UNi Xonar drivers are Windows drivers for the following sound cards:
ASUS Xonar DG, Xonar DGX, Xonar DG SI, Xonar DS, Xonar DSX, Xonar D1, Xonar D2, Xonar DX, Xonar D2X, Xonar HDAV, Xonar HDAV Slim, Xonar Essence ST, Xonar Essence STX, Xonar Essence STX II, Xonar Xense.
Other C-Media CMI8786, CMI8787 and CMI8788 audio chip based cards: Auzentech X-Meridian & X-Meridian 2G; HT Omega Claro, Claro Plus, Claro II, Claro Halo, eClaro; Razer Barracuda AC-1; AIM Audio SC8000. View full list.
Supported OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019.
Linked content:
Introduction
UNi Xonar Features
FAQ & troubleshooting guide (upd 08.02.2019)
Having problems installing UNi Xonar drivers? Refer to this topic
Xonar best audio settings guide
Audio known issues and workarounds
(upd 22 Mar 2016)
UNi Xonar installer addon documentation
ASUS Xonar sound cards issues
Xonar cards and AMD Ryzen motherboards compatibility
Poll: Rate ASUS Xonar driver support
Contents:
Page updates and announcements:
- 16 Sep 2021: Updated Windows 10 (multiple versions) notes.
- 05 Jul 2021: Added notes for Windows 10 version 21H1.
- 14 Jan 2021: Added notes for Windows 10 version 20H2. Updated notes for Windows 10 version 2004.
- 30 Jul 2020: Updated notes for Windows 10 version 2004.
- 29 May 2020: Added notes for Windows 10 version 2004.
- 13 Mar 2020: Updated notes for Windows 10 version 1909 and Windows 10 multiple versions. Added reported possible issue to v1.81a driver release notes.
- 13 Sep 2019: Updated notes for Windows 10 version 1903 about possible issues after KB4515384 update.
- 30 Aug 2019: Updated notes for Windows 10 version 1903 and Windows 10 multiple versions. Added Xonar Relay Restart tool to the download section.
- ...
- 24 Jul 2017: I invite you to test two new Xonar driver improvements: Disable SpeakerCompensation tweak and Increase microphone volume by 3 dB tweak
DONATIONS - Donation list here
Let me first say that these drivers are free of charge for everyone. Those of you who appreciate my hard work and take pleasure in contributing, you can make a small donation (minimum $3 because of fees). Bear in mind you don't donate for ASUS/C-Media work, you do it for the work that I have done and the support I'm providing.
CONTRIBUTIONS - Contributors list here
Surely donating is not the only way you can support this project. You can submit your custom made icon, application or any other little enhancements that can make UNi Xonar better. Let's not forget about spreading the word about UNi Xonar drivers and helping other Xonar owners.
RELEASE NOTES
Release notes 1.81a
Driver for all supported cards. Includes 1825 audio drivers for Windows 10. Unlike previous audio drivers, the 1825 audio driver will only work in Windows 10 and later. Due to the number of known and possible issues, the 1825 audio driver should be considered beta quality.
Driver changes:
- Windows 10: Updated audio driver to 1825 (built date: 22 June 2016, made by C-Media).
- Updated C-Media Panel.
Other notes:
- Replaced C-Media driver uninstaller with UNi Xonar driver cleaner.
Rev. 2 changes:
- Added support for STX II cards in ASUS Audio Center, cards will be detected as STX by ASUS Audio Center but feature wise almost everything should be there with the exception of missing "IEM or for 16 ~32 ohms headsets" gain settings.
Known issues:
- 1825 audio drivers have an issue when the audio card is uninstalled, disabled or the drivers are overwritten, resulting in a system crash. In order to avoid the uninstall system crash I've come up with a workaround that's presented below
- ASUS Audio Center: GX button is no longer showing. It has to do with 1825 audio drivers and besides the fact that GX is broken, there may be another reason why ASUS/C-Media removed it with these drivers. I'm not sure if it's worth it to bring the GX on/off control back. You could try enabling GX from C-Media Panel, named Xear3D there, or from XonarSwitch.
- STX II: ASUS Audio Center is missing the gain to "IEM or for 16 ~32 ohms headsets". Try enabling it from XonarSwitch.
- Windows 10: Before updating to new version, you should uninstall the v1.81a drivers, as the update process might result in BSOD (#1).
Possible issues:
- STX II: XonarSwitch might not work. Need more feedback on this.
- Audio playback through headphones and SPDIF at the same time isn't possible anymore. Original report. Need more confirmations.
- DSX and probably other cards: DTS Connect with 5.1 speakers does not work. Original report. Need more confirmations.
- There are reports that the sound quality of these audio drivers is different. RightMarkAudio tests that I've made didn't show any significant differences between v1.81a and v1.80a.
- The 1825 audio driver may have higher DPC latency than previous drivers. Original report. The tests that I've made didn't show any difference in DPC Latency between v1.81a, v1.80a and v1.80b drivers. Maybe it has to do with the settings that are being used. My test where done with 2.0 analog output.
