Xonar U3

Mobile Headphone Amp USB Soundcard

User manual

E7803

Second Edition (V2)

October 2012 ii

Copyright © 2012 ASUSTeK Computer Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing.

ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS

OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS

DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,

INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,

LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE),

EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY

DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR

INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE,

AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO

RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS

MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.

Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identification or explanation and to the owners’ benefit, without intent to infringe.

Contents

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Notices ......................................................................................................... iv

Safety information ....................................................................................... v

Trademarks ................................................................................................... v

License ......................................................................................................... v

Package contents ............................................................................ 1

System requirements ...................................................................... 1

Specifications summary ................................................................. 1

Card Installation .............................................................................. 3

Driver installation ............................................................................ 3

Hardware introduction .................................................................... 4

Connecting speakers ...................................................................... 5

Xonar Audio Center......................................................................... 7

8.1 Xonar Audio Center GUI .................................................... 7

8.2

8.3

8.4

8.5

Main Setting ....................................................................... 9

Mixer/Volume ................................................................... 17

Effects .............................................................................. 19

Karaoke / Magic Voice ..................................................... 21

9.

8.6

8.7

VocalFX ............................................................................ 22

Smart Volume Normalization ........................................... 25

8.8 DS3D GX2.5 and DSP Modes ......................................... 27

Troubleshooting and FAQs .......................................................... 29

iii

iv

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

• This device may not cause harmful interference, and

• This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a

Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the

Canadian Department of Communications.

This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Australia statement notice

From 1 January 2012 updated warranties apply to all ASUS products, consistent with the Australian Consumer Law. For the latest product warranty details please visit http://support.asus.com. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

If you require assistance please call ASUS Customer Service 1300 2787 88 or visit us at http://support.asus.com

Safety information

• Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

• To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any singal cables to the device.

• If the device is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

• Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.

• To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, sockets and circuitry.

• Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet.

• Place the product on a stable surface.

• If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.

This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

Trademarks

Xonar and ASUS logo are trademarks of ASUSTek Computer Inc. “Dolby” and “Dolby Digital Live”, “Dolby Pro Logic IIx”, “Dolby Virtual Speaker”, “Dolby

Headphone” are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. EAX and A3D are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft, DirectSound3D, Windows are trademarks of

Microsoft Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. ASIO is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

License

Dolby Master Studio driver is manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.

v

vi

1. Package contents

Check your ASUS Xonar U3 external USB audio card package for the following items:

• ASUS Xonar U3 external USB audio card

• S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adapter x 1

• Driver / User Manual CD x 1

• Quick Start Guide x 1

2. System requirements

To ensure a successful installation of the Xonar U3 external USB audio card, your computer must meet the following requirements:

• IBM compatible PC with one USB1.1 (or higher) compatible port for the USB audio device

• Microsoft

®

Windows

®

7 / Vista / XP(32/64bit) / MCE2005

• Intel

®

Pentium

®

4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU

• 256 MB DRAM system memory

• 60 MB available HDD space for driver installation package

• CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive) for software installation

• High-quality headphones or powered analog speakers to enjoy the ultra-high fidelity sound of the card

3. Specifications summary

Category

Audio Controller and Codec

Bus Interface

I/O Ports

Item

Audio Chipset

USB Bus

USB Audio Class

Analog Output Jack &

Digital S/PDIF Output

Combo

Built-in Headphone

Amplifier

Analog Input Jack:

Description

ASUS UA100 USB Audio Chip

USB 2.0 and 1.0 Full-speed compatible

USB Audio Device Class v1.0 compatible

3.50mm mini analog and digital combo jack*1

(Headphone/Speakers/SPDIF output)

98dB SNR

>1.1Vrms full-scale output voltage for >32 ohms load

Frequency Response (-3dB/48KHz):

20~20KHz for 32ohms

3.50mm mini shared jack *1 (Line-In/Mic-In)

(continued on the next page)

ASUS Xonar U3 1

Category

Outlook

Features

Driver Features

Audio

Performance

Accessories

Item Description

Play music. Idle: LED on

LED indicator

Operation System

Mute: LED off

Windows

®

7/Vista/XP(32/64bit)

