Xonar D-KARA PCI 5.
E11120 Revised Edition V2 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”).
Contents Notices.......................................................................................................... iv Safety information........................................................................................ v Trademarks................................................................................................... v License.......................................................................................................... v 1. Introduction.................................
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.
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 fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer. • Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected.
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1. Introduction 1.1 Package contents • ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI audio card • Driver/User Manual CD x1 • Quick Start Guide x1 1.2 System requirements • One PCI 2.2 (or higher) compatible slot for the audio card • Microsoft® Windows® 10 / 7 (32/64bit) / Vista (32/64bit) / XP (32/64bit) / MCE2005 • Intel® Pentium® 4 1.
1.3 Specifications summary Items Description Audio Performance Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 106 dB for Speaker Out Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted): 102 dB Output Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (A-Weighted): Up to 0.0013% (-98dB) Input Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1 kHz (A-Weighted): Up to 0.0013% (-98dB) Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input): <10Hz to 48kHz Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage 1 Vrms (2.828Vp-p) Bus Compatibility PCI PCI v2.
2. No Xonar D-Kara card layout Item Description 1 Microphone In port Connect an external PC microphone to this 3.5mm port. 2 Line In port Connect analog devices like MP3 players, CD players, music synthesizers and other line-level sound sources to this 3.5mm port for audio recording or processing. 3 Headphone/Front Out port Connect your headphones or 2-channel speakers to this port. For multi-channel speaker systems, this port connects to the front left/right input on the speakers.
No 7 Item Description Front Panel Header This 9-pin Intel® AC’97/HDA front-panel port supports auto jack-detection and auto FP Headphone selection for Analog Out on the Audio Center. This 4-pin header connects to the Analog Audio output of TV tuner cards or other sound devices inside your PC.* 4 8 Aux Input Header 9 S/PDIF Out Header *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.
3. Installing the hardware 3.1 Installing the audio card 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 audio cards on your PC. (For BIOS settings or uninstallation of other sound cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and audio card.) Installing the Xonar D-Kara card 1. Power OFF the computer, the monitor, and all other peripheral devices connected to your computer. 2.
3.2 Connecting to a TV tuner card 1. If you have a traditional PCI TV tuner card on your PC, you may need to connect it to the Xonar D-Kara card to send the tuner card’s sound to your PC speakers. 2. Secure the PCI TV tuner card and screw it into the back-panel. 3. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header of the Xonar D-Kara card. For optimum TV audio quality, Xonar D-Kara uses ADC recording to digitize the signal and loop it back for DAC playback.
4. Installing software Installing the card driver Install the audio card driver before installing the Xonar D-Kara driver. Otherwise, driver installation error may occur. 1. After you have installed the Xonar D-Kara card, turn on your computer. Windows® automatically detects the audio card and searches for device drivers. When prompted for the drivers, click Cancel. 2. Insert the support CD into the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled on your system, the setup starts automatically. If not, run setup.
5. Connecting speakers and peripherals 5.1 Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater) The Xonar D-Kara makes surround sound playback through your home theater system possible. 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 Line In Front L/R Side L/R Center/Sub SPDIF Out 8 No Item Description 1 Optical cable Plug your decoder’s TOSLINK optical cable into the S/PDIFOut connector.
5.2 Connecting stereo headphones 5.2.1 Connecting Stereo Headphones No Item Description 1 Front Out/Headphone Jack Connect stereo headphones directly to this port. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
5.3 Connecting analog speaker systems 5.3.1 Connecting an analog power amplifier Mic In Line In Front L/R Side L/R 3 Center/Sub SPDIF Out 10 No Item Description 1 Front Out Connect “left front” and “right front” input ports of the analog amplifier to the Front L/R port. 2 Side Surround Out Connect “left surround” and “right surround” input ports of the analog amplifier to the Side L/R port.
