Customer Reviews

ASUS PCI-Express x1 Sound Card XONAR ESSENCE STX/90-YAA0C0-0UAN00Z

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this sound card to drive my 2ch stereo system via the RCA connectors. I'm very pleased with the sound. Setup was done in 3 minutes or so and there was nothing tricky about it at all. It's got a bit of "audio jewelry" to make it look nice which some people are into, but I could care less. The sound is on par with what I would expect from a card of this price range. The SNR is the best I've seen from any other sound card (asus or otherwise). Not that SNR is the holy grail of quality measurements but it's clear the designers worked hard to make a very clean sounding device. I use my computer as my main source now (CD's, BluRay, Flac, MP3 all rolled into one!) and having a nice sound card is essential if you want good quality sound from your PC.

One note, and it's not a "con" but something to consider. It's *just* a sound card. Unless you're using some very high quality output devices (amp, speakers and/or headphones) you should probably spend your money on speakers/amp before you throw money down on a sound card because it will offer the least improvement for your dollar. If you've already got speakers/headphones and an amp that you're very happy with, this sound card will make a noticeable improvement in your system.

I bought this card after first considering the another brand for a similar price. I chose the Essence STX mainly on the strength of the quality of the Line-In components. All of the reviews of this card I have seen are focused on playback performance and, by inference, the DAC section of the card, which is excellent. Since I do a lot of 2-channel recording, mainly vinyl conversion and other analog sources, I wanted a card with top notch analog/digital converters. This card fits the bill. The sound quality on the recordings is even better than I expected--great depth, clarity, dynamics and very quiet. Note: I do not record live with this card.

If you are looking for a sound card to mate with either a good pair of headphones, or a high-end stereo system, this one is just the ticket. Or if you want to transfer your lp collection to digital format and you have a good front end setup, this is a great tool for the job. You can also use the wave input to record material streamed off the internet.

I bought this because I use a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones on my PC and wanted something better than my sound blaster Audigy 2 ZS which had a buggy user-interface and seemed to have weak bass response. I also wanted to be able to switch between headphones and powered speakers without unplugging anything.

Pros: First, and most importantly, this does sound much better than the Audigy 2 ZS. Plus, the user interface is nice and doesn't crash like the SB used to (I use WinXP Pro SP3). It's easy to switch from headphones to speakers without much hassle or unplugging anything, so that's nice. It can be adjusted for even high-end low-impedance headphones. I also has a real 1/4" headphone connector so you don't need an adapter for your expensive headphones. It comes with an RCA-to-headphone plug so you can connect your PC speakers.

Cons: You can't have the RCA connection and the headphone connection active at the same time. It's not a big deal, but it would have been nice. It needs an extra power connection. It doesn't draw crazy power like a video card, but keep it in mind if you are already pushing the limits of your power supply. The configuration app that runs in the background uses more ram than the SB app did, but it doesn't crash, so I guess it's worth it.

This card sounds amazing once you have configured it through the software. There are various settings but I'll go over the ones which matter to stereo headphones. If you have a PC-350 and you're reading this, this is the card to get. I have slight hearing loss in my right ear; I am able to balance the 2 channels manually through software to virtually center the sound from my headphones.

You can select the sample rate:
- 44.1 khz
- 48 khz
- 96 khz
- 192 khz

You can select the analog output. This setting specifies which of the ports to output from for stereo (Only one at a time is allowed; you'll hear clicking noises as it switches):
- Headphone (1/4" 6.3mm)
- 2 speakers
- Front Panel Headphone (connection via sound card header to your case I/O)
- Front Panel 2 Speakers

You can select the gain tuning:
- Normal Gain (0dB for < 64ohms)
- High Gain (+12dB for 64ohms to 300ohms)
- Extra High Gain (+18dB for 300ohms to 600ohms)

You can select a DSP mode which simply preset your sound card:
- Music
- Movie
- Game
- Hi-Fi
- DS3D GX

You can select Dolby Headphones which gives you the ability to select sound perception as if it were in a:
- Reference room
- Livelier room
- Large room

You can set your equalizer. I've found 'classical' to be the best. Changing DSP modes (since they are presets) disables the equalizer. You need to manually re-enable them.

