Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe: Asus HTPC sound card does Everything
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The movie industry is dumb. This is the conclusion I've reached after spending two weeks with Asus' Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe, a product that, from a strictly engineering standpoint, has no reason to exist. And that brings me to the movie industry, which has colluded with certain technology giants to create audio (and video) standards that require special hardware to use, even though all of the actual decoding and processing is simple and easy to implement in software. Yes, I'm talking about the fiasco that is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Copy Protection) and PAP (Protected Audio Path). And, yes, PAP is just as unpleasant as it sounds.
More on that later. As the top model in Asus' line of audio cards, you do in fact get much more for your money than just the ability to decode a few industry-supported proprietary formats. Let's face it, if you're going to buy an external sound card, you want it to do something more than your existing onboard sound can provide, and the HDAV1.3 doesn't disappoint: It does everything. And so do most of its competitors. What makes the HDAV1.3 unique is its support for HDCP and PAP, which allows it to output streams protected blocked by these technologies using HDMI, including the high resolution lossless formats supported by Blu-Ray discs like DTS-HD Master Audio (DTS-MA) and Dolby Digital TrueHD (DD TrueHD).
Since HDMI carries only digital data, streaming these high resolution formats amounts to pulling the digital bits off the Blu-Ray disc and outputting them via HDMI — a simple task that could, should, and probably will soon be done by most graphics cards and IGPs (any HDMI v1.3 device should be capable of this). However, thanks to the arcane and as-yet unimplemented encryption requirements of HDCP and PAP, no existing graphics cards are up to this task. Hence, the HDAV1.3: A $250 solution to a $10 problem.
Even with the HDAV1.3 installed, playing protected streams is only possible when using a special Asus version of Total Media Theatre. In fact, aside from providing a certified HDCP / PAP path, the hardware doesn't appear to be involved; all of the heavy lifting is done by Total Media Theatre. If this seems to limit the usefulness of the card, too bad. The movie industry has decreed (through licensing agreements) that thou shalt not be able to use movie players that they did not specifically approve.
Given these restrictions, we have to question whether buying an HDAV1.3 just so you can stream the latest HiFi audio formats is worth it. The vast majority of audio recordings (including Blu-Ray discs) can already be played back at full resolution — only those mastered with 24 bit or 96 kHz audio (or better) stand to benefit from the streaming that the HDAV1.3 can offer because these are the only formats that are downsampled in compliance with HDCP. Since the vast majority of Blu-Ray discs and all DVDs are mastered at 48 kHz / 16 bits, there is very little tangible benefit to be had. I should add that most normal people (with normal sound systems) simply cannot hear a difference when audio resolutions are pushed above 48 kHz / 16 bit.
Luckily, the card also does what an audio card is supposed to do, namely, provide high quality analogue audio from whatever digital signal it is fed. Asus has put considerable effort into the analogue side of the card, especially the Deluxe version which features a daughterboard that enables full 8-channel audio with high quality RCA-style connectors (the basic version only supports analogue in stereo). They go so far as to name the manufacturer and model number of the DAC, ADC, and op-amp chips used in the card's analogue section. The op-amps are even replaceable"for preferred analog sound color". Asus also lists comprehensive audio specifications including signal-to-noise ratio, total harmonic distortion (THD), and frequency response. As always, we recommend taking the specifications with a grain of salt — and that goes double for audio gear where even carefully measured specifications don't tell the whole story.
The card also includes a video processor called Asus Splendid HD. Exactly what it does is a little unclear, but it is claimed to "increase color performance and enhance edges" at no CPU cost. This is apparently an automatic process, so what it actually does under the hood is anybody's guess. It also provides yet another set of sliders for manual adjustment of brightness, contrast, etc. (in addition to those found in your application, your graphics driver, Windows itself, your TV, your receiver, etc.) Most serious users will probably elect to turn it off on the grounds that less signal processing is generally better.
The HDAV1.3 is a fine looking beast, with most of the electronics hidden under a black "EMI shield" that probably does more to improve Asus' sleek image than to reduce electromagnetic interference. It is telling that the daughterboard (where most of the EMI-sensitive analogue circuitry is located) does not have a similar shield.
CONCLUSION
Overall we had few complaints about the Xonar HDAV1.3. After a few tough months of teething problems, it now does what it is supposed to (for the most part), and it is feature loaded and sounds excellent. While it is poor value if your audio needs are limited to a few specific scenarios (especially if those scenarios involve HDMI — you don't need a sound card to send data through a cable), as a general purpose card it can do almost anything you can throw at it.
Our criticisms are limited to a few nit-picks and a scathing glare at the movie industry for creating a situation in which early adopters who shell out a substantial amount of money for Blu-Ray discs are forced to jump through hoops to get them to play correctly while pirates simply ignore the restrictions by ripping and decrypting the discs to their hard drives. AACS and BD+ have been cracked for over a year — why are the studios still inconveniencing their best customers to support a protection scheme that doesn't work? Among the movie industry's hoops that apply to HDAV1.3 users:
* Vendor lock-in to Asus' specific version of Total Media Theatre.
* Requiring an RMA (rather than a firmware download) to fix 24P passthrough for cards manufactured before 2009.
* Creating a situation where Asus can sell a $250 card to send DD TrueHD and DTS-HD MA out via HDMI without decoding it.
* Forcing software that can decode these high resolution formats to downgrade the quality to 48 kHz / 16 bits before it is output (I know, I know, you can't hear the difference. It's the principle of the thing).
* Disallowing the possibility of outputting audio via HDMI and S/PDIF (or analogue) at the same time.
Most of our nit-picks apply specifically the version of Total Media Theatre that ships with the card, and are not directed at the actual hardware. These include poor HD-DVD support (which, to be fair, is all we can expect of a dead format), and a lack of integration with Vista Media Center (which apparently has to do with Asus' license negotiations with Arcsoft).
On the hardware side, our biggest criticisms are that the card is incapable of generating a black video signal to output HDMI sound without external video connected, and the excessively high line levels on the analogue side of things.
Nit-picks aside, the analogue audio quality is excellent, and the RCA connectors are much appreciated. This truly is a card worthy of integrating into a HiFi home theater system. The analogue outputs are at least on par with the capabilities of our midrange Yamaha receiver, and those who like detail may even find it superior. Now, if only it came with an input card and an external amplifier it could replace the receiver entirely!
And, if you want to game in surround sound while you're at it, or talk on Skype without hearing echo through your speakers, the card can do that. Hey, maybe you'll even find a use for the extra color correction or the 27 different environmental effects while you're at it... Well, maybe not, but the card is fully-featured. It's up to you to decide how to use it.
Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe
PROS
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* Excellent audio quality
* Does everything
* Only current way to stream lossless Blu-Ray codecs
* Replaceable op-amps
* High quality electronics
* RCA outputs
CONS
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* Expensive
* Crippled by movie industry
* Vendor lock-in with Total Movie Theatre
* Excessively high output level
* Teething problems
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