5.3.2 Connecting 2 Channel Speakers Mic In Line In AUDIO INPUTS Front L/R Side L/R Center/Sub SPDIF Out No Item Description 1 Front Out/Headphone Jack Connect the speaker set’s 3.5mm plug to Front L/R port. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
5.3.3 Connecting 4 Channel Speakers Mic In AUDIO INPUTS AUDIO INPUTS Side Front Line In Front L/R Side L/R Center/Sub SPDIF Out 12 No Item Description 1 Front Out Connect the front input port of the 4 channel speakers with the 3.5mm plug. 2 Side Surround Out Connect the Surround input port of the 4 channel speakers with the 3.5mm plug. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
5.3.4 Connecting 5.1 Channel Speakers Mic In Line In AUDIO INPUTS Front Side Front L/R Center/ Subwoofer Side L/R 3 Center/Sub SPDIF Out No Item Description 1 Front Out Connect the front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the 3.5mm plug. 2 Side Surround Out Connect the Surround input port of the 5.1 speakers with the 3.5mm plug. 3 Center/Subwoofer Connect the Center/Subwoofer input port of the 5.1 speakers with the 3.5mm plug. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
5.4 Connecting a microphone Mic In Line In Front L/R Side L/R Center/Sub SPDIF Out 14 No Item Description 1 Microphone Input Jack Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug to the Mic In port. 2 Headphone Jack Connect headphone plugs to the Front L/R port. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
5.5 Connecting Line-In audio sources Mic In Line In CD Player Front L/R Side L/R Center/Sub SPDIF Out 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 the Line-In port for sound recording (See the “Mixer” section of this User Manual). ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
6. Xonar Audio Center 6.1 Xonar Audio Center GUI 1. After driver installation is complete and your computer has been rebooted, you will find the Xonar 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 does not appear on the system tray, launch the Xonar Audio Center from the Windows desktop by clicking Start > All Programs > ASUS Xonar D-Kara > Xonar D-Kara Audio Center. 2.
No Item Description 1 Display Area This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume level, status of preset, equalizer, and signal output.* *This area displays information, but is not used to change settings. 2 Menu Open/Close Clicking this button will reveal the configuration settings. Clicking it again will move the display area back to its original position and hide the configuration area. 3 Master Volume This knob controls the master playback volume. Turn to change the volume level.
6.2 Xonar D-Kara Audio Center Icon 4 1 18 No Item Description 1 Information icon Click this icon to display driver options. Double-click the icon to launch the Xonar D-Kara Audio Center. 2 Restore Click to restore Xonar Audio Center application window. 3 About AsusAudio Center Click to find out more about Audio Center version. 4 Edit Hot Keys Click to edit shortcut keys for volume control, master presets, sampling rate, and analog out. 5 Master Preset Click to apply a master preset.
6.3 Music Main Settings 4 No Item Description 1 Audio Channel The audio channel refers to the available speaker channels that can be used to mix sounds. Select an audio channel based on your speaker system ( 2CH, 4 CH, 5.1 CH, or 7.1 CH). 2 Sample Rate The sample rate determines the number of audio samples per second that the Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) and S/PDIF digital interface will output.
6.4 Mixer/Volume The mixer page is designed to control the volume for playback and recording on the Xonar D-Kara. The Xonar D-Kara also provides a high-quality digital monitoring function for playing the recorded audio from the speakers. 6.4.1 20 Playback Volume No Item Description 1 Playback Volume Tab Click this button to show the playback volume page. 2 Source/Path Name Left and Right volume controls for each speaker/channel.
6.4.2 Recording/Monitoring Volume No Item Description 1 Recording Volume Tab Click this button to show the recording volume page. 2 Recording volume slider Drag this slider down to decrease the recording volume; drag up to increase the recording volume. The tool-tip displays percentage increments. 3 Recording Selector button Click this button to select the path/source you are going to record. The recording function on Windows is a one-path selector.
6.5 Effects 6.5.1 Environment Effects Environment effects can be used to create realistic listening experiences that mimic different environments. There are 27 available environment options that be can be applied to music and other 2D sound sources. 22 No Item Description 1 Default environments There are four default environments available: Bathroom, Concert hall, Underwater, and Music Pub. 2 More options Clicking this button will apply the environment effect selected from the pull-down menu.
6.5.2 10-Band Equalizer The equalizer can modify the audio output for different frequencies and can be used to compensate for deficiencies in your speakers/sound system. You can create custom settings in addition to the 12 default patterns available. No Item Description 1 Default equalizer options There are 12 available equalizer patterns. Click an item to apply a pattern to audio playback. 2 User Defined You can click this button to apply a selected User Defined setting.
6.6 FlexBass FlexBass is an advanced bass management and enhancement mechanism that allows you to select each satellite speaker’s type for optimal sound performance. It comes with an adjustable crossover frequency for the boundary of the bass signals. FlexBass will filter out the bass signals from small speaker channels and redirect them to the subwoofer or large speakers.
No Item Description 4 LFE Crossover Frequency Adjusts the cut-off frequency (50~250Hz) for LFE (LowFrequency Effects) signals. Xonar D-Kara will filter out bass signals below the crossover frequency from small speaker channels and forward them to the subwoofer. Higher crossover frequency values would result in reduced bass signals. 6.7 Karaoke Main Settings To start using the Karaoke features of the Xonar D-Kara, plug in your microphone and click the Karaoke tab in the Xonar D-Kara Audio Center.