I bought this sound card over the HT Omega for the following reasons:
- PCI-X interface instead of PCI (may be the case the sound card won't saturate either, but I just like progressive technology)
- Headphone Out and Line In are 1/4" 6.3mm (the package comes with 1 x 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter; I found a nearly identical gold plated adapter at Radio Shack for my microphone input).

I use this to drive my Sennheiser PC-350 Gaming headset on Windows 7 64-bit with incredible results. Probably works better with higher end headphones.

Probably the best way to start this review is to say that the sound is superb. I have no qualms about what comes out of the headphones (this is my preferred way to listen to music). Uncompressed files run through the Xonar through a line out to a Schiit Lyr headphone amp and AKG K702 headphones. Soundfield is wide and precise, detail is brilliant. Blah, blah, blah... Sounds like a wine snob describing how he likes his reds "smoky, yet obtuse" but let's just say that for 2-channel sound (where this thing really shines) it's worth the money.

Now the cons: Installation on a modern computer with a modern OS (Windows 7, 64-bit). It's horrible. (sorry, don't know about Mac installs) If you're a computer tech, you're probably fine, but I'm just some poor schmuck who wants good music. Several forums have stated that the installation of this thing is buggy at best and forces them to return the card at worst. This is most likely due to the unit being shipped with driver 5.xxx for XP and 6.xxx for Vista. For all I know, they have a lot of those discs sitting around to put in the packaging and expect the consumer to download the latest and greatest version (currently 7.12.8.1793 for Widows 7, 64-bit). We'll get to that update nightmare in a minute.

Installing the Vista version of the drivers will most likely mess your 7-64 system up. Gimped all of my software, forced me to do a System Restore just to get back to point A. You must download the current version for your OS to make sure things run smoothly and the hardware installs. This brings up another point for those of use who usually just point and click and wouldn't know a driver from a .dll file. When you download the current driver, it can't be used like it is because it's in a compressed format, kind of like a .zip file, but in this case it's a .rar file. ASUS doesn't bother to tell you that, they apparently expect that you know it already. If you try to update the driver manually from the .rar file, it won't work, because the computer doesn't see it as driver files, just compressed whatever. Download a free .rar extractor on the web. Then download the latest drivers (and maybe manuals, too) from ASUS, and extract them BEFORE YOU INSTALL the card. That way, when you do install it, the computer uses it's own plug'n'play capability and automatically installs the drivers. Bother #2 is when you first install the card, a message pops up reminding you to attach the power cable from your PSU (power supply unit) to the card or it won't work at all. The darned thing looks like an error message telling you the power cable isn't connected!!! If your power cable REALLY IS connected, in addition to plugging into the PCIe slot, then IGNORE this somewhat confusing message. It's the most poorly placed reminder I've ever seen. The driver may then re-install. Let it. It's the same version you just installed and it will safely overwrite itself. DO NOT use the disc!!!

Bother #3: the card itself may be PCIe, which is a newer, higher bandwidth of PCI, but the unit is showing it's age by having a MOLEX power connector. This is a 4-pin power cable (white plastic, 4 pins in a straight line about an inch long) that you need to connect to the card from the power supply, in addition to plugging it into the PCIe slot. Problem for me is that I have an HPE-470f computer, which is a pretty new high-end Hewlett Packard model, and the PSU doesn't HAVE any MOLEX plugs, just a bunch of SATA power plugs, which are the flat connectors about 1 1/2" wide, sometimes with 2 or 3 of them along their length. So either find an adapter cable (female MOLEX to SATA, which I'm not sure is doable at all, ask a tech person) or suck it up and replace your power supply with something a little more powerful and flexible (which I did, since I upgraded a lot of things and needed the extra power and plugs, and is surprisingly easy).

Bother #4: a small bother, but you MUST go into your BIOS and disable your onboard audio before you install the card. Whatever number your screen likes to flash at you when the computer starts up is how to get there. It will say BIOS, or Setup, or something like that (but NOT safe mode) and F1 to F12. Tap it while starting up, then use the arrow keys to find onboard audio, key down to it and change it to disable, save it, let the computer finish starting up, then shut down.