- When waking system from sleep, volume from one of the speakers could be x2 louder. Original report.
How to uninstall 1825 v1.81 drivers: In order to avoid a system crash while uninstalling 1825 drivers you will need to play an audio file before proceeding with the uninstall process. Restart system after the uninstall process is done.
Release notes 1.80
UNi Xonar installer changes:
- Added DPI interface scaling to the installer.
- Added card autodetection and if the audio card is not detected it will show an error message with possible reasons for that.
- Improved driver cleaning. It uninstalls all copies of the Xonar/C-media CMI8788 drivers that are present in the Windows driver repository. By installing drivers with "Run driver cleaning" option you won't be able to use "Roll Back Driver" option for the audio card in Device Manager.
- Changed the driver installation procedure. Added a fail safe driver installer that should help in those cases where you were required to manually install the audio driver or install it in safe mode. Silent installation is always on and its user option has been removed. If standard driver installation gets stuck (does not finish after 100 sec) it is automatically closed. If standard driver installer fails to install the drivers then an alternate driver installer is launched. If that fails too, you will get notified by the installer that driver installation failed.
Driver changes:
- Windows XP: Added support for other CMI8788 cards.
- Xonar DG, DGX, DG SI: Front Panel jack detection should now work if it did with the original drivers.
- Fixed GX not being turned off by default in "Normal" configuration for the following cards Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX and DG SI.
Rev. 2 changes:
- Improved and fixed some problems with the new driver installation procedure.
- Added different messages based on why installation failed.
- Fixed "Front Panel Microphone" not working by default.
Rev. 3 changes:
- Increased the delay between driver cleaning and driver installation procedures. Might help in some installation failing cases.
- Fixed the "Warning: Windows running in Test Mode or with Disable Driver Signature Enforcement is required!" message not showing up if needed in combination with the detected audio card.
The 1.80 drivers come in two variants:
- 1.80a "Standard"
Driver for all supported cards. Replacement for 1.75a driver. Includes 1816 audio drivers for Win XP and 1823 audio drivers for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10.
Driver changes:
- Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10: Updated audio driver to 1823 (built date: 2 Jun 2015, made by C-Media).
- Includes updated driver installer, ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel.
Other notes:
- 1823 audio drivers are the first drivers released for Windows 10 by ASUS/C-Media. Whether they perform any better than 1822 or STXII 11.5 drivers remains to be seen.
- Xonar STX II cards: Drivers work with STXII cards but the changing audio settings may not work with ASUS Audio Center and only with C-Media Panel. Installation on Windows Vista/7/8.1/10 x64 requires Windows running in Test Mode or with "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" option.
Known issues:
- STX II: ASUS Audio Center does not work. You need to download this patched version and copy paste it over “C:\Program Files\UNi Xonar Audio\Customapp\”. Note that the option to set the gain to "IEM or for 16 ~32 ohms headsets" is missing from ASUS Audio Center, try enabling it from XonarSwitch.
Possible issues:
- Microphone stops working if running specific programs. If you run into this issue please report it in a reply to the original report. If you run into the issue you can switch to v1.75a drivers or connect the microphone to the onboard audio card microphone input.
- WASAPI playback issues might occur with some soundcards
- Occasionally when waking PC up from sleep the Xonar card does not output any sound.
- Drivers might stop installing on Windows 10. Try 1.75a, 1.80b or 1.81a instead.
- Windows 10 Creators Update: Windows would not boot after these drivers where installed. If you run into this problem you have to boot Windows in Safe Mode and remove the audio drivers. Original report. I could not reproduce the issue.
- 1.80b "STXII"
Driver mainly for STX II and STX II 7.1 cards. It does work for the other UNi Xonar supported cards too. Replacement for 1.75b driver. Includes STX II version 11.5 audio drivers (built date: 18 Feb 2014, made by C-Media).
Driver changes:
- Includes updated ASIO (2.0.0.14), driver installer, ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel.
- Windows XP: Drivers now work for all UNi Xonar supported cards. These were not working with 1.75b drivers.
Other notes:
- Cards other than STX II: Installation on Windows Vista/7/8.1/10 x64 requires Windows running in Test Mode or with "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" option.
Rev. 2 changes:
- Fixed "Asus Audio Center" not working properly and getting replaced by C-Media Panel when installing with "Normal - Asus Audio Center" configuration.
Rev. 3 changes:
- Fixed some installation issues when drivers were installed on STXII cards (like missing driver uninstall entry in Programs and Features, incorrect C-media panel name).
- Fixed a bug where optimal card configuration was not being applied if the drivers were installed without the "Re-enable stereo upmix" option.
Possible issues:
- Microphone stops working occasionally or when changing audio playback settings (DS->WASAPI). If you run into this issue please report it in a reply to this comment. If you frequently run into the issue you could try v1.75a drivers if possible or connect the microphone to the onboard audio card microphone input.
