ASUS Xonar and Ultrasone PRO 750's Under Linux

[Rob Williams]

Once again, I am not in a position to be throwing off suggestions or fact, but I believe if you are using subpar speakers with compressed audio, upgrading to a better sound card will do little good. I believe the Logitech Z-5300 are rather powerful (if I recall), so you might.

I am somewhat of an audiophile wannabe. I have a Xonar, higher-end headphones and listen to everything in FLAC lossless. I did notice a substantial difference between the on-board sound and the Xonar in listening tests, though I didn't really expect to.

There are a few songs in particular where I really notice the difference, especially with regards to instruments and voices. Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" is one example where even older recorded music sounds so much better. He opens with "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash", and despite being so damn old, it sounds so damn good.

Two other examples are Barenaked Ladies "This Old Apartment"... with the Xonar and good headphones, the song is pure aural bliss. Then there is Social Distortions "Another State of Mind" which opens up with tapping of cymbals... and it also sounds truly robust and realistic.

I am no authority to compare speakers, however. My Logitech X-240's aren't that great for the sake of comparisons.

 

[Kougar]

I'm not to sure about the sub, it's completely enclosed except for an air port. Model was fully analog offering only audio jacks, likely why it was discontinued and in the discount bin. Was too good a markdown (Box was gouged ontop of everything), so I ended up with them.

Thanks for the info Rob, I appreciate it! Decisions, decisions...

 

[Rory Buszka]

Hi, Kougar; Rory here.

Just about any speakers over $100* can benefit from a better sound card. I was amazed at how much better my modest $150 Cambridge Soundworks MicroWorks II sounded when connected to the Xonar D2. If you ended up with the Z-5300, get the Xonar card. It'll help you get the best from your Z-5300 speakers' analog inputs, and it'll be a competent sound card for driving a nice set of headphones as well. That's my recommendation.

*On second thought, let's restrict this qualification to 2.0/2.1-channel speaker systems, and just for giggles, let's also say that they're from a reputable manufacturer like Logitech or Altec Lansing.

 

[Kougar]

I'd better clarify myself, I got the Z-5300's about a year ago.

I think y'all have me sold on the DX... read a few more reviews. Now if I can just start selling the misc junk I have instead of buying anything else... *coughs*

 

[Rob Williams]

Now if I can just start selling the misc junk I have instead of buying anything else... *coughs*

Haha, good luck with that! Luckily, the DX is a great price, so again, it's going to be hard to purchase it and then regret it even a little bit. I think for the price, it's a wise investment.