
5.

6.

Flat frequency response between 300~4KHz

The microphone is more than 30cm far from PCs speakers (fix the distance)
and do NOT turn your speakers too loud

Put your microphone 20~30cm away from you (fix the distance) and do NOT
speak too close or too loud into the microphone to avoid signal clipping and
distortion. Enable microphone boost on Xonar DG audio center mixer to get
proper input signal level.
Its suggested to disable original AEC function residing in some of the
softphones or voice communication programs to get best performance from
Xonar DG audio card.

AEC function will be only suitable for bi-direction voice communication

applications. The speaker type will be set as 2 speakers and special voice
processing mode while AEC is applied (all audio effects will be suspended and
those controls on audio center will be frozen.). After you finish the voice-overIP applications, please remember to turn it off for normal high-fidelity audio
playback mode.

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39

No

Item

Description

AEC

Click AEC function page.

Enable AEC

Click the checkbox to enable AEC function. A alert message

will pop up:

This message implies the speaker configuration will be set to

2 speakers and all sound effect processors will suspended
except AEC function. Click OK to accept it; Click Cancel
if you want to enable it later. Check Dont remind me again
will not show this message again.

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6.8

Smart Volume Normalization

Smart Volume NormalizationTM (SVN) automatically keeps all music or video/TV

audio output at a constant level to reduce manual adjustment hassles inherent
with sound sources of different loudness. It allows you to listen to various content,
like MP3, TV program, DVD video and even games with consistent sound level.
The following graph shows how different signals 1 & 2 will become the same level
(for example, 10dB below full scale) after you turn on SVN. Please note that for
lower volume music 2, it will become louder when you turn on SVN; and for higher
volume music 1, it will become quieter.
0dB (Full-scale)
Music 1

T
-10 dB
Music 2

SVN Off

SVN On
-

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41

42

No

Item

Description

SVN On/Off

Click this button to enable SVN. This button is outlined blue

when active.

SVN display

When SVN is enabled, Smart Volume will be lit up at the

bottom of the volume meter and the volume meter will show
the level.

SVN blue light

When SVN is enabled, the master volume knob will be

illuminated by a blue light. It will be lit red if the volume is
muted.

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6.9

DS3D GX and DSP Modes

Xonar DG is introducing an innovative technology DirectSound 3D Game

Extensions v2.5 (DS3D GX 2.5)- to restore DirectSound 3D Hardware acceleration
mode and its subsidiary EAX effects on Windows Vista for 3D games. Unlike some
proprietary API like OpenAL, DS3D GX doesnt require games to support OpenAL
API. All existing games compatible with Microsoft DirectX and DirectSound 2D/3D
will be supported with DS3D GX technology. Before you start EAX and DS3D HW
games, enable DS3D GX on the Xonar Audio Center, and disable the function after
the games.
In addition, Xonar DG also offers a Hi-Fi mode for hi-fidelity playback without any
effect processing to keep the original audio fidelity. Every time you turn on Hi-Fi
mode, Xonar DG will clear all sound effects. Its also recommended to use Hi-Fi
mode for audio quality tests (using RMAA software or another machine-based
measurement). Use the DSP mode button as the quick setup if you dont wish to
know the details of the effect setup.
No sound effects will be applied to high-definition 96KHz/192KHz content.

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43

1
2

44

No

Item

Description

GX Mode

DirectSound 3D Game Extensions mode to support EAX and

DirectSound 3D Hardware extensions for lots of DirectX/
DirectSound3D games on Windows 7 / Vista / XP.

Hi-Fi Mode

This mode is set for Hi-Fidelity playback, where all effects will
be cleared to keep the original digital data and analog output
quality as high as possible.

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6.10 VocalFX
VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology to let your voice get into
the realistic game landscape (VoiceEX) or to emulate the background scenes in
online chat (ChatEX). It also allows you to change your voice pitch to disguise
who you are (Magic Voice). These features dramatically increase the fun for voice
communication on PC.
5

1
2

No

Item

Description

VoiceEX

It produces realistic and dynamic environmental

reverberation for your voice in 3D gaming communication.

Local VoiceEX

It produces realistic and dynamic environmental

reverberation for your voice in 3D gaming communication.
(You can hear your voice form speakers)

App List

You can add VOIP application into VOIP application List.

ChatEX

It emulates different background environment effects when

you chat online.

Magic Voice

Changes your voice pitch to different types for disguising

your real voice or just for fun in online chatting.

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45

For 3D Games
1.
2.

Check the check box of VoiceEX and Local VoiceEX.

Make sure you and your team member can talk to each other in the game.

For VOIP
1.

46

Press App List

2.

If you dont see the VOIP application of yours in the list, press Add.(Make
sure the Skype and MSN Messenger are the latest version)

3.

Look for the applications location and Open it.

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4.

Your VOIP application has been added into list.

5.

Check the check box of ChatEX and Magic Voice.

6.

You can use ChatEX and Magic Voice when you chat online.
* Click the checkbox to enable VocalFX function, then a prompt message will
pop up:

This message implies the record device will be set to microphone. Make
sure the GX function is enabled. Click OK to accept it, or Cancel if you
want to enable it later. Check Dont remind me again if you dont want to
see this message pop up next time.
*

Microphone input source must be selected from advanced setting under

MIC volume control slider in Mixer page.

