ASUS Xonar Phoebus Sound Card Unboxing & Overview
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Promos
The Xonar Phoebus from ASUS has been long overdue for an unboxing on this channel. This is basically as good as it gets for gaming sound cards. The driver issues that affected this card early in its life cycle have been resolved, and now it just kicks butt. Sponsor link: intelgamingpromo.com Join our community forum: bit.ly twitter.com @LinusTech Pricing & availability: ncix.com Outtro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com
The video opens with an executive intro and places the ASUS Xonar Phoebus within the broader landscape of sound cards, noting its gaming emphasis and the historical context of competing brands. The host explains the PCI Express 1X interface and contrasts the Phoebus with the STX model aimed at audiophiles, emphasizing why gamers benefit from dedicated 7.1 outputs and separate mic and speaker paths. He then disassembles the card, highlighting the matte black PCB, PCIe power connector, and the hotly guarded headphone amp capable of driving up to 600 ohm impedance headphones, including the notable bright red or blue glow tied to impedance modes. The discussion moves to physical design and shielding, with emphasis on the EMI shield and its removable nature, which allows a closer look at the internal components like the CMI 8888 processor and TI PCM 1796A DAC. The host then shifts to the Feebas control pod and its practical use for expanding headphone and mic jacks, followed by a tour of the accompanying software stack, including the Zonar software and Dolby Home Theater V4 integration, which adds virtual surround and a voice/dialogue enhancement feature. He concludes with subjective recommendations, comparing Phoebus to other Zonar products, praising the environmental noise cancellation, and highlighting the glowing aesthetic as a nice system accent while noting the unboxing context and the potential upgrade path for users focused on gaming rather than pure music listening. The wrap-up invites viewers to subscribe for more unboxings and reviews and teases related products and comparisons, reinforcing the Phoebus as a strong gaming sound card choice in its price bracket.
Topics · hardware · audio · review · gaming
Questions answered
- What makes the Xonar Phoebus particularly suited for gaming compared to music-oriented cards?
- The Phoebus emphasizes gaming-oriented features such as dedicated 7.1 outputs, separate mic and speaker connections, a rugged headphone amplifier capable of driving high impedance headphones, and Dolby Home Theater V4 for virtual surround and dialogue enhancement, which collectively enhance the gaming audio experience.
- Can you replace the op amps on the Phoebus, and what is the impact?
- No, the Phoebus uses soldered-in JRC 2114 op amps, so you cannot swap them for different op amps, unlike some other sound cards that offer swappable op amps for tuning the sound.
- What software features improve the listening experience on the Phoebus?
- The Phoebus ships with Zonar software featuring an ROG skin option and Dolby Home Theater V4, which adds virtual surround and a graphic equalizer, along with dialogue enhancement options to hear dialogue more clearly in games and films.