ASUS intros high-fidelity 7.1 sound card
updated 02:25 pm EDT, Tue June 5, 2007
ASUS Xonar D2
In addition to its Eee PC ultraportable, ASUS today has introduced its first dedicated sound card. The Xonar D2 is based on the newer AV200 processor and focuses quality across all channels: while its 118 decibel signal-to-noise ratio has been achievable on other sound cards in stereo, the optimum quality is possible for a full 7.1-channel surround sound and even during audio recording, ASUS claims.
The PCI-based adapter is also fully aware of Dolby Digital and DTS signals for processing movie audio, and for recording includes a special app called the Portable Media Processor; the software uses analog loopback transformation built into the card to create near-lossless copies from most sources.
Though expected to be available worldwide, the Xonar has yet to receive official pricing or specific release dates but should be available soon as an add-on for existing PCs.