Previous release notes:
Release notes 1.75
UNi Xonar Installer changes:
- Various changes and improvements done to the UNi Xonar installer.
- Added warning message if installing the drivers would require Test Mode.
- XonarSwitch is now automatically closed before installing the audio drivers.
- Improved "Apply addons" function. Included .inf files from the drivers can now be dynamically altered. Documentation can be read here. Applying new 1.75 compatible versions of addons (like DHT4) will display the proper audio driver version now and users could now choose which addons they want to install once these are added to the Uni Xonar installer location.
Rev. 3 changes:
- Fixed GX is not being turned off by default in Normal configuration for the following cards Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX, DG SI.
The 1.75 drivers come in two variants:
- 1.75a "Standard"
Driver for previously supported cards. Same audio drivers as those in 1.72 (1816 for Win XP, 1822 for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10).
Rev.2 changes:
- Fixed ASUS and C-Media Panels not working in Win XP.
- Includes updated driver installer and C-Media Panel.
Known issues:
- The installer is showing "Warning: Test mode to be enabled!" message by mistake if Xonar Xense selected as card.
Possible issues:
- Missing Dolby Pro-Logic IIx options from C-media Panel. If you have this issue, you can use the "C-media Panel v1.62" installer addon or install v1.72 drivers.
- 1.75b "STX II"
Driver mainly for STX II and STX II 7.1 cards. It also works with UNi Xonar previously supported cards.
Rev.2 changes:
- Fixed issue where installer did not apply the correct audio settings (e.g. to fix surround echo). Anyone who installed the previous 1.75b drivers should install the 1.75b rev.2.
Driver changes:
- Includes updated ASIO (2.0.0.13) , ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel.
- Includes STX II version 11.5 audio drivers (created on 18 Feb 2014).
Other notes:
- These drivers will work with the previously supported Xonar cards on Win Vista/7/8.1/10 but may require that you enable Windows Test Mode on 64 bit OS.
- These drivers do not work for the other Xonar cards on Windows XP.
Known issues:
- ASIO in 64 bit mode does not work. The cause of this issue is the 64 bit asio dll file from the original STXII drivers.
Release notes 1.72
These drivers bring Windows 8.1 support.
Driver changes:
- Updated audio driver to version 1822 for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1. Still using 1816 for Windows XP.
- Includes updated driver installer, ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel.
Other notes:
- New icon for UNi Xonar installer. Thanks to propheticus for his contribution.
- ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel tray icons now have higher resolution icons. Useful for >100% DPI settings.
Known issues:
- GX is not being turned off by default in Normal configuration for the following cards Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX, DG SI.
Release notes 1.71.1
Replacement for v1.71 driver package with configuration fixes and updated components.
UNi Xonar Installer changes:
- Updated UNi Xonar Installer with that from v1.80a.
Driver changes:
- Updated driver installer, ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel with those from v1.80a.
- Added theoretical support for STX II cards.
- Fixed GX not being turned off by default in "Normal" configuration for Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX and DG SI cards.
Known issues:
- In some cases, WASAPI exclusive playback is interrupted by playback from other audio applications. More details here. Fix: If you don’t use S/PDIF, disable "S/PDIF Pass-through Device (Asus Xonar...)" from Control panel->Sound. It's confirmed that the audio drivers included in v1.70 don’t have this issue.
- Win Vista/7/8: There are reports that you cannot play sound through S/PDIF and headphones at the same time.
Release notes 1.71
Driver changes:
- Updated audio driver to 1821 for Windows Vista/7/8 and 1816 for Windows XP.
- Includes updated driver installer
UNi Xonar Installer changes:
- Fixed some issues with Driver cleaning module
- Improved and fixed some potential issues with UNi Xonar Installer
Known issues :
- C-media Panel: Enabling and disabling "7.1 Virtual shifter" option disables stereo upmix. Use "Stereo upmix switch" to re-enable it or you can use the C-media Panel v1.62 addon (it will revert to an slightly older C-Media Panel version)
- GX is not being turned off by default in Normal configuration for the following cards Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX, DG SI.
- In some cases, WASAPI exclusive playback is interrupted by playback from other audio applications. More details here. Fix: If you don’t use S/PDIF, disable "S/PDIF Pass-through Device (Asus Xonar...)" from Control panel->Sound. It's confirmed that the audio drivers included in v1.70 don’t have this issue.
- Win Vista/7/8: There are reports that you cannot play sound through S/PDIF and headphones at the same time.
Release notes 1.70
Driver changes:
- For Windows Vista/7/8 it includes 1818 audio drivers. For Win XP it includes 1814 audio drivers.
- Includes updated versions of C-media and Asus panels.
- Fixed HTOmega Claro 2 driver support.
- Fixed driver signature issues for the other non-Xonar cards that were present in previous release.
Rev. 3 changes:
- All the improvements and changes done to the UNi Xonar installer from 1.7x versions have been incorporated into this release (like support for addons).
- Updated C-Media Panel with the one included in 1.72 release.
