Compact Asus Xonar U7 MKII USB sound card brings better audio to laptops

Discrete audio might not be as sexy or even necessary as it once was, but for those who demand higher end sound, Asus continues to answer the call. It's newest product, the Xonar U7 MKII, is a compact USB sound card with a built-in headphone amplifier.

Asus is billing this as an upgraded version of the original Xonar U7, though it doesn't mention what exactly is different. Both products feature the same compact design and near identical spec sheets, save for the use of a C-Media 6632AX sound processor in the new model versus a C-Media 6632A in the old. It's the same chipset found in Asus's Strix Soar sound card, though it's listed as being capable of 384KHz/24-bit on that product and 192KHz/24-bit on the Xonar U7 MKII.

In any event, there's a clickable master volume control knob that doubles as an output selector. That allows gamers to keep their headphones and speakers connected, switching between the two as desired.

The sound card comes with Sonic Studio, an audio utility that allows for EQ adjustments and 7.1-channel audio balancing.

"Sonic Studio also includes controls for Sonic Radar Pro, a unique feature that precisely maps in-game sounds—such as footsteps and gunshots—and displays them on an on-screen overlay, so gamers can pinpoint their enemies for a competitive advantage in FPS games. Sonic Studio is fully compatible with Windows 10," Asus adds.

Here is a look at the full list of specs:

Output signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): Up to 114dB
Input signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): 110dB
Output total harmonic distortion + noise at 1khz (A-weighted): Up to 0.0006 percent (104dB)
Input total harmonic distortion + noise at 1kHz (A-weighted): Up to 0.001 percent (-100dB)
Frequency response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input ): <10Hz to 46kHz
Output/input full-scale voltage:
Rear output (Speaker) 1Vrms (2.828 Vp-p)
Headphone 1.3Vrms (3.677 Vp-p)
Line-in 1Vrms (3.677Vp-p)
Bus Compatibility: USB audio class, USB audio class 2.0 for all functions, USB audio class 1.0 for playback
Main Chipset (Audio processor): CMedia CMI6632AX High-performance sound processor (Max. 192KHz/24-bit)
D-A converter (digital sources): 1 x Cirrus CS4398 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24-bit), 1 x Cirrus CS4362 (114dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24-bit)
A-D converter (analog input): 1x Cirrus CS5361 (114dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24-bit)
Analog playback sample rate and resolution: 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/172.4K/192KHz @ 16/24-bit
Analog recording sample rate and resolution: 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96KHz/172.4K/192K @ 16/24-bit
S/PDIF digital output: 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/172.4K/192KHz @ 16/24-bit
ASIO 2.0 driver support: 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/172.4K/192KHz @ 16/24-bit
Operating system support: Windows 10/8.1/7(32/64-bit)

Asus did not say when the Xonar U7 MKII will be available or how much it will cost. As a point of reference, the original Xonar U7 sells on Amazon for around $86.

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Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).