Asus Xonar Xense User manual
Xonar Xense
Premium Gaming Audio Set
User Manual
ii
E5855
Revised Edition V1
May 2010
Copyright © 2010 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, modied or altered, unless
such repair, modication 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 identication or explanation and to the
owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
iii
Contents
Notices.......................................................................................................... v
Safety information ..................................................................................... vii
Trademarks................................................................................................. vii
License ....................................................................................................... vii
About this guide ....................................................................................... viii
Chapter 1: Product introduction
Package contents ........................................................................................ 1
System requirements .................................................................................. 1
Specications summary ............................................................................. 2
Xonar Xense card layout............................................................................. 5
Gaming headset........................................................................................... 6
Chapter 2: Getting started
Before you proceed..................................................................................... 7
Installing the audio card ............................................................................. 7
Connecting to a TV tuner card ................................................................... 9
Installing the audio card driver ................................................................ 10
Chapter 3: Connecting speakers and peripherals
Connecting analog speaker systems .......................................................11
Connecting the gaming headset ...............................................................11
Connecting Line-in audio sources........................................................... 12
Chapter 4: Xonar Xense Audio Center
Xonar Xense Audio Center ....................................................................... 13
Main Setting .................................................................................... 15
Mixer/Volume .................................................................................. 23
Effects ......................................................................................... 26
FlexBass ......................................................................................... 28
Smart Volume Normalization........................................................... 29
GX and DSP Modes........................................................................ 31
iv
Appendices: Troubleshooting and FAQs
Troubleshooting......................................................................................... 33
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ....................................................... 35
ASUS Contact information........................................................................ 37
v
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.
•
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.
Caution: Any changes or modications not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
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.
vi
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 specic operating
instructions for satisfying RF exposure compliance. To maintain compliance with
FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, please follow operation instuction
as documented in this manual.
Safety Information
To maintain compliance with FCC’s RF exposure guidelines, this equipment should
be installed and operated with minimum distance 20cm between the radiator and
your body. Use on the supplied antenna.
Declaration of Conformity for R&TTE directive 1999/5/EC
Essential requirements – Article 3
Protection requirements for health and safety – Article 3.1a
Testing for electric safety according to EN 60950-1 has been conducted. These are
considered relevant and sufcient.
Protection requirements for electromagnetic compatibility – Article 3.1b
Testing for electromagnetic compatibility according to EN 301 489-1 and EN 301
489-17 has been conducted. These are considered relevant and sufcient.
Effective use of the radio spectrum – Article 3.2
Testing for radio test suites according to EN 300 328- 2 has been conducted.
These are considered relevant and sufcient.
CE Mark Warning
This is a Class B product, in a domestic environment, this product may cause radio
interference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.
vii
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.
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 x it by yourself. Contact a qualied 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 qualied
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.
viii
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring
the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
• Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the Xonar Essense ST.
• Chapter 2: Getting started
This chapter tells how to install the audio card and its driver.
• Chapter 3: Connecting speakers and peripherals
This chapter tells how to connect the speakers and peripherals to the audio
card.
• Chapter 4: Xonar Xense Audio Center
This chapter provides information on the Xonar Audio Center, which is the
graphics user interface (GUI) of the audio card driver.
Where to nd more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and
software updates.
1. ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and
software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2. Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty
yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not
part of the standard package.
Conventions used in this guide
To ensure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when
trying to complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when
trying to complete a task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task.
1ASUS Xonar Xense
Package contents
• Xonar™ Xense Premium Gaming Audio Card x 1
• Sennheiser PC350-Xense Gaming Headset x 1
• 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter x 1
• Audio splitter cable x 1
• Driver CD x 1
• S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adapter x 1
• Quick Start Guide x 1
System requirements
• One PCI Express 1.0 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card
• One available 4-pin peripheral power cable connector from your computer’s
power supply unit
• Microsoft®Windows®Vista/Win 7(32/64bit)/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005
• Intel®Pentium® 4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
• 256 MB (or higher) DRAM system memory
• 60 MB (or higher) 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 delity sound
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
Chapter 1
Product introduction
2 ASUS Xonar Xense
Specications summary
(continued on the next page)
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-
Weighted)
118dB for Front channel of Line-out
112dB for other channels of Line-out
110dB for Headphone-out with 600ohm load
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-
Weighted)
118dB
Output Total Harmonic Distortion +
Noise at 1kHz (-3dB)
0.00039% (-108dB) for Front channel of Line-out
0.00063% (-102dB) for other channels of Line-out
0.0019% (-94dB) for Headphone-out with 600ohm
load
Input Total Harmonic Distortion +
Noise at 1kHz (-3dB)
0.0003% (-110dB) for Line-in
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-
bit/96kHz format)
<10Hz to 46KHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 2 Vrms (5.65 Vp-p)
Headphone Output Full-Scale
Voltage
Up to 6.8Vrms (supports headphones with up to
600ohms impedance)
Bus Compatibility
PCI Express
PCI Express Rev.1.0a specication compatible
Maximum full 2.5Gbps bandwidth per direction
and optimized latency for high-denition audio
processing
Compatible with X1, X4, X8, X16 PCI Express slots
Sample Rate and Resolution
Analog Playback Sample Rate and
Resolution
44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
Analog Recording Sample Rate
and Resolution
44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
S/PDIF Digital Output 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit, Dolby Digital
Main Chipset
Audio Processor ASUS AV100 High-Denition Sound Processor (Max.
