ASUS XONAR SE 5.1 Channel 192kHz/24-bit Hi-Res 116dB SNR PCIe Gaming Sound Card with Windows 10 compatibility

I was a bit skeptical about modern sound cards, but I got this for an HTPC to check it out (it comes with a small form factor bracket that's easy enough to install). At first, I only tried the digital optical TOSLINK port, which did sound better, but only marginally. My advice is to stick to analog if possible, the effect is much more apparent, even to my relatively insensitive ears. Audio is much richer sounding than without it and will definitely improve a home audio system!Linux support is acceptable, I couldn't get the front panel header to work, but that might just be my HTPC distro or a configuration error on my end.

Works great for my amplifier that's hooked up to my speakers. Sounds FANTASTIC and super easy to setup.

The sound was a great step up from the MB soundcard. I highly reccoment a DAC for best sound performance. Unfortunately, the sound will drop out for a split second every few songs. Im no expert, but it seems like a driver proble.

Man, I am amazed at the crisp, clean and rich sound that is produced by this card. Unbelievable! It's like I am listening to music and playing games for the first time! I'm hearing things that I never knew existed in games that I play daily. The Xonar headphone driver is adjustable up to 300 Ohm and, believe me, it is loud. I have used FxSound to boost my audio for a few years but, frankly, with the sound pushed through the Xonar's headphone jack, it is just too loud. I don't need it, anymore. I NEVER thought I'd say that! The ASUS Xonar is THAT good! 9.5/10 with only con being there are TOO MANY choices to customize your listening experience in the Xonar's software bundle...it's not really a con, though. The card installed the first attempt...I followed a previous user's advice to uninstall ALL sound drivers that appeared in Windows 10 x64* before I installed the Xonar drivers. No problems.*That included Microsoft and Nvidia drivers...they all re-installed automatically after I restarted my PC.

This card works exceptionally well, especially compared to all the other sound cards reviewed by people. In my case specifically, the card itself installed without any issues upon boot AND the drivers that I downloaded didn't even require that the sound cards 'control panel' be installed to use it correctly, it is optional. Of course you can always let windows handle the necessary driver installation straight from the internet or from the system's library itself. Though you should always check to see if the one you downloaded is more up to date than windows. Fortunately mine were already up to date with just windows alone.Performance? Probably some of the best from any sound cards I have used, including the ones integrated into the motherboard. The sound comes off SUPER clear and with the right amount of amplification needed for my headphones. So there was no issues with either having a flat audio/sound or noise encumbering my experience. The microphone port is also super clear in audio feedback with very little noise in the background. So I can definitely say i've gotten my money's 'worth'.

When I bought this, the product description did NOT say Windows 11 compatibility. Surprise surprise! I finally installed it with the Win 10 drivers and it worked well for a while but has now decided that it's just going to sit there. The lights are on but nobody's home. I have been very happy with Asus mobos in the past but this product is coming up a little short.ASUS has been promising Windows 11 drivers for going on a year now, and finally they came through.But the card was always dodgy. About every other time I logged onto my PC the system would register no card. I checked to make sure the card was well seated in its slot, uninstalled/reinstalled the drivers, and disabled the onboard video and it worked for a while but now when I wake the computer from sleeping, the card is not registered. If I reboot, the card is re identified and seem to work.ANOTHER EDIT: Now it just cuts out and doesn't deliver sound. If I reboot, it works. I have to do this several times a day.ANOTHER EDIT: I finally gave up on it and got a Sound Blaster, and Migod, the sound is so much better. I didn't know what I was missing. Now I have a crappy card that I can't throw away and can't recycle. That's life in the future, I guess.Overall, I call this junk. Don't waste your money. And that's my final word on it.