Asus Essence One Headphone Amp/DAC (CeBIT 2011) - Page 85

Quote:

Originally Posted by cssarrow 

who would of thought led's would be so expensive..

pictures been delayed? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenion 

pictures been delayed? :D

LED's delay= pictures being delayed.

LED with too high of luminosity (mcd) would be like a flash bang in front of my face when listening to music.

Mouser doesn't have a very good selection of red leds.

Tim

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidic 


Congrats bud!! Envy you as my country distributor don't seems to be bringing the plus and muses versions in. How I wish I could push that button now...

Awaits for your photos!!

He got them from a U.S. Seller that decided to ship it there.

You should try the same place that he got it from..

Tim

Quote:

Originally Posted by cssarrow 

He got them from a U.S. Seller that decided to ship it there.

You should try the same place that he got it from..

 

Tim

Hi Tim! great to see your reply - how's your modding doing?

Right now i already got my E1 base and muses opamp delivered to me.... don think i can sell that and get the E1 muses version instead. whats more is the RMA and warranty which is not covered locally.... :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenion 

I'm confident that you will love your new muses ed.! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidic 


Congrats bud!! Envy you as my country distributor don't seems to be bringing the plus and muses versions in. How I wish I could push that button now...

Awaits for your photos!!

 

Thank you, I really do hope so.

Also I will be upgrading my HE-500's cable, with the help of cssarrow.......Thank you  for everything, people like you make Head-fi one of the best Audio forums..

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidic 

Hi Tim! great to see your reply - how's your modding doing?

 

Right now i already got my E1 base and muses opamp delivered to me.... don think i can sell that and get the E1 muses version instead. whats more is the RMA and warranty which is not covered locally.... :(

That's too bad .

Be careful when you switch in/out the muses op-amps then. The Essence One should have a good longevity as the caps/arrangements they use are high quality stuff. The power supply Panasonic FR should last up to a good 10,000 hours at 105C, which is astonishingly high, so you'll have no trouble. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by turokrocks 

 

 

Thank you, I really do hope so.

Also I will be upgrading my HE-500's cable, with the help of a member @ Headfi.....can I post your name?.......Thank you  for everything, people like you make Head-fi one of the best Audio forums..

---

Quote:

Originally Posted by cssarrow 

That's too bad .

 

Be careful when you switch in/out the muses op-amps then. The Essence One should have a good longevity as the caps/arrangements they use are high quality stuff. The power supply Panasonic FR should last up to a good 10,000 hours at 105C, which is astonishingly high, so you'll have no trouble. 

 

 

 

Go right on ahead.

 

I understand why turokrocks!. 

 

Tim

Wow.. your technical knowledge is very good with electrical components... i wonder what happens if i put the opamp in a wrong orientation? Will that blow it up? i haven start rolling these opamps yet.... haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidic 

 

Wow.. your technical knowledge is very good with electrical components... i wonder what happens if i put the opamp in a wrong orientation? Will that blow it up? i haven start rolling these opamps yet.... haha

It could damage the op-amp if inserted the wrong way.

It will heat-up, then kablash, dead op-amp. 

Tim

The LME49710s (2 pairs on HP buffers)... Wow, they really seemed to have transformed my E1. The depth and width of the soundstage, the separation and detail,l really brings out the excitement of being an audiophile (thanks again to Tim for the recommendations!). Still a bit too forward with my HE500, but better with aggressive songs now. Really makes one wonder how much better the MUSEs can get...

Still, I have a whole I/V section (filled with LME49720NA) and LPF (OPA2134) to fill...

While I wait for my HD800's from Colorware (week six and counting...), I've been looking over a new DAC/AMP combo to replace my old Fiio E17/E9 setup.  I was dead set on the Schiit Valhalla and Bifrost w/ USB, but then I stumbled on the Essence One when the ads were plastered over the forums.  Being a computer geek, I know ASUS does great work with motherboards and PCs (well, good work on the PCs, great to fabulous on the motherboards), but I've always been wary of their Xonar stuff, considering the massive letdown I had with my old Creative X-Fi gear and its (terrible) quality.

