I've never done a review here on Amazon, but I felt I needed to make some noise about this sound card. For years I have used Creative's Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card. At the time I purchased it, it was the best thing out there. Now, running Windows 7, I've had several ongoing issues with it that driver updates just couldn't fix. Since I already trust the ASUS brand for having used their motherboards and other various components, I figured I'd give the Xonar D1 a try. After installing it and messing around with the different sound settings for a couple of days, I've come to the conclusion that ASUS has a winning product on its hands. Folks, there's absolutely no need to spend $100+ on a new sound card unless you need a particular feature not found on the lower priced models. The sound quality is absolutely top notch for music and gaming. Onboard sound has gotten better over the years, but it still cannot touch the quality of sound you'll get from a good product like the ASUS D1. At first I was hesitant to buy it because it only has a single line-in jack that doubles as a mic input. Since I planned to connect my Xbox 360's audio, I worried that I'd have to swap plugs every time I wanted to communicate while playing games online. Not the case. I learned quickly that I can connect the HD Audio connector that enables me to connect my headset mic to the jacks on the face of my computer case. So you can actually have both. What I didn't realize after I got the card was that you have to switch between the sound card's input and the front panel input by choosing the analog path in the software. Took me a little while to figure that out, but I did it. Very easy to do too. I only hook up with my friends online with PC games once a week anyway, so it's no hassle at all. And after testing out my mic using my Ventrilo server, my voice communication was clear as a bell. I listen to a good bit of music, but my main concern when purchasing the D1 was for gaming. And I'm happy to report that its performance is nothing short of stellar. Unlike my previous sound card, the D1 has a virtual 7.1 surround feature that will turn any standard headset into surround sound. I now hear things in my headset that I never heard before. In shooters, for example, I can now hear where an approaching enemy is coming from. Instead of knowing the enemy is either on the left or right, I can now determine of he's in front of me or behind me on both sides. Again, I'm using a standard set of Yamaha headphones and this feature is pretty incredible. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the D1. After adjusting the EQ to my liking and adding some ambient effects, my games and music have never sounded better!
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