Asus Xonar Phoebus, Xonar Phoebus Solo User’s Manual

Xonar Phoebus
PCI Express 7.1-Channel
Gaming Soundcard
User’s manual
E11110
Revised Edition V3 November 2015
Copyright © 2015 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless such repair, modication of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the
product is defaced or missing.
ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT.
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN IT.
Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or
copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.
ii
Contents
Contents ...................................................................................................... iii
Contents ...................................................................................................... iv
Notices .......................................................................................................... v
Federal Communications Commission Statement .............................v
Canadian Department of Communications Statement .......................v
Australia statement notice ..................................................................v
Safety information ...................................................................................... vi
Trademarks ................................................................................................. vi
License ........................................................................................................ vi
1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Package Contents .............................................................. 1
1.2 System Requirements ........................................................ 1
1.3 General Specication ......................................................... 2
2. About Hardware .............................................................................. 4
2.1 Xonar Phoebus Audio Processing Card ............................ 4
3. Installing the Xonar Hardware ....................................................... 6
3.1 Preparing Your Computer .................................................. 6
3.2 Installing the Audio Processing Card ................................. 6
3.3 Connecting TV tuner card .................................................. 8
4. Installing Software .......................................................................... 9
4.1 Installing the Audio Card Driver ......................................... 9
4.2 Uninstalling or Reinstalling Software ................................. 9
5. Connecting Speakers and Peripherals ....................................... 11
5.1 Connecting to Phoebus Control Box ................................ 11
5.2 Connecting Digital Speaker Systems (Home Theater) .... 13
5.3 Connecting stereo headphones ....................................... 14
5.4 Connecting Analog Speaker Systems ............................. 16
5.5 Connecting Microphone ................................................... 21
5.6 Connecting Line-In audio sources ................................... 21
6. Xonar Phoebus Driver Guide ....................................................... 23
6.1 Introduction to the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center GUI ..... 23
6.2 Speaker Function Introduction ......................................... 25
6.3 Headphone Function Introduction .................................... 36
6.4 S/PDIF Function Introduction ........................................... 46
iii

Contents

6.5 Microphone Function Introduction .................................... 53
6.6 Line-in Device Function Introduction ................................ 61
6.7 Aux-in Device Function Introduction ................................ 64
6.8 Information Page Introduction .......................................... 67
6.9 Tray Icon Function Introduction ....................................... 67
7. Troubleshooting and FAQs .......................................................... 69
7.1 Troubleshooting ............................................................... 69
iv

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Australia statement notice

From 1 January 2012 updated warranties apply to all ASUS products, consistent with the Australian Consumer Law. For the latest product warranty details please visit http://support.asus.com. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure. If you require assistance please call ASUS Customer Service 1300 2787 88 or visit us at http://support.asus.com
v

Safety information

Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.
To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply
before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any signal cables to the device.
If the device is broken, do not try to x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service
technician or your retailer.
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately.
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet.
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualied
service technician or your retailer.
This symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products.

Trademarks

Xonar and ASUS logo are trademarks of ASUSTek Computer Inc. “Dolby” and “Dolby Digital Live”, “Dolby Pro Logic IIx”, “Dolby Virtual Speaker”, “Dolby Headphone” are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. “DTS” and “DTS CONNECT”, “DTS Interactive”, “DTS Neo: PC” are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc. EAX and A3D are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft, DirectSound3D, Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. ASIO is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media
Technologies GmbH.

License

Dolby Master Studio driver is manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories;
DTS Connect driver is manufactured under license from Digital Theater Systems, Inc.
vi

1. Introduction

1.1 Package Contents

XonarTM Phoebus 7.1 Channel PCI Express Audio Card
Phoebus Control Box
Driver CD
S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adaptor x1
ATX 4P-to- 6P Power Cable x1
Quick Start Guide

1.2 System Requirements

One PCI Express 1.0 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card
6-pin peripheral power cable connector from your computer’s power supply
unit (PSU)
Microsoft
Intel
More than 256 MB system memory
More than 60 MB available storage space for driver installation
CD-ROM drive (or DVD-ROM drive) for software installation
High-quality headphones, powered analog speakers, or a Dolby Digital decoder, to enjoy the audio card’s high delity
®
Windows® 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 (32/64bit) / XP(32/64bit) / Vista / MCE2005
®
Pentium® 4 1.4GHz or AMD Athlon 1400 CPU or faster CPU
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
1