UNi Xonar Installer changes:
- Added option to apply addons at driver installation.
- Improved Low DPC Latency option. Now it allows access to C-media Panel as well. And Asus Audio Center won't autostart after driver installation like it previously did.
- Improved Driver Cleaning process. Now it will clean the Panel and HsMgr(GX) processes startup entries too.
- Reduced the overall installer size (from 13MB to 7MB)
- Replaced Windows XP driver installer with the same one that's being used in Windows 7. Please report if there are any malfunctions compared to previous UNi Xonar driver releases.
- Removed "1777 drivers + Asio 1.0". This option lives on as an addon.
- Rev 2: Applied all UNi installer fixes from 1.71
Known issues :
- C-media Panel: Enabling and disabling "7.1 Virtual shifter" option disables stereo upmix. Use "Stereo upmix switch" to re-enable it or you can use the C-media Panel v1.62 addon (it will revert to an slightly older C-Media Panel version)
- GX is not being turned off by default in Normal configuration for the following cards Xonar D2, D2X, DG, DGX, DG SI.
Other notes:
- New icon for UNi Xonar installer. Thanks to propheticus for concept and contribution.
- ASUS Audio Center and C-Media Panel tray icons now have higher resolution icons. Useful for >100% DPI settings.
Notes about Windows 10 and Windows 11 (updated 16 Sep 2021)
UNi Xonar drivers v1.64 and above will work with Windows 10 and Windows 11. There could be some issues that you could run into depending on audio settings used. Different drivers could work differently so if you encounter any issues try installing the other UNi Xonar versions. You will have the same issues with corresponding versions of ASUS drivers.
Apart from driver issues, there could be issues solely from Windows 10/11 sound system that would be fixed with future Windows updates. There is also a small chance that some things could break with future Windows updates. Here are some solutions on how to prevent a forceful Windows 10/11 standard or version update.
Regarding Windows 11, early indication is that the drivers will work as they did with Windows 10, that includes Microsoft breaking something ever so often.
Some of these issues also apply to other audio cards (Realtek, Creative, EVGA Nu Audio, ASUS Strix etc.) and external DACs.
> Find out which Windows version you have installed.
Windows 10 (multiple versions) and Windows 11 (multiple versions) notes
Possible issues and fixes:
- Microphone not working - Check this guide. (thanks Shane)
- Audio crashes - If you have “Dolby Atmos for Headphone” app installed you should remove it and replace it with the updated “Dolby Access” app in order to avoid audiosvr process stack overflow errors that are crashing the audio subsystem. (thanks Chris Leipold)
- Popping and cracking sounds - If you have a AMD graphics card, try disabling "AMD High Definition Audio Device" from Device Manager->"Sound, video and game controllers". It's possible to try the same steps for Nvidia HD Audio Device if you have a Nvidia card. (thanks Marc)
- BSOD's after system wakeup from sleep - There are a couple of solutions:
- Try UNi Xonar v1.71.1 driver. Thanks Kalle.
- Use a script to disable the sound card before going the system enters sleep/hibernate state and enable the card once the system wakes up. See MT post about this solution.
- If you have a nVidia graphics card, In "Device Manager"->"Sound, video and game controllers" disable the sound device named "NVIDIA High Definition Audio" and "NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM)". You may need to redo this after the nVidia GeForce drivers are updated. Might worth checking if this also applies to AMD graphics cards, in which case try disabling "AMD High Definition Audio Device". Thanks NoName-1.
- Try UNi Xonar v1.71.1 driver. Thanks Kalle.
- For systems with 1.81a drivers, the upgrading process to new Windows 10 version might result in BSOD (#1) causing the installation to fail. To avoid this problem, uninstall the v1.81a driver before upgrading.
- The number of audio channels resets itself back to 2 or can't change to more than 2 channels(stereo) - This might be caused by having enabled one of the Spatial Sound options (Windows Sonic for Headphones, Dolby Access, Dolby Atmos for Headphones, DTS Sound Unbound). Check that Spatial Sound is Off by right-clicking on Windows Volume tray icon.
- Sound playback echos. Issues within Windows 10 might cause the enabling of different sound settings, one of them causes sound playback echos that are more or less evident. To ensure you always get the best audio quality it might worth checking this from time to time. See Fix sound echos in Windows.
- No system sounds. See these solutions.
- Audio stutter in games. Open Windows Sound (right-click on Windows Volume tray icon-> Sounds or if missing type in Windows search: "change system sounds"), select Playback tab, double click your default playback device (for example Speakers ASUS Xonar Audio Device), go to Advanced tab and in the Default Format option select another sample rate setting and back to your original setting. The described windows and settings look similar to those in this picture. (thanks Jean Paul).
- No sound coming through speakers or headphones. There seems to be an issue where the default playback device is changed upon Windows restart to HDMI or other playback devices (#1). After each restart you can restore the default playback device to your preferred audio card by opening Windows Sound-->Playback tab-> select "Speakers (ASUS Xonar...)" and press "Set default". A more permanent workaround fix could be to disable all other playback devices in Windows Sound.
