ASUS Xonar U1 USB Audio Station

System Overview


When you first take the U1 out of its packaging, the first thing that will hit you is how small this thing really is. Imagine a trio of overcooked burgers stacked one on top of one another and you have a pretty good idea of the size. It is so compact, fitting it into a laptop carrying case should not pose any kind of problem. The top of the housing is actually a volume control with mute control. Turning the housing regulates the volume and pushing the top down will mute or unmute the sound. This is actually a really innovative approach since it keeps the exterior design extremely clean. It should also be noted that the U1 is also available in other colors such as pink and silver.

Both jacks are combo jacks offering electrical connections for the microphone and headphones and optical input and output using the included adapter. The indicator LED changes color to indicate which mode the device is currently in: red for mute, Flashing blue for user mode and steady blue for Hi-Fi Mode.

All in all, I am pretty impressed with how well the U1 is designed. It really has a Philippe Starck look to it with graceful lines and an elegant shape but at the same time it packs many options into its compact shape.