Asus Xonar U1 Lite User manual

Xonar U1
External USB Audio Station
User’s manual
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E3858
Third Edition V3
April 2008
Copyright © 2008 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.

iii
Contents
Contents ...................................................................................................... iii
Notices.......................................................................................................... v
Safety information ...................................................................................... vi
Trademarks.................................................................................................. vi
License ........................................................................................................ vi
1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Package Contents.............................................................. 1
1.2 System Requirements........................................................ 1
1.3 Specifications summary ..................................................... 2
2. About Hardware .............................................................................. 4
2.1 Xonar U1 Audio Station...................................................... 4
3. Installing the Xonar Hardware ....................................................... 5
3.1 Installing Xonar U1...................................................................... 5
4. Installing Software .......................................................................... 6
4.1 Installing the Audio Station Driver ...................................... 6
4.2 Installing the PMP Lite software
(Portable Music Processor™ Lite) ..................................... 7
4.3 Uninstalling or Reinstalling Software ................................. 7
5. Connecting Speakers and Peripherals ......................................... 9
5.1 Connecting Digital Speaker Systems (Home Theater) ...... 9
5.2 Connecting speakers ....................................................... 10
5.3 Connecting headphone / microphone ...............................11
5.4 Connecting Line-In Audio Sources................................... 12
6. Xonar U1 Driver Guide.................................................................. 13
6.1 Introduction to the Xonar U1 Audio Center GUI........................ 13
6.2 Main Setting ..................................................................... 15
6.3 Mixer/Volume ................................................................... 23
6.4 Effects .............................................................................. 26
6.5 Karaoke/Magic Voice ....................................................... 28
6.6 Mic Array .......................................................................... 29
6.7 Smart Volume Normalization ........................................... 30
6.8 DS3D GX (for Vista Only) and DSP Modes ..................... 32
7. Portable Music Processor™ Lite Software Guide...................... 34
7.1 Introduction ...................................................................... 34
7.2 Converting music in “Main Setting” Page......................... 36
7.3 Find Converted Music in “PMP Music” Page ................... 38

iv
Contents
8. Troubleshooting and FAQs .......................................................... 39
[Troubleshooting] ............................................................................ 39
[FAQ] ......................................................................................... 42

v
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.

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This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical,
electronic equipment and mercury-containing button cell battery ) should not
be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic
products.
Safety information
• Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals
that came with the package.
• 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.
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.

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ASUS Xonar U1
1. Introduction
1.1 Package Contents
• Xonar™ U1 Audio USB dongle
• Driver Support CD (including Portable Music Processor™ Lite utility)
• S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adaptor *1
• Array Microphone *1
• Dolby Demo CD
• Quick Start Guide
1.2 System Requirements
• IBM compatible PC with one USB1.1 (or higher) compatible port for the USB
audio device
• Microsoft®Windows®Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005
• Intel®Pentium®4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
• 256 MB 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, powered analog speakers, or a Dolby Digital
decoder, to enjoy the Ultra-High Fidelity sounds of the USB audio device