Windows 11 version 22H2 (September 2022 Update) notes
Known new issues: -
Possible new issues: -
Windows 10 version 21H2 (November 2021 Update) notes
Known new issues: -
Possible new issues: -
Windows 11 version 21H2 (October 2021 Update) notes
Known new issues: -
Possible new issues: -
Windows 10 version 21H1 (May 2021 Update) notes
Known new issues:
- S/PDIF output not working (#1, #2?, #3?). If you have this issue please report it under this comment. Anyone having this issue should report it to Windows support.
Possible new issues: -
Windows 10 version 20H2 (October 2020 Update) notes
Known new issues:
-
Possible new issues:
- No sound coming through speakers or headphones. There seems to be an issue where the default playback device is changed upon Windows restart to HDMI or other playback devices (#1). After each restart you can restore the default playback device to your preferred audio card by opening Windows Sound-->Playback tab-> select "Speakers (ASUS Xonar...)" and press "Set default". A more permanent workaround fix could be to disable all other playback devices in Windows Sound.
Windows 10 version 2004 (May 2020 Update) notes
Known new issues:
-
Possible new issues:
- System crashing when installing the Xonar drivers (#1). A possible solution might be to install the drivers with Windows booted in Safe mode.
- Equalizer and other sound effects from the cards control panel do not get applied to the sound when using S/PDIF output (#1).
- Occasional BSOD when waking the system from sleep (#1, #2, #3). The BSOD shows DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (cmudaxp.sys) as the cause. A possible solution could be to install v 1.71.1 drivers, please provide feedback if this worked for you.
- PC not booting after the Xonar driver install, issue possibly manifesting in conjunction with the use of Hibernate (Suspend to disk) (#1).
Windows 10 version 1909 (November 2019 Update) notes
Known new issues:
- Higher DPC latency which may cause massive stuttering (#1). The v1909 can be uninstalled from Control Panel->Programs and Features->View Installed Updates-> select and uninstall "Feature Update to Windows 10 Version 1909 via Enablement Package (KB4517245)". To prevent v1909 update (KB4517245) to be installed again you should use Wushowhide tool (guide on how to use it) or disable Windows Update altogether for the time being.
Possible new issues:
-
Windows 10 version 1903 (April 2019 Update) notes
Possible issues:
- Windows 10 1903 Has a Nasty Audio Stutter Bug Microsoft Hasn't Managed to Fix
- Windows 10 KB4515384 is now causing audio issues on some PCs
- After one of the recent September Windows updates, XonarSwitch does not run anymore. Discussions take place here. A possible solution is described here.
Other notes:
- Windows Sound is no longer accessible from Windows Volume-> Sounds. If you want to control the playback devices, recording devices, Windows sounds you can open Windows Sound by typing in search: “change system sounds“ or by going to Control Panel->Sound.
Windows 10 version 1809 (October 2018 Update) notes
Before upgrading to 1809, you should uninstall the UNi Xonar drivers especially if you have v1.81a installed, as the update process might result in BSOD (#1). As a reminder, in order to avoid a system crash while uninstalling 1825 (v1.81a) drivers you will need to play an audio file before proceeding with the uninstall process. Restart the system after the uninstall process is done.
Possible issues reported so far:
- Crashes at boot or after walking PC from sleep or hibernation (#1)
- Audio stops working after some time (#1)
- Inability to change the number of audio channels to other than 2 channels when using S/PDIF output if you have Speakers disabled in Windows Sound -> Playback (#1).
- For 1825 (v1.81a) drivers, during the installation of some Windows updates the system might get a BSOD (#1).
Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) notes (updated 13 May 2018)
Our community member Chris Leipold reports that the wake up from sleep BSOD, settings reset and not working audio server process at startup issues that where introduced with Fall Creators Update are fixed with Red Stone 4 preview (pre 1803 release).
Possible issues and fixes:
- Microphone not working - Check this guide. (thanks Shane)
- Audio crashes - If you have “Dolby Atmos for Headphone” app installed you should remove it and replace it with the updated “Dolby Access” app in order to avoid audiosvr process stack overflow errors that are crashing the audio subsystem. (thanks Chris Leipold)
Possible issues reported so far:
- Settings (Bit-depth, sample rate, number of channels) reset bug when clicking the volume after restart might still happen (#1)
- Windows might freeze when installing Xonar drivers (#1)
- Microphone might not work even after doing the microsoft privacy toggle fix (#1)
- S/DPIF output might not work at least for some with Xonar DG cards (#1)
Windows 10 version 1709 (Fall Creators Update) notes (updated 13 May 2018)
Reported issues so far:
- Drivers above 1821 v1.71 may cause BSOD when waking system from sleep (#1, #2, #3). It's unclear if it is a driver issue or a Windows issue that's triggered in specific conditions that are met when using drivers above 1821 v1.71. Since ASUS/C-media driver support is pretty much dead and most people didn't have this issue until Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, people having this issue should contact Microsoft support and submit their crash dumps.