Cutting to the chase, for anyone who A) has owned both combinations of the ASUS Essence One and the Schiit Valhalla/Bifrost OR B) uses the Essence One with Sennheiser HD800's, I'm curious what your opinion is on the matter.  I kinda skipped the from Grado SR60s to Sennheiser HD 555s and now to the HD800s, so I'm lacking a lot of that tweaking experience many Head-Fi'ers seem to build up at that time.  The Essence seems like the better choice for me personally, since it gives me something I can tweak to suit my tastes over time, whereas the Valhalla and Bifrost don't (the Valhalla supports tube rolling in newer models, but they get really expensive, and really hot).  It also seems a little more PC oriented than the Valhalla/Bifrost, which is my main listening area for headphones.

In addition to opinions from the above, I also have another question: should I plunge for the MUSE edition, or stick to the basic package and grab OP-AMPS as needed?  6moons seemed to say MUSE was the way to go if I couldn't find the One Plus (I can't), but at $900 (vs $550 basic), it's a bit more than my budget, especially since I'm just using the headphone amp stage, not the XLR/RCA stages (So I assume I only need two of the six MUSE OP-AMPs).

Thoughts?  Am I asking for too much at too low a price, considering the cans this will have to drive?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Averruncus 

The LME49710s (2 pairs on HP buffers)... Wow, they really seemed to have transformed my E1. The depth and width of the soundstage, the separation and detail,l really brings out the excitement of being an audiophile (thanks again to Tim for the recommendations!). Still a bit too forward with my HE500, but better with aggressive songs now. Really makes one wonder how much better the MUSEs can get...

 

Still, I have a whole I/V section (filled with LME49720NA) and LPF (OPA2134) to fill...

Did you make a comparison to the lme49720ha? I have the problem with the 49720ha that while it sounds nice it sounds too thin and the treble is a bit too loud. I am currently using the ad797br in i/v, the lme49860 in lpf and 49720ha in buffer, that sounds quite balanced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustinGN 

While I wait for my HD800's from Colorware (week six and counting...), I've been looking over a new DAC/AMP combo to replace my old Fiio E17/E9 setup.  I was dead set on the Schiit Valhalla and Bifrost w/ USB, but then I stumbled on the Essence One when the ads were plastered over the forums.  Being a computer geek, I know ASUS does great work with motherboards and PCs (well, good work on the PCs, great to fabulous on the motherboards), but I've always been wary of their Xonar stuff, considering the massive letdown I had with my old Creative X-Fi gear and its (terrible) quality.

 

Cutting to the chase, for anyone who A) has owned both combinations of the ASUS Essence One and the Schiit Valhalla/Bifrost OR B) uses the Essence One with Sennheiser HD800's, I'm curious what your opinion is on the matter.  I kinda skipped the from Grado SR60s to Sennheiser HD 555s and now to the HD800s, so I'm lacking a lot of that tweaking experience many Head-Fi'ers seem to build up at that time.  The Essence seems like the better choice for me personally, since it gives me something I can tweak to suit my tastes over time, whereas the Valhalla and Bifrost don't (the Valhalla supports tube rolling in newer models, but they get really expensive, and really hot).  It also seems a little more PC oriented than the Valhalla/Bifrost, which is my main listening area for headphones.

 

In addition to opinions from the above, I also have another question: should I plunge for the MUSE edition, or stick to the basic package and grab OP-AMPS as needed?  6moons seemed to say MUSE was the way to go if I couldn't find the One Plus (I can't), but at $900 (vs $550 basic), it's a bit more than my budget, especially since I'm just using the headphone amp stage, not the XLR/RCA stages (So I assume I only need two of the six MUSE OP-AMPs).

 

Thoughts?  Am I asking for too much at too low a price, considering the cans this will have to drive?

If you don´t need the gain switch for IEM-s then you can get the normal asus one and upgrade the op-s as needed. You can try some free TI samples before you buy the muses to test some possibilities. Even if you use the headphone output you still need 6 muses op-s. The DAC part of the Asus is very good, the headphone amp is good too but not the best, so there is some upgrade potential there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Averruncus 

The LME49710s (2 pairs on HP buffers)... Wow, they really seemed to have transformed my E1. The depth and width of the soundstage, the separation and detail,l really brings out the excitement of being an audiophile (thanks again to Tim for the recommendations!). Still a bit too forward with my HE500, but better with aggressive songs now. Really makes one wonder how much better the MUSEs can get...