1.3 General Specification

Items Description
Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A­Weighted)
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A­Weighted):
Output Total Harmonic Distortion +
Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) :
Input Total Harmonic Distortion +
Noise at 1kHz (-3dB) :
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-
bit/96kHz format):
Output / Input Full-Scale Voltage 2 Vrms (5.65 Vp-p)
Headphone Output Full-Scale Voltage
Bus Compatibility
PCI Express - PCI Express Rev.1.0a specication compatible
Main Chipset
Audio Processor ASUS CM8888 HDT High-Denition Sound Processor
24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources
High Fidelity Headphone Amplier Texas Instruments 6120A2*1 (120dB SNR, -117dB
24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs
Sample Rate and Resolution
Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution
Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution
S/PDIF Digital Output 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192KHz @ 16/24bit,
118dB for Front channel of Line-out 112dB for other channels of Line-out 110dB for Headphone-out with 600ohm load
118dB
0.00039% (-108dB) for Front channel of Line-out
0.00063% (-102dB) for other channels of Line-out
0.0019% (-94dB) for Headphone-out with 600ohm load
0.0003% (-110dB) for Line-in
< 10Hz to 46KHz
Up to 6.8 Vrms (supports headphones with up to 600ohms impedance)
- Max. full 2.5Gbps bandwidth per direction and
optimized latency for high-denition audio processing
- Compatible with x1, x4, x8, x16 PCI Express slots
(Max. 192KHz / 24bit)
Texas Instruments PCM1796 * 1 for Front-Out (123dB
SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)
Cirrus-Logic CS4362A * 1 for other 6 channels (114dB
SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)
THD+N @ Vcc±12V, RL=600Ω, f=1kHz)
Cirrus-Logic CS5381* 1 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/
24bit)
44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192KHz @ 16/24bit
Dolby Digital
(continued on the next page)
2
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
Items Description
I/O Ports
Analog Output Jack 3.5mm jack * 1 (Headphone out)
Analog Input Jack 3.5mm jack * 1 (Shared by Line-In / Mic-In)
Digital S/PDIF Output High-bandwidth TOS-Link combo port supports
192KHz/24bit
Other line-level analog input (for TV
Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
Tuner or CD-ROM):
Driver Features
Operating System Windows
®
10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 (32/64bit) / XP(32/64bit) / Vista
/ MCE2005
®
Dolby
Digital Live Dolby Digital Live encodes any audio signal on PC in
real-time to Dolby Digital (AC3) 5.1 surround sounds to your home theater environment through one single S/PDIF connection
®
Dolby
Headphone Dolby Headphone technology allows users to listen to
music, watch movies, or play games with the dramatic
5.1-channel surround or realistic 3D spacious effects through any set of stereo headphones.
®
Dolby
Virtual Speaker Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a highly
realistic 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers.
®
Dolby
Pro-Logic IIxx Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is the well-known technology to
process any native stereo or 5.1-channel audio into a 7.1- channel output, creating a seamless, natural
surround soundeld.
DirectSound3D Game EXtensions
3.0
GX 3.0 supports EAX gaming sound effects and DirectSound 3D hardware enhanced functions for more games on Windows Vista/Win 7 & XP. (DirectX/ DirectSound 3D compatible)
Smart Volume Normalizer
TM
Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a
constant level and also enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming
TM
FlexBass
Xear 3D
TM
Virtual Speaker Shifter Virtual 7.1 speaker positioning
Professional Bass Management / Enhancement system
Other Effects 10-band Equalier / 27 Environment Effects
ASIO 2.0 Driver Support: Supports 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96K/176.4K/192KHz
@16/24bit with very low latency
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
3

2. About Hardware

2.1 Xonar Phoebus Audio Processing Card

9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
12
10
11
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
4
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
No Item Description
Connect your external PC microphone to this 3.5mm
1 Microphone Input Port
jack for voice input. Built-in high-quality Microphone
pre-amplier.
2 Headphone Output Port
3 Box Link
Connect your headphones to this jack.
Connect the Xonar Phoebus Control Box to this 2.5mm port.
Connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players,
4 Line Input Port
music synthesizers, and other line-level sound sources
to this 3.5mm jack for audio recording or processing.
5 Front Output Port
6
7 Rear Output Port
Center/Subwoofer Out Port
For 2 channel speaker systems, connects to the front left / right input on the powered speakers.
Connect to the center / subwoofer input on 5.1/7.1 powered analog speakers.
Connect to the back surround input on 7.1 powered analog speakers.
Digital output jack. Connect to an external digital decoder or digital speaker systems, Home Theater
8
S/PDIF Output / Side Out port
systems, AV receivers for outputting digital audio including PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro, etc. Connect to the surround channel input on 5.1 powered analog speakers.
4-pin header. Usually connects to the Analog Audio output of TV tuner card or other sound source inside
9 Aux Input Header
your PC system. (To monitor your TV tuner card’s audio from this Aux-In, you must enable the “monitor” function for Aux-In in the Xonar Audio Center software’s recording mixer.)
10 S/PDIF Out Header
11
12
Power connector
PCI Express Bus Golden Fingers
Connects to the graphics card with HDMI support.
Connects to the 6-pin power cable of your power supply unit.
Inserts into the PCI Express slot on your motherboard.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
5

3. Installing the Xonar Hardware

3.1 Preparing Your Computer

Before you proceed with the following installation steps, it’s recommended that you disable your onboard audio device in your BIOS settings, or uninstall any other sound cards on your PC. (For BIOS setting or uninstallation of other sound cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and sound card)
1. Power OFF the computer, the monitor, and all other peripheral devices connected to your computer.
2. Unplug the computer power cord from your computer and power outlet.
3. Touch the metal back or side panel of the computer to avoid static electricity.
4. Remove the chassis cover.
5. Remove the metal bracket from an available PCIE slot for the Xonar Phoebus audio card.