192KHz/24bit)
3ASUS Xonar Xense
(continued on the next page)
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 Amplier 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)
7.1ch analog output (via bundled audio splitter cable)
Analog Input Jack 6.30mm jack x 1 (Shared by Line-In/Mic-In)
Digital S/PDIF Output High-bandwidth Coaxial/TOS-Link combo port
supports 192KHz/24bit
Other line-level analog input (for
TV Tuner or CD-ROM)
Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
Front Panel Shared by Headphone out / 2 channels out /
Microphone in
Driver Features
Operating System Windows Vista/Win 7(32/64bit) / XP(32/64bit) /
MCE2005
Dolby® Digital Live Dolby Digital Live encodes any audio signal on PC in
real-time to Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sounds
to your home theater environment through one
single S/PDIF connection.
Dolby® Headphone Dolby Headphone technology allows you 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.
Dolby®Virtual Speaker Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a highly
realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound listening
environment from as few as two speakers.
4 ASUS Xonar Xense
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 soundeld.
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. (DirectX/
DirectSound 3D compatible)
Smart Volume Normalizer™ Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a
constant level and also enhances your 3D sound
listening range and advantages in gaming.
FlexBass Professional Bass Management/Enhancement
system
Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning
Other Effects 10-band Equalizer/27 Environment Effects
3D Gaming Sound Engines/APIs DirectSound3D®GX 2.0 & 1.0, EAX®2.0&1.0,
DirectSound®HW, DirectSound SW, OpenAL generic
modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability
ASIO 2.0 Driver Support Supports 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @16/24bit with
very low latency
Specications are subject to change without prior notice.
5ASUS Xonar Xense
Xonar Xense card layout
1
2
4
7
1Microphone In port
Connect your headset’s microphone cable to this port for voice input. It has a built-
in high-quality Microphone pre-amplier.
Line In port
Through an Ultra-high delity 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.
2Headphone Out port
Connect your headset’s out cable to this port.
• DO NOT connect your speakers to the headphone out port. The possible
high driving power may cause damage to your speakers.
• Before connecting your headphone, adjust the headphone impedance
settings in the Xonar Xense Audio Center to match your headphone
impedance. This is to prevent damage to your headphone.
37.1 ch Speaker Output
Connects to your speakers via 7.1 channel audio splitter cable.
4SP/DIF Out port
Coaxial and optical TOSLINK combo digital output port. Connect to external digital
decoder or digital speaker systems, Home Theater systems, AV receivers for
outputting digital audio including PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, and WMA-Pro.
3
5 6
9
8
6 ASUS Xonar Xense
5Front 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.
6Aux Input Header
This 4-pin header usually connects to the Analog Audio output of TV tuner card or
other 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.
7S/PDIF Header
Connects to supported graphics card.
8Power connector
Connects to the power cable of your power supply unit.
9PCI Bus golden ngers
Connects to the PCI Express slot on your motherboard.
Gaming headset
1Microphone boom arm
Allows you to move your headset’s microphone comfortably close to your mouth.
2Volume control and mute box
Allows you to increase/decrease the volume of your headset’s audio output and to
put it on mute mode.
36.3mm connectors
Connects your headset to the audio card’s Mic In/Line-In and Headphone Out ports.
1
2
3
7ASUS Xonar Xense
• 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.
Before you proceed
Chapter 2
Getting started
• Turn off your computer and disconnect all peripherals connected to it.
• Unplug the computer’s power cord from the power outlet.
• To avoid static electricity, use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely
grounded object such as the metal part or the rear panel of your computer.
Installing the audio card
To install the audio card:
1. Remove the chassis cover of your
computer.
2. Remove the metal bracket of a PCI
Express slot at the rear panel of your
computer.
3. Carefully insert the audio card into
the PCI Express slot. Ensure that the
audio card sits properly in place.
2
DO NOT force the audio card into the slot.
8 ASUS Xonar Xense
4. Secure the audio card with the screw you removed from the PCI Express
slot’s metal bracket.
5. 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.
7 Plug the computer’s power cord into a power outlet.
8. Turn on your computer.
9ASUS Xonar Xense
For optimum TV audio quality, Xonar uses ADC recording to digitize the signal
and loops it back to DAC playback. Select Aux-In as the recording source in
the Xonar Audio Center’s 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 Pro-Logic IIx to expand the stereo TV audio to 5.1 or
7.1 channel surround sound. This gives you a better TV audio quality on your
computer compared to that on your TV.
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. Secure the PCI/PCI Express TV tuner card into the rear panel with a screw.
2. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header
of the audio card.
10 ASUS Xonar Xense
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. 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.
2. 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 the support
CD.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
4. When the installation is completed, you are prompted to restart your
computer. Select Yes, I want to restart my computer now or No, I will
restart my computer later.
5. Click Finish.
The contents of the support CD are subject to change without notice.
To uninstall the audio card driver:
1. From the Windows®desktop, click Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click Change or Remove Programs.
4. Select the audio card driver.
5. Click Remove to uninstall the audio card driver. If you are prompted, restart
your computer.
11ASUS Xonar Xense
Chapter 3
Connecting speakers and peripherals
Connecting the gaming headset
Connecting analog speaker systems
Mic In/ Line In port
Headphone Out port
Audio Splitter Cable
(included)
Front Speaker Out (Lime)
Surround Sound (Black)
Side Speakers Out (Grey)
Center/Subwoofer (Orange)
12 ASUS Xonar Xense
Connecting Line-in audio sources
Mic In/ Line-In port
CD Player
MP3 Player
Other manuals for Xonar Xense
2
Table of contents