2ASUS Xonar U1
1.3 Specications summary
Category Item Description
Audio Controller and
Codec
Audio Chipset ASUS UA100 USB Audio Chip
Bus Interface USB Bus USB 2.0 and 1.0 Full-speed compatible
USB Audio Class USB Audio Device Class v1.0 compatible
I/O Ports Analog Output Jack & Digital S/PDIF
Output Combo
3.50mm mini analog and digital combo jack *1
(Headphone/Speakers/SPDIF output)
Built-in Headphone Amplifier To drive best listening quality with common
stereo headphones (recommended 8~150
ohms @ >10mWx2)
THD+N< 0.005% @ 47mW x2/ 32ohms
THD+N< 0.006% @ 88mW x2/16ohms
96dB SNR
>1.1Vrms full-scale output voltage for >8
ohms load
Frequency Response (-3dB/48KHz):
20~20KHz for 32ohms
Analog Input Jack: 3.50mm mini shared jack *1 (Line-In/Mic-In)
Outlook Features Volume Knob Metal and consumer typed rotary volume knob
Hot Buttons Mute (short push) and Hi-Fi mode (long push)
switch by pushing volume knob
LED indicator Red light: Mute
Blue light: HiFi mode
Flashing blue light: User mode
Driver Features Operation System Windows®Vista/XP(32/64bit)
Dolby®Technologies Dolby®Headphone, Dolby®Virtual Speaker,
Dolby®Pro-Logic IIx, Dolby®Digital Live
Smart Volume Normalizer™ Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a
constant level
Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning
Magic Voice™ Modifies the sound of your voice, for VOIP and
online chat applications (Windows XP)
Karaoke Functions Music Key-Shifting and Microphone Echo effects
(Windows XP)
Array Microphone Suppress the ambient sounds and noises into
the microphones for up-to-15dB and delivers only
your front-side (+-60dB degree) clean voice for
better online communication/gaming experience.
It can also enhance the accuracy of voice
recognition applications.
Other Effects 10-band Equalier/27 Environment Effects
3D Sound Engines/APIs EAX® 2.0&1.0, A3D®1.0, DirectSound®HW & SW,
OpenAL generic modes
S/PDIF Digital Output PCM, Dolby Digital
(Continued on the next page)

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ASUS Xonar U1
*Specications are subject to change without notice.
Software Utility Portable Music Processor Lite Converts digital music content or CD audio into
regular MP3/WMA files with Dolby Headphone,
Dolby Virtual Speaker (w/ Pro-Logic II), and Smart
Volume Normalization processing (Windows
Media Player 10 or above is required)
Audio Performance Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (silence,
A-Weighted):
100dB
Output Dynamic Range (-60dB,
A-Weighted):
96dB
Cross-talk (10Kohms, 1KHz) -104dB
Frequency Response (-1dB, 48KHz): < 20Hz to 20KHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 1.2 Vrms / 1.1 Vrms
Accessories -S/PDIF optical adaptor *1
-2-channel vertical Array Microphone

4ASUS Xonar U1
2. About Hardware
2.1 Xonar U1 Audio Station
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No Item Description
1 Microphone jack Connect your external PC microphone to this 3.5mm jack for
voice input. Built-in high-quality Microphone pre-amplifier.
Line Input jack Connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players,
music synthesizers and other line-level sound sources to this
3.5mm jack for audio recording or processing.
2 Headphone/Front
Output jack
Connect your headphones or 2/2.1 channel speakers to this
jack. For multi-channel speaker systems, connects to the
front left/right input on the powered speakers.
S/PDIF Output jack Optical S/PDIF output jack. Connects to an external digital
decoder or digital speaker systems, Home Theater systems,
AV receivers for outputting digital audio including PCM,
Dolby Digital, WMA-Pro, etc.
3 Volume knob Rotate this knob to adjust the volume.
Hot button Short push this knob to mute the music, and long push to
turn to the Hi-Fi mode.
4 LED indicator Red light --> Mute
blue light --> Hi-Fi mode
Flashing blue light --> User mode
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ASUS Xonar U1
3. Installing the Xonar Hardware
3.1 Installing Xonar U1
Connect the USB connector to any USB 2.0 port on your notebook or PC as the
following drawing shows.

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4. Installing Software
4.1 Installing the Audio Station Driver
1. After you have installed your audio station, turn on your computer. Windows
automatically detects your audio station and searches for device drivers.
When prompted for the audio drivers, click the “Cancel” button.
2. Insert the driver installation CD into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. If
Windows AutoPlay mode is enabled for your CD-ROM drive, the CD starts
running automatically. If it doesn’t start the installation, double-click the setup.
exe icon located on the CD-ROM.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. Please read
the “END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT” in the process and make sure
you understand and accept it before you continue the installation. When the
installation finishes, you may be prompted to restart your computer. You can
choose to restart the computer later if desired.

