Soundcards and OS support
Unified driver package which supports the the following 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
- Auzentech HDA X-Purity 7.1, X-Meridian 1G, X-Meridian 2G
- HTOmega Claro, Claro Plus, Claro II, Claro Halo, eClaro
- Razer Barracuda AC-1
- AIM Audio SC8000
- TempoTec HIFIER Serenade and other C-Media CMI8786, CMI8787 and CMI8788 audio chip based cards
! The following cards won't work and will not be supported with UNi Xonar drivers: ASUS Xonar U1, Xonar U3, Xonar U5, Xonar U7, Xonar AE 7.1, Xonar SE, Xonar EssenceOne, Xonar Essence STU, ROG Xonar Phoebus, ROG Thunderbolt and Xonar D-Kara; ASUS Strix Raid and Strix Soar. The reason is these cards have different audio chipsets with different base drivers than the classic Xonar cards. More info and some suggestions here.
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. For Windows 10 and 11 issues and compatibility notes check this page.
Features and improvements over original drivers
- Fixed 4.0/5.1/7.1 stereo upmix issue. Stereo sounds won't be upmixed to 4.0, 5.1 or 7.1 anymore (stereo is played in 2.0, surround is played in 4.0/5.1/7.1). This is a general problem on Win XP. On Win Vista/7/8/10 it's a problem only if the number of channels differs from the number of speakers or when using S/PDIF output - since v1.0
- Fixed the Rear, Side and Center channel delays which where enabled by default. These are now disabled. This fixes the strange annoying reverb that people hear with 4.0/5.1/7.1 headphones or speakers and also results in a more responsive sound experience. With ASUS/C-media original drivers, Side and Rear speakers have a delay of 10ms and Center speaker of 15ms. - since v1.20
- Updated OpenAL library from 2.0.4 to 2.1.0. Useful in some cases if you use GX or play games with OpenAL support - since v1.0
- Includes the most up to date audio drivers and components available (ASIO, ASUS and C-Media audio panels and HsMgr processes), which occasionally fix long time issues or bugs. You would have to wait literally years and sometimes forever for getting an up to date driver package directly from ASUS, C-media, Auzentech, HTOmega or Razer.
- Loading the right settings out of the box when installed (44.1kHz sample rate, GX off by default).
- UNi Xonar installer features:
- Built-in driver cleaner that can run before driver installation.
- Streamlined all-in-one driver installer for all supported cards and OS.
- Support for addons & custom files in the installer, making it easier to apply custom files or additional driver mods when installing new drivers - since v1.70
- Installer has a card autodetection system which is helpful in diagnosing when the card's EEPROM has been overwritten and a debugger for those cases where the card is not detected and does not work - since v1.80
- Automatic 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 - since v1.80
- Additional fixes and improvements through three different configuration presets of the drivers. See the table below:
| Features comparison table | Normal - ASUS Audio Center | Low DPC latency** (recommended) | C-Media Audio Panel** |
| Description | Automatically loads ASUS Audio Center and uses it as default audio panel for controlling Xonar cards settings. It's like ASUS Xonar official drivers but with UNi Xonar fixes and settings. | Both ASUS Audio Center and C-media Panel are disabled from auto starting with Windows. If needed, either one of them can be launched from Start Menu -> Programs -> UNi Xonar Audio. The HsMgr (GX) processes are disabled from auto starting. GX is not functional. This is also the recommend configuration if you want to use the drivers along with XonarSwitch. Ensures the lowest DPC latency and lowest interference with the system, other applications and sound playback. | Automatically loads C-Media Panel and uses it as default audio panel for controlling Xonar cards settings. Some options are missing from C-Media Panel, but you can also launch ASUS Audio Center from Start Menu -> Programs -> UNi Xonar Audio, use XonarSwitch or use Standalone Apps to make the necessary changes. The HsMgr (GX) processes are disabled from auto starting. GX is not functional. If GX (labeled Xear3D) is needed, when installing the drivers choose "C-media Panel with GX enabled" configuration, but this is generally not recommended. Has low DPC latency and low interference with the system, other applications and sound playback. |
| Advantages | - Conveniently access almost all options available for Xonar cards. - For Xonar DG, DGX, DS, DSX cards: front panel jack autodetection should be working. | - Drastically reduced DPC latency (from ~200µs to ~75µs)* - Makes Windows startup a little faster and reduces the RAM memory usage by 30-35 MB by not auto starting ASUS or C-media Panels and HsMgr (GX) processes. - Fixes different application crashes (e.g. Skype, Corsair iCue, Apex Legends) - Possibly fixes other audio issues or glitches. - Possibly fixes some performance issues in games and other applications. | - Drastically reduced DPC latency (from ~200µs to ~75µs)* - Reduces memory usage by 10-20 MB RAM compared to Normal configuration. - Compared to ASUS Audio Center, the C-Media Panel offers:
- Fixes different application crashes (e.g. Skype, Corsair iCue, Apex Legends) - Possibly fixes for other audio issues or glitches. - Possibly fixes some performance issues in games and other applications. |
| Disadvantages | - High to very high DPC latency(~200µs)* - Always loading possibly unneeded and problematic components (ASUS Audio Center and HsMgr processes), which could interfere with Windows, other applications and drivers and cause different issues and crashes with for example Skype, Corsair iCue, Apex Legends. | - GX is fully disabled. Enabling GX (EAX emulation) in ASUS or C-Media panel won't work. - Enabling MagicVoice and other Voice Effects won't work because they depend on HsMgr (GX) processes. - Xonar DG, DGX, DS, DSX cards: front panel jack autodetection not working. - In some extremely rare circumstances that involve having certain drivers or software it could cause BSODs. So far, there has been #1 report of such behavior. | - Missing settings from C-Media Panel on Win XP: Sample Rate, GX button, HP ohm settings. - Missing settings from C-Media Panel on Win Vista, 7, 8, 10: Front Panel Output switch, HP ohm settings. The missing settings can be enabled through Standalone Apps or by launching ASUS Audio Center from Start Menu. - Xonar DG, DGX, DS, DSX cards: front panel jack autodetection not working. - Unless you've selected "C-Media Panel with GX enabled" panel configuration during the install:
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| Other notes | What DPC latency does? A low DPC latency ensures audio/video smoothness, while a high DPC latency can cause audio/video drop-outs or sound stutters. I wrote an article about DPC latency where I also did some tests here. *Enabling the following Xonar audio panel's functions Dolby sound enhancements, SVN, AEC, equalizer, environment presets and karaoke will cause your DPC latency to raise additionally. **On Low DPC Latency or C-media Panel configurations, launching ASUS Audio Center will cause a significant increase in DPC latency, just like with the Normal driver configuration, which will only be resolved after a system restart. If DPC latency is a concern to you, it's preferable that you use XonarSwitch or the Standalone Apps for enabling the settings that are missing from C-Media Panel. | ||
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