Join us as we test and review the ASUS Essence STX II 7.1 sound card. Asus has some very big shoes to fill and a possibly a more impressive feat of surpassing such well known audio cards, the questions stands will they succeed?
We test and review the BitFenix FLO headset. A regular version is put to the test in an extensive review here at Guru3D. The stereo headset comes with nice 40mm NeoDymium drivers. Available at a fairly cheap price and four colors this set might be just what the doctor ordered, as they are sounding really nice and offer comfortable wear as well.
We test and review the all new Corsair Vengeance 2100 wireless headset. The Vengeance 2100 is an updated model from the 2000 series and works through a USB transmitter powered surround-sound ogre headset and comes with nice big 50mm drivers and revised USB drivers that include surround sound, capable of offering 16-bit/48 KHz playback. All new is a Dolby Pro Logic IIx certification and a new color theme, it's back.
ASUS continues its impressive audio lineup with the Xonar U7. The U7 offers 24-bit/192KHz recording and playback with 114dB SNR, S/PDIF output, 7.1 channel analog output, dedicated stereo headphone output, a volume knob, and it's all powered of a USB 2.0 port. The headphone output comes with its own DAC and adjustable gain settings, making the U7 capable of driving just about any pair of headphones to ear-splitting levels. The U7 is a discreet audio card, in a nice little package, so it also supports Dolby HTv4, including surround sound encoding. And there's also a karaoke mode. High performance in a small package, but is it any good? The U7 is surprisingly good.
We test and review Attitude 1 Tunguska Gaming headsets. Both the USB and the regular version are being put to the test in an extensive review here at Guru3D. The A1 USB headset works USB and offers surround-sound and comes with nice 40mm and drivers that include Virtualized 7.1 surround sound, capable of offering 16-bit/48 KHz playback.
We review the Creative Labs SoundBlaster ZXR. Creative Labs has been a powerhouse force in the world of PC audio ever since there was such a concept as PC audio. They developed loads of great audio tech for gamers and were considered the pinnacle of PC gaming audio devices for quite some time. Creative Labs basically had the market cornered for many years and some diehard fans felt that during this time their designs suffered a bit. They weren’t really pushing the envelope and trying to advance the market as much as a company would if they had steady competition. As the saying goes it is great to be king!
The ASUS ROG Orion Pro Gaming Headset are a mid-range set of cans aimed at online gamers. Meant for extended sessions of gaming, they offer very high build quality, light weight with generous padding that make them disappear on your head. The Orion Pro produce very good sound quality, gripping bass and very clear treble, and the retractable microphone is respectable with some adjustment to volume. The included Spitfire USB Audio dongle adds value, but was a mixed bag. Offering interesting features like virtual surround, FPS 'EQ', and an amp, but decreased the overall sound quality to my ears. Besides that, the Orion Pro are one of the best headsets I've tested so far, and for $120US, are a pretty good deal to boot. Highly recommended.
We review the ASUS Xonar Phoebus 7.1 soundcard. Gamers are not quite as strict as the audiophile market place, we would still suggest they like to have great sound, after all a great game is just that much better with high quality surround sound or headphone based audio immersing you into the action. We have been following the development of this product since the beginning and today we have a brand spanking new Phoebus 7.1 bundle in the Guru3D Audio Lab. Without any further delay, lets pull this new audio card out and check it out.
We test and review the Corsair Vengeance 2000 wireless headset. The Vengeance 2000 works through a USB transmitter powered surround-sound ogre headset and comes with nice big 50mm drivers and revised USB drivers that include surround sound, capable of offering 16-bit/48 KHz playback.
The ASUS Essence 1 is easily one of the most anticipated products to come along in the PC audio community in quite some time as many seen it as ASUS moving out of the general audio market and taking a shot at entry into the true high end audio marketplace. Can this new product offer excellent sound quality, features demanded by the external audio market and all for a reasonable price?
