ASUS Xonar Essence STX

Rob Williams · 04-06-2009, 12:57 AM

The majority of the high-end PC audio cards targeted at enthusiasts typically focus on multi-channel performance, with a variety of decoding modes, DSP enhancements, and other features tossed in. The Xonar Essence STX from ASUS has an entirely different focus - delivering audiophile-quality stereo output.

You can read Rory's exhaustive article here and discuss it here!

lilohtpc · 04-06-2009, 05:24 AM

wow... great review, enjoyed reading Rory's review as always.
but doesn't it deserve an award?

04-06-2009, 11:20 AM

There are some typos early in the review.

1. "The math here is simple - power is equal to voltage-squared over resistance. As resistance is increased, power decreases linearly, but as voltage is increased, power increases exponentially."

It should read "... but as voltage is increased, power increases polynomially (as a square)."

2. "Connecting high-end audiophile headphones (with their higher working resistance) to your PC's sound card means that you'll be driving less voltage into your headphones."

This should read "... you'll be driving less current (and, consequently, less power) into your headphones".

Vadim

Rob Williams · 04-06-2009, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilohtpc

wow... great review, enjoyed reading Rory's review as always.
but doesn't it deserve an award?

The lack of an award or even a pros and cons list was a total accident we didn't realize until after posting. It's all been fixed.

madmat · 04-07-2009, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vadim

There are some typos early in the review.

1. "The math here is simple - power is equal to voltage-squared over resistance. As resistance is increased, power decreases linearly, but as voltage is increased, power increases exponentially."

It should read "... but as voltage is increased, power increases polynomially (as a square)."

2. "Connecting high-end audiophile headphones (with their higher working resistance) to your PC's sound card means that you'll be driving less voltage into your headphones."

This should read "... you'll be driving less current (and, consequently, less power) into your headphones".

Vadim

Actually, you'll be getting less amperage AND voltage. Wattage is volts times amps divided by resistance. Therefore as the load is increased in resistance the amperage and voltage will decrease. If you read the working voltage in parallel to the load it will appear to be the same (if not a wee bit higher) than with a lower ohms load BUT if you read the voltage in series with the load it will be lower. Less voltage is being returned from the rails.

Greg King · 04-07-2009, 07:58 AM

As always, very solid review Rory.

04-07-2009, 11:03 AM

I'm on board with the others about your great reviews. I would like to see a review on the HT Omega Claro Plus+ or other HT Omega cards. Thanks....B.

Rob Williams · 04-07-2009, 02:28 PM

I agree... I loved this review. I'll let Rory speak for any follow-up content though, because his time is of the "essence" (see what I did there?) lately, so he might be unable to take a look at another card in the near-future.

Merlin · 04-07-2009, 05:53 PM

Great review, if I was not such a fan of surround sound, I might delve into a stero card

04-08-2009, 09:22 PM

"But as I pushed the headphones further and further on the Essence STX, there was no noticeable change in the character of the sound - it remained full and smooth to the very limits of the volume slider."

Question: how was the SQ at lower volumes? Do you know how volume attenuation is performed? Is it in the digital realm or in the analog circuit?
If it's digital that means the signal is degraded below a volume threshold (pretty close to the max) and that's where an external amp with decent analog volume control would still hold the advantage.

This is an excellent review BTW. Thanks!

01-10-2010, 01:43 AM

The amp does work through the Front panel jack..

02-03-2010, 06:52 PM

It is stated in the article that the card is able to output multichannel info through the SPDIF.

The card has no DTS support. But in my limited understanding in that field, if I watch a DTS movie through the SPDIF and have a DTS decoder (a LOGITECH Z-5500 5.1 DIGITAL), DTS will be there right?

Is the info going unchanged through any SPDIF? or are there enhancements or any kind of sound treatment before it gets out of the card?

Thank you for the answer,
Martin

04-06-2009, 12:57 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	ASUS Xonar Essence STX The majority of the high-end PC audio cards targeted at enthusiasts typically focus on multi-channel performance, with a variety of decoding modes, DSP enhancements, and other features tossed in. The Xonar Essence STX from ASUS has an entirely different focus - delivering audiophile-quality stereo output. You can read Rory's exhaustive article here and discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

04-06-2009, 11:20 AM	#3
Vadim Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Typos There are some typos early in the review. 1. "The math here is simple - power is equal to voltage-squared over resistance. As resistance is increased, power decreases linearly, but as voltage is increased, power increases exponentially." It should read "... but as voltage is increased, power increases polynomially (as a square)." 2. "Connecting high-end audiophile headphones (with their higher working resistance) to your PC's sound card means that you'll be driving less voltage into your headphones." This should read "... you'll be driving less current (and, consequently, less power) into your headphones". Vadim

04-07-2009, 07:58 AM	#6
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	As always, very solid review Rory. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

04-07-2009, 11:03 AM	#7
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Great Review I'm on board with the others about your great reviews. I would like to see a review on the HT Omega Claro Plus+ or other HT Omega cards. Thanks....B.

04-07-2009, 02:28 PM	#8
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	I agree... I loved this review. I'll let Rory speak for any follow-up content though, because his time is of the "essence" (see what I did there?) lately, so he might be unable to take a look at another card in the near-future. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

04-06-2009, 05:24 AM	#2
lilohtpc Obliviot Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 6	wow... great review, enjoyed reading Rory's review as always. but doesn't it deserve an award?

04-07-2009, 05:53 PM	#9
Merlin The Tech Wizard Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lakeland, Fl Posts: 1,855	Great review, if I was not such a fan of surround sound, I might delve into a stero card __________________ Win7 64 bit Intel i7 920 watercooled Asus P6X580 Premium mobo, GTX280 GPU watercooled Synology NAS 207 Network Server with 2 Hitachi Terabite drives LG NAS N2R1 with 2 ea 2 tb drives LINKSYS PLK300 Powerline Network Kit

04-08-2009, 09:22 PM	#10
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	"But as I pushed the headphones further and further on the Essence STX, there was no noticeable change in the character of the sound - it remained full and smooth to the very limits of the volume slider." Question: how was the SQ at lower volumes? Do you know how volume attenuation is performed? Is it in the digital realm or in the analog circuit? If it's digital that means the signal is degraded below a volume threshold (pretty close to the max) and that's where an external amp with decent analog volume control would still hold the advantage. This is an excellent review BTW. Thanks!

01-10-2010, 01:43 AM	#11
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	HP The amp does work through the Front panel jack..

02-03-2010, 06:52 PM	#12
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	spdif output It is stated in the article that the card is able to output multichannel info through the SPDIF. The card has no DTS support. But in my limited understanding in that field, if I watch a DTS movie through the SPDIF and have a DTS decoder (a LOGITECH Z-5500 5.1 DIGITAL), DTS will be there right? Is the info going unchanged through any SPDIF? or are there enhancements or any kind of sound treatment before it gets out of the card? Thank you for the answer, Martin

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