3.2 Installing the Audio Processing Card

1. Face the bracket of the Xonar Phoebus audio card toward the back panel of your computer and insert the audio card gently into an available PCI Express slot. Make sure it’s completely inserted into the PCI Express slot. (Warning! Do not force the audio card into the slot. Make sure that the gold pins of the card's PCI Express connector are aligned with the motherboard’s PCI Express connector before you insert the card into the PCI Express slot. If it
does not t properly, gently remove it and try again.)
6
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
2. Secure the audio card bracket to the back of your computer with the screw that you removed. Refer to section 3.1.
3. Connect the power cable of your power supply to the power connector on the Xonar Phoebus audio card.
The PCI Express high-quality audio card requires additional power from your computer. If the power cable is not connected properly, the audio card will not work at all.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
7

3.3 Connecting TV tuner card

If you have a traditional PCI or PCI Express TV tuner card on your PC, you may need to connect it to the audio card to send the tuner card’s sound to your PC speakers.
1. Secure the PCI/PCI Express TV tuner card and screw it into the back-panel.
2. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header
of the audio card, as shown in the gure below.
For optimum TV audio quality, Xonar uses ADC recording to digitize the signal
and loops it back to DAC playback. Please select Aux-In as the recording source in the Xonar Audio Center’s recording mixer and enable the monitoring button to pass this signal to the audio output. Using this setup, you can even turn on sound effects such as Pro-Logic IIx to expand the stereo TV audio to 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound. TV audio on your PC will become even better than on your TV set!
8
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

4. Installing Software

4.1 Installing the Audio Card Driver

1. After you have installed your audio card, turn on your computer. Windows automatically detects your audio card and searches for device drivers. When prompted for the audio drivers, click the Cancel.
®
2. Insert the Support CD into the optical drive. If Windows enabled in your system, the setup starts automatically. If not, double-click the setup.exe from your Support CD.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to nish the installation.
The version and content of the support CD are subject to change without notice.

4.2 Uninstalling or Reinstalling Software

4.2.1 Uninstalling Software
1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Click the Change or Remove Programs button.
4. Select each program you would like to remove, and then click the Add/ Remove (or Change/Remove) button.
AutoPlay mode is
5. In the InstallShield Wizard dialog box, select the Remove option.
6. Restart your computer when prompted.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
9
4.2.2 Reinstalling Software
To reinstall the Xonar Phoebus card driver:
1. Before reinstalling any software, it’s recommended to uninstall the existing
software rst.
2. After nishing the uninstallation of the software, please follow the installation
process again to reinstall the same or updated software.
10
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

5. Connecting Speakers and Peripherals

5.1 Connecting to Phoebus Control Box

5.1.1 Connecting Phoebus Box
1
Mic in
2
HP out
Box link
Line in
Ctr / Sbw
Side / SPDIF out
3
Front
Rear
No Item Description
1 Microphone Input Port
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug from the Phoebus Control Box into this Mic-In port for voice communication, recording or karaoke.
2 Headphone Port
The headphone port has a built-in high-quality amplier
to drive headphones. Connect the Phoebus Control box directly to this port.
3 Box Link Port
Connect the Phoebus Control box directly to this port.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
11
5.1.2 Connecting Phoebus Box with external headphone and
Headphone Ou
microphone
1
t
Mic In
2
No Item Description
1 Headphone Port
2 Microphone Input Port
Connect headphone to headphone port on Phoebus Control box
Connect microphone’s 3.5mm plug to Phoebus Control Box Mic-In port.
12
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

5.2 Connecting Digital Speaker Systems (Home Theater)

Headphone Out
Xonar Phoebus makes playback through your home theater system possible, creating an impressive surround sound experience. A single digital cable connection can carry high-quality digital audio from any of your PC audio sources to any digital speakers or AV Receivers.
Mic In
Box Link
Line In
Front
1
2
Center / Sub
Rear
SPDIF / Side
No Item Description
1 Optical adapter
Plug the optical TOSLINK adapter into the S/PDIF-Out connector.
2 Optical cable
Connect your decoder’s S/PDIF-In port to the optical adapter with the TOSLINK optical cable.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
13

5.3 Connecting stereo headphones

Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
5.3.1 Connecting stereo headphones
Connecting stereo hadphones
1
No Item Description
1 Headphone Out Port
The Headphone Out Port has a built-in high-quality
amplier to drive headphones. Please connect your
stereo headphones directly to this jack.
14
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
Connecting 5.1 channel hadphones
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
No Item Description
1 Front Out
2 Back Surround Out
3 Center/Subwoofer
Out
Connect the front-channel 3.5mm plug of your 5.1 headphones into this jack.
Connects to the Back Surround input port with the mini­jack cable.
Connect the Center/Bass-channel 3.5mm plug of your
5.1 headphone into this jack.
1
3
2
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
15

5.4 Connecting Analog Speaker Systems

5.4.1 Connecting Analog Power Amplifier
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
1
Front
3
Ctr / Sbw
2
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
No Item Description
1 Front Out
2 Back Surround Out
3 Center/Subwoofer
Connects to the “left front” and “right front” input ports of the
analog amplier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.
Connects to the Back Surround input port with the mini-jack cable.
Connects to the “Center” and “subwoofer” input ports of the
analog amplier with the mini-jack to RCA cable.
16
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
5.4.2 Connecting 2/2.1 Channel Speakers
2 Speakers
AUDIO
INPUTS
No Item Description
1 Front Out Port
Connect the 2 channel speaker set’s 3.5mm plug into this Front Out jack.
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
1
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
17
4 Speakers
AUDIO
INPUTS
Side
No Item Description
1 Front Out
AUDIO INPUTS
Front
Connects to the Front input port of the 4/4.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
2 Back Surround Out
Connects to the Back Surround input port with the mini­jack cable.
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
1
2
18
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
5.1 Speakers
AUDIO
INPUTS
Center/
Front
Side
Subwoofer
No Item Description
1 Front Out
Connects to the Front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
2 Back Surround Out
Connects to the Back Surround input port with the mini­jack cable.
3 Center/Subwoofer
Connects to the Center/Subwoofer input port of the 5.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable..
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
1
3
2
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
19
Connecting 7.1 channel speakers
7.1 speakers
AUDIO
INPUTS
Rear
Side
Front
AUDIO
INPUTS
Center/ Subwoofer
No Item Description
1 Front Out
Connects to the Front input port of the 7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
2 Side Surround Out
Connects to the Surround input port of the 7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
3 Back Surround Out
Connects to the Back Surround input port of the 7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
4 Center/Subwoofer
Connects to the Center/Subwoofer input port of the 7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable.
Mic in
HP out
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
1
3
4
2
20
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

