ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus Sound Card - PCIe, 5x Output 3.5mm RCA Jacks, 2x Input 3.5mm RCA Jacks, 1x Digital S/PDIFItem#: A455-2262  |  Model#: XONAR Phoebus

Specifications

What you should know

PCI Express - Delivering Dramatically Improved Graphics Doubling the bandwidth of the AGP 8X graphics bus, the new PCI Express represents the most profound change to desktop architecture in nearly a decade. PCI Express replaces AGP, allowing much larger amounts of data to move between the graphics card and the CPU, and will soon replace PCI expansion slots as well. The PCI standard allows for a 32-bit bus with a maximum throughput of 133MB/s. By contrast, PCI Express will run at 2.5GHz. PCI Express is a two-way serial connection that carries data in packets along two pairs of point-to-point data lines, compared to the single parallel data bus of traditional PCI. Gamers will benefit from an incredible upgrade in video quality with PCI Express, because it will allow for more powerful video cards, inspiring developers to create more realistic environments that will make games come alive with astonishingly lifelike colors and images. Video enthusiasts will also benefit because PCI Express will accommodate higher-quality video throughput (amount of data you can send per second). As network television moves over to HDTV broadcasts, PCI Express positions the PC platform for integration into the living room, while also allowing for HD video editing and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. PCI Express is compatible with existing PCI drivers and software operating systems and is designed to co-exist with current PCI hardware.

PC Sound Cards

A sound card (also known as an audio card) is a computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to/from a computer under control of computer programs. Typical uses of sound cards include providing the audio component for multimedia applications such as music composition, editing video or audio, presentation/education, and entertainment (games). Many computers have sound capabilities built in, while others require additional expansion cards to provide for audio capability. Sound cards usually feature a digital-to-analog converter, to convert recorded or generated digital data into an analog format. The output signal is typically connected to an amplifier, headphones, or external device using standard interconnects, such as a TRS connector or an RCA connector.

Another important characteristic of sound cards is polyphony, which is more than one distinct voice or sound playable simultaneously and independently, and the number of simultaneous channels. These are intended as the number of distinct electrical audio outputs, which may correspond to a speaker configuration such as 2.0 (stereo), 2.1 (stereo and sub woofer), 4.1 or 5.1 etc.). Sometimes, the terms "voices" and "channels" are used interchangeably to indicate the degree of polyphony, not the output speaker configuration.

Today, a sound card providing actual hardware polyphony, regardless of the number of output channels, is typically referred to as a "hardware audio accelerator", although actual voice polyphony is not the sole prerequisite, with other aspects such as hardware acceleration of 3D sound, positional audio, surround sound, and real-time DSP effects being more important. For that reason Surround Sound PCI Cards are among the most popular.

Since digital sound playback has become available and provided better performance than synthesis, modern soundcards with hardware polyphony don't actually use DACs with as many channels as voices, but rather perform voice mixing and effects processing in hardware inside a dedicated DSP. The final playback stage is performed by an external DAC with significantly fewer channels than voices (e.g., 8 channels for 7.1 audio, which can be divided among 32, 64 or even 128 voices).

The leading manufacturers of sound adaptors today are: Creative Labs, Diamond Multimedia, Sabrent, and others.

Warranty Terms

Manufacturer Warranty ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus Sound Card - PCIe, 5x Output 3.5mm RCA Jacks, 2x Input 3.5mm RCA Jacks, 1x Digital S/PDIF Limited warranty 12 months for parts and 12 months for labor. Support URL: http://www.service.asus.com Support Phone Number: 1-888-678-3688 Support Email Address: tsd@asus.com Extra Protection SquareTrade 2-Year Electronics Warranty $22.98 SquareTrade 3-Year Electronics Warranty $34.98

Get Extra Protection from SquareTrade The #1 Recommended Warranty! 5-Day Service Guarantee All Parts & Labor Covered No Hidden Fees or Deductibles Free Shipping or In-Home Service 24/7 Customer Support Transfer or Cancel Anytime Plus Optional Accidental Damage Protection available for drops & spills As Seen On More 5-star Reviews Than Any Other Warranty Benefits of a SquareTrade Warranty 5-Day Service Guarantee: We'll repair your product within 5 days of receiving it at our service depot, guaranteed! No more waiting around or wondering. (See below for details.) All Parts & Labor Covered: If something ever goes wrong with your product, you won't pay a penny more to get it fixed. No Hidden Fees or Deductibles:Add a SquareTrade warranty to your shopping cart now, pay once, and that's it. Free Shipping or In-Home Service: For portable electronics, your device ships free to our service depot. Laptops receive express shipping. And for desktops and large TVs, we'll schedule in-home repairs at your convenience. Then we pay the repair facility directly. 24/7 Customer Support: If something goes wrong, our experienced Warranty Service Specialists are available to help you any time, day or night. Transfer or Cancel Anytime: Selling your product? Or not convinced? Transfer your warranty to a new owner or get your money back – 100% hassle free. Accidental Damage (ADH) Protection: Did your laptop take a tumble off the table? Dunk your camera in your coffee? Get pushed in the pool with your MP3 player? No problem! SquareTrade has got you covered. With the ADH option, your device is protected against drops, cracks, and liquid spills – including full immersion! How Our Five-Day Service Guarantee Works SquareTrade's claim process is painless. Start a claim online or over the phone. Express shipping is free to and from SquareTrade's depot, and you'll be sent a special shipping box for fragile electronics. You'll receive email updates at every step in the process so you'll never be left in the dark: Five-Day Service Guarantee: SquareTrade will reimburse the full item price or fix your item and ship it back within five business days of receiving it at the depot, or your care plan is free. For large items with in-home service, a local technician will contact you to schedule service within five business days of claim approval (Since in-home service is dependent on the customer's schedule, repair times are not guaranteed within five days).