- Card settings are being restored after each restart. A temporarily workaround would be to save your settings as a XonarSwitch profile and apply it each reboot. Anyone affected should report the issue to Microsoft. Update 6 Feb 2018: it looks like this is fixed in insider builds >= 17074, and it will be fixed in Windows 10 version 1803. Update 8 Mar 2018: this should be fixed with KB4074588 update for version 1709.
- Default format (bit-depth and sample rate) from Windows Volume->Playback devices and the number of audio channels resets each time the Windows Volume icon is clicked (#1, #2). Anyone affected should report the issue to Microsoft. Update 8 Mar 2018: this should be fixed with KB4074588 update. Update 13 May 2018: This issue might still happen even after installing KB4074588 (#1).
- Possible high frequency tone when playing audio.
Driver Downloads (Windows only) - click here if downloads are not showing
Standalone applications for changing settings or enhancing audio:
1. Standalone apps pack. Based on a script made by Virus. Before running the files, close any audio source/application. Legacy, preferably use XonarSwitch and configure it with separate profiles. Does not work correctly when used with STXII ("b") drivers. Contains:
- Front panel switch v3.2
- SampleRate switch v1.2
- Microphone Array Enabler v1.1 - Might be useful if you have an microphone array
- HDAV HDMI enabler v1.0 - This application hasn't been tested please submit feedback if it works or not. It appears it is not needed anymore.
- Acoustic Echo Cancellation enabler v1.0 - Useful for other Cmedia 8788 based cards that lack this setting
- Stereo upmix switch v1.0
- 7.1 virtual speaker shifter enhanced profile v1.0 - Profile created by Cu. This profile should enhance the effect of positioning in games when using Dolby Headphones and 7.1 virtual speaker shifter. Please provide feedback about this profile. Demo.
- Headphones ohm Amp switch v1.0 - Works only with the cards that support this.
2. Additional tweaks
3. Xonar related applications:
- XonarSwitch (beta) - Alternative panel to Asus Audio Center and C-Media Panel. Allows you to control various Xonar’s audio settings, define them as switchable profiles and apply them on-the-fly without having to stop the audio playback.
- Front Panel switch (new version) - Application that seamlessly changes between rear speakers and front panel speakers output.
- UNi Xonar driver cleaner - Standalone driver cleaner based on the one that's included in UNi Xonar drivers.
- Xonar Restoree Extended - Tool to restore Xonar cards hardware ID. The extended version includes support for Xonar STX II and Xonar DG SI cards.
- Xonar Driver Restart - Application that will restart the Windows Audio Service and C-media audio driver. Useful for sound loops, no audio output and other issues.
- Xonar Relay Restart - Application that will force the the Xonar relay switch to reinitialize. May be useful when there is no audio output after system boot or wake up from sleep. May be used instead of Xonar Driver Restart as it is quicker and does not affect running applications. This will cause a temporary 1 sec switch between rear and front panel outputs.
- Xonar-EQ - Control Xonar equalizer settings from your Android phone or tablet. By Sascha.
4. Auxiliary audio applications:
- ASIOConfig - ASIO configuration viewer/changer that can be used when you can't access the Xonar ASIO Configuration directly. By djdecks.
- SoundLock - Set the maximum output volume that sounds can be at. Can replace Xonar SVN in some cases (like limiting the volume of loud noises in movies). Works on Windows Vista and newer.
- more...
Tags: ASUS Xonar drivers, ASUS Xonar D1 driver, ASUS Xonar DX driver, ASUS Xonar D2 driver, ASUS Xonar D2X driver, ASUS Xonar Essence ST driver, ASUS Xonar Essence STX driver, ASUS Xonar Essence STX II driver, ASUS Xonar DG driver, ASUS Xonar DGX driver, ASUS Xonar DS, ASUS Xonar DSX driver, ASUS Xonar HDAV driver, ASUS Xonar Xense driver, razer barracuda AC-1 drivers, HT Omega Claro driver, Auzentech X-Meridian 2G drivers, uni xonar treiber, razer barracuda ac-1 windows 10
I am not sure if this has been mentioned before? Users of Xonar STX may find that Rekordbox plays audio slowly in export mode. This can be fixed by using the ASIO4ALL driver.
Hello. How do you update the latest xonar driver with ASIO 4?
Hi, go here - https://www.asio4all.org/
Download and install, in Rekordbox settings choose the asio4all output.
NB. Does not play well with other audio, so don't watch a youtube vid in your browser while using with rekordbox for example.
Luck.
Thanks. I thought you could update the asio v2 that the uni xonar driver uses by replacing a file? Maybe not so simple?
I ran the RMAA test (24Bit/96Khz). I found that the lowDPC and C-media options could not output more than 20Khz. Only the normal ASUS option output more than normally. Is this supposed to be normal? Or what am I missing?