5.5 Connecting Microphone

1
1
Mic in
2
HP out
Box link
No Item Description
1 Microphone Input
Port
2 Headphone Port
Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug into this Mic-In port for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.
The headphone port has a built-in high-quality amplier
to drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones directly to this jack.

5.6 Connecting Line-In audio sources

Mic in
HP out
CD Player
Box link
Line in
Front
Ctr / Sbw
Rear
Side / SPDIF out
1
2
1
MP3 Player
No Item Description
1 Line Input Jack
Connect the 3.5mm plug of the CD/MP3 Player or any other Line level analog audio sources into this Line-In jack for sound recording.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
21
22
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

6. Xonar Phoebus Driver Guide

6.1 Introduction to the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center GUI

1. After nishing the driver installation and rebooting your computer, you will nd the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center’s icon in the system tray on the bottom
right-hand corner of the screen. Double click this icon to open the Xonar Audio Center utility.
If the icon could not be found in the system tray, go to the Windows Control Panel and double click the “Xonar Phoebus Audio Center” icon.
6.1.1 Function Pop-up Menu
Xear Audio Center provides serveral sound effects. There is a pop menu for each output / input device and you can enter the sound effect page to enjoy music, movie and gaming.
To open the pop-up menu:
1. Double-click the left button of the mouse on the Device icon.
2. Left-click the mouse on the Device icon.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
23
6.1.2 Audio Status Panel
2
1
No Item Description
1 Playback (Speaker
Out)
2 Capture (Mic In)
3 Speaker Numbers
4 Sample Rate
5 Audio Output effect
indicator
6 In effect indicator
7 Switch to Profile
Panel button
8 Smart Volume
Normalizer (SVN) (Vista / XP only)
9 Volume Adjust
10 Mute / Unmute
11 SonarMax
12 GX
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Indicates the output default device.
Indicates the input default device.
Indicates the speaker numbers for Speaker device only.
Indicates the sample rate of playback sources.
Indicates the playback sound effect status.
Abbreviation of Sound effect: EQ: Equalizer EM: Environment Effects VSS: 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter FB: Flex Bass II KS: Xear SingFX for key shifting VF: Xear SingFX for vocal fading XS: Xear Surround
Indicates the playback sound effect status.
Abbreviation of Sound effect: SF: Xear SingFX for microphone echo SF: Xear SingFX for Magic Voice
Click to switch the status bar to the Prole panel.
Click to enable the SVN function. SVN is abbreviated from
Smart Volume Normalization, which normalizes the volume
of all audio sources into a constant level and also enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming.
Click to increase or decrease volume.
Click to mute or unmute a device.
Click to enable SonarMax with amplied 3D/2D sounds.
Click to enable GX 2.0.
11
12
24
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.1.3 Profile Panel
This prole panel for sound effect contails a preset mode and a user-dened mode.
1 2
4
No Item Description
1 Profile Mode
2 Add Profile
3 Delete Profile
4 Switch Button
Click to select the presets in prole mode.
Adjust specic sound effects (EQ, EM etc…) settings and click “+” to create a user-dened mode.
Click to delete a user-dened mode.
Click to switch between the Prole panel and Audio Status
Panel.