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47

48

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7.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

[Troubleshooting]
The audio card driver could not be installed on my PC.
Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Make sure that you have properly plugged the audio card in the PCI slot on
your motherboard.
Check that the Windows hardware device manager has discovered a
multimedia audio device. If no device is found, please try scanning for new
hardware.
Try soft reboot (restart) your Windows.

Remove the card, plug it into another PCI slot, and try again.

I cannot find the Xonar DG Audio Center

Instructions:
1.

Make sure you have installed the driver

2.

Locate the Xonar DG Audio Center icon in the system tray on the bottom
right-hand corner of the screen. Double-click the icon to open the Xonar DG
Audio Center utility.

3.

If the icon could not be found in the system tray, go to the Windows Control
Panel and double click the Xonar DG Audio Center icon to make it visible in
the system tray again.

4.

After the driver installation is complete, its recommended that you reboot
your computer to complete the setup. If the icon still doesnt appear, please
try installing the driver package again.

I cannot hear any sound from my analog speakers

Instructions:
1.
2.
3.

4.

Ensure that you have connected speakers properly and have powered on
your speakers.

Ensure that the device master volume or the software player has NOT been
muted on the Xonar DG Audio Center.
Go to the sound and audio device of Windows Control Panel to check if the
playback default device is set to Xonar DG Audio Device, instead of other
onboard AC97 or HDA codec device. If its not, please set it to Xonar DG
Audio Device and restart your applications.
Try restarting your Windows.

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49

I cannot hear any sound from the S/PDIF output

Instructions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ensure that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Audio Center GUI (Main
page).

Ensure that you are connecting the correct S/PDIF output jack on the card to
the decoders (AV receiver) S/PDIF input jack.
You may need to select the correct input and mode of your decoder or AV
receiver.
If you are using 96KHz PCM output, please make sure your decoder can
support 96KHz decoding. Try changing it to 44.1K or 48KHz first.

I cannot hear audio input (Mic, Line-in, AUX, etc.) from my speakers
Instructions:
1.

2.

Go to the mixer recording page in the Audio Center and select the correct
input as the recording source. If you are using Windows Vista, also go to
system audio control panel to see the current default recording/input device is
right.
Remember to turn on the digital monitoring button for that recording source.

I cannot hear the TV tuner audio from my speakers

Instructions:

1. If you are using a traditional TV tuner card which has analog audio output,
please connect it to the Aux-In header on the audio card
2. Select Aux-In as the recording source and remember to turn on the digital
monitoring button on the recording mixer page

3. If you are using a TV tuner card which has digital audio output instead of
analog, check that the sound is not muted and whether other applications can
play sound out. If you still have problem, read the TV tuner cards software
user guide.

[FAQ]
Q1: Does the Xonar DG support Windows 7/Vista?
Answer:
Yes, the Xonar DG driver package does support Windows 7/Vista 32/64 bit and
most key features are available. In addition, Xonar DG supports unique DS3D
GX on Windows 7/Vista, which can recover DirectSound 3D hardware and EAX
gaming sound effects on Windows 7/Vista for a lot of existing DirectX games.

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Q2: Why does the Xonar DG support Dolby Headphone?

Answer:
Dolby is the ONLY brand and technology recognized by the CE industry and
available on a wide range of audio equipment. Xonar DG includes the feature to
make your PC a powerful media and entertainment center.
Q3: Does the Xonar DG support EAX on Vista?
Answer:
Yes, Xonar DG can support the latest EAX on Windows 7/ Vista /XP through
innovative DirectSound3D Game EXtensions v2.5 (DG3D GX 2.5) technology.
Q4: Why do I need Dolby Headpone for PC games?
Answer:
Dolby Headphone is the best 3D sound positioning, spatial modeling and 5.1channel virtualization technology for regular stereo headphones and speaker
headphones.
Q5: What is the most important benefit of the Xonar DG for gamers?
Answer:
1.
2.
3.

Headphone amplifier: Enables accurate sound positioning in superb quality

for unparalleled gaming experience.
Dolby headphone: Delivers a realistic and spacious 2-to-5.1 surround and
3D positional sound field over any set of stereo headphones.

GX 2.5: Enables the latest EAX gaming audio and restore surround gaming
in Windows Vista/7 without additional software.

Q6: Will PCM sound output through S/PDIF be just 2 channels even with
different analog output channels?
Answer:

The S/PDIF protocol specification (IEC-60958) can only carry 2-channel PCM
data or non-PCM AC3/DTS data. So, when a user selects PCM output for S/PDIF,
the Xonar sound card will always deliver 2 channel PCM data through the S/PDIF
output port.

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51

Q7: Why can I hear and record sound from other recording devices when
Wave/Digital is selected in Record on Vista?
Answer:

Different from Windows XP, Vista has a multiple devices/streams concept in audio
structure, in which the concept can be categorized into Digital Input and Analog
Input. In other words, multiple recording devices can be used and working at the
same time. In this case, Wave In or SPDIF-In, considered as a Digital Input, is
an independent recording device from Analog Devices such as Mic In, Line In,
or Aux In. Therefore, if you have analog inputs other than Wave In and set to be
monitored, you are able to hear and even record sound from those analog devices
even Wave In / SPDIF-In is selected as the default recording device.
If you dont want to hear the analog input sounds at that situation, simply turn off
monitoring function on other analog input devices.

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