In the PC world audio components are often overlooked. There are only so many items that your average consumer can keep track of. They know CPU, GPU Motherboard. Some will know about the power supply but really not much else. After all, Intel and others have been fighting to say the build in Audio CODEC on your average motherboard is as good as a discrete audio card so why should consumers think different? Well, if you think about it logically this does not make sense. After all, can you name one IGP (integrated graphics processor) that is as good as even a simple mid-range discrete GPU? I would not even say that the IGP on the i7 2600K is as good. So why would anyone think that an on-board audio CODEC would be better or even “just as good”? It is all marketing. We have tested multiple boards and also multiple add-in audio cards and can attest to this. Now I think I have found “the one”. The one audio card that finally brings the audiophile level expectation to the PC world. This is the Xonar Xense. It is Asus’ flagship audio card and one that has them partnered up with Sennheiser. The Xonar Xense comes complete with a pair of Sennheiser PC 350 Xense Edition headphones, a tuned audio card (complete with custom gain levels), and a head phone amplifier this is one serious piece of audio gear for your gaming or multi-media audio pleasure. So let’s put the PC 350 Xense headphones on, sit back and see what we can hear.
The Box and Goodies -The Xonar Xense box is eye catching. From the blue smoke trail across the lower half to the clear end that proudly displays the PC 350 Xense head set from Sennheiser. If you were to see this on a shelf in a store you certainly would pull one of these down and take a closer look.
Under the front flap we find some key features. Normally this is just fluff on an audio card but here we actually see some items that are important to many audiophiles. From the EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) shielding to the built in headphones amp (with up to 600ohms of impedance) these are all items that will get a hard core audio enthusiast to pick this up.
The back is much less impressive with just a few highlights listed in multiple languages. Once you are past the outer shell and are looking to dive into the Xonar you may find that the box is a tad complicated to open. Dropping the audio card off is pretty easy but it is a pain to get the headphones out after that if you are trying not to destroy the box that is.
After you do get things all sorted out there are some extras (yes besides the PC 350 Xense Headphones) that are very handy. One is a DVI style cable that gives you 7.1 channel 1/8-inch stereo plugs. This is paired up with a Toslink adapter and a 1/8 inch to1/2 inch adapter if you want to use another set of headphones (although I have no idea why you would).