 

Still, I have a whole I/V section (filled with LME49720NA) and LPF (OPA2134) to fill...

I'm very glad you were able to hear the immediate differences. 

Detail/Separation and the whole sound stage flavor really comes forward doesn't it. It's pretty clear/crisp on the HE-500 in terms of forwardness, which will be somewhat strange at first, since i found the HE-500 to be more relaxing in presentation, so with the new upbringing, it may sound like a HE-400 mixture.

Oh i forgot, you don't have the muses!

That's even more awesome now to know that you heard a difference without the muses01's, because it was hard for me to hear the difference in the LME49710HA's without them (NE5532 & OPA627 in I/V and LFP)

If you ever swap to the muses, you'll find a better sound stage, detail, separation, and high transparency difference.

The opinions i give could be different than yours, since i mainly concluded this after having my WIMA Film Capacitors switched to the better FKP Series, along with the Sanyo Polymer Capacitor being swapped out with the Nichicon FP Series Polymer (which Schiit apparently uses).

Oh, and you won't ever need heat-sinks on the 10HA's, they barely get warm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustinGN 

While I wait for my HD800's from Colorware (week six and counting...), I've been looking over a new DAC/AMP combo to replace my old Fiio E17/E9 setup.  I was dead set on the Schiit Valhalla and Bifrost w/ USB, but then I stumbled on the Essence One when the ads were plastered over the forums.  Being a computer geek, I know ASUS does great work with motherboards and PCs (well, good work on the PCs, great to fabulous on the motherboards), but I've always been wary of their Xonar stuff, considering the massive letdown I had with my old Creative X-Fi gear and its (terrible) quality.

 

Cutting to the chase, for anyone who A) has owned both combinations of the ASUS Essence One and the Schiit Valhalla/Bifrost OR B) uses the Essence One with Sennheiser HD800's, I'm curious what your opinion is on the matter.  I kinda skipped the from Grado SR60s to Sennheiser HD 555s and now to the HD800s, so I'm lacking a lot of that tweaking experience many Head-Fi'ers seem to build up at that time.  The Essence seems like the better choice for me personally, since it gives me something I can tweak to suit my tastes over time, whereas the Valhalla and Bifrost don't (the Valhalla supports tube rolling in newer models, but they get really expensive, and really hot).  It also seems a little more PC oriented than the Valhalla/Bifrost, which is my main listening area for headphones.

 

In addition to opinions from the above, I also have another question: should I plunge for the MUSE edition, or stick to the basic package and grab OP-AMPS as needed?  6moons seemed to say MUSE was the way to go if I couldn't find the One Plus (I can't), but at $900 (vs $550 basic), it's a bit more than my budget, especially since I'm just using the headphone amp stage, not the XLR/RCA stages (So I assume I only need two of the six MUSE OP-AMPs).

 

Thoughts?  Am I asking for too much at too low a price, considering the cans this will have to drive?

I've had the Biforst, Asgard, and LYR with stock tubes. All three sounded good, Asgard, being the weaker out of the trio. 

Having switched to the Essence One, which was around the same level playing field,Asgard fell out of the picture, and ended up leaving my collection.

LYR was still up there in terms of driving power. I've had bad experiences with tubes (with Maverick D1/D2/A1), so being personal opinion based, i didn't bother getting new tubes for the LYR and let go of it. The Valhalla lies on the same line, so i ended up letting go of that too.

Bifrost, i just love love. Sounds very good, but when you consider it with a USB input, the price sinks you in quick-sand. Essence One not being so far in price, however you get a DAC just as good sounding, XLR Balance output, RCA whenever you need it, a well regulated/linear power supply, and a nice headphone amplifier capable of even driving HE-500 Orthodynamic Headphones.  HD-800 i have tried on it only twice, and sounds wonderful (the setup that i have). You might have to roll a few op-amps until you're settled into a cozy spot. HD-800 i generally liked better with warmer op-amps. (more bass hitting and smoother treble).

As for the MUSES01 op-amp concerns, you'll have to buy six, as those op-amps in the LFP & I/V (6 of them), affects all outputs, so if you use 2 muses01 instead of 6, you'll most likely not hear the improvements that ASUS had espy to be "good" enough for them to include it into their extended model release.

P.S. That's one hell of an upgrade. Going from 555's to the 800 is like maniacal.

