Feature Testing: Onboard Audio
Since fewer and fewer consumers seem to be buying discrete sound cards, the quality of a motherboard's onboard audio is now more important than ever. We figured that it was worthwhile to take a closer look at just how good the analog signal quality is coming out of the onboard SupremeFX 2015 audio subsystem that is implemented on the Maximus VIII Extreme.
Since isolated results don't really mean much, but we have also included some numbers from the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact, GIGABYTE Z170-HD3 DDR3, ASUS X99-A, ASUS X99-PRO, ASUS Rampage V Extreme, GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 WIFI, MSI X99S Gaming 7, EVGA X99 Classified, and ASUS X99 Deluxe motherboards that we have previously reviewed. The GIGABYTE Z170-HD3 motherboard is based on the Realtek ALC887, a lower-end 7.1 channel HD audio codec, whereas most of the other models in this comparison feature onboard audio solutions that are built around the higher-end Realtek ALC1150 codec, but feature different op-amps, headphone amplifiers, filtering capacitors, secondary components and layouts. The GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 WIFI and EVGA are both based on the same Creative Core3D CA0132 quad-core audio processor, but feature vastly different hardware implementations.
We are going to do this using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, since sound quality isn't really something that can be adequately explained with only numbers. To do this we have turned to the RightMark Audio Analyzer, basically the standard application for this type of testing.
Since all the three motherboards support very high quality 24-bit, 192kHz audio playback we selected that as the sample mode option. Basically, what this test does is pipe the audio signal from the front-channel output to the line-in input via a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male mini-plug cable, and then RightMark Audio Analyzer (RMAA) does the audio analysis. Obviously we disabled all software enhancements since they interfere with the pure technical performance that we are trying to benchmark.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Maximus VIII Extreme achieved the best audio results that we have seen almost across the board. The noise level and dynamic range numbers were exemplary, as was the low stereo crosstalk. The only other motherboard to come anywhere near these figures is the Rampage V Extreme, which only achieved an 'Excellent' rating in six of eight categories, but with distinctly worse results. Using our usual mix of mix of Grado SR225i and Koss PortaPro headphones, Westone UM1 IEMs, and Logitech Z-5500 5.1 speakers, playback was clean, we could crank the volume up on our Grado's to past enjoyable sound levels, and we couldn't pinpoint any flaws in the audio quality.
As we tend to repeat, we aren't experts in this area, but we suspect that most Extreme owners will likewise be very happy with this motherboard's onboard audio capabilities.
Feature Testing: Onboard Audio
Since fewer and fewer consumers seem to be buying discrete sound cards, the quality of a motherboard's onboard audio is now more important than ever. We figured that it was worthwhile to take a closer look at just how good the analog signal quality is coming out of the onboard SupremeFX 2015 audio subsystem that is implemented on the Maximus VIII Extreme.
Since isolated results don't really mean much, but we have also included some numbers from the ASUS Maximus VIII Impact, GIGABYTE Z170-HD3 DDR3, ASUS X99-A, ASUS X99-PRO, ASUS Rampage V Extreme, GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 WIFI, MSI X99S Gaming 7, EVGA X99 Classified, and ASUS X99 Deluxe motherboards that we have previously reviewed. The GIGABYTE Z170-HD3 motherboard is based on the Realtek ALC887, a lower-end 7.1 channel HD audio codec, whereas most of the other models in this comparison feature onboard audio solutions that are built around the higher-end Realtek ALC1150 codec, but feature different op-amps, headphone amplifiers, filtering capacitors, secondary components and layouts. The GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 WIFI and EVGA are both based on the same Creative Core3D CA0132 quad-core audio processor, but feature vastly different hardware implementations.
We are going to do this using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, since sound quality isn't really something that can be adequately explained with only numbers. To do this we have turned to the RightMark Audio Analyzer, basically the standard application for this type of testing.
Since all the three motherboards support very high quality 24-bit, 192kHz audio playback we selected that as the sample mode option. Basically, what this test does is pipe the audio signal from the front-channel output to the line-in input via a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male mini-plug cable, and then RightMark Audio Analyzer (RMAA) does the audio analysis. Obviously we disabled all software enhancements since they interfere with the pure technical performance that we are trying to benchmark.
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Maximus VIII Extreme achieved the best audio results that we have seen almost across the board. The noise level and dynamic range numbers were exemplary, as was the low stereo crosstalk. The only other motherboard to come anywhere near these figures is the Rampage V Extreme, which only achieved an 'Excellent' rating in six of eight categories, but with distinctly worse results. Using our usual mix of mix of Grado SR225i and Koss PortaPro headphones, Westone UM1 IEMs, and Logitech Z-5500 5.1 speakers, playback was clean, we could crank the volume up on our Grado's to past enjoyable sound levels, and we couldn't pinpoint any flaws in the audio quality.
As we tend to repeat, we aren't experts in this area, but we suspect that most Extreme owners will likewise be very happy with this motherboard's onboard audio capabilities.