To recap the whole thing...
1. Download current drivers from ASUS
2. Extract the .rar files with a freeware .rar extractor. Save them somewhere nice.
3. Restart computer, tap into BIOS during startup, disable onboard audio, save, let computer finish startup, then shut down (you do NOT have to re-enable afterwards).
4. UNPLUG the computer, crack open the innards, assure that you have an open MOLEX (4-pin) female connector coming from your PSU.
5. Connect the power cable and plug the card into the PCIe slot, then close up the case.
6. Power up the computer. DO NOT put in the disc. It should detect the uncompressed drivers you just put there.
7. If you've really plugged in the power cable, IGNORE the stupid, stupid reminder message. Let the drivers automatically reinstall if they want.
8. The computer will prompt you to restart. Do it.
9. Enjoy the pretty music.

Please let it take you 20 minutes to do what it took me 9 hrs. to do. The quality of the output is worth it.

I love this card. The interface is intuitive and completely simple. The sound quality of the DAC's is extremely good. It puts my DAC1-Pre to shame! I have compared both the SPDIF and Analog out of this card and the analog is exceptionally rich and detailed. The SPDIF (converted by my DAC1 just didn't have the sonic quality this card produced. First rate.

Fed up with the Crap that Creative is making I found this gem of a sound card. First off Installation was very simple no extra drivers to download to make it work truly Plug and play. Took less then 15 minutes to install and get the drivers installed. The user interface is smooth and easy to get used to. I paired this card up with my GRADO RS1i cans and it made them come alive as if I had it plugged in to my 2 Mono blocks and amp. The sound range is amazing and the base leave is spot on. the build in Head phone amp will drive any HI-Fi cans on the market with out the addition of a DAC and headphone amp just make sure you install and set up the impedance that is correct for your cans before you plug in your headphones. On a side note if you do not plan to use the Xonar SXT with a serious set of headphones don't waste your money. One thing that is not stated is that this card will require a Power input from your PCs power supply so make sure you have a a power supply that can spare the power needed to push the built in amp along with your normal PC compound load.

Recently I brought my church into the 20th century technology wise (yeah we were way behind).
We installed a great A/V system.
With a powerful projector and screen in place, our sound was our biggest issue.
Converting the standard jack into our sound system, just wasn't working.
I needed control, and for this whole thing to work, sound had to be excellent.
Enter this sound card.I searched for awhile looking for a device that could do what we needed.
I wanted L and R output, with enough power to fill our auditorium with clean and rich sound.
Using this card along with 2 RCA to XLR Cables into two channels on our soundboard met our needs perfectly.
I have left and right control through the sound board for split tracks.
And this puts out enough power that we don't have to crank these levels up to the point of distortion, or muddy sound.

For us this was perfect. Because I am a geek, this wasn't hard to install, but the software controller can be confusing to many. I know for many gamers, this won't be a problem, but in my situation, I am working with volunteers to pull off weekly presentations, and they don't have time to become experts on this. Just mentioning this as many guys in my position could be confused in getting sound out of the outputs needed.

Once it's configured this is awesome.
We will see how this holds up over time.
We are using this about 6 hrs a week, so we should get a long life out of this purchase.

This card will give you a new, exciting sound experience. I have an Asus Essentio desktop with Intel i5 3.2 processor. On-board sound seriously lacking (no surprise). Went to Soundblaster X-FI Titanium ($100 would have been better spent on a cheap hooker) and with SB card, sound was shallow/artificial. The Asus card is fantastic. Lights up my Audioengine A5 speakers. Decided on softrock mode for 70's-80's rock (Kansas, Boston, Yes, Steely Dan, etc)and representation from CD is close to old LP listening experience. The specs on this card are phenomenal, but don't let the specs be your judge, let you ears decide. This is a "6 Star" product. One downside: Win 7 Pro 64 bit drivers must downloaded from Asus or other internet source. CD drivers will not work! Had big PC issues trying Vista drivers (what came on CD). Ended up with complete uninstall of card before going to Asus website for updated drivers.

Upgraded from the M-audio Audiophile card to this. I would put this up against ANY digital solid state souce. The DAC on this card is awesome and produces great results when played through analog out. My setup is an integra receiver and EPOS m22i speakers with all high end wires. I also have an OPPO blue ray player. I would consider my system an entry level audiophile setup compared to others but definitely higher end than anything you can get at big box stores. Anyway lossless files, cds, 24/96 files and anything else you put through this card sound great. I have heard digital media players such as the blacknote which costs $3000 and would put this up against it any day. Also, you are able to change the op amps if you want a different sound so I will be experimenting with that as well. All in all this is the best card out there for listening to 2 channel music