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Essence STX amp question

post #1 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
Hey there,

I've got a set of Sennheiser HD555 which are rated at 50Ω. Is there any advantage/disadvantage/no effect of using the high gain setting on the Asus Xonar Essence STX which I believe is labeled as >64Ω?
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post #2 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:12pm
it'll sound distorted as hell...did you try the line-out w/ the supplied adapter?
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post #3 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
No, I just use the normal gain setting on the headphone jack, which I assume is what it's meant for. I've just heard all this stuff about "the HD555 sounds better with an amp!" and I was wondering if that would help it at all. I plan on getting some better cans in the coming years anyway, so I'm happy with my choice of the STX, but for now I was just wondering what are my ideal settings for the HD555.
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post #4 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:42pm
the STX line-out has a beefy gain, if I were you I'd give it a shot...and possibly upgrade the op-amps.

putting some LT1364/LT1213/LT1124/OPA2132P/OPA2107AP would substantially increase the SQ.
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post #5 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, but just out of the box, with the stock op-amps, how does the line out differ from the dedicated headphone jack?
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post #6 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:52pm
if your phones have a low impedance? clearer trebles, cleaner SS, less distortion and higher SNR.

but well, the stock 2114 are a major bottleneck..ditch'em!
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post #7 of 14
11/19/09 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
heh. The price tag on the card itself was enough for now, thanks.

Ok, I'll have to give that a try then with line out then. I thought the headphone jack with normal gain setting, labeled as being for cans with 0 to 64Ω impedance, would be the ideal one but maybe not.
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post #8 of 14
11/19/09 at 3:05pm
ask for free samples...well, if your ethics are not too high that is
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post #9 of 14
11/19/09 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry, you lost me on that last one. Free samples of what?
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post #10 of 14
11/20/09 at 12:33am
Opamps.
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post #11 of 14
11/25/09 at 12:48pm
Thread Starter 
Well, call me crazy but I think I prefer the sound from the headphone jack for my headphones over the line out. I have it at the Normal Gain setting, which is what Asus recommends for 50Ω headphones.
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post #12 of 14
11/27/09 at 12:28am
Wait, so if I have Denon D2000s (25 ohms) would I be in for a nasty surprise if I bought the ST(X)? Anything I should do immediately upon receiving it?
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post #13 of 14
1/7/10 at 8:06am
Surfaced: I've heard that people have a great time with that pairing.
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post #14 of 14
1/7/10 at 1:09pm
I used the D2000's with my Essence STX. Sounded great but I missed my old HD580's...
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