6.2 Speaker Function Introduction

3
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
25
6.2.1 Dolby® Home Theater (Windows® 7 Only)
Function Introduction
The following items will be replaced by Dolby® Home Theater V4 under
Windows® 7 Operating System.
- 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter
- 10-Band Equalizer
Refer to Dolby’s ofcial manual for Dolby® Home Theater V4 functions.
26
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.2.2 Volume Control
Function Introduction
1
2
3
4
The function allows you to control the volume of the Speaker.
No Item Description
1 Volume Control bar
2 Left/ Right Channel
Lock
3 Mute / Un-mute
4 dB Input Area
Master – Adjust the volume level for all channels. Front - Adjust the volume level for the front channel.
Click to lock the left / right channel to sync L/R channel.
Click to mute or ummute all channels.
Key in a dB value in this eld to set the volume level.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
27
6.2.3 Speaker Setting
Function Introduction
2 1
This function allows you to set the speaker numbers (stereo, quadraphonic, 5.1 surround, 7.1 surround).
No Item Description
1 LFE / Center Channel
Swap
2 Surround Max
When enabled, the function can swap the audio stream between Center/LFE. (Available for 5.1 and above)
When enabled, the function allows the stereo to have the
benets of multi-surround effects.
28
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.2.4 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
This function allows you to set the sample rate for the Speaker.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K
88.2 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 88.2K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K
176.4 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 176K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
2
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
29
6.2.5 Equalizer
Function Introduction
1
2
3
4
This 10-band EQ function allows you to adjust the EQ band manually and create
customized preset items or click to select a preset EQ mode.
No Item Description
1 EQ enable/disable
switch
2 EQ band controller
3 Manual mode
4 Preset mode
Click to enable / disable EQ.
Change the gain setting for each band (30/ 60/ 120/ 250/ 500/ 1K/ 2K/ 4K/ 8K/ 16K).
Change the gain setting for each band, key in a name in the input eld and then click save to add your new setting. New setting will appear in the Manual Mode List. Click trash to delete settings.
Select a preset mode for equalizer that is designed
accordingly. There are 12 preset modes such as Bass,
Treble, Live, Rock, Jazz, etc.
30
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.2.6 Environment Effect
Function Introduction
1
2
3
This function provides 28 special environment emulations for different sound
reections and revweberation.
No Item Description
1 Environment Effect
enable/disable switch
2 Environment Effect
mode
3 Room Size
Click on the check box to enable / disable Environment Effect.
Click on an Environment Effect button or drop the dropdown list to choose an Environment Effect.
Change the Room Size icon to simulate a larger or smaller
space.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
31
6.2.7 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter
Function Introduction
1
2
3
8
7
6
5
No Item Description
1 7.1 Virtual speaker
shifter enable/disable switch
2 Virtual Speaker (L/R/
Ls/Rs/Lb/Rb/C/W)
3 Volume Control
Click on the check box to enable / disable 7.1 Virtual Speaker to simulate the speaker direction and distance.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
4 Volume indicator
5 Reset
Indicate the volume of each channel.
Reset the location of virtual speakers / virtual listener to default.
6 Manual Shifting (Free
Moving Mode)
7 Manually Rotation
Mode
8 Auto Rotation Mode
Use the pointer to click and drag to move the location of individual virtual speakers.
Use mouse to rotate the virtual speakers on the screen manually.
The virtual speakers rotate clockwise or counterclockwise slowly.
4
32
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.2.8 Flex Bass II
Function Introduction
1
5
2
4
3
This function allows you to increase / decrease the LFE strength. This function
would cut the low frequency band (50~250Hz) of stereo music content (eg.
Mp3,WMA, CD Audio) and transfer to subwoofer or each speaker.
No Item Description
1 Flex Bass II enable/
disable switch
2 Bass Level
3 Speaker Size
4 Speaker Diagram
5 Cut Off Frequency
Click on this check box to enable / disable Flex Bass II.
The bass level range is from -12 to 12dB.
Small Speaker w/o bass
When the speaker size is set to small, you can hear the
sound resonance more obvious and reverberation from subwoofer.
You can also check the speaker size from this home theater
diagram.
The cut off range of low frequency is from 50Hz to 250Hz.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
33
6.2.9 Xear SingFX
Function Introduction
1
2
Xear SingFX function provides two features for karaoke applications.
No Item Description
1 Key Shifting switch
2 Vocal Fading
It provides the key change function. There are four steps to shift up or down. Use the slide bar to change the key level.
It provides the vocal removing function for any stereo music content (eg. Mp3, WMA and CD). Use the slide bar to change the vocal fading level.
34
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.2.10 Xear Surround Speaker
Function Introduction
1
2
3
No Item Description
1 Xear Surround
Speaker enable/ disable switch
2 Surround Max
3 Sound Field
Expansion & Speaker Angle
The Xear Surround Speaker allows you to enjoy the multichannel effects on stereo. Click the checkbox to enable or disable it.
Click the checkbox to enable or disenable the Surround Max.
Change to simulate a larger or smaller space.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
35

