Can an Essence STX drive these?

Yes, it has sufficient power output. Although the 10 Ohm output impedance is not ideal for low impedance headphones like these, it will affect the sound, but not significantly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamKing 

So would I be better off with an Auzentech Forte for a bit more than half the price? Or is the stx really that much better?

Unfortunately, I cannot make a reliable comparison because the information available on the Auzentech card is too limited. But I guess its headphone amplifier may have a lower output impedance. Note however, that people owning the X-Fi Forte have reported reliability issues, the card is said to be prone to hardware failure.

The STX is a flagship card and the DG is an entry level card.

Both have headphone amps but the higher quality product is the STX.

While we're at it, what gain should I use with the LCD-2? I know LCD-2 is designed with efficiency in mind but It seems like this thing requires as much power as the HD600. I have to set it to 25 on high gain to get to desirable listening level.

Am I doing it wrong? Should I be using the low gain instead, as this is a low ohm headphones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by calist3r 

While we're at it, what gain should I use with the LCD-2?

As a general rule, use the lowest gain that allows for sufficiently high listening volume. Although I am not sure if the gain setting of the STX actually affects any analog circuit, or if it is just a digital volume limit (which would be cheaper to implement). In any case, other than limiting the maximum possible output level in low gain mode, it is not likely to make much audible difference.

Ok, thanks. I'm just being paranoid because lots of head-fiers around here tend to bash the idea of listening to a 1000$ headphones out of a 200$ sound card. I just want to make sure that I get the most out of my headphones even when I use it with my budget sound card.

My STX has driven absolutely every headphone I've ever thrown at it. Also, my HD 800's sound just fine on them. I often switch off my WA2 and just use them on my STX in fact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by calist3r 

Ok, thanks. I'm just being paranoid because lots of head-fiers around here tend to bash the idea of listening to a 1000$ headphones out of a 200$ sound card. I just want to make sure that I get the most out of my headphones even when I use it with my budget sound card.

It is up to you as you can use the head amp output or just use the STX line outputs to an external headphones amplifier.

The line outs offer higher quality then the head amp output so it might be a better options to use an external head amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by calist3r 

Ok, thanks. I'm just being paranoid because lots of head-fiers around here tend to bash the idea of listening to a 1000$ headphones out of a 200$ sound card. I just want to make sure that I get the most out of my headphones even when I use it with my budget sound card.

There is nothing wrong with the combination of $1000 headphones and $200 sound card, unless there is some real technical reason why the latter would be inadequate. Headphones/speakers affect the overall sound quality more than anything else in the signal chain (other than the source music, which is unfortunately often poorly mastered), so allocating the majority of the budget for them while keeping the amp/DAC good enough gives the optimal results for a particular fixed budget.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv014 

There is nothing wrong with the combination of $1000 headphones and $200 sound card, unless there is some real technical reason why the latter would be inadequate. Headphones/speakers affect the overall sound quality more than anything else in the signal chain (other than the source music, which is unfortunately often poorly mastered), so allocating the majority of the budget for them while keeping the amp/DAC good enough gives the optimal results for a particular fixed budget.

 

That's the way I see it too. But when lots of "audiophiles" are saying the same thing, my belief is shaken quite a bit.

Anyways, I think I just found a headphones that would be a good match for this card. What do you guys think about the T1?

Seeing as it's a high impedance(600ohms), but highly efficient headphones, anything that can do 600ohms(Like the Xonar) should be able to drive it to its potential, am I right?

Thanks in advance!

I guess some see it as with high end headphones, the STX's amplifier is a bit too cheap.  However, it is up to you.  Try the onboard amplifier and if you think it is lacking, move to an external.

It depends on your preferences, both the T1 and the LCD-2 would be driven well enough without any major issues, It is mostly a question of whether you prefer the sound of the LCD-2 or the T1.