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Audioengine A5 + Xonar Essence STX = Overkill ?

post #1 of 5
2/14/11 at 3:35am
Thread Starter 

I currently own a pair of the Audioengine A5's which i run off my onboard Realtek ALC888.I've heard that the A5's are very much source-dependent and the slightest improvement in the source would reflect itself in the overall reproduction.While digging threads up in here,the Xonar Essence STX seems to be the best option for a stereo setup intended for music (which is my exact situation).But considering the SNR of A5 (>95dB) and Essence STX (124db),are the A5's really capable utilizing the potential of the Essence STX,or should I just get a Xonar DX/D2X(116dB/118dB SNR) to suffice without sacrificing much? I'm trying to avoid external DAC's unless they make that big a difference as compared to the Xonars.My usage is 70% music and 30% gaming and movies.What then would be the best choice to exploit the A5's to the max while staying under 200$. Any advise is appreciated smile.gif

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post #2 of 5
2/14/11 at 3:58am

The A5's are >95dB,  > means greater than so greater than 95db, also signal to noise ratio isn't everything , what about how the card actually sounds, sound colouration , soundstage , etc , the Xonar Essence STX  is a good choice go with it.

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post #3 of 5
2/14/11 at 9:58am

My A5's sound great out of my STX, almost indistinguishable from STX toslink out to my Concept DAC with stock opamps. With HDAM's in place in the STX (OpaMoons) it has a nice warm sound.

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post #4 of 5
2/14/11 at 10:21pm

To get the most out of any speaker you want to feed it the best signal/source possible so if you're going to use a sound card buy the best one you can. I used the ASUS STX for several months (very nice card) in my office PC and then later added a DAC via the cards coaxial digital out.

Good luck.

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post #5 of 5
2/15/11 at 5:04am
Thread Starter 

I think it would be better to get the Essenxe STX cuz of the interchangeable opamps,and then add an external DAC from the toslink of the Xonar when I can.Anyways,thanks for the response fellas.

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