Xonar Xense Premium Gaming Audio Set User Manual
E7796 Second Edition 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”).
Contents Contents....................................................................................................... iii Notices........................................................................................................... v Safety information..................................................................................... viii Trademarks................................................................................................. viii License........................................
Appendices Troubleshooting and FAQs Troubleshooting.......................................................................................... 33 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)........................................................ 35 ASUS Contact information.........................................................................
Notices REACH Complying with the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulatory framework, we published the chemical substances in our products at ASUS REACH website at http://green.asus.com/ english/REACH.htm. 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. • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
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.
Prohibition of Co-location This device and its antenna(s) must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. Important: Radiation Exposure Statement This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment.End users must follow the specific operating instructions for satisfying RF exposure compliance.
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.
About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and configuring the motherboard. How this guide is organized This guide contains the following parts: • Chapter 1: Product introduction • Chapter 2: Getting started • • This chapter describes the features of the Xonar Essense ST. This chapter tells how to install the audio card and its driver.
Chapter 1 Product introduction Package contents • Xonar™ Xense Premium Gaming Audio Card x 1 • 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter x 1 • • • • • Sennheiser PC350-Xense Gaming Headset x 1 Audio splitter cable x 1 Driver CD x 1 S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adapter x 1 Quick Start Guide x 1 If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer. System requirements • • • One PCI Express 1.
Specifications summary ITEM DESCRIPTION Audio Performance 118dB for Front channel of Line-out Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (AWeighted) 112dB for other channels of Line-out 110dB for Headphone-out with 600ohm load Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (AWeighted) 118dB 0.00039% (-108dB) for Front channel of Line-out Output Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) 0.00063% (-102dB) for other channels of Line-out Input Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) 0.
ITEM DESCRIPTION 24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources Texas Instruments PCM1796*1 for Front-Out (123dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) Cirrus-Logic CS4362A*1 for other 6 channels (114dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) High Fidelity Headphone Amplifier Texas Instruments 6120A2*1 (120dB SNR, -117dB THD+N @ Vcc±12V, RL=600Ω, f=1kHz) 24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs Cirrus-Logic CS5381 x 1 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) I/O Ports Analog Output Jack 6.30mm jack x 1 (Headphone out) 7.
ITEM DESCRIPTION Dolby Pro-Logic IIx Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is the well-known technology to process any native stereo or 5.1-channel audio into a 6.1- or 7.1- channel output, creating a seamless, natural surround soundfield. DirectSound3D Game Extensions 2.0 & 1.0 (GX 2.5) GX 2.5 supports EAX gaming sound effects and DirectSound 3D hardware enhanced functions for more games on Windows® XP/Vista/7.
Xonar Xense card layout 5 6 7 1 8 2 3 4 9 1 Microphone In port Connect your headset’s microphone cable to this port for voice input. It has a builtin high-quality Microphone pre-amplifier. Line In port Through an Ultra-high fidelity 118dB SNR A-D converter, connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players, music synthesizers, and other line-level sound sources to this 6.3mm port for audio recording or processing. 2 Headphone Out port Connect your headset’s out cable to this port.
5 Front panel audio header Connect one end of the front panel audio cable to the front panel audio header on the audio card, with the other end to the chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module. 6 Aux Input Header This 4-pin header usually connects to the Analog Audio output of a TV tuner card or another sound source inside your computer. To monitor your TV tuner card’s audio from this Aux-In, you must enable the “monitor” function for Aux-In in the Xonar Xense Audio Center‘s recording mixer.
Chapter 2 Getting started Before you proceed • Disable the onboard audio device in the BIOS settings or uninstall any other sound cards on your computer. • For BIOS setting or uninstallation of other sound cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and sound cards. • Turn off your computer and disconnect all peripherals connected to it. • Unplug the computer’s power cord from the power outlet.
4. 5. Secure the audio card with the screw you removed from the PCI Express slot’s metal bracket. Connect the power cable of your power supply unit (PSU) to the power connector of the audio card. Ensure that the power cable is connected properly. Otherwise, the audio card will not work. 6. Replace the chassis cover. 8. Turn on your computer. 7 Plug the computer’s power cord into a power outlet.
Connecting to a TV tuner card If you have a traditional PCI/PCI Expresss TV tuner card on your computer, you may need to connect it to the audio card to send the tuner card’s sound to your PC speakers. To connect to a TV tuner card: 1. 2. Secure the PCI/PCI Express TV tuner card into the rear panel with a screw. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header of the audio card.
Installing the audio card driver Ensure that you have installed the VGA card driver before installing the audio card driver. Otherwise, driver installation error may occur. To install the audio card driver: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. After installing the audio card, turn on your computer. Windows® automatically detects your audio card and searches for device drivers. When prompted for the drivers, click Cancel. Insert the support CD into the optical drive.
