ASUS XONAR D2 connect with front panel headphone/microphone jacks?

[dannyboy85]

hi,
i just bought my new sexy asus xonar d2 on PCI.. and was sadly dissapointed to find out that it didnt have any spot to put my standard atx case front panel headphone and microphone jack in it.. because on my onboard sound i had my 2.1 speakers in the back and my headphones in the front.. it was really convenient because my 2.1 had external volume control...

i was hoping to get better quality sound with this new sound.. but the daunting task of changing the back plug from headphones to 2.1 everytime someelse wants to hear.

please if you know any way to get both working @ the same time i would really appreciate it.. ANYTHING!!

any response is appreciated

[Kougar]

Sorry mate, AFAIK you'd need to downgrade to an ASUS DX XONAR as they version does have audio-out headers that you can plug your front case panel audio jacks into. Otherwise, you'd just have to keep switching it over via software and the jacks at the back, or plug the headphones into the speakers.

[dannyboy85]

awww shit are u serious........ so could u link me to this asus xonar dx or something.. and which other audio card is AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE but wit front audio pins.. get me?

[b1lk1]

I have the Xonar D2 and it does not have front port capabilities. As Kougar said, the DX has them:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=xonar%2bdx

It is PCI-E 1X to so it can go in one of those empty slots.

I cannot think of a better card with front panel connectors.

[Rob Williams]

What in the...

The full-blown Xonar card doesn't have something so simple, but the card half its price does? That makes no sense, whatsoever. ASUS messed up that one.

Is there at all another solution for those who need that functionality but already own the card?

[b1lk1]

I'm not sure I agree. I'd say most people that own the Xonar D2 are going to have a high end speaker system that has its own headphone jack.

[Rob Williams]

Originally Posted by b1lk1

I'm not sure I agree. I'd say most people that own the Xonar D2 are going to have a high end speaker system that has its own headphone jack.

Fair enough, but for a card so robust, you'd think it would contain something so simple just in case. Isn't the front panel feature to allow you to plug the headphones into the chassis instead of in the back? Or am I misunderstanding things?

[b1lk1]

You are correct. Most, if not all high end sound cards neglect this feature. In fact, there are very few soundcards that allow this. BUT, you can run both the onboard sound (with the header for the front panel AND a soundcard at the same time. There is a simple program for this, I just cannot remember what it is called. I will see if I can find it.......

[Rory Buszka]

I'm looking at my D2 now, and I've got to say, I'm very surprised at the omission of front-panel audio I/O. I suppose it goes to show that as a reviewer, I can't simply take anything for granted. If I'd noticed the lack of front-panel audio at the time of my review, I'd certainly have had something to say about it.

One possible course of action is to let the front panel audio from your PC be fed from the onboard sound card. Some programs, like Teamspeak, let you use an audio source that's different from the PC's default audio device. And like Kougar mentioned, you could always pick up a set of speakers that provide headphone pass-through output. Many sets in the $75+ range have the feature.

[b1lk1]

I can't see how that is surprising since the AUzentech Prelude is about the only high end soundcard made with the front panel header.

[dannyboy85]

problem KIND OF solved.. i went and bought an audio splitter that basically looks like this.



is this making my sound quality basically like my onboard? is it making it shit.. cuz if it is ill return this card and either get the AUzentech prelude or the ac1 barracuda.

[b1lk1]

I cannot see how it is overly effecting the sound. When it comes to sound, you really need to try it and see if you like it and if you do then you got the right setup.

[Rob Williams]

In order to hear what's available, you'll need quality speakers or headphones... so like Bill said, just do some selective listening tests and see how you like it.

If you are concerned with it, return the card and get the Xonar DX. It's very similar to the D2 you have there, but costs half as much. It lacks the cool shield and lights, and also the killer bundle, but it does have the front panel header that you need.

[Rory Buszka]

Rory here again,

I don't suspect that the splitter is wrecking the sound quality of the Xonar card's analog output. However, I've noticed that when I connect a set of headphones (fairly high 30-250 ohm impedance, usually) and a set of speakers (very low input impedance), there's a drop in output from the headphones, which is caused by the lower-resistance path provided by the speakers' input. Just something to be aware of.

[dannyboy85]

ah thanks rory