Conclusion
Final words and verdict
The Xonar U7 is an interesting product. Between all the Xonars, from the plucky DG to the Essence STU, the U7 is actually high up there in terms of specifications and quality. You get 24-bit/192KHz playback and recording, Dolby HTv4, all kinds of inputs and outputs, knobs, buttons, and lights. The U7 is also understated and compact in design, USB powered, solid drivers, and from my extensive testing, very pleasing sound. If you were looking for an equivalent discreet sound card, maybe the DSX or Phoebus would be similar, but not exactly the U7. It's safe to say ASUS truly does make a Xonar for everything.
Gaming was excellent on the U7. You might want to play with the different surround modes for the games you like to play or leave the enhancements off altogether for other games. I did have a volume issue with Skyrim, but no other game had difficulties with the Xonar U7. It just worked, and I liked it.
I'll be honest, however. I didn't want to like the Xonar U7. I couldn't use my regular headphones with it because the U7 doesn't have a 6.3mm (1/4") jack, and it took a while for me to find my 3.5mm adapter. I also thought the U7's USB would cripple it somehow. Well, I was wrong on both counts, actually. The headphone amplifier worked really well with my reference headphones and delivered some really good sound. Audio over USB can be frought with all kinds of problems, unless the device in question uses asynchronous USB. I much prefer S/PDIF for connections, of course, but the U7 suprised me there, too. The USB on the U7 was better than my external DAC's USB, and more to the point, rock solid.
The only thing I can find resembling a downside with the U7 is that 3.5mm jack for the headphones. Meh. Oh, and dust. It does pick up dust after a while. Maybe it costs too much? But then considering all the features crammed into the U7, the only answer is nah, it's also priced just right.
Concluding
The U7 is an outstanding product otherwise. While it isn't a full-on Essence sound card, the U7 will get you there. I'll leave it up to you if you want the portability, but the U7 has all the other features and more that you could want. I personally would opt for an internal card, or save my pennies for one of the bigger, badder, external USB Essences. For a very good USB soundcard with a headphone amp, the U7 is excellent.
Recommended
Stuff That’s Always At The End:
- https://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_U7/
- http://rog.asus.com/229922013/news/xonar-u7-usb-sound-with-headphone-amp/
- http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/technology/pc/dolby-home-theater-v4.html
- http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=325
- http://www.cirrus.com/en/products/cs4398.html
Our moment of Zen:
++BAM
