spirovious
Well-Known Member
For mp3,windows media player also sounds better.
For lossless you can try Lilith OR MPCHC.
For lossless you can try Lilith OR MPCHC.
Asus Xonar Essence ST soundcard - experience
- Thread starter sonosphere
- Start date
ks/ asi04all etc didnt work for me( no output option although appears in installed list in preferences menu), but wasapi worked( just extracted to components folder like others), so it is going to be foobar + wasapi for now
yogi1771
New Member
Well I am noob in these matters 
just learning the tricks,well I downloaded ASIO4all program and that way was able to use it.Will try wasapi later,by the way which is better.
just learning the tricks,well I downloaded ASIO4all program and that way was able to use it.Will try wasapi later,by the way which is better.
spirovious
Well-Known Member
Well I am noob in these matters
It depends on your taste.I used to listen with asio4all,but now I am happy with wasapi.asio4 is a driver & wasapi is dll plugin.Drivers can cause mischief & sound can be occasionally distorted OR crackling with some mp3.
sonosphere
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Update: Opamps changed
Recently I changed the stock opamps (the I/V opamp pair) from the JRC2114D to LME49720NA. The reason being the SQ with stock opamp was very good in terms of details at high end, the details in mid was ok and bass was lean, and this combination didn't sound good with some music.
I noticed a narrow band around bass range wherein the bass sounded very good, however on the other sides of the band, the bass went lean. While for most songs the bass was adequate to complement the music, in some songs wherein the bass was already lean, it resulted in "hollow" sounding music, as if a subwoofer was switched off.
I decided to change to opamps so that the tonality is balanced such that the lean bass issue is resolved, and finally* landed with LME49720NA opamps.
*I actually tried the OPA2107 first... more on that later.
With LME49720NA, initially the overall SQ was underwhelming... the open, airy detailed treble of JRC's was reduced to average level. Mids and bass had more body but still not "remarkable". Now, after approx 7-10 hrs of burn-in, the SQ has quickly matured to hefty bass, thankfully no bloat + good texture in mids, the open, airy ambiance is almost at par with stock JRC. It's only the details in treble that is still not at par. The details in treble are "remarkable" but not the "speechless" type I observed with the JRC's. Who knows with more burn-in it would qualify for "speechless". I am keeping my fingers crossed
.
I urge other STX /ST owners to try various opamps, even if they find the stock ones good enough. Who knows the change in SQ may turn out to be next level of sound without spending a penny (Yes, you can get some opamps for free!)
For purpose of making the above process easier for noobs, I'll post details of how to change opamps very soon.
Regds,
Update: Opamps changed
Recently I changed the stock opamps (the I/V opamp pair) from the JRC2114D to LME49720NA. The reason being the SQ with stock opamp was very good in terms of details at high end, the details in mid was ok and bass was lean, and this combination didn't sound good with some music.
I noticed a narrow band around bass range wherein the bass sounded very good, however on the other sides of the band, the bass went lean. While for most songs the bass was adequate to complement the music, in some songs wherein the bass was already lean, it resulted in "hollow" sounding music, as if a subwoofer was switched off.
I decided to change to opamps so that the tonality is balanced such that the lean bass issue is resolved, and finally* landed with LME49720NA opamps.
*I actually tried the OPA2107 first... more on that later.
With LME49720NA, initially the overall SQ was underwhelming... the open, airy detailed treble of JRC's was reduced to average level. Mids and bass had more body but still not "remarkable". Now, after approx 7-10 hrs of burn-in, the SQ has quickly matured to hefty bass, thankfully no bloat + good texture in mids, the open, airy ambiance is almost at par with stock JRC. It's only the details in treble that is still not at par. The details in treble are "remarkable" but not the "speechless" type I observed with the JRC's. Who knows with more burn-in it would qualify for "speechless". I am keeping my fingers crossed
.I urge other STX /ST owners to try various opamps, even if they find the stock ones good enough. Who knows the change in SQ may turn out to be next level of sound without spending a penny (Yes, you can get some opamps for free!)
For purpose of making the above process easier for noobs, I'll post details of how to change opamps very soon.
Regds,
sonosphere
Well-Known Member
I have submitted the details as an article in the Forum-section here >> Articles & Guides - HiFiVision.com - India's Audio Video Hi-Fi Forum.
You will be able to see the article shortly, after the Mods approve it for release.
Regds,
i too reverted back to JRC's from LME's just few minutes before....yes the sound has kind of smooth high frequencies...i used LME49720NA for more than 5 months and after switching back these...immediately i can hear nice voice n timber....i was actually thinking of buying LME49990NA(latest op amps)....let me see if somebody does it n give reviews abt it
spirovious
Well-Known Member
What about LME49710HA Buffer,THS 4032 I/V section-
ASUS Xonar Essence ST DeLuxe review
ASUS Xonar Essence ST DeLuxe review
After going through this thread, I decided to buy this card. Today I got my Asus Xonar ST Card. After installation, when I played A.R. Rehman songs, I couldn't believe that Music can sound so good.... It's a great sound card.
sonosphere
Well-Known Member
I installed Lilith recently. It is "Analog" sounding player compared to Foobar. Makes 70's rock songs sound stronger /grittier. I have started re-listening to my rock favorites with this player. Thanks Spiro for making this discovery!