Dolby

®

Technologies

Smart Volume

Normalizer™

Xear 3D™ Virtual

Speaker Shifter

Dolby

®

Headphone, Dolby

®

Dolby

®

Pro-Logic IIx, Dolby

Virtual Speaker,

®

Digital Live

Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a constant level

Virtual 7.1speaker positioning

Magic Voice™

Karaoke Functions

Other Effects

Modifies the sound of your voice, for VOIP and online chat applications (Windows XP)

Music Key-Shifting and Microphone Echo effects (Windows XP)

10-band Equalizer/27 Environment Effects

3D Sound Engines/APIs EAX

S/PDIF Digital Output

®

2.0&1.0, A3D

PCM, Dolby Digital

®

1.0, DirectSound

SW, OpenAL generic modes

®

HW &

Output Signal-to-Noise

Ratio (silence, A-

Weighted):

Output THD+N

(1kHz -3dBFs)

Cross-talk (10Kohms,

1KHz)

~100dB

<0.005%

-104dB

Frequency Response

(-1dB, 48KHz):

Output/Input Full-Scale

Voltage

< 20Hz to 20KHz

2.0 Vrms / 2.0 Vrms

S/PDIF optical adaptor*1, Driver CD*1, Quick Start Guide*1

*Specifications are subject to change without notice.

2 ASUS Xonar U3

4. Card Installation

Connect the USB connector to any USB 2.0 port on your notebook or PC as the following drawing shows.

5. Driver installation

After installing the Xonar U3 external USB audio card on your computer, you need to install the device driver that enables the Xonar U3 audio card to work with

Windows operating system.

The version and content of the support CD are subject to change without notice.

To install the device driver:

1. Insert the ASUS Xonar U3 support CD into your optical drive. If Autorun is enabled, the ASUS Xonar Card Driver screen appears automatically. Go to step 4. If Autorun is not enabled in your computer, perform step 2.

2. Click

My Computer

on your desktop and double-click the optical drive icon.

3. Double-click the

setup.exe

icon located on the optical drive.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Read the

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

in the process and make sure that you understand and accept it before continuing the installation.

5. When the installation finishes, you may be prompted to restart your computer.

You can choose to restart the computer later if desired.

ASUS Xonar U3 3

6. Hardware introduction

Xonar U3 external USB audio card layout

2

1. Light indicator

Description Status

Play music (not Mute) LED on

Play music (Mute)

Idle (not Mute)

Idle (Mute)

LED off

LED on

LED off

2. Headphone & S/PDIF-Out port

3. Mic & Line-in port

3

1

4 ASUS Xonar U3

7. Connecting speakers

For Analog Spakers

2 Speakers

2.1 Speakers

For Digital Speakers

SPDIF Out

Plug the optical TOSLINK adapter into the S/PDIF-Out port. Then, connect your decoder’s S/PDIF In port to the optical adapter with a TOSLINK optical cable.

The TOSLINK optical cable is purchased separately.

ASUS Xonar U3 5

Connecting headphone / microphone

Connecting Line-In audio sources

6 ASUS Xonar U3

8. Xonar Audio Center

8.1 Xonar Audio Center GUI

1. After the driver installation is complete and your computer has been rebooted, you will find the Xonar Audio Center’s icon in the system tray on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Double click this icon to open the Xonar Audio Center utility.

If the icon could not be found in the system tray, launch the Xonar Audio Center from the Windows desktop by clicking

Start > All Programs > ASUS Xonar U3

Audio > Xonar U3 Audio Center

.

2. The Xonar Audio Center is the Graphic User Interface (GUI) for the Xonar

U3 driver. You can control the functions and features of the Xonar U3 driver on the Audio Center. The following picture shows a basic overview of the

Xonar U3 Audio Center. The following sections of this manual will describe its functions in more detail.

8

1

7

2

3

4

5

6

ASUS Xonar U3 7

No Item

1 Display Area

2 Menu Open/Close

3 Master Volume

4 SVN Button

5

6

Mute Button

DSP Mode

7 Setting Menu Panel

8 Information icon

Description

This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume level, and the status of the Dolby Headphone, EQ, and DSP modes.

Note: this area just displays information, but is not used to alter settings.

Clicking this button will move the display area and reveal the configuration area below. Clicking it again will move the display area back down.

