ASUS today announced the Xonar U3 Plus, a pocket-sized USB-powered sound card with a 150-ohm headphone amplifier and audio enhancements, designed for PC and notebook users. The amplifier has adjustable gain levels that can drive up to 150ohm-impedance headphones and headsets. It enhances treble and bass to add dynamic details to low and high frequency sounds like explosions and footsteps in movies or games.

The pocket-sized Xonar U3 Plus supports real-time microphone audio recording, with a digital signal processor (DSP) that provides low microphone latency. Xonar U3 Plus features a suite of studio-grade vocal effects including a dedicated 10-band equalizer, precision low- and high-frequency filters, as well as reverb adjustment to add a sense of environmental space.

Stereo Mix allows users to mix vocals and music tracks easily, while the DJ Mix tool features a ducking effect that automatically reduces ('ducks') the volume of a background audio track when vocals are present, allowing users to create professional-sounding podcasts.

Xonar U3 Plus also features five pre-set audio modes (Rock, Rock Pro, Ballad, Ballad Pro, and Special) that have been calibrated by Xonar engineers.

Specifications

• Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 100dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise : 0.005% (-110dB)
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Headphone impedance: Optimized for 32~150O
• Interface: USB 1.1 or above bus compatible
• Sample Rate and Resolution: Up to 48KHz @ 16bit
• Connectivity: 1 x 3.5 mm jack analog out; 1 x 3.5 mm jack (Line-In/Mic-In combo); 1 x S/PDIF out (combo with analog out)
• Operation system: 1/8/7/XP(32/64bit)
• Karaoke functions: Music pitch-shifting, vocal cancellation, and microphone echo effects with stereo mix recording (Wave and Mic-in) for online Karaoke or online DJ applications