BTW it really foxes me that one software player can change the sonic character so much (the "lossless" bits in all SW players ought to sound the same, right?). The change is so dramatic as if I had modded some electronics /opamps within the DAC.
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spirovious
Well-Known Member
Hi guys, I am a new entrant to the Essence STX Club.
My PC is connected to an analog stereo amplifier (Norge 2060 connected to Mordaunt-Short Avant 902i speakers). The Xonar has separate left and right stereo jacks but right now the only cable I have for taking analog audio out from the PC is a stereo RCA to 3.5mm mini jack male. The card bundle provides a stereo RCA to 3.5mm mini-jack female adapter.
My query is, will using the mini-jack adapter provide as good sound as using separate RCA cables all the way through or should I invest in a pair of RCA cables to connect the card to the amplifier?
My PC is connected to an analog stereo amplifier (Norge 2060 connected to Mordaunt-Short Avant 902i speakers). The Xonar has separate left and right stereo jacks but right now the only cable I have for taking analog audio out from the PC is a stereo RCA to 3.5mm mini jack male. The card bundle provides a stereo RCA to 3.5mm mini-jack female adapter.
My query is, will using the mini-jack adapter provide as good sound as using separate RCA cables all the way through or should I invest in a pair of RCA cables to connect the card to the amplifier?
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Start with what you've got: the adapter. You probably have done already, so you can get started with listening to your new card!
Do you have a CD player, or any other item with rca-to-rca ends? "Borrow" it; try it on your card. See if you can hear any difference. Almost certainly you will: the hard part is finding out if the difference is in the cable or your head!
In theory, I'm sure it's best with no adapter. In practice, as long as it is a good connection, it is probably just fine. Most of like our stuff to be good in theory, as well as the bits we really can hear ... but how many of us worry about, for, example, 1 1/8th to 1/4 headphone adapter?
In absolute terms, your question is unanswerable --- but my crystal ball says you will probably buy that cable, because the adapter will bug you. It's telling me that because it knows that is what I'd do!
Do you have a CD player, or any other item with rca-to-rca ends? "Borrow" it; try it on your card. See if you can hear any difference. Almost certainly you will: the hard part is finding out if the difference is in the cable or your head!
In theory, I'm sure it's best with no adapter. In practice, as long as it is a good connection, it is probably just fine. Most of like our stuff to be good in theory, as well as the bits we really can hear ... but how many of us worry about, for, example, 1 1/8th to 1/4 headphone adapter?
In absolute terms, your question is unanswerable --- but my crystal ball says you will probably buy that cable, because the adapter will bug you. It's telling me that because it knows that is what I'd do!
iaudio
Well-Known Member
Go for a vfm rca to rca cable from MX. No tenshun!
I didn't do a note to note comparison, but what I did was to transfer the mini-jack adapter to my Pioneer DVD player which originally had separate RCA cables. I put in a couple of audio CD's and it didn't sound markedly different/degraded. So either it doesn't make much of a difference or the DAC's on the player are not good enough for the difference to be noticeable. Anyhoo now my Essence is connected via RCA to the amp
cha_indian
Active Member
can anyone tell me the sound quality of Asus Xonar vs Digital players like Popcorn hour ? or Elektron EHP
My plan is to assemble a silent PC with Intel Atom processor and Asus Xonar sound card and retire my existing media player. The thing is that my present Elektron sounds very good to me and i have a DAC to it so it increases the SQ but the firmware issues and other software availability makes this cumbersome. If Asus Xonar can sound as good as a Popcorn hour then combined with the ease of a PC, there is very little that can beat the user friendliness.. What do you say ?
My plan is to assemble a silent PC with Intel Atom processor and Asus Xonar sound card and retire my existing media player. The thing is that my present Elektron sounds very good to me and i have a DAC to it so it increases the SQ but the firmware issues and other software availability makes this cumbersome. If Asus Xonar can sound as good as a Popcorn hour then combined with the ease of a PC, there is very little that can beat the user friendliness.. What do you say ?
Hi Cha
A sound card will make noise. If you want a silent PC then do not install a sound card.
More seriously you should try the PC approach for 6 months before deciding to spend $$$ on a device. If you find setting up custom software and tweaking usability features to be beyond your interest then go for a device.
--G0bble
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
I can't hear mine! Actually ...I can't hear either of mine, and one is exactly one arms length away from my ear.
Seriously, though... it is a matter of contention whether or not an internal sound card picks up any electrical noise from its environment worth mentioning, or more probably, a matter of concern for stand-alone-DAC manufacturers to convince us that it does. But how could it contribute any noise within the not-physically-audible meaning of "Silent PC?"
spirovious
Well-Known Member
Noise may not be the exact word as I cant get any with my D2X,but yes some unwanted things can be felt which may not be our liking.
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