Conclusions

The X-Fi Prelude and Xonar D2X are both very good sound cards. They offer equivalent gaming performance in Windows Vista with the latest games, and our listeners had a hard time distinguishing between them in our blind listening tests. You'd do well with either of them in your system, really, but a few key differences make one more appropriate than the other, depending on your needs.

Take the X-Fi Prelude, for example. Much of this card's appeal lies with the X-Fi audio processor it has under the hood—a chip equipped with the most comprehensive support for hardware-accelerated EAX audio around. But that's largely a moot point in Windows Vista unless you're playing older games supported by Creative's ALchemy software, confining much of the Prelude's allure to those running Windows XP. Fortunately for Auzentech, it seems that many gamers and enthusiasts have little desire to give up XP in favor of Vista.

Were I primarily gaming in Windows XP, I'd take the Prelude over the Xonar in a heartbeat. The Prelude would probably win out over Creative's own X-Fi models, too, despite the fact that it costs twice as much as the cheapest X-Fi you can buy. Why pay so much more? Because the Prelude does sound a little better, and RightMark confirms that it has higher analog output quality than the X-Fi Fatal1ty. You also get a upgradeable OPAMP, and more importantly, support for real-time Dolby Digital Live encoding that isn't available with any other X-Fi. With DTS encoding on tap for a driver release this quarter, Auzentech has done well to differentiate the Prelude from Creative's own offerings, building a premium X-Fi in the process—one that still needs some bundled DVD-Audio playback software, mind you, but the Prelude is good enough to earn our TR Recommended award.

What of the Xonar, then? I'm glad you asked. If you're running Windows Vista, which largely eliminates the X-Fi's EAX advantage, the Xonar is the card you want. The Xonar is the better option if game performance isn't a priority, as well, since the lack of hardware acceleration for positional 3D audio is really the Xonar's only weakness.

Otherwise, Asus has done a fantastic job with the card. No doubt thanks to meticulous board design and carefully selected components, the D2X delivered the best RightMark Audio Analyzer scores we've ever seen. Couple that with a strong performance in our listening tests and thoughtful little touches like the back-lit port array and generous bundle of extras included in the box, and the Xonar really starts to grow on you. Game performance isn't bad either, at least in Vista. And then there's the PCI Express interface, which finally gives enthusiasts something worthwhile to put in their motherboards' PCIe x1 slots.

When taken with its strong overall performance, the sum of the Xonar's little perks is enough to elevate it to Editor's Choice distinction. With cards like these, Asus and Auzentech might just make the PC audio market interesting again.