ASUS are well known for their relentless innovation and the ROG brand often represents the pinnacle of their exploits. Strangely the Phoebus seems to be a bit of a missed opportunity in the sense that it is not a successor nor replacement for the Xonar Essence STX and in some aspects is slightly inferior. While it could be considered that 'Gamers' demands may be less than that of the 'Audiophile', it seems strange that they have not gone all out to deliver an ultra top end, versatile sound card that would be appreciated by gamers, audiophiles and HT enthusiasts alike. After all, many people may fall into all three categories and restricting the choice between 'one or the other' only leads to market confusion. Having a clear 'this is our top end product' would result in something that people would desire and pay the asking price for.



In consideration to the actual target audience, without a doubt, this is the best sound card a gamer can buy and it could cost a substantial amount more to buy the speakers or headset to really take advantage of its performance. It offers amazing audio quality with versatility and control over virtually every audial aspect. The software is stylish and easy to use, though seems a little annoying to have to use two separate applications. The Xonar Phoebus supports a full 7.1 surround sound setup which can be left untouched should you want to plug in headphones. The dedicated headphone circuitry is impressive, though the card does not feature an internal front panel audio header, the control box breakout semi-makes up for it and will appeal to many people who use headphones or a headset. Those looking to upgrade their audio, the integrated mic on the control box may allow you to focus on buying a top notch pair of headphones rather than a headset, which is a nice touch.

Audio quality aside, the stylish design and finishing touches, such as the lit up 'Xonar Phoebus' on the side that changes colour with increased headphone impedance and the lit up green and red jacks for the headphone/microphone, really make this product stand out, not to mention the triple bang branding that is a bit of a mouthful to say (A little like my long sentences). For those reasons the 'ASUS Republic of Gamers Xonar Phoebus' deserves none other than the Vortez Gold award.





Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to ASUS for providing today’s review sample.