This rotary knob controls the master playback volume. Drag the small circle inside it to change the volume level.

Click this button to enable the “Smart Volume Normalization” feature for constant volume from all playback sources. It will display a blue light when enabled.

Click this button to mute audio playback; it will display a red light when playback is muted.

These 5 buttons give access to quick sound effects combinations for Music, Games, Movie, effect-free (Hi-Fi), and gaming surround sound effect (GX2.5) modes.

This panel gives access to setting tabs, including Main

Settings, Mixer/volume, Effects, Karaoke/MagicVoice, and

VocalFX.

Clicking this icon will pop up driver’s Information window.

8 ASUS Xonar U3

8.2 Main Setting

8.2.1 Sample Rate

The Sample rate determines the number of audio samples per second that the

Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) and S/PDIF digital interface will output. The

Xonar U3 audio card can support sample rates up to 48KHz. Even if your setting differs from the audio source’s sample rate, the Xonar U3 engine will do super high fidelity sample-rate-conversion with a double floating-point filter.

1

No Item

1 Sample Rate

Description

The Xonar U3 supports sample rates up to 48KHz.

ASUS Xonar U3 9

10

1

2

3

8.2.2

Headphone

Analog Out mode

No Item

1 Analog Out

2

3

Speaker Test

HP Advanced Setting

Description

The Analog Out setting is used to match your actual speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1). Xonar

U3 will play the channels and does the proper 3D/Dolby sound processing accordingly. Select the correct speaker/

Headphone type for your connected speakers/ Headphone.

Click this button to show the speaker test window in the right pane. Click the “play” button to test each speaker one by one or click each speaker manually to test.

Note: The Speaker Test function is not available on Windows

Vista due to a limitation in its audio stack.

Clicking this button allows you to select the gain tuning according to your headphone impedance.

Usage scenario or Headphone impedance

Exciter Mode or for >64ohms headsets

DAC setting

16 dB boost

Pro-gaming Mode or for 32~64ohms headsets 9 dB boost

VOIP Mode or for <32ohms headsets 0 dB boost

ASUS Xonar U3

8.2.3 SPDIF Out/DDL

Xonar U3 is capable of outputting Dolby Digital Live, which are real-time encoders that transcode any audio, including games and music, into industry-standard Dolby

Digital bit-streams on-the-fly. This is ideal for playback through a home theater system, creating an immersive and impressive cinema surround sound experience.

It enables a single digital connection to carry high quality Dolby Digital surround audio from your PC to digital speakers and AV Receivers.

1

No Item

1 S/PDIF Out enable/ disable

2 S/PDIF Output

Formats/Functions

2

Description

Click this check box to enable S/PDIF output.

This pull-down menu allows you to select one of the following two formats:

- PCM (Pulse Code Modulation, which is a typical raw audio data format.)

- Dolby Digital Live: real-time 5.1ch encoding

ASUS Xonar U3 11

8.2.4 Audio Channels (For Win7/Vista only)

This setting only appears in Windows Vista / Windows 7. Windows Vista / Windows

7 will deliver the audio channels to the audio driver according to this setting, no matter what the original audio content is or how many channels they have.

Therefore, you need to set this in accordance with your audio content before you play it. Please note that this setting is synchronized with Vista’s system speaker configuration and changing the setting during playback will cease the audio playback program. You may have to restart the program after the change. It’s recommended that you close all playing programs before you change the setting.

1

No Item

1 Audio Channels

Description

Here are some typical suggestions:

- MP3, WMA, AAC, CD, VCD, 2D games => 2 channels

- DVD-Video with Dolby Digtial or DTS 5.1 => 6 channels

- DVD-Video with Dolby Digtial EX or DTS ES => 8 channels

- 3D games => 8 channels

12 ASUS Xonar U3

8.2.5 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter

The 7.1Virtual Speaker Shifter has the following major features:

• Expanding/upmixing audio to 7.1-channel surround sound

• Virtualizing 7.1surround sound over any set of speakers

• Shiftable virtual speaker positioning allows you to adjust the best sound field easily without moving physical speakers and wires

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1

No Item

1 Shifter enable/disable

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Drag speaker or listener

Reset

Increase/decrease volume

Counter-clockwise

Clockwise

Manual Rotation

Manual Drag Mode

Description

Click this check box to enable the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.

Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to the

Speaker Shifter page for manual adjustments.

You can drag each speaker or listener to a different relative position “virtually” using only your mouse. The Xonar U3 audio card will process it and virtualize each speaker position in real-time. The Subwoofer has no directional sounds, and hence can be moved only closer or further away.

Reset all Speaker Shifter settings to the defaults.

Click + to increase volume (move speakers closer); click – to decrease volume (move speakers further away)

Make all speakers (except Subwoofer) rotate counterclockwise

Make all speakers (except Subwoofer) rotate clockwise

Manually drag and rotate all speakers (except Subwoofer)

This is the default mode that allows you to manually drag each speaker or the listener with your mouse.

ASUS Xonar U3 13

8.2.6 Dolby Pro-Logic IIx

Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is a 7.1 surround upmixing technology and is widely used in home theater systems, TVs, game consoles, and car audio systems. It can expand stereo audio, such as MP3, CD, and TV programs into immersive 5.1 or 7.1channel surround.

2 3 4

1

No Item

1 Dolby Pro-Logic IIx enable/disable

2 Center Width

3

4

Reset

Dimension

Description

Click this check box to enable Dolby Pro-Logic IIx. Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to the Pro-Logic IIx page for manual adjustments.

This parameter is used to set the spread of the center, mainly for the vocal signals of songs and music. Drag the scroll bar to the left to centralize the vocal signal. Drag to the right side to widen the vocal sound range.

Reset all settings to the defaults.

The dimension parameter fades sounds to the front or rear of the listener.

14 ASUS Xonar U3

8.2.7 Dolby Headphone

Dolby Headphone creates a stunning multi-channel surround experience over ordinary stereo headphones for playing 3D games, watching 5.1 DVD movies, and listening to music. Dolby Headphone produces surround sound cues so realistic that you will believe you are listening over speakers in a well-controlled studio.

Dolby Headphone can also improve listening comfort and reduce “listener fatigue” from long listening over headphones.

2 3 4

1

No Item

1 Dolby Headphone enable/disable

2 DH1

3

4

DH2

DH3

Description

Tick this check box to enable Dolby Headphone. Click the textbar to switch the right window to Dolby Headphone page for manual adjusting.

* 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter and Dolby Pro-Logic IIx can be selected only when Dolby Headphone is enabled.

Dolby Headphone (DH) provides three room filters that may be used with any type of audio. They differ in the sense of the “spatial dimension” they impart.

DH1—Reference Room: Small, acoustically damped room.

DH2—Livelier Room: More acoustically live than DH1

DH3—Larger Room: Larger room than DH1; more distant and diffused effect.

ASUS Xonar U3 15

16

8.2.8 Dolby Virtual Speaker

Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers. Dolby Virtual Speaker also creates a wider two-channel environment during playback of stereo CDs and

MP3 content, and when combined with Dolby Pro Logic® IIx processing, delivers a virtual 5.1-channel surround listening experience from any high-quality stereo source.

2 3

1

No Item

1 Dolby Virtual Speaker enable/disable

2 Reference Mode

Description

Click this check box to enable Dolby Virtual Speaker. Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to a Dolby Virtual

Speaker page for manual adjusting.

Dolby Virtual Speaker provides two modes of virtualization:

The first is Reference mode, which virtualizes the missing speakers as in the following picture.

3 Wide Mode

Wide mode virtualizes the necessary speakers and enhances the surround experience as in the following picture.

ASUS Xonar U3

3

2

5

4

8.3 Mixer/Volume

The mixer page is designed to control the volume for playback and recording on the Xonar U3. In addition, the Xonar U3 also provides a high-quality digital monitoring function for hearing the recorded audio from the speakers.

8.3.1 Playback Volume

1 6

No Item

1 Playback volume tab

2 Source / path name

3

4

Mute button

Volume slider

5 Left/Right balance

6 Reset

Description

Click this button to show the playback volume page.

