[section_title title=”Performance”]Performance
So once the Xonar U7 Echelon is plugged in via the provided USB cable, you have installed the correct drivers/utility, then you are ready to go! With that, comes the testing so here is what I used and my methodology:
Equipment Used:
Devices & Sound Processors:
SteelSeries Siberia Elite headset
Corsair SP2500 speakers
ASUS Xonar U7 Echelon Edition USB Sound card
Realtek ALC1150
To compare the audio quality, I decided to compare it against the on-board found on the MSI Z87 G43 Gaming which features the Realtek ALC1150 which features Sound Blaster Cinema. This is considered better than regular “cheap” sound chips found on a lot of motherboards so it should make for an interesting comparison.
I also decided to test a headset which actually supports Dolby itself and a set of regular computer speakers well known for their clarity/performance. I have also split the testing into 3 different sections which are gaming, music and features.
Gaming
Although the U7 Echelon is a portable device and would probably be considered more by those wanting top quality sound on their laptops while travelling etc., I thought it would be a good idea to give them a try when gaming and give my opinion on the quality compared to the on-board sound of the MSI G43 Gaming. To test this, I used the Titan Fall BETA which has taken the gaming world by storm with its epic gun battles, MechWarrior style machines and thumping explosions.
Upon switching to the gaming profile in the Sonic Studio Pro utility, when using both the Siberia Elites and the Corsair SP2500’s, I noticed quite a massive improvement in the audio quality; there was just so much more clarity and superb fidelity in comparison. Until I had used the U7 Echelon, I had considered the ALC1150 to sound pretty good so it was quite a surprise to me that my ears could have been deceiving me from what “quality” sounds like. One factor in the quality was the bass; the SP2500 has a really tasty subwoofer which coped with the U7 Echelon processing the explosions, the roar of auto cannons and even the crumble of pilots under my mechs feet. Overall the quality was a good improvement and I was very happy with the waves hitting my ears!
When using the Siberia Elites via the headphone amp which is actually built into the CM6632A chip which also handles the headphone amp itself, although the sound was louder, I had a similar experiance with the Xonar DG sound card which also features a headphone amplifier. It did make a difference and with headphones with a high impedance, it can help to make the most of that. Overall it is a nice idea and one that will be welcomed by a lot of people including myself, but a seperate audio controller, especially on a low end DAC would have probably gave that little bit of extra quality people with high impedance headphones want; nothing worse than over amplifing/increasing the gain too much when listening to FLAC audio files.
Music
This is one area where I tend to find the “true” performance increase when using DACs, sound cards and good quality hardware. With the Siberia Elites having an impedance of 32 Ohm, they tend to require a bit more power going through than headphones/headsets with a lower impedance but I didn’t really notice any problems with quiet audio with the U7 Echelon, maybe I was just lucky?
The actual sound quality was superb and again, a very noticeable improvement in terms of fidelity and actual clarity; especially noticeable when using the Siberia Elites and although they are not audiophile quality, they are certainly one of the best gaming headsets on the market without a doubt. Each time I listened to a song, I set it to the relevant pre-set as I was interested how ASUS configured their pre-defined settings. Starting with Pon De Replay by Rihanna, the first thing I noticed was a very smooth but “kicking” bass; it sounded beautifully defined compared with the ALC1150 but don’t get me wrong, that sounded pretty good too but there was a difference, which is due to the specs.
Via the Corsair SP2500, the subwoofer provided an immersive experience, with the reverberating bass line making me feel like I was actually listening to it live! With that being said, the U7 Echelon won out again with the sound being a lot more defined, sweeter overall mid-range and relatively little muddiness overall; one thing I really dislike when listening to music.
Moving on to a little bit of classical music, I thought it would be a fantastic test of clarity and highs. The song of choice is one of my favourite classic songs of all time, Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. This not only features impeccable highs from the brass instruments, but deeper darker tones also. One thing I will say with the U7 Echelon USB sound card, it doesn’t half eat through anything you throw at it! The CS4398 DAC processor works flawlessly in my opinion and although it obviously falls behind the Xonar STX Essence in terms of specs and most likely quality, the thing is marvellous! Ride of the Valkyries hasn’t sounded this good through my Corsair SP2500s and I had it on quite high volume, just to enjoy the crashing of symbols; I really do like to enjoy myself too much sometimes! It sounded pretty tasty through the Siberia Elites although I did hear a bit of mud but nothing compared to the on-board sound I am used to; even then until I had listened to it through the U7 Echelon I thought it sounded brilliant, how am I ever going to go back?
Overall I was impressed with the fidelity, overall sound quality and the amazing clarity the ASUS Xonar U7 Echelon was able to deliver to my yearning ears!
Features
The Xonar U7 Echelon edition has quite a few features up its sleeve including Dolby HTV4 (Home Theatre Version 4), Sonic Radar support which is featured on the latest Intel Republic of Gamers motherboards and a built in headphone amplifier. I guess you could call portability another feature of the U7 Echelon as it is pretty small, quite lightweight considering and has a fantastic knob which doubles up as a volume control/input selector.
The Dolby HTV4 is more geared towards movie but it can equally be good for music. One thing I noticed when enabling HTV4, I had to turn the speakers as the gain between the regular controls on Sonic Studio Pro and when HTV4 is active, it seems a lot higher in comparison so bare that in mind. I suppose that is good in a sense as it doesn’t require as much juice in terms of volume on your devices. Obviously Dolby compatible gear is more desirable due to the standards set by Dolby themselves in terms of audio quality and when enabled, watching movies and listening to music was a very entertaining experience. It made my Corsair SP2500 speakers scream with high end tones which was well received as they were not muddy, nor distorted in the slightest. Another good factor is the bass when Dolby is active; it actually seemed a little more natural and not so much forced through, punchy as opposed to booming is probably the best way I can describe it. This was also reciprocated via the Siberia Elites also.
Let me set the scene for you, you are on the train, have a nice pair of headphones and are watching a film. The U7 will be a tenfold improvement over any laptop on-board sound processor and it allows you to get the most out of your multimedia on the go. Who wouldn’t want that? £300 headphones, £100 train ticket, £2 on-board audio chip….not if I had my way!
Sonic Radar is another interesting feature which is mainly geared for gamers and the use of positional audio. For those who are looking for a true 7.1 HD audio experience while gaming and in general, the U7 Echelon has support for this so you shouldn’t be disappointed. I did try the Sonic Radar out when playing Titan Fall BETA and it was beneficial, but I can’t say it blew me away and having the massive circle in the middle of my screen was a turn-off in terms of experience; sorry ASUS but I prefer it with Sonic Radar switched off. That isn’t to say someone else will not like and from a technical stand point, it should give you a clear advantage in FPS games such as Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts and maybe Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