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ASUS Xonar U1
4.2 Installing the PMP Lite software (Portable Music
Processor™ Lite)
1. From the installation CD menu, select the option to install the PMP Lite
software.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. After the
installation is complete, click Finish.
4.3 Uninstalling or Reinstalling Software
4.3.1 Uninstalling Software
1. Select the corresponding uninstallation program, under the “All Programs”
section of the Start menu. Otherwise, you’ll need to use the Windows control
panel for uninstallation as follows.

8ASUS Xonar U1
2. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
3. Double-click the “Add/Remove Programs” icon.
4. Click the “Change or Remove Programs” button.
5. Select each program you would like to remove, and then click the “Add/
Remove (or Change/Remove)” button.
6. In the InstallShield Wizard dialog box, select the “Remove” option.
7. Restart your computer when prompted.
4.3.2 Reinstalling Software
1. Before you reinstall any software, it’s recommended to uninstall the existing
software first.
2. After you finish the uninstallation of the software, please follow the installation
process again to reinstall the same or updated software.

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ASUS Xonar U1
5. Connecting Speakers and Peripherals
5.1 Connecting Digital Speaker Systems (Home Theater)
The Xonar U1 supports Dolby Digital Live technologies, which transcode any
audio, including games and music, into industry-standard Dolby Digital surround
bit-streams. This 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 Dolby Digital audio from any of
your PC audio sources to any digital speakers or AV Receivers with Dolby Digital
decoding capabilities.
No Item Description
1 Optical adaptor Plug the optical TOSLINK adaptor into the S/PDIF-Out
combo connector
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5.2 Connecting speakers
5.2.1 Connecting 2/2.1 Channel Speakers
No Item Description
1 Headphone Jack Connect the 2/2.1 speaker set’s 3.5mm plug into this
Headphone jack.
2 Speakers
2.1 Speakers
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ASUS Xonar U1
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5.3 Connecting headphone / microphone
No Item Description
1 Headphone Jack Connect your headphone directly to this jack.
2 Microphone Input
Jack
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug into this Mic-In jack
for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.
Connecting headphone
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Connecting Microphone / Array Microphone
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No Item Description
1 Microphone Input
Jack
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug into this Mic-In jack
for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.

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5.4 Connecting Line-In Audio Sources
No Item Description
1 Line Input/Microphone
Jack
Connect the 3.5mm plug of the CD/MP3 Player or any other
Line level analog audio sources into this Line-In/Microphone
jack for sound recording or real-time Dolby sound processing
through the Monitoring path (See the “Mixer” section of the
driver guide).
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To use the bundled array microphone:
When using the bundled array microphone, make sure that you
position your mouth to the correct side of the microphone, as the
following picture shows. Otherwise, the microphone may not receive
your voice well.

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ASUS Xonar U1
6. Xonar U1 Driver Guide
6.1 Introduction to the Xonar U1 Audio Center GUI
1. After the driver installation is complete and your computer has been
rebooted, you will find the Xonar U1 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, go to the Windows Control
Panel and double click the “Xonar U1 Audio Center” icon.
2. The Xonar U1 Audio Center is the Graphic User Interface (GUI) for the Xonar
U1 driver. You can control the functions and features of the Xonar U1 driver
on the Audio Center. The following picture shows a basic overview of the
Xonar U1 Audio Center. The following sections of this manual will describe its
functions in more detail.
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8
5
6
4
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No Item Description
1 Display Area This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume
level, and the status of the Dolby technology, EQ, and DSP
modes. Note: this area just displays information, but is not
used to alter settings.
2 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.
3 Master Volume This rotary knob controls the master playback volume. Drag
the small circle inside it to change the volume level.
4 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.
5 Mute Button Click this button to mute audio playback; it will display a red
light when playback is muted.
6 DSP Mode These 4 buttons give access to quick sound effects
combinations for Music, Games, DVD Video, and effect-free
(Hi-Fi) modes.
7 Setting Menu Panel This panel gives access to setting tabs, including Main
Settings, Mixer/volume, Effects, Karaoke/MagicVoice, and
Array Mic. (see the following details)
8 Information icon Clicking this icon will pop up driver’s Information window.