6.3 Headphone Function Introduction

Function Introduction
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
36
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.3.1 Dolby® Home Theater (Windows® 7 Only)
Function Introduction
The following items will be replaced by Dolby® Home Theater V4 under
Windows® 7 Operating System.
- 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter
- 10-Band Equalizer
Refer to Dolby’s ofcial manual for Dolby® Home Theater V4 functions.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
37
6.3.2 Volume Control
Function Introduction
No Item Description
1 Volume control bar
2 Left/ Right Channel
Lock
3 dB Input Area
4 Mute / Un-mute
Adjust the volume level for all channels.
Click the lock/ unlock button to lock / unlock the left channel and right channel to sync L/R channel.
Key in a dB value in this text box to set the volume level.
Click this button to enable / disable the mute function
1
2
3
4
38
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.3.3 Headphone Settings
Function Introduction
You can set the gain setting based on your headphone impedance.
No Item Description
1 Normal Gain
High Gain Extra High Gain
0dB for < 64 ohms 6dB for 64 ~150 ohms 12dB for > ohms
1
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
39
6.3.4 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
2
This function page provides a sample rate setting for the headphone device.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K
88.2 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 88.2K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K
176.4 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 176K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
40
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.3.5 Equalizer
Function Introduction
1
2
4
3
This 10-band EQ function allows you to adjust the EQ band manually and create
customized preset items or click to select a preset EQ mode.
No Item Description
1 EQ enable/disable
switch
2 EQ band controller
3 Manual mode
4 Preset mode
Click on this check box to enable / disable the Equalizer.
Change the gain setting for each band (30/ 60/ 120/ 250/ 500/ 1K/ 2K/ 4K/ 8K/ 16K)
Change the gain setting for each band and key in a name in the input eld, and then click save to add your new setting. The new setting will appear in the Manual Mode List. Click trash to delete settings.
Select a preset mode for equalizer that is designed
accordingly. There are 12 preset modes, such as Bass,
Treble, Live, Rock, Jazz and so on.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
41
6.3.6 Environment Effects
Function Introduction
1
2
3
This function provides 28 special environment emulations for you to enjoy different
sound reection and reverberation.
No Item Description
1 Environment Effect
enable/disable switch
2 Environment Effect
mode
3 Room Size
Click on this check box to enable / disable the Environment Effects.
Click on an Environment effect button or drop the dropdown list to choose an Environment effect.
Change the “Room Size” to simulate a larger or smaller
space.
42
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.3.7 Virtual Speaker Shifter
Function Introduction
1
2
3
8
7
6
5
No Item Description
1 7.1 Virtual Speaker
Shifter enable/disable switch
2 Virtual Speaker (L/R/
Ls/Rs/Lb/Rb/C/W)
3 Volume Control
The 7.1 Virtual Speaker simulates the speaker direction and distance. Click the check box to enable / disable it.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
4 Volume indicator
5 Reset
Indicate the volume of each channel.
Reset the location of virtual speakers / virtual listener to default.
6 Manual Shifting (Free
Moving Mode)
7 Manually Rotation
Mode
8 Auto Rotation Mode
Use the pointer to click and drag to move the location of individual virtual headphones.
Use the mouse to rotate the virtual speakers on the screen manually.
The virtual speakers rotate clockwise or counterclockwise slowly.
4
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
43
6.3.8 Xear SingFX
Function Introduction
1
2
The Xear SingFX function provides two features for karaoke applications.
No Item Description
1 Key Shifting switch
2 Vocal Fading
It provides the key change function. There are four steps to shift up or down. Use the slide bar to change the key level.
It provides the vocal removing function for any stereo music content (eg. Mp3, WMA and CD). Use the slide bar to change the vocal fading level.
44
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.3.9 Xear Surround Headphone
Function Introduction
1
2
3
No Item Description
1 Xear Surround
Headphone enable/ disable switch
2 Surround Max
3 Room Size
The Xear Surround Headphone allows you to enjoy multichannel effects on stereo. Click the check box to enable or disable it.
Click the check box to enable or disenable the Surround Max.
Change the “Room Size” to simulate a larger or smaller
space.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
45

6.4 S/PDIF Function Introduction

Function Introduction
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
46
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.4.1 Volume Control
Function Introduction
No Item Description
1 Volume Control bar
2 Left/ Right Channel
Lock
3 dB Input Area
4 Mute / Un-mute
Adjust the volume level for all channels.
Click the lock/ unlock button to lock / unlock the left channel and right channel to sync L/R channel.
Key in a dB value in this text box to set the volume level.
Click the button to enable / disable the mute function.
1
2
3
4
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
47
6.4.2 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
This function allows you to set the sample rate for the S/PDIF device.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K
88.2 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 88.2K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K
176.4 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 176K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
2
48
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.4.3 Equalizer
Function Introduction
1
2
4
3
The 10-band EQ function allows you to adjust the EQ band manually and create
customized preset items or click to select a preset EQ mode.
No Item Description
1 EQ enable/disable
switch
2 EQ band controller
3 Manual mode
4 Preset mode
Click on this check box to enable / disable the Equalizer.
Change the gain setting for each band (30/ 60/ 120/ 250/ 500/ 1K/ 2K/ 4K/ 8K/ 16K)
Change the gain setting for each band and key in a name in the input eld, and then click save to add your new setting. The new setting will appear in the Manual Mode List. Click trash to delete settings.
Select a preset mode for equalizer that is designed
accordingly. There are 12 preset modes, such as Bass,
Treble, Live, Rock, Jazz and so on.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
49
6.4.4 Environment Effects
Function Introduction
1
2
3
This function provides 28 special environment emulations for you to enjoy different
sound reection and reverberation.
No Item Description
1 Environment Effect
enable/disable switch
2 Environment Effect
mode
3 Room Size
Click on this check box to enable / disable the Environment Effects.
Click on an Environment Effect button or drop the dropdown list to choose an Environment Effect.
Change the “Room Size” to simulate a larger or smaller
space.
50
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.4.5 Virtual Speaker Shifter
Function Introduction
1
2
3
8
7
6
5
No Item Description
1 7.1 Virtual speaker
shifter enable/disable switch
2 Virtual Speaker (L/R/
Ls/Rs/Lb/Rb/C/W)
3 Volume Control
The 7.1 Virtual Speaker simulates the speaker direction and distance. Click the check box to enable / disable it.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
Each virtual speaker virtualizes one channel of the 7.1
channel speakers in the real world.
4 Volume indicator
5 Reset
Indicate the volume of each channel.
Reset the location of virtual speakers / virtual listener to default.
6 Manual Shifting (Free
Moving Mode)
7 Manually Rotation
Mode
8 Auto Rotation Mode
Use the pointer to click and drag to move the location of individual virtual headphones.
Use the mouse to rotate the virtual speakers on the screen manually.
The virtual speakers rotate clockwise or counterclockwise slowly.
4
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
51
6.4.6 Xear SingFX
Function Introduction
1
2
The Xear SingFX function provides two features for karaoke applications.
No Item Description
1 Key Shifting switch
2 Vocal Fading
It provides the key change function. There are four steps to shift up or down. Use the slide bar to change the key level.
It provides the vocal removing function for any stereo music content (eg. Mp3, WMA and CD). Use the slide bar to change the vocal fading level.
52
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

