Xonar AE Sound Board 7.1 PCIe Gaming Sound Card with 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Audio Quality, 150ohm Headphone amp, DAC, and Exclusive EMI Back Plate

I put this on a Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX WiFi board because the onboard sound card didn't have an optical out plug. I tried an exterior USB sound card I had that worked, except there was a constant cycling noise that sounded like a metronome whenever sound played. Made music suck :D This was recognized by the OS with no problem, I did have to select the "Digital Output (S/PDIF) - XONAR SOUND CARD" option manually in the Settings > Sound > Output selection. The other option showing "Speakers - XONAR SOUND CARD" does not work. This has great sound output that is very clear, I am using a decent sound bar with a dedicated subwoofer. The sound bar has an option for a simulated 3d surround that works very well in games. Some are Linux Native, some are using Steam/Proton, and this has better sound than the same hardware on a prior mother board using the same onboard sound chipset did (it had the optical out plug). I don't have any high end headphones to tell you how well it works with; based on the range and volume available through the external speakers, I think it would be good, maybe very good. Pros: - Worked great out of the box; I did have sufficient room in the case for it. - Great sound for music and gaming. - Multiple output options, I needed the S/PDIF one. - Packaged well in the box, so it would take a heck of a whack or impact to damage in shipping, I think. Cons: - No dedicated Linux software for the sound suite. Not even a little bit. Linux users are used to this, but if I had found a comparably priced card with Linux drivers, I would not have bought this. There are good Linux sound controllers & equalizers, but if you need something quickly for a professional setup, this may not be it. So the 5 star review is relative to my experience and what I use it for. In a different environment and need, this may vary.

Amazing! Installed this card the day it arrived and the audio is fantastic! Makes the built-in audio of my Gigabyte motherboard sound like an old pocket transistor radio. Easy to install, easy to connect various devices, low latency and high signal-to-noise ratio. Best of all: clean sound with life & depth. ASUS says it's a gaming card, but seems to work well with audio production. The only downside is that it doesn't come with ANY software, although the drivers can be downloaded at the ASUS support site.

My onboard audio is an ALC897 codec, needless to say, it is underwhelming (thanks MSI for using this on a B560). I then upgraded to an ASUS SE sound card, it was an immediate improvement and provided a rich sound with a deep bass that is fantastic if you are on a budget. I had the opportunity to purchase a used ASUS AE for $40 and though its a definite improvement, there are a few things to be sure to do for installing drivers. Make sure the onboard audio controller is disabled in BIOS and uninstall audio drivers prior to installing the sound card. Once the sound card is installed, go to the ASUS website and install drivers, then restart the PC. The sound quality is a definite improvement over the ALC897 and the ASUS SE. The software is also very user friendly with a number of presets. I am planning on replacing the opamp and am eager to see if it makes any meaningful difference. I will say that it is disappointing that it only goes to 110db and only drives 150ohm headsets. Also, as of 10/11/21, Windows 11 is not yet supported. For $40 its a good buy. However, anything more and I would go with an external dac setup.

Asus Xonar AE Lets get to the point. Running Windows 10, latest available drivers and the Xonar AE delivers on Music, Movies and most importantly to me, Gaming. Provides the best Gaming Quality Sound compared to Onboard Audio. I just built the current Gaming PC that im on right now and the only component I didnt buy at the time due to limited budget was a Sound Card. Im 'okay' with onboard Audio, its decent, but it doesnt deliver the levels and ranges you need for certain applications like Gaming. RealTek Audio Chipsets have taken over as the default onboard MoBo Audio and they do indeed get better, but they also fall short in the process. You truly dont know what you are missing in Gaming Audio until you use an actual Sound Card. Sound Cards were big in the late 90's to end of 2000's. Then they just kinda faded into the shadows with some brands popping up with some variation of a Sound Controller Device. Gaming developers used to give great focus on Audio Quality as much as the Graphics Quality, but not much if at all anymore. SoundBlaster Audio was the champ of 2.1 Stereo Sound. Now we have the ASUS Xonar Series which are the PC Champs of 5.1 & 7.1 Surround Audio. I have never been disappointed with the quality of the Xonar Series of cards, much like other ASUS Products like Monitors, they have lasted the longest and continue to outlast other products. This is my 3rd ASUS Xonar Sound Card, each has been in a different Gaming PC. First was the Xonar DG, then the next was D2, now the AE. All still work, just different PCI Connections so I couldnt use either old version on my new PC. (PCI 1x, PCI, PCIe 4x). Highly Recommended Audio Card Series to invest in for Gaming.

Great sound quality and software!

السماعه المستعمله HD58X

Es una buena tarjeta de audio ,la uso con unas razer tiamat 7.1 v2 ,y la verdad estoy satisfecho con la calidad del audio . Se siente muy limpio el sonido ,muy claro. Aparte el software te da un montón de opciones para que pongas el sonido como mas te guste ,y es fácil de entender la interfaz. Creo que es una buena compra.

Delivery is fast , work perfectly. Very good

DriverはWin10で止まっている（2020/12/15が最新）ようですが、Win11でもきちんと動作しました。 DTMやDACに興味のある方、Desktop PCでいい音鳴らしたい方にお薦めです。

I have a Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard with onboard ALC 1200 soundcard which in paper, is supposed to be better than even Xonar AE. But the reality is quite different. The Xonar AE is far better than the ALC 1200, better balance across the spectrum. I don't regret it.