Chapter 3 Connecting speakers and peripherals Connecting analog speaker systems Surround Sound (Black) Front Speaker Out (Lime) Audio Splitter Cable (included) Side Speakers Out (Grey) Center/Subwoofer (Orange) Connecting the gaming headset Mic In/ Line In port Headphone Out port ASUS Xonar Xense 11
Connecting Line-in audio sources Mic In/ Line-In port CD Player MP3 Player 12 ASUS Xonar Xense
Chapter 4 Xonar Xense Audio Center Xonar Xense Audio Center The Xonar Xense Audio Center, the graphical user interface (GUI) of Xonar Xense, allows you to control the functions and features of Xonar Xense. To launch the Xonar Xense Audio Center, double-click the Xonar Audio Center icon on the taskbar. If the icon is not shown on the taskbar, go to the Windows® Control Panel and double-click the Xonar Xense Audio Center icon.
1 Display Area This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume level, and the status of the Dolby technologies, EQ, and DSP modes. This area just displays information, but is not used to alter settings. 14 2 Menu Open/Close Click this button to display more settings. 3 Master Volume This rotary knob controls the master playback volume. Drag the small circle inside it to change the volume level.
Main Setting 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 Xense audio card can support sample rates up to 192KHz (44.1K, 48K, 96K, 192KHz). Usually audio CDs and MP3 files are 44.1KHz; DVD-Video uses 48KHz; DVD-Audio or other HD media may contain 96KHz or 192KHz high-definition audio content.
Analog Out/Speaker Test 1 16 2 3 1 Analog Out The Analog Out setting is used to adjust audio to match your actual speaker setting such as headphones and 2/2.1 speakers. Your audio card will play the channels and process the proper 3D/Dolby sound accordingly. Select the correct speaker type for your connected speakers. 2 Speaker Test Click this button to show the speaker test window in the right pane. Click Play to test each speaker one by one or click each speaker to test them individually.
S/PDIF Out/DDL Xonar Xense is capable of outputting Dolby Digital Live audio, which is audio transcoded real-time into industry-standard Dolby Digital bit-streams on-the-fly. This is ideal for playback through a home theater system, creating an immersive and impressive cinema surround sound experience. This technology enables a single digital connection to carry high quality Dolby Digital surround audio from your PC to digital speakers and AV Receivers.
Audio Channels (For Windows® Vista / Windows® 7 only) This setting only appears in Windows® Vista / Windows® 7. Windows® Vista / Windows® 7 delivers 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. Hence, you need to set this in accordance with your audio content before audio playback.
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 2 3 4 5 1 6 7 8 1 Shifter enable/disable Tick this checkbox to enable the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.
6 Clockwise Click to rotate all speakers, except Subwoofer, clockwise. 7 Manual Rotation Manually drag and rotate all speakers, except Subwoofer. 8 Manual Drag Mode This is the default mode that allows you to manually drag each speaker or the listener with your mouse. Dolby Pro-Logic IIx Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is a 7.1 surround upmixing technology and is widely used in home theater systems, TVs, game consoles, and car audio systems.
Dolby Headphone Dolby Headphone creates a stunning multi-channel surround experience over ordinary stereo headphones for playing 3D games, watching 5.1 DVD movies, and listening to music. Dolby Headphone produces surround sound cues so realistic that you will believe you are listening over speakers in a well-controlled studio. Dolby Headphone can also improve listening comfort and reduce "listener fatigue" from long listening over headphones.
Dolby Virtual Speaker Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers. Dolby Virtual Speaker also creates a wider two-channel environment during playback of stereo CDs and MP3 content, and when combined with Dolby Pro Logic® II processing, delivers a virtual 5.1-channel surround listening experience from any high-quality stereo source.
Mixer/Volume The Mixer feature is designed to control the volume for playback and recording using the Xonar Xense. In addition, Xonar Xense also provides a high-quality digital monitoring function for hearing the recorded audio from the speakers. You can also process the input signals with all playback sound effects such as Dolby and DTS technologies. Playback Volume 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 Reset This resets all volume controls to the default settings.
Recording/Monitoring Volume 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Recording Volume Tab Click this button to show the recording volume page. 2 Reset Click to reset all volume controls to the default settings. 3 Left/Right balance This horizontal slider controls the volume between the left and right channels. Only available in Windows® XP. 4 Recording volume slider 5 Recording Selector button Click this button to select the path/source you are going to record.
6 Source / path name This shows the source name for each volume control slider, including: • MIC: Recording from MIC jack. • Line-In: Recording from Line-in jack for external audio devices. • Aux: Recording from Aux-In for typical TV-tuner card audio or other sound sources. • WAVE: Recording from digital wave audio that you are playing on your PC. • Mix: Stereo Mix which will record MIC, AUX, and digital WAVE audio you are playing on your PC.
