BACKGROUND
I’m a music lover and a PC gamer. I mainly play Dota 2, Civilization, JRPGs, and top down RPGs. I only play a limited amount of first person games, mainly Counter Strike, Borderlands, and some RPGs like Shadow of Mordor. Therefore, I don’t put too much importance on virtual surround sound for gaming. I’m looking for a setup that’s immersive, comfortable, and has a decent microphone. I’ve tried ModMic setup before but I really hate dealing with the cable mess that comes with it.
PREFERENCES/BIASES
I like a relatively neutral sounding system with that slightly leans to the warm side. My favourite pair of headphones is LCD-X for its amazing bass and energetic sound. On a lazy Sunday, I like to put on my Fitear TG334 to listen to some slow acoustic songs.
My usual listening gear is usually Onkyo DP X1 > Chord Hugo > Liquid Carbon > LCD-X.
SETTING UP THE U7
Setup is fairly simple. The box came with the unit itself, USB Type A to Mini USB cable, and a SPDIF adapter. Stereo playback is plug and play, but you will need to install a driver (Windows 10) to use the DSP capabilities. The driver can be easily found on Asus website, and installation is a breeze.
The unit is plasticky but doesn’t feel cheap. The black colour with gold accent makes it look like a more expensive piece of gear than it actually is.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Sennheiser PXC550
This is the first headphone I’ve tried this with. Simply put, it can’t drive the PXC550 via the 3.5mm jack; it sounds so tinny and distant. Terrible.
I was a bit confused as I thought I got a defective unit. My Surface Pro 3 can drive the PXC550 via 3.5mm jack without any problems.
I quickly grabbed another pair..
Grado SR325
I borrowed my friend’s Grado SR325 and I felt relieved. U7 can drive these cans to a comfortable level at 100% volume. It can’t drive the cans to a headbanging level, but who does that with a Grado pair?
After disabling all enhancements and effects on the Xonar software, I can say that Xonar U7 sounds pretty transparent and neutral.
Fitear TG334
To my surprise, the Xonar U7 has a really quiet background noise. I can’t hear any static or hiss even though I’m using a fairly sensitive IEM. It drives the TG334 very well. When paired with this soundcard, my TG334 sounds a bit more…energetic? It loses a bit of its laid back signature, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.
Audeze LCD-X
Okay, I did not expect much from this pairing, but the U7 MKII actually drove the LCD-X to a comfortable volume. I don’t recommend using the U7 for LCD-X, however, as it sounded quite lifeless and dull.
Sennheiser PC37X
This is the pair I actually intend to pair it with on my computer desk. The U7 managed to drive it at a satisfactory level, but there was an audible distortion on some songs when played at high volume. It doesn’t bother me much as I can just turn down the volume a bit. For this reason, I can recommend the U7 for casual music and gaming, but not for a headbanging session.
GAMING PERFORMANCE
I don’t have much experience in virtual surround sound, so please read this with that in mind.
CS:GO. I could hear the footsteps and gunshots from different directions, definitely different from stereo. It did not, however, blow me away like what I expected. It was a significant improvement over stereo channel, but it didn’t really have a wow factor. For this game, I tried Gaming and FPS preset.
Skyrim. I used the Gaming preset for this one. It adds immersion and a very decent virtual surround effect, but once again it’s only decent. It doesn’t blow me away.
SUMMARY
The Xonar U7 MKII is a very capable sound card for driving headphones with high sensitivity and low impedance. It has a very decent HRTF/VSS capability, but do not expect to be blown away by them.
I’m a music lover and a PC gamer. I mainly play Dota 2, Civilization, JRPGs, and top down RPGs. I only play a limited amount of first person games, mainly Counter Strike, Borderlands, and some RPGs like Shadow of Mordor. Therefore, I don’t put too much importance on virtual surround sound for gaming. I’m looking for a setup that’s immersive, comfortable, and has a decent microphone. I’ve tried ModMic setup before but I really hate dealing with the cable mess that comes with it.
PREFERENCES/BIASES
I like a relatively neutral sounding system with that slightly leans to the warm side. My favourite pair of headphones is LCD-X for its amazing bass and energetic sound. On a lazy Sunday, I like to put on my Fitear TG334 to listen to some slow acoustic songs.
My usual listening gear is usually Onkyo DP X1 > Chord Hugo > Liquid Carbon > LCD-X.
SETTING UP THE U7
Setup is fairly simple. The box came with the unit itself, USB Type A to Mini USB cable, and a SPDIF adapter. Stereo playback is plug and play, but you will need to install a driver (Windows 10) to use the DSP capabilities. The driver can be easily found on Asus website, and installation is a breeze.
The unit is plasticky but doesn’t feel cheap. The black colour with gold accent makes it look like a more expensive piece of gear than it actually is.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Sennheiser PXC550
This is the first headphone I’ve tried this with. Simply put, it can’t drive the PXC550 via the 3.5mm jack; it sounds so tinny and distant. Terrible.
I was a bit confused as I thought I got a defective unit. My Surface Pro 3 can drive the PXC550 via 3.5mm jack without any problems.
I quickly grabbed another pair..
Grado SR325
I borrowed my friend’s Grado SR325 and I felt relieved. U7 can drive these cans to a comfortable level at 100% volume. It can’t drive the cans to a headbanging level, but who does that with a Grado pair?
After disabling all enhancements and effects on the Xonar software, I can say that Xonar U7 sounds pretty transparent and neutral.
Fitear TG334
To my surprise, the Xonar U7 has a really quiet background noise. I can’t hear any static or hiss even though I’m using a fairly sensitive IEM. It drives the TG334 very well. When paired with this soundcard, my TG334 sounds a bit more…energetic? It loses a bit of its laid back signature, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.
Audeze LCD-X
Okay, I did not expect much from this pairing, but the U7 MKII actually drove the LCD-X to a comfortable volume. I don’t recommend using the U7 for LCD-X, however, as it sounded quite lifeless and dull.
Sennheiser PC37X
This is the pair I actually intend to pair it with on my computer desk. The U7 managed to drive it at a satisfactory level, but there was an audible distortion on some songs when played at high volume. It doesn’t bother me much as I can just turn down the volume a bit. For this reason, I can recommend the U7 for casual music and gaming, but not for a headbanging session.
GAMING PERFORMANCE
I don’t have much experience in virtual surround sound, so please read this with that in mind.
CS:GO. I could hear the footsteps and gunshots from different directions, definitely different from stereo. It did not, however, blow me away like what I expected. It was a significant improvement over stereo channel, but it didn’t really have a wow factor. For this game, I tried Gaming and FPS preset.
Skyrim. I used the Gaming preset for this one. It adds immersion and a very decent virtual surround effect, but once again it’s only decent. It doesn’t blow me away.
SUMMARY
The Xonar U7 MKII is a very capable sound card for driving headphones with high sensitivity and low impedance. It has a very decent HRTF/VSS capability, but do not expect to be blown away by them.
You have to right-click the headphone output icon, which opens an output impedance pop-up menu (low / medium / high). By default, it is set to low.
I agree that the built-in amp is not very powerful, but I really feel that it should be able to drive headsets like the PC37X.