Asus Xonar U3 Portable DAC is a feast to both eyes and ears for anyone using a netbook or a notebook, but has a decent pair of earphones for use while travelling. It is a lot cheaper than the other sound cards like Xonar DX and the Essense STX, which are made for entirely different cluster of users who have high end music requirements.
Xonar U3 is a USB-powered DAC-cum-amplifier for earphones, headphones, as well as speakers for experiencing high quality music. It is designed to look like a flash drive, which is slightly oversized, it also has a small handle to attach a keychain, and it also helps to keep the cap from getting lost.
It is powered by the ASUS UA100 chip that was used on previous portable models of the Xonar series such as the Xonar U1. Unlike the desktop solutions, the U3 is limited by its size and also its capability to 16-bit, 48kHz sample rates. There are, of course the standard set of enhancements in the form of equalizer, virtual surround effects. It features two 3.5 mm audio jack at its rear side, one of them is for audio output and the other is for microphone pinning. It can be used without any problems on Windows 7.
Xonar U3 offers respectable amplification and can drive a fairly good set of headphones with a great ease. In fact, when compared to an integrated audio solution on a desktop, it’s a lot louder. The characteristic of the earphones and headphones doesn’t change significantly, but it surely does help you hear the finer details even with the volume turned down. Clearly, Xonar U3 better than most desktop and notebook solutions and this does enhance the music experience of its users.
Asus Xonar U3 is priced at Rs 1800 in India.