Tim

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustinGN 

While I wait for my HD800's from Colorware (week six and counting...), I've been looking over a new DAC/AMP combo to replace my old Fiio E17/E9 setup.  I was dead set on the Schiit Valhalla and Bifrost w/ USB, but then I stumbled on the Essence One when the ads were plastered over the forums.  Being a computer geek, I know ASUS does great work with motherboards and PCs (well, good work on the PCs, great to fabulous on the motherboards), but I've always been wary of their Xonar stuff, considering the massive letdown I had with my old Creative X-Fi gear and its (terrible) quality.

 

Cutting to the chase, for anyone who A) has owned both combinations of the ASUS Essence One and the Schiit Valhalla/Bifrost OR B) uses the Essence One with Sennheiser HD800's, I'm curious what your opinion is on the matter.  I kinda skipped the from Grado SR60s to Sennheiser HD 555s and now to the HD800s, so I'm lacking a lot of that tweaking experience many Head-Fi'ers seem to build up at that time.  The Essence seems like the better choice for me personally, since it gives me something I can tweak to suit my tastes over time, whereas the Valhalla and Bifrost don't (the Valhalla supports tube rolling in newer models, but they get really expensive, and really hot).  It also seems a little more PC oriented than the Valhalla/Bifrost, which is my main listening area for headphones.

 

In addition to opinions from the above, I also have another question: should I plunge for the MUSE edition, or stick to the basic package and grab OP-AMPS as needed?  6moons seemed to say MUSE was the way to go if I couldn't find the One Plus (I can't), but at $900 (vs $550 basic), it's a bit more than my budget, especially since I'm just using the headphone amp stage, not the XLR/RCA stages (So I assume I only need two of the six MUSE OP-AMPs).

 

Thoughts?  Am I asking for too much at too low a price, considering the cans this will have to drive?

Hey JustinGN and welcome!

I more than happy to give you my thoughts about the Essence One.

I own the HD 800 for over a year now. I used to amp them with the Fiio E9 as well and I pretty much enjoyed that combination (especially for their price - the amp of course^^). But after quite some time I was looking for an improvement over the Fiio E9. I have tried the Lehmann Audio Rhinelander and the Xonar STX, both were quite the some sounding as the Fiio E9 or worse. I knew I had to spend more on an amp to actually hear an improvement. So I had an eye on the more "higher-end" amplifiers out there such as the Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear, Woo Audio and some more (sorry I forgot their names).

Luckely I've came across the Xonar Essence One. Freshly announced an all in one amplifier with swappable opamps and an extremly low price for their specs. I have ordered my E1 from Amazon for about 340 euros only. Amazon Marketplace, used but good as new (just the package got opened once but I think the device never actually got used once ) .

As I'm mainly listening to electronic music I wanted to have bit more bass emphasis in my music and an overall smoother sound over the Fiio E9 - the E9 always were a bit to harsh and fatiguing to my ears. I still got them though. For 1:1 comparision for example .

I can tell you, the E1 delivers! They are such a great match with the HD 800 you will love them. Lack of bass on the HD 800 almost everyone is talking about? Not with the E1. The Sennies are very amp picky thats for sure and I think they may best harmonize with a tube amp as well. The HD 800 (for my ears), need an amp that produces a more smoother and analog sound just what a tube amp delivers (in theory). It's diffrent with solid-state-amps as they normally tend to be more "harsh" for the ears but the Essence One is an exception! The built in NE5532's opamps on the stock E1 delivers a really nice warm sound, less fatiguing over the Fiio E9 and a more deeper bass. I even find myself not touching the Equilizer anymore as I used to on the Fiio E9!

So my recommandation is, go with the standard Essence One and if you feel like you want to step a bit higher, change the opamps on them (you will find tons of reviews from users on which combination sounds best and which not). And if you want to test the sound on the MUSES, you can easily buy the MUSES 01 opamps later and save yourself some money too! Don't worry we will explain you how to

Many head-fiers upgraded their standard E1 to a MUSES later (*stares at Tim *).

There's just one reason why you would need an original E1 Muses Edition - 1. if you desperately need a gain switcher (for IEM especially) and 2. you prefer the black chime tiger

Hope I (we) could help you a little with your choice

THIS!