Effects Environment Effects Use environment effects to create realistic listening experiences that mimic different environments. There are a total of 27 environment options that can be applied to all 2D sound sources such as music. 1 2 3 26 1 Default environments These four buttons activate Bathroom, Concert hall, Underwater, and Music Pub environments. 2 More Click this button to view more environment effects in the dropdown list, which contains 23 more options.
10-Band Equalizer The equalizer modifies the audio output for different frequencies, and is used to compensate for deficiencies in your speakers/systems. There are 12 default patterns and you can also customize your own settings. 1 2 3 4 6 5 1 Equalizer slider Adjust the gain for each band (30~16KHz) 2 Default equalizer options Click an equalizer pattern from the 12 available equalizer patterns. 3 Delete Click this “–” button to delete a customized setting from the list.
FlexBass FlexBass, an advanced bass management and enhancement mechanism, allows you to select each satellite speaker’s type for optimal sound performance from the speakers. The Speaker types are: • • Small: common speaker that cannot produce low frequencies. Large: wide-band speakers that can produce low frequencies well. FlexBass comes with an adjustable crossover frequency for the boundary of the bass signals.
3 Picture for Small/Large speaker Colors for small/large speakers are different. • Orange: large speakers • Green: small speakers 4 LFE Crossover Frequency Adjusts the cut-off frequency (20~250Hz) for LFE (low-frequency effects) signals. Xonar Xense filters out the bass signals below the crossover frequency from small speaker channels and forwards them to the subwoofer. The higher the crossover frequency, the more bass signals are subtracted.
1 2 3 30 1 SVN display When SVN is enabled, “Smart Volume” lights up to display the volume level. 2 SVN blue light When SVN is enabled, the master volume knob is illuminated by a blue light. It is illuminated by a red light if the volume is muted. 3 SVN On/Off Click this button to enable SVN. When enabled, this button is illuminated by a blue light.
GX and DSP Modes DirectSound 3D Game Extensions v1.0 (GX 1.0) is an innovative technology that restores DirectSound 3D Hardware acceleration mode and its subsidiary EAX effects on Windows® Vista/Win 7 for 3D games. Unlike some proprietary API like OpenAL, GX does not require games to support OpenAL API. All existing games compatible with Microsoft® DirectX and DirectSound 2D/3D will be supported with GX technology.
1 2 3 5 32 4 1 FPS Mode This mode is set for First Player Shooting Games. 2 Movie Mode This mode is set for DVD Movie playback. 3 GX Mode DirectSound 3D Game Extensions mode to support EAX and DirectSound 3D Hardware extensions for many DirectX/DirectSound3D games on Windows® XP/Vista/7. 4 Hi-Fi Mode This mode is set for Hi-Fidelity playback, where all effects are cleared to keep the original digital data and analog output quality as high as possible.
Appendices Troubleshooting and FAQs Troubleshooting I cannot install the audio card driver on my computer. • Ensure that you have properly plugged the audio card in the PCI Express 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 rebooting your computer. Remove the card, plug it into another PCI Express slot, and try again.
• Check if you are using a Dolby Digital Live encoder through the S/PDIF output. If this is the case, the analog output is muted to get rid of any interference between your digital speaker system and analog speakers or headphones. • Try rebooting your computer. I cannot hear any sound from the S/PDIF output. • Ensure that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Xonar Xense Audio Center.
I found no sound effects when playing 96K or 192KHz sound sources. • Currently Xonar Xense effects including Dolby supports common 44.1K, 48KHz sound sources processing and provides high-definition audio (96K/192KHz) in hi-fidelity playback. This is also usually the behavior that professional audiophiles and musicians prefer. 3. • If you still want to have the effects, you can use editing software such as Ableton Live, Cakewalk, CoolEdit, or Soundforge to convert the sounds into 48KHz files.
What are the most important benefits of the Xonar Xense for musicians? • Ultimate Fidelity: Xonar Xense has the highest quality of audio in/out for the cleanest sound production. • Duplex HD: Supports audio sampling rates up to 24bit/192KHz for all inputs and outputs. • ASIO 2.0: Xonar Xense includes an ASIO 2.0 driver for low-latency, lowdistortion music creation application.
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ASUS Contact information ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (Asia Pacific) Address Telephone Fax E-mail Website Technical Support Telephone Online support 4F, No. 150, Li-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan 11259 +886-2-2894-3447 +886-2-2890-7798 info@asus.com.tw www.asus.com.tw +86-21-38429911 support.asus.com ASUS COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL (America) Address Telephone Fax Website Technical Support Telephone Support Fax Online support 800 Corporate Way, Fremont, CA 94539, USA +1-510-739-3777 +1-510-608-4555 usa.asus.