I'm not aware of such an issue. In real sound output tests, the card will output the sound including beyond 20kHz with Low DPC Latency configuration, this much I know.
1. In RMAA there are a couple of options that limit the frequency range, for example there is one in General-> "Analyze noise and distortions only in 20 Hz - 20 kHz range", did you unchecked this in all tests?
2. In each case (Normal, Low DPC Latency etc.), along with setting the cards and Windows Sound->Speakers to 96kHz, you also needed to change the Line In "Default format" to 96 000 Hz in Windows Sound settings, was this done?
3. Which UNi Xonar driver version, OS and Xonar card do you have?
4. When you say "could not output more than 20Khz", I assume you checked this by viewing one or more of the graphs from RMAA result, which ones?
5. Mention any settings you might have changed in RMAA over the default settings.
6. Send me (in the form select "other reasons than above") your RMAA .sav results for each case.
I used to use xonar DX and I knew this phenomenon then. But I used it as it was.
I recently bought a new DX and found the same problem and wanted to know the cause of this.
1. I checked and unchecked the option, but nothing changed.
2. Line-in setting is set at 24-96
3. Currently v1.64-r3. In the past, I sometimes tested several versions, but the problem has never been solved.
5. The RMAA setting is in the default state.
6. I sent an email with a file attached.
Thank you very much for your concern.
Yes, I had such a problem on ST on win10 that when outputting sound at a sampling rate of 192kHz, if there is NOISE in the sound above 20kHz (for example, converting from sacd to flac 192kHz), it turns into hiss at audible frequencies below 20kHz with -60dB level, while frequencies above 20kHz are simply cut off (all parameters are set correctly - output is 24 bit 192 kHz and the same for inputs). But when using asio everything is fine. I don't know if it's a problem on my system or if it's a problem with the driver (and I've checked ALL unixonar and original versions). In other words, the mme wdm wasapi and other modes do not work properly now. In any case, I listen through asio, so this problem is bearable for me.
Xonar DX Windows 11 22H2. The sound stutters. I had to turn it off. Tried disabling TPM, didn't help.
1. When did this sound stutter issue started happening? Like when you updated to version 22H2 from previous Windows 11 version, since installing Windows 11, after last Windows updates etc.
2. With the onboard soundcard you don't have this sound stutters?
3. Have you tried reinstalling the Xonar drivers? Trying Low DPC Latency configuration?
4. What CPU and motherboard do you have?
Hello again. I have read a lot on the internet on many forums. Tested a lot of things. nothing helps. have not yet seen anyone who really tries to solve the problem with these sound cards. so far there is no solution to the problem. I believe more and more that it is a harder problem. If this is a driver problem, why hasn't this been fixed? This is not a new problem but a problem that has existed almost since these sound cards were new. At least what I've read
What problem are you taking about? The white noise problem that you said you have with your STX card? Then your comment again isn't made where it belongs. In fact I don't see a point at all, only to complain that there is no solution.
I told you that based on your description it does not look like the OCCASIONAL LOUD white noise issue, and from what I could tell back then, your didn't even bother checking the link to what I suggested your problem actually was...
The amount of time I've spent going through your comments, trying to understand what you meant, moving your comments from new comments to replies, from unrelated replies to new comments, correcting your comments, asking you at least 3 times to write the product names properly. I can't do this anymore, so please make an actual effort to make the comments properly, comment only when necessary and only on the subject discussed. If you can't, or you still don't understand how the comment system works, then please don't comment anymore.
Everyone who owns it
Asus Xonar Essence STX or DX. but especially STX. know that they have big problems with (HISS) (HISSING) This is not exactly a new problem. No solution to the problem as far as I know.
This is what I was talking about.
Sorry if I called hissing something else 2 things can sound a bit similar
@Ford Yes I have a similar issue with the hiss, it's almost a little like a ground loop hum.
I use a Xonar STX connected using analog RCA output to a 5.1 amp and speakers. The amp and speakers on their own produce no hum/hiss but as soon as the PC is turned on and the relay on card clicks, the noise starts.
It seems much worse on the rear and center outputs, the front outputs don't seem to be affected as much.
I have tried shielding the card, moving to another slot on the motherboard, and ensuring that the power supply to the card is not shared with anything else.
Not sure if I might have an issue with the card now.
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Despite Ford writing about the issue as hissing (yet again), he claimed it's not the permanent hiss issue and instead the occasional loud white noise issue.
About the permanent hiss noise I've written here in case you are interested.
There is no solution to this problem that I am aware of. I've tried absolutely everything. Even in 3 completely different computers, both with speakers and earphones. I have spent quite some time on the internet without finding a single solution to this problem. Some people think they have found a solution, but the problem does not go away completely.
I'm afraid the only solution is to replace it with a different sound card.
Maxedtech (UNI) does not make the driver itself, but makes it work in Windows versions 10 og 11. According to what I have read, the driver itself is no longer updated.
"If this is a driver problem, why hasn't this been fixed?"
