Member Reviews: ASUS Xonar Essence ST Headphone 7.1-Channel Audio Card for Audiophiles

I owned the HT Omega Claro Halo card a week before this, mostly for the headphone amp. I RMA'd it for this one and WOW am I glad I did. Even though they use the same hardware, the headphone amp on this one is at least twice as loud. It powers my cans almost as loud as I would want them too, it does a amazing job. This is a extremely good choice for headphones and replaces the need for more expensive equipment!

First and foremost, I'm relatively new to this whole audiophile thing. I use Klipsch iFi speakers (which as I understand it are more "MidFi" than "HiFi") and a set of Grado SR80 cans. For the moment, all of this is perfectly adequate for my inexperienced ears, but it's a good bet I'll outgrow them.   After installation, which I might ad was actually relatively painless being as I just dropped the card in my system, installed an OS, and downloaded and installed the drivers off the ASUS site, and a bit of rigamarole plugging in the speakers (I didn't know I was supposed to use the RCA to 1/8" adapter) I was off and running.   I was hearing nuances and details that I'd...