Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim PCI Soundcard
Conclusion
Published: 4th September 2009 | Source: Asus | Price: £110 |
Conclusion
The Asus HDAV 1.3 Slim has been an eagerly awaited sound card in the world of Audio-visual enthusiasts. Having one sound card that can process your HD Audio and your HD video and output over one HDMI connection is a true step forward for PC sound cards. Asus were almost there with the HDAV 1.3 Deluxe, but not quite.The card has it's foibles, one of which is the fact that using a set of headphones means plugging a pair into your AV Receiver/ surround sound/speaker system's receiver. It also means that the most sensible way to get a microphone working on your HTPC is going to be via USB.
Those aside, Audio quality is above the rest in terms of the 'movie experience'. With HD audio bitstreaming and processing onboard, the HDAV 1.3 Slim is currently in a league of it's own. Music is also a pleasent experience and especially so if you have a high quality AV Receiver/Pre-Power combo combined with some top-notch speakers.
Again it's worth underlining that you won't get the best of the Asus HDAV 1.3 Slim unless you do have at least an entry level High Definition Amp or High Defition-Ready all-in-one.
Those facts aside, Asus deserve credit where it's due and an 'Innovation Award' goes to the HDAV 1.3 Slim for it's HD Audio performance, as well as a hearty OC3D 'Recommended' Award.
The Good
+ Fantastic high Def sound
+ Decent enough value for money
+ Good Music capability
+ Decent Form Factor
+ Decent bundle
The Mediocre
* PCI Interface a little out of date?
* A little fiddly
* Not the best gaming card out there
The Bad
- No analogue out
Thanks to Asus for supplying the review sample.
Going High-Def? Let us know here.
Most Recent Comments
+ Fantastic high Def sound
+ Decent enough value for money
Think these are the key things. Good to see that the pass-thru is not molested. Tipping the balance is the bundle.
U spend cash on a card that u may think is borderline too much and it hasn't got a good bundle and it makes it worse.
It has a front panel header on the pcb, does that qualify as atleast half a point deduction from it not having an analogue output ?
Great review, like to see u get ur hands on a mobo with ALC889a, like a Gigabyte flavor, just to see how u like it in comparison.
Yeah it gets half a point but I don't think a full point is warranted.
If a company wants to provide me with an ALC889a mobo I could review the audio, but I don't think they'd just be after an audio review
If a company wants to provide me with an ALC889a mobo I could review the audio, but I don't think they'd just be after an audio review
Just an FYI (and tbh I can't believe it worked first time myself).
Got a thread to post in it's own right which may come sometime sunday, but:
Take 1x Abit IX48 GT3 (Onboard RealtekHD, just ALC888), DTS 5.1/7.1 available.
add 1x Quality built (even with loud cooler) EN9800GT gracious prize from ASUS
Throw in, Vista 64 bit, Q6600/4g.
Connect the spdif (optical) out from the onboard to the spdif (yep the gfxcard actually has an optical input aswell as a header for coax).
Download VLC, take a cheap 5m HDMI cable and connect it from ur Samsung L32 (setup as a 1920x1080i resolution), and hmmm we have audio whilst watching Matrix Revolution
Excuse the bumpage, but this hasn't worked since...
EDIT: Linky to HDMI cable £10 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Labgear-Premium-Gold-Plated-Cable/dp/B000GHOT86
Got a thread to post in it's own right which may come sometime sunday, but:
Take 1x Abit IX48 GT3 (Onboard RealtekHD, just ALC888), DTS 5.1/7.1 available.
add 1x Quality built (even with loud cooler) EN9800GT gracious prize from ASUS
Throw in, Vista 64 bit, Q6600/4g.
Connect the spdif (optical) out from the onboard to the spdif (yep the gfxcard actually has an optical input aswell as a header for coax).
Download VLC, take a cheap 5m HDMI cable and connect it from ur Samsung L32 (setup as a 1920x1080i resolution), and hmmm we have audio whilst watching Matrix Revolution
Excuse the bumpage, but this hasn't worked since...
EDIT: Linky to HDMI cable £10 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Labgear-Premium-Gold-Plated-Cable/dp/B000GHOT86
Might be my next addition to the HTPC...
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