This shows the source name for each volume control slider, including:

- WAVE: All digital audio sources except MIDI files

- SW: Software Synthesizer; control the playback volume of

the MIDI files

- CD: CD-ROM digital playback (CD-DA) volume control

- LEFT, RIGHT…: the volume control for each speaker/

channel

NOTE: Windows

®

Vista does not support WAVE, Synthesizer

and CD-In volume controls.

Click this button to mute the audio channel; click this button again to restore the audio output.

Drag this slider down to decrease the volume; drag it up to increase the volume. The tool-tip reveals the percentage number from 1 to 100 in terms of the full scale level.

The horizontal slider controls the volume between the left and right channels. (On Windows XP only)

Reset all volume controls to the default settings.

ASUS Xonar U3 17

18

8.3.2 Recording/Monitoring Volume

1

7

6

5

4

3

2

No Item

1 Recording Volume Tab

2 Source / path name

3

4

5

6

7

Monitoring button

Recording Selector button

Recording Volume

Slider

Left/Right balance

Reset

Description

Click this button to show the recording volume page.

This shows the source name for each volume control slider, including:

MIC: recording from MIC jack

Line-In: recording from Line-in jack for external audio devices

WAVE: recording from digital wave audio you are playing on

PC

Click this button to monitor and loopback recording audio to outputs (PC speakers). Therefore, the recording volume will influence the monitoring signals from speaker outputs. The audio will be mixed into the streams you are playing out from your PC and all DGP effects will be applied to the source, too.

Click this button to select the path/source you are going to record. Please note that the recording function on Windows is a one-path selector. So, you can select only one default recording source at a time. You may have to restart the recorder program if you switch to a different source. (Note:

On Vista, some application programs may allow you to select the recording device/path in the recording programs themselves.)

Drag this slider down to decrease the recording volume; drag up to increase the recording volume. The tool-tip reveals the percentage number from 1 to 100 in terms of the full scale level.

This horizontal slider controls the volume between the left and right channels.

Click to reset all volume controls to the default settings.

ASUS Xonar U3

1

2

3

8.4 Effects

8.4.1 Environment Effects

Environment effects can be used to create realistic listening experiences that mimic different environments. There are a total of 27 environment options, which can be applied to all 2D sound sources, like music.

No Item

1 Default environments

2

3

More options

Environment size

Description

These four buttons activate Bathroom, Concert hall,

Underwater, and Music Pub environments, respectively.

Clicking this button will apply the environment effect that you select from the pull-down menu on the right side. There are another 23 options in this menu.

There are three size settings for each environment: Large,

Medium, and Small.

ASUS Xonar U3 19

8.4.2 10-Band Equalizer

The equalizer can modify the audio output for different frequencies, and be used to compensate for deficiencies in your speakers/systems. There are 12 default patterns and you can also make your own settings.

1 3

No Item

1 Default equalizer options

2 User Defined

3

4

5

Equalier slider

Save name

Add / save

6 Delete

2 4 5 6

Description

There are 12 available equalizer patterns. Click one to apply it.

You can click this button to apply your own defined parameters saved in the pull-down menu.

Adjust the gain for each band (30~16KHz).

Key in a name for your own “User Defined” equalizer setting.

Click this “+” button to save the parameters into User Defined list.

Click this “–” button to delete the parameters from User

Defined list.

20 ASUS Xonar U3

1

2

3

4

8.5 Karaoke / Magic Voice

The Xonar U3 provides powerful features for VOIP and Karaoke, including Key-

Shifting, Vocal Cancellation and Microphone Echo. Microphone Echo can generate natural echo effects on your singing voice just like a karaoke machine. Key-Shifting can change the pitch of Karaoke background music, and Vocal Cancellation can reduce the original vocal in songs and keep the music and symphony for karaoke.

*** Microphone Echo and Magic voice features are not available on Windows Vista.

5

No Item

1 On/Off

2 Key-Shifting

3 Vocal Cancellation

4

5

Mic Echo

Reset

Description

Click the switch to turn on or off the functions on this page.

Check the box to enable or disable the key shifting feature for music playback from 4 semitones below, to 4 semitones above.

Check the box to enable or disable the vocal cancellation function and adjust the voice cancellation level from 0 to

+100. +100 will eliminate most original vocals (default value is 50).

Select the Mic Echo function and adjust the gain for echo signals (30~16KHz)

Reset all settings to the default.