6.5 Microphone Function Introduction

Function Introduction
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
53
6.5.1 Volume Control
Function Introduction
No Item Description
1 Volume Control bar
2 dB Input Area
3 Mute / Un-mute
4 Monitor
Adjust the volume level of all channels.
Key in a dB value in this text box to set the volume level.
Click the button to enable / disable the mute function.
Click the checkbox to enable monitoring.
1
2
3
4
54
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.5.2 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
2
This function allows you to set the sample rate for the microphone device.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
55
6.5.3 Xear SingFX
Function Introduction
1
The Xear SingFX function provides two features for karaoke applications.
No Item Description
1 Microphone Echo
Click the check box to enable / disable the Microphone Echo function. Use the slide bar to adjust the echo level.
56
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.5.4 Xear Magic Voice
Function Introduction
1
While talking to your friends online (eg.Messenger, VOIP, online game applications), use the “Magic Voice” effects to simulate funny voices.
Choose one type of voice only at one time.
2
No Item Description
1 Xear Magic Voice
Click this check box to enable / disable the Microphone Magic Voice function.
2 Magic Voice mode
(Monster/Carton/Male/ Female)
Click to choose a magic voice mode.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
57
6.5.5 ROG Command Beam Forming
Function Introduction
1
Beam Forming function is available only when the Control Box is connected to the audio card without any other external microphones.
No Item Description
1 Beaming Forming
58
Click the check box to enable / disable the Beam Forming function.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.5.6 ROG Command ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation)
Function Introduction
1
ENC is available only when the Control Box is connected to the audio card with an external microphones.
No Item Description
1 Environmental Noise
Cancellation
Click the check box to enable / disable the Environmental Noise Cancellation function.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
59
6.5.7 Microphone Boost
Function Introduction
1
No Item Description
1 Microphone Boost
Drag the slide bar to boost microphone volume and sensitivity
60
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

6.6 Line-in Device Function Introduction

Function Introduction
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
61
6.6.1 Volume Control
Function Introduction
No Item Description
1 Volume Control bar
2 Left/ Right Channel
Lock
3 dB Input Area
4 Mute / Un-mute
5 Monitor
Adjust the volume level of all channels.
Click the lock/ unlock button to lock / unlock the left channel and right channel to sync L/R channel.
Key in a dB value intthis text box to set the volume level.
Click the button to enable / disable the mute function.
Click the checkbox to enable monitoring.
1
2
3
4
5
62
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.6.2 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
This function allows you to set the sample rate for the line-in device.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K
88.2 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 88.2K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K
176.4 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 176K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
2
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
63

6.7 Aux-in Device Function Introduction

Function Introduction
Click the device icon on the right side to open the pop-up menu.
64
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
6.7.1 Volume Control
Function Introduction
No Item Description
1 Volume Control bar
2 Left/ Right Channel
Lock
3 dB Input Area
4 Mute / Un-mute
5 Monitor
Adjust the volume level for all channels.
Click the lock/ unlock button to lock / unlock the left channel and right channel to sync L/R channel.
Key in a dB value in this text box to set the volume level.
Click the button to enable / disable the mute function.
Click the checkbox to enable monitoring.
1
2
3
4
5
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
65
6.7.2 Sample Rate
Function Introduction
1
2
This function allows you to set the sample rate setting for the aux-in device.
No Item Description
1 Sample Rate button
2 Bit Depth button
44.1 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 44.1K 48 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 48K 96 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 96K 192 KHz - set the playback sample rate to 192K
16bit - set the playback bit depth to 16bit 24bit - set the playback bit depth to 24bit
66
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

6.8 Information Page Introduction

This page lists the driver information and the technologies’ trademark logo. You can get both hardware/software details and legal information references here.
Click the device icon on the left side to open the pop-up menu.

6.9 Tray Icon Function Introduction

Open the “CPL Tray Icon Function List” by right-clicking on the tray Icon in the system tray.
1. Open: Click the Open item to restore the USB Audio Software CPL.
2. Volume Control: Click the Volume Control item to launch the Volume Mixer of Windows OS, which allows you to control the volume of speakers and other audio devices seperately.
3. Windows Media Player: Click the Windows Media Player item to launch the Microsoft Windows Media Player.
4. Sound Recorder: Click the Sound Recorder item to open the Windows Sound recorder.
5. Multimedia Properties: Launch the Multimedia Properties page of Windows OS to select the working sample rate & bit rate.
(1) Select the Speakers device and then click the properties button.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
67
(2) Click the Advanced tab and click the dropdown list to open default
format support list as shown in the diagram below.
(3) Follow the same step to change the sample rate & bit rate for
Microphone device.
6. Open ASIO: Click to open ASIO.
7. Settings: Click setting to launch the Advanced Settings page as shown
below.
(1) Language Select: Change the UI language. (2) UI Transparent: Adjust the UI vision of transparent. (3) Show System Tray Icon: Check Show System Tray Icon box to show
the Xear Audio center icon in the system tray.
8. Exit: Click Exit to exit the tray Icon from the system tray.
68
ASUS Xonar Phoebus