26 No Item Description 1 Master Preset The master preset lists multiple combinations of presets such as EQ, Compressor, Reverb, and so on. Click this dropdown box to select, save, or edit a master preset. 2 Select all/Unselect all Click this checkbox to select all or unselect all presets. 3 Preset Checkbox Click desired checkbox to apply a sound effect to playback audio. 4 Preset Click dropdown box to select presets or switch to Manual Mode.
6.7.1 Advanced Settings 3 No Item Description 1 Use mono microphone Select check box if you are using a mono microphone to balance the audio output. 2 Mic Boost On Select check box to boost the microphone audio by 20dB. 3 Mix with Wave On Select check box if you intend to record music audio with your voice. ASUS Xonar D-Kara PCI 5.
6.7.2 Master Preset The Master Preset is a quick way to save your preset combinations. No Item Description 1 Master Preset Click dropdown box to select, save, or edit a master preset. 2 Save as Select a combination of presets and click Save as to create a new master preset. You may also choose to adjust settings for the current master preset. 3 Edit Click edit to delete, rename, import, or export master preset. 6.7.
No Item Description 1 Reset Click to reset to default. The reset option is only available under Manual Mode. 2 Preset Click dropdown box to view current preset parameters or select Manual Mode to change parameters under the Advanced Settings Panel. 3 Center Frequency This slider determines cutoff frequency. Drag the slider or input specific values in the text box. 6.7.
No Item Description 5 Release Time Amount of time before effect is applied after the signal level falls below the threshold. 6 Soft Knee Indicates the strength of an audio effect as sound reaches threshold. Higher values result in gentler compression/ expansion. 7 Reset Click to reset settings to default. The reset option is only available under Manual Mode. 6.7.
6.7.6 Reverb No Item Description 1 Preset Click the dropdown box to view current preset parameters or select Manual Mode to change parameters under the Advanced Settings Panel.
32 No Item Description 12 Room HF Attenuation at high frequencies relative to intensity and low frequencies. 13 Room Rolloff Factor Intensity of room effect adjusted by distance. 14 Reset Click to reset settings to default. The reset option is only available under Manual Mode. 6.8 Mixer 6.8.
6.8.2 Recording/Monitoring Volume 7 4 No Item Description 1 Recording Volume Tab Click this button to show the recording volume page. 2 Recording volume slider Drag this slider down to decrease the recording volume; drag up to increase the recording volume. The tool-tip displays the percentage increments. 3 Recording Selector button Click this button to select the path/source you are going to record. The recording function on Windows is a one-path selector.
No Item Description 5 Source/Path Name This shows the source name for each volume control slider: FP MIC: Recording from MIC front panel jack RP MIC: Recording from MIC rear panel jack Aux: Recording from Aux-In sources such as TVtuner audio cards or other audio sources Line-In: Recording from Line-In jack for external audio devices 34 6 Advanced Settings button Click this button to access advanced settings. 7 Reset Click to reset all volume controls to the default settings.
6.9 Enhancer The Xonar D-Kara provides powerful features for karaoke, including Key-Shifting and Vocal Cancellation. Key-Shifting can change the pitch of the karaoke background music. Vocal Cancellation can reduce the original vocals in songs while retaining the music and symphony for karaoke. 3 No Item Description 1 On/Off Click this button to disable or enable all functions on this page. 2 Key-Shifting This checkbox is used to enable or disable key shifting for music playback.
7. Troubleshooting and FAQs 7.1 Troubleshooting Q1. The audio card driver could not be installed on my PC. 1. Check that the audio card is properly inserted into the PCI slot on your motherboard. 2. Run Windows hardware Device Manager and check if a multimedia audio device is listed. If no device is detected, scan manually for hardware changes. 3. Reboot Windows. 4. If Windows still fails to detect the audio card, insert the audio card in a different PCI slot. Q2.
Q4. I cannot hear any sound from the S/PDIF output. 1. Check that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Audio Center GUI. 2. Check that you connected the correct S/PDIF output port on the card to the decoder’s (AV receiver) S/PDIF input port. 3. You may need to select the correct input and mode of your decoder or AV receiver. 4. If you are using 96KHz PCM output, make sure your decoder can support 96KHz decoding. Change the PCM output to 44.
Q2. Why can I hear and record sound from other recording devices when Wave/Digital is selected in Record on Windows Vista? Unlike Windows XP, Windows Vista manages multiple audio devices and audio streams, identifying them as either Digital Input or Analog Input. This approach allows for multiple recording devices to run simultaneously in Windows Vista. Wave In or SPDIF-In, considered as a Digital Input, is an independent recording device from Analog Devices such as Mic In, Line In, or Aux In.