ASUS Xonar U3 21

22

1

2

8.6 VocalFX

VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology to let your voice get into the realistic game landscape (VoiceEX) or to emulate the background scenes in online chat (ChatEX). It also allows you to change your voice pitch to disguise who you are (Magic Voice). These features dramatically increase the fun for voice communication on PC.

5 4 3

No Item

1 VoiceEX

2 Local VoiceEX

3

4

5

App List

ChatEX

Magic Voice

Description

It produces realistic and dynamic environmental reverberation for your voice in 3D gaming communication.

It produces realistic and dynamic environmental reverberation for your voice in 3D gaming communication.

(You can hear your voice from speakers)

You can add VOIP application into VOIP application List.

It emulates different background environment effects when you chat online.

Changes your voice pitch to different types for disguising your real voice or just for fun in online chatting.

ASUS Xonar U3

For 3D Games

1. Check the check box of VoiceEX and Local VoiceEX.

2. Make sure you and your team member can talk to each other in the game.

For VOIP

1. Press App List

2. If you don’t see the VOIP application of yours in the list, press Add.(Make sure the Skype and MSN Messenger are the latest version)

3. Look for the application’s location and Open it.

ASUS Xonar U3 23

4. Your VOIP application has been added into list.

24

5. Check the check box of ChatEX and Magic Voice.

6. You can use ChatEX and Magic Voice when you chat online.

Click the checkbox to enable VocalFX function, then a prompt message will pop up:

This message implies the recording device will be set to microphone from other recording devices except Stereo Mix. The message also reminds the GX function will be enabled automatically in order to have VocalFX effective. Click

“OK” to accept it; Click “Cancel” if you want to enable it later. Check “Don’t remind me again”.

ASUS Xonar U3

8.7 Smart Volume Normalization

Smart Volume NormalizationTM (SVN) automatically keeps all music or video/TV audio output at a constant level to reduce manual adjustment hassles inherent with sound sources of different loudness. It allows you to listen to various content, like MP3, TV program, DVD video and even games with consistent sound level.

The following graph shows how different signals 1 & 2 will become the same level

(for example, 10dB below full scale) after you turn on SVN. Please note that for lower volume music 2, it will become louder when you turn on SVN; and for higher volume music 1, it will become quieter.

0dB (Full-scale)

Music 1

T

-10 dB

Music 2

SVN Off

SVN On

-

ASUS Xonar U3 25

No Item

1 SVN On/Off

2 SVN blue light

3 SVN display

Description

Click this button to enable SVN. This button is outlined blue when active.

When SVN is enabled, the master volume knob will be illuminated by a blue light. It will be lit red if the volume is muted.

When SVN is enabled, “Smart Volume” will be lit up at the bottom of the volume meter and the volume meter will show the level.

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8.8 DS3D GX2.5 and DSP Modes

Xonar U3 is introducing an innovative technology –DirectSound 3D Game

Extensions v2.5 (DG3D GX2.5)- to restore DirectSound 3D Hardware acceleration mode and its subsidiary EAX effects on Windows 7/Vista for 3D games.

Unlike some proprietary API like OpenAL, DG3D GX doesn’t require games to support OpenAL API. All existing games compatible with Microsoft DirectX and

DirectSound 2D/3D will be supported with DG3D GX technology. Before you start

EAX and DG3D HW games, please enable DG3D GX on the Xonar U3 audio center, and disable the function after the games.

In addition, Xonar U3 also offers a Hi-Fi mode for hi-fidelity playback without any effect processing to keep the original audio fidelity. Every time you turn on Hi-Fi mode, Xonar U3 will clear all sound effects. It’s also recommended to use Hi-Fi mode for audio quality tests (using RMAA software or another machine-based measurement). Use the DSP mode button as the quick setup if you don’t wish to know the details of the effect setup.

No sound effects will be applied to high-definition 96KHz/192KHz content.

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No Item

1 Music Mode

Movie Mode

GX Mode

4 Hi-Fi Mode

5 Game Mode

5 4

Description

This mode is set for Music playback.

This mode is set for DVD Movie playback.

DirectSound 3D Game Extensions mode to support EAX and

DirectSound 3D Hardware extensions for lots of DirectX/

DirectSound3D games on Windows Vista.

