[section_title title=”Packaging &Â Closer Look”]Packaging &Â Closer LookÂ
Right, lets start the review with a look at the box and what’s inside.
As you can see we have a black and red design, as is to be expected on most ASUS products; I do like the design though, it kind of reminds me of the Sony XMB. The box gives us our model name, a list of some headline features such as the included Sonic Studio software and the dedicated headphone amp. We also have a large picture of the device itself and it is worth noting that the Xonar U5 is pitched as a ‘gaming’ part.
The side of the box list the same key selling points as the front.
The other side gives us some slightly more detailed information, with a system requirements list.
The back of the box has a load of information, it talks about the software, the benefits of a headphone amp, how much better the U5 should be than motherboard audio and has a labelled diagram to mention just some of the information here (don’t forget to view the pictures in full res if you want to read the information for yourself).
We also have a lid on the front of the box with flips open to tell us even more about the included software.
Opening up the box and sliding out the contents presents us with our first peek at the U5, as you would expect for a product like this it’s pretty understated design wise.
In terms of accessories in the box we have a quick start guide, a user manual, a driver disk, a USB A-B cable and a Toslink to SPIDIF adaptor.
Right, on to the U5 itself and looking at it top down we can see it is very clean, with the Xonar U5 branding at the bottom left corner, the LEDs to signify output in the middle and the volume wheel just next to it. I like how the volume wheel sits in what almost looks like the opening of a ported speaker enclosure.
The front of the U5 has a little toggle switch right in the middle, and this actually controls the volume of the microphone input.
On to the back of the U5 and from left to right we have: microphone in/line in, headphone (amplified) out, 5.1 analogue out, SPIDIF out and finally our USB power/data connector. That’s a pretty epic amount of compatibility, especially when you consider you can use all the outputs at once and switch between them on the fly!
The bottom of the U5 is pretty normal, but as you can see we have four rubber feet to stop it sliding on the desk and there is also a USB 1.1 legacy switch. I can’t picture anyone still using a computer with USB 1 considering this device as a priority purchase but hey, its there.
So, the packaging is the usual ASUS red and black and wasn’t a faff to get into at all so no complaints there. The U5 itself is a nice looking little bit of kit, perfect for what it is; stealthy enough to fit in anywhere but it still features good ergonomics. I will say though for a device in the mid £60 range I would expect some slightly nicer materials, the build quality is great but the plastic does feel a bit cheap. Otherwise though its a well thought out, nicely presented bit of kit.