7. Troubleshooting and FAQs

7.1 Troubleshooting

1: I cannot install the audio card driver in my PC.
Instructions:
(1). Make sure that you have properly plugged the audio card into the PCI
Express slot on your motherboard.
(2). Check that the Windows hardware Device Manager has discovered a
multimedia audio device. If no device is found, please try scanning for new hardware.
(3). Try to restart your Windows.
(4). Remove the card and plug it into another PCI Express slot.
2: I cannot find the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center.
Instructions:
(1). Make sure you have installed the driver.
(2). Find the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center icon in the system tray on the right
bottom of the screen. Double click the icon to launch the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center utility.
(3). If you cannot nd the icon in the system tray, go to the Windows Control
Panel and double click the “Xonar Phoebus Audio Center” icon to make it visible in the system tray again.
(4). After the driver installation is complete, it’s recommended that you reboot
your computer to complete the setup. If the icon still doesn’t appear, please try installing the driver package again.
3. I can’t hear any sound from my analog speakers
Instructions:
(1). The Xonar Phoebus PCI Express audio card needs the power cable to supply
additional power in addition to the basic PCI Express bus power. Please double check you have plugged the small 6-pin power plug into the Xonar Phoebus power connector. If you did not plug the internal power, the Xonar Phoebus audio center will remind you a warning message and won’t allow your operation when you double click the Xonar Phoebus audio center icon in the system tray.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
69
(2). Please ensure that you have connected speakers properly and have powered
on your speakers.
(3). Please ensure that the device master volume or the software player has NOT
been muted on the Xonar Phoebus Audio Center.
(4). If you are using Dolby Digital Live encoder through the S/PDIF output, the
analog output will be muted to get rid of the interference between your digital speaker system and analog speakers or headphones. Please check if this is the case.
(5). Please go to the sound and audio device of Windows Control Panel to check
if the playback default device is set to Xonar Phoebus Audio Device, instead of other onboard AC97 or HDA codec device. If it’s not, please set it to Xonar Phoebus Audio Device and restart your applications.
(6). Please try restart your Windows.
4. I can’t hear any sound from the S/PDIF output
Instructions:
(1). Please ensure that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Audio Center GUI
(Main page).
(2). Please ensure that you have connected the correct S/PDIF output jack in the
card to the decoder’s (AV receiver) S/PDIF input jack.
(3). You may need to select the correct input and mode of your decoder or AV
receiver. For Dolby Digital or DTS output, you may have to double check that the AV receiver is in that decoding mode.
(4). If you are using 192KHz PCM output, please make sure that your decoder
can support 192KHz decoding. Try changing it to 44.1K or 48KHz rst.
5. I can’t hear audio input (Mic, Line-in, AUX, etc.) from my speakers
Instructions:
(1). Please select the correct input as the recording source. If you are using
Windows Vista/Win 7, please also go to system audio control panel to see the current default recording/input device is right.
(2). Please remember to turn on the digital monitoring button for that recording
source.
6. I can’t hear the TV tuner audio from my speakers
Instructions:
(1). If you are using a traditional TV tuner card which has analog audio output,
please connect it to the Aux-In header on the audio card
70
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
(2). Select Aux as the recording source and remember to turn on the digital
monitoring button in the recording mixer page.
(3). If you are using a TV tuner card which has digital audio output instead
of analog, please check that the sound is not muted and whether other applications can play normally. If you still have problem, please read the TV tuner card’s software user guide.
7.2 FAQ
Q1: Does the Xonar Phoebus support Windows Vista / Win 7?
Answer:
Yes, the Xonar Phoebus driver package does support Windows Vista / Win 7 32/64 bit and most key features are available. In addition, the Xonar Phoebus supports unique GX on Windows Vista / Win 7, which can recover DirectSound 3D hardware and EAX gaming sound effects on Vista / Win 7 for a lot of existing DirectX games.
Q2: Why does the Xonar Phoebus support Dolby technology?
Answer:
Dolby is the ONLY brands and technology recognized by the CE industry and
available on a wide range of audio equipment. The Xonar Phoebus includes these features to make your PC a powerful media and entertainment center.
Q3: Does the Xonar Phoebus support EAX on Vista / Win 7?
Answer:
Yes, The Xonar Phoebus can support EAX not only on Windows XP but also on Vista / Win 7 through innovative GX3.0 technology.
Q4: Why do I need Dolby for PC games?
Answer:
(1). Dolby Headphone is available in the latest game consoles, like
XBOX360, PS3, and Wii. Dolby can provide the best gaming sound experience and compatibility with home theater or TV systems.
(2). Dolby Headphone is the best 3D sound positioning, spatial modeling and
5.1-channel virtualization technology for regular stereo headphones and
speakers.
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
71
Q6: Will PCM sound output through S/PDIF be just 2 channels even with different analog output channels?
Answer:
The S/PDIF protocol specication (IEC-60958) can only carry 2-channel PCM
data or non-PCM AC3/DTS data. So, when a user selects PCM output for S/ PDIF, the Xonar Phoebus audio card will always deliver 2 channel PCM data through the S/PDIF output port. To attain the 5.1 channel surround sound, you can select DDO, which allows the Xonar Phoebus to deliver 5.1 surround sound for DVD movies, and even stereo music.
72
ASUS Xonar Phoebus
Loading...