[section_title title=”Installation & Software”]Installation & Software
Although the ASUS Xonar U7 Echelon comes equipped with driver installation (utilities) disc, I always make a habit of going directly to the manufacturer’s website and downloading the latest drivers. Installing the drivers this way didn’t go without hitch and I have documented the said hiccup.
First of all when installing the driver, ASUS recommend setting the soundcard in USB 2.0 mode before you install the driver (remember the little switch?)Â Upon doing this, I was able to move onto the next step.
Here comes trouble, the driver setup abruptly halted and threw up the illustrated error. This was a common problem for ASUS with the U7 Echelon and many users have experience this. ASUS however have a patched driver which is available to download via the ASUS website which eradicates this error so have no fear, there is a fix!
Moving on from the palaver of installing and having to download 2 different drivers, the ASUS Xonar U7 Echelon like other Xonar range soundcards, comes with a pretty comprehensive software package. Here I have illustrated the different menu’s which allow users to tweak to their hearts content; plenty of options available and something for everyone, from the advanced audiophile to the regular Joe.
This includes the Sonic Radar feature and the included Dolby Home Theater v4.
Overall, I feel more could be done in terms of skinning as the panels themselves look quite dated in my opinion, even adding in something in regards to the digital camouflage but in terms of function, features and settings, ASUS have it right on the money.
