ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels PCI Express Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001OV789U
• Item model number: XONAR ESSENCE STX
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Internal Desktop Components > Sound Cards

• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 2, 2009

Product Description

Product Description

Industry-leading quality for Audiophiles , Industry-leading 124dB SNR, Headphone amp with <0.001% distortion, Nichicon “Fine Gold” professional audio capacitors adopted, Perfectly shielded analog output path , Swappable OPAmp socket.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I hoped, but definitely better than sound blaster, May 9, 2009

By	J. Brown - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pathetic latency using line input!, July 31, 2009

By	Robert E. Rice "everlost baggage" (Everett, washington United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this card a week ago and initially loved it because the detail in sound playback was excellent. Then I tried to use it to record live audio through the line input and there is a totally unacceptable latency issue. You hear the sound about a half second after you play something. I have NEVER had a audio card do that (not even onboard audio). I called tech support and they were completely useless.
At the ASUS website this is part of the specifications listed: "ASIO 2.0 Driver Support:
Supports 44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @16/24bit with very low latency"
Very low latency, NOT!!!!!!!!!!
If you do any recording of live audio, DO NOT BUY THIS CARD!

As an update to this review, I confirmed later with Asus technical support that the lowest latency this card will do is 20ms. To record live audio you need a card that will run at 5ms or less. Asus should put the 20ms spec. in the product description.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best soundcard I've ever purchased, September 25, 2009

By	point & shoot (los angeles, ca) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this card and paired it with the AKG K702 headphones, with my existing Heed CanAmp headphone amplifier & M-Audio AV40 monitor speakers. With my setup, I dont' hear any electrical noise, unlike my previous soundcard. The music is crystal clear!