This mode is set for Hi-Fidelity playback, where all effects will be cleared to keep the original digital data and analog output quality as high as possible.

This mode is set for Games.

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9. Troubleshooting and FAQs

[Troubleshooting]

The audio card driver could not be installed on my PC.

Instructions:

1. Make sure that you have properly plugged Xonar U3 into a USB port.

2. Check that the Windows hardware device manager has discovered a USB audio device. If no device is found, try scanning for new hardware or restart

Windows.

3. Remove Xonar U3, plug it into another USB port, and try again.

I cannot find the Xonar U3 Audio Center

Instructions:

1. Make sure you have installed the driver

2. Locate the Xonar U3 Audio Center icon in the system tray on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Double-click the icon to open the Xonar U3

Audio Center utility.

3. If the icon could not be found in the system tray, go to the Windows Control

Panel and double click the “Xonar U3 Audio Center” icon to make it visible in the system tray again.

4. After the driver installation is complete, it’s recommended that you reboot your computer to complete the setup. If the icon still doesn’t appear, please try installing the driver package again.

I cannot hear any sound from my analog speakers

Instructions:

1. Ensure that you have connected speakers properly and have powered on your speakers.

2. Ensure that the device master volume or the software player has NOT been muted on the Xonar U3 Audio Center.

3. If you are using Dolby Digital Live encoder through the S/PDIF output, the analog output will be muted to get rid of the interference between your digital speaker system and analog speakers or headphones. Please check if this is the case.

4. Try restarting your Windows.

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I cannot hear any sound from the S/PDIF output

Instructions:

1. Ensure that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Audio Center GUI (Main page).

2. Ensure that you are connecting the correct S/PDIF output jack on the card to the decoder’s (AV receiver) S/PDIF input jack.

3. You may need to select the correct input and mode of your decoder or AV receiver. For Dolby Digital Live, you may have to double check that the AV receiver is in that decoding mode.

I cannot hear audio input (Mic, Line-in, AUX, etc.) from my speakers

Instructions:

1. Go to the mixer recording page in the Audio Center and select the correct input as the recording source. If you are using Windows Vista, also go to system audio control panel to see the current default recording/input device is right.

2. Remember to turn on the digital monitoring button for that recording source.

[FAQ]

Q1: Does the Xonar U3 support Windows 7/Vista?

Answer:

Yes, the Xonar U3 driver package does support Windows 7/Vista 32/64 bit and most key features are available.

Q2: Why does the Xonar U3 support Dolby

®

technologies?

Answer:

Dolby is the ONLY brand and technology recognized by the CE industry and available on a wide range of audio equipment. Xonar U3 includes these features to make your PC a powerful media and entertainment center.

Q3: Does the Xonar U3 support EAX on Vista?

Answer:

Yes, Xonar U3 can support the latest EAX on Windows 7/ Vista /XP through innovative DirectSound3D Game EXtensions v2.5 (DG3D GX 2.5) technology.

ASUS Xonar U3

Q4: Why do I need Dolby Headpone for PC games?

Answer:

1. Dolby Digital and Pro-Logic IIx are available on the latest game consoles, like XBOX360, PS3, and Wii. Dolby can provide the best gaming sound experience and compatibility with home theater or TV systems.

2. Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker are the best 3D sound positioning, spatial modeling and 5.1-channel virtualization technology for regular stereo headphones and speakers.

Q5: What is the most important benefit of the Xonar U3 for gamers?

Answer:

1.

Headphone amplifier

: Enables accurate sound positioning in superb quality for unparalleled gaming experience.

2.

Dolby headphone

: Delivers a realistic and spacious 2-to-5.1 surround and

3D positional sound field over any set of stereo headphones.

3.

GX 2.5

: Enables the latest EAX gaming audio and restore surround gaming in Windows Vista/7 without additional software.

Q6: Will PCM sound output through S/PDIF be just 2 channels even with different analog output channels?

Answer:

The S/PDIF protocol specification (IEC-60958) can only carry 2-channel PCM data or non-PCM AC3/DTS data. So, when a user selects PCM output for S/PDIF, the Xonar sound card will always deliver 2 channel PCM data through the S/PDIF output port.

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