You should probably realize that the last time both the Xonar STX and DX have received an official driver update was in 2015, as in 8 years ago. I very much doubt anyone is working on new drivers, either at Asus or at CMI. CarvedInside tries the best he can, but he can't really solve driver-level issues, he's just a very dedicated fan, not an official support tech/dev.
From the official standpoint, by all accounts these sound cards might all be considered no longer supported.
Hello. I have an issue since a year ago more or less. It happens that sometimes the right channel goes away unexpectedly. It specifically happens when I’m watching a youtube/twitch video and I go forward de video by clicking the time bar; the moment that I do click, the right channel switches off. The only “solution” that I know is to restart the computer. It’s super super random because it can happen a few times in the same day or I can spent weeks without any problem.
My audio card is Xonar DX. I use Windows 10 (22H2 right now, but it happened with previous versions as well). It happens with both drivers UNi-Xonar-1823-v1.80a-r3 and UNi-Xonar-W10-1825-v1.81a-r2.
Thank you in advance.
What motherboard do you have?
Check that the auxiliary power is properly connected to the Xonar DX, maybe it's a bit loose. See section 3 from this article on more info on this.
When this issue happens you can use Xonar Driver Restart instead of restarting the PC.
I have an ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. B150M-C (LGA1151) with an i5-6600. I can't check the connection right now but I would say that it's well connected.
Thank you for that driver, at least is more convenient than restarting the computer.
---
Update: The connection is fine
I think the issue is caused by some hardware issue with your card. The Xonar Driver Restart application will work because the card is reinitialized when the driver is restarted.
should I use this for eCLARO OMEGA HT PCIe card? which one is the best for windows 11 22H2 moment 2. i only want to use it for Headphones with Sennheiser HD800s and DTSX or the Xear3D Headphones
You can use them with your card. Check the UNi Xonar Features page to see if any of those are of interest to you. Try the 1.80a version.
I wish to feedback that there is an obvious difference between the sound produced by music files (played via Spotify) on the Asus Essence STX II 7.1, between the UNi Xonar 1.80b r3 driver, versus the UNi Xonar v1.81a r2 driver. The soundstage is present on the "UNi Xonar 1.80b r3 driver, but seems to be missing from the UNi Xonar v1.81a r2 driver. I am using the same Equalizer settings (Soft Rock) on both v1.80b r3 and v1.81a r2 drivers.
Which Windows have to tested this on? Have you noticed this also without the Equalizer being enabled? If you haven't and get the chance to test this at some point let me know of the results.
When I have more time I will (re)do RMAA audio tests with and without Eq and some audio listening tests to see if I notice the same.
Hello. I had a problem with the right channel. I think the reason is Discord. If Discord is turned off, there are no problems with sound for 3-4 days.
Xonar DX + 1.80a driver
Hey there!
I only tend to crash when switching from 2 Speakers to Headphones, or vice versa. When the click happens on the soundcard; the system just crashes and I hear the bios beep. No BSOD.
I was wondering if there were any suggestions on how I could reduce the odds of this happening? It seems to be about a 50/50 chance.
This is the event viewer error from the WHEA Logger:
A fatal hardware error has occurred.
Reported by component: Processor Core
Error Source: Machine Check Exception
Error Type: Bus/Interconnect Error
Processor APIC ID: 0
Thought I'd give a followup post here: I figured the problem is I'm running a Ryzen CPU with an Asus Crosshair VI WiFi board.
But I wanted to give the positive news that I've been rock solid stable as long as I avoid anything that makes the card go *click*; and even then it's about a 50/50 chance I'll be fine.
I've worked around this by using a breakaway cable with my headphones and just running it in headphones mode since I'm using PCM/optical audio for my speakers.
Crash free since. Just plug in my headphones and mute my speakers when I need to do that.
Currently using: Essence STX
Colleague of mine is giving me his Essence STX II can I plug the STX II in without uninstalling drivers or is it wiser to uninstall and reinstall anyway?
Uninstall and reinstall. Preferably install 1.80b driver that's specifically made for STX II cards.
Thank you very much for your reply. As for the Essence STX I, should I ideally use the v1.81a r2 or the v1.80a r3 version? (I am using windows 10)
v1.80a is a better choice. Don't really recommend v1.81a, unless you have some issue you want to see if it does not manifest on other drivers.
Thank you very much for taking your time to reply to my questions.
Hello!
Just wanted to inform you that channel drop on Xonar DX is "solved".
Installed 1.80r3 and using Xonar switch. With official drivers and 1.81 the card would randomly lose right channel when switching between FP headphones and speakers.
Also, with 1.80r3 I would lose sound if speaker config is unequal when using HP and 5.1 - e.g. if I'm using 7.1 for HP and 5.1 for speakers.
So, 5.1 for HP and 5.1 for speakers works flawlessly...
What is interesting is that by using switch and not any control panel, the clicking sound is a lot lower.
I've disabled any other controls other than switch from starting up since it works so well.
It has been four days and I switch between HP/5.1 at least 10 times a day ...