Review on 🎧 ASUS Strix RAID DLX 7.1 PCIe Gaming Sound Card - Enhanced with High-Performance Headphone Amp (600ohm), Audiophile-Grade DAC, and 124dB SNR by Brandon Patterson

I definitely prefer this Creative Sound Blaster ZxR card (my previous card). Here are a few pros and cons: Pros: - Overall sound quality is excellent, best sound card I've ever had. I paired this with a good set of Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks and PSB M4U2 headphones - both sound great with a rich soundstage. The sound is "crisp" compared to the ZxR, which always had overwhelming bass. With this card, the mids come out much better. The build quality is first class. - The volume slider is software based and controls Windows volume, not a physical damper adding distortion like the ZxR. - Clicking on the volume slider toggles the speaker/headphones outputs - which is great (ZxR requires you to open the software to toggle them - also the software remembers the last speaker and headphone volume setting so when you switch from one to the other switch to others, you won't accidentally pierce your ears). - The software package is minimalistic yet powerful. I like that you can dictate bitrate and dynamic range on the fly. - STRENGTH! I understand why they added a dedicated PCIe power connector - the amplifiers on this card can power the bus. - Virtual software surround sound adds noticeable "depth" to the soundstage. I wouldn't call it "surround" per se (I haven't tried it with my stereo headphones), but it gives the sound a more open presence that's comfortable to my ears. - Great ZxR alternative for audiophiles. The sound quality is at least the same, if not better. Can only depend on personal preference. If you like a lot of bass, choose the ZxR. If you want an overall flat response with very clean mids and highs, this is the card to go for. I also connected it to an external tube amp (Schitt Vali) - the card supports it perfectly. The improvement in sound quality is much smaller (if any - rather preferable at the moment) than the jump in pairing the Vali with the ZxR. Overall I am very happy with this card. Cons: - No optical/RCA input (what can I say, it was nice to have with the ZxR). - The cable connector for the volume control is a 2" hard plastic piece that sticks out very far. It detracts from what looks like a slim box in the photos. It would be nice if the cable could be hidden more easily. The cable does however a very heavy mesh and looks well made. - The backlight on the card is cool but totally unusable. Don't get me wrong, I love lighting - I have a display case with amazing lighting effects. The LED is a little low power (so it pops not), it's also non-addressable (you can't turn it on/off), after all it's hidden next to the PCIe slot on the shielded side of the card - meaning someone with a tower case (which most gamers and obviously about 95% of the card's audience) most likely can't see it!Even if you have a separate GPU it will completely block it.Cool Idea - poor implementation Better would be to place the LEDs behind the words on the side of the letter c, like most GPUs now. Additionally, there is no addressable RGB lighting, and in today's glass PC gaming market, addressable RGB lighting is leading the way. The map's connections are not color coded, so you'll need to shine a flashlight or consult the manual to identify the connections. Additionally, the included microphone/headphone/control box cable has a colored connector, but the manual doesn't specify which is which, nor does it specify the connector. I assumed the green is the headphones, the red is the microphone and the black is the control cable. I think I understood everything correctly, because everything works. If I could give it a 4.5 I would as the cons are very minor annoyances and it's not worth deducting a whole star when the card's performance is outstanding.