Asus Xonar D2

It's Naked!

Taking the EMI shield off is all of 30 seconds work with a mini screwdriver, whipping out the four Philips screws. Underneath reveals the lighting effect behind the orange glow, as well as the Asus AV200 audio processor and other audio processing components like the four stereo Burr-Brown DACs (digital to analogue converter) and one stereo Cirrus Logic ADC (analogue to digital converter).

The Asus processor likely the same chip or a direct relation to the CMedia Oxygen HD Processor (CMI8788) that is used on both the Sondigo Inferno 7.1 and HT Omega Claro sound cards we previously reviewed.

Asus uses high quality audio components normally found in serious audio equipment, such as the six NEC relays and high performance OpAmps (operational amplifiers). It has certainly gone all out against the other high-end audio companies and is aiming squarely at the home theatre and audio enthusiast market. It will certainly be no replacement for separates, but for those who have to compromise with an all in one solution it looks like Asus is trying to fit the bill for a fraction of the cost.


Despite having a certain audiophile/home theatre tailoring, no specific amp is provided within the card, but it’s a bit much to ask given the current needed from a single PCI slot and size of the card.