[KLJTech]

I know that this card gets written about a lot on this forum but I would love to know a couple more things about it before I buy it this week.

Are the drivers for Windows XP solid and does it work fine with foobar2000 and ASIO4ALL?

The card has a front panel headphone header, is that header feed from the headphone amp? In other words do you get the benefit of the built in HP amp from the front panel jack?

The built in headphone amp, is it on par with something like the CMOY amp made by JDS Labs or one of the better CMOY amps that's that are all over eBay? Better or worse than a CMOY amp?

Right now I'm using the Auzentech Prelude but I'm ready for a change. I don't expect a $200 sound card to sound better than a $1000 stand alone DAC but digital keeps improving so quickly that I may keep using sound cards for a couple more years before buying another DAC.

Thanks in advance for any answers you may provide.

 

[KLJTech]

Please, anyone?
I have a 3 year son and he doesn't give me much time to keep searching the forums for the info I want before making a purchase.
Thanks in advance.

 

[j3ff86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLJTech /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are the drivers for Windows XP solid and does it work fine with foobar2000 and ASIO4ALL?

Yes
Quote:

The card has a front panel headphone header, is that header feed from the headphone amp? In other words do you get the benefit of the built in HP amp from the front panel jack?

Yes

Can't speak for the cmoy as I don't have one, but in a Newegg review for the Essence STX, one person talked about it:
"I built a CMoy amp a few days ago, and it sounds just as good as the Essence when paired with my X-Fi. I spent $30 on it. Don't get me wrong--the Essence is amazing for a sound card, but for a lot less you can get the Auzentech X-Fi Forte for a cheaper price and lose very little in audio quality. I've decided to return the card and just use my CMoy amp with my old card until I really need a PCI-e card."

Customer Reviews Of ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card - Retail

 

[KLJTech]

Thanks.
Yeah, I did see that review at Newegg the other day since that's where I'm going to buy the card.

 

[leeperry]

it works fine on XP w/ foobar, whatever in KS or ASIO...no need for ASIO4ALL.

avoid using the front panel output, the cable that goes from the card to the panel is prolly junk.

the stock opamps are pretty lousy, you have many options...the LM4562NA is a good start, but maybe not the best....the LT1028 or OPA2111 might "work" better for you.

 

[KLJTech]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif it works fine on XP w/ foobar, whatever in KS or ASIO...no need for ASIO4ALL. avoid using the front panel output, the cable that goes from the card to the panel is prolly junk. the stock opamps are pretty lousy, you have many options...the LM4562NA is a good start, but maybe not the best....the LT1028 or OPA2111 might "work" better for you.

Thank you for input.

My Prelude uses the LM4562, I'd have to take it out to see it that's one stereo Op-Amp or two mono.....I assume it's one stereo. If it's the correct version and it'll sound better I'll take that off the Prelude and put it in the Asus.

What is the downside/weak point of the Op-Amp they use with the stock card?

I would use the 1/4" jack right off the card most of the time but it's nice to know that the front panel is driven by the HP amp. Have most users found that the HP amp is an improvement over what they are use to from sound cards when driving better headphones?

If the built in HP amp is pretty good on the Asus card I plan on moving my Cute Beyond (w/OPA627) and The Supplier to another room which would be an added bonus for me.
Thanks again.

 

[FYJX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif it works fine on XP w/ foobar, whatever in KS or ASIO...no need for ASIO4ALL. avoid using the front panel output, the cable that goes from the card to the panel is prolly junk. the stock opamps are pretty lousy, you have many options...the LM4562NA is a good start, but maybe not the best....the LT1028 or OPA2111 might "work" better for you.

i own the STX, used to own the Prelude. I think that the STX handles Headphones much better than the Prelude does even with the stock op amps. By the way, being that short of a cable. I believe that it's not audible for a human to hear the difference from 99.99999999999% copper to just copper.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLJTech /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you for input. My Prelude uses the LM4562, I'd have to take it out to see it that's one stereo Op-Amp two mono.....I assume it's one stereo. If it's the correct version and it'll sound better I'll take that off the Prelude and put it in the Asus. What is the downside/weak point of the Op-Amp they use with the stock card? I would use the 1/4" jack right off the card most of the time but it's nice to know that the front panel is driven by the HP amp. Have most users found that the HP amp is an improvement over what they are use to from sound cards when driving better headphones? If the built in HP amp is pretty good on the Asus card I plan on moving my Cute Beyond (w/OPA627) and The Supplier to another room which would be an added bonus for me. Thanks again.

Yes, you have single channel opamps and dual channel opamps. All the Xonar cards use dual channel opamps.
It is not that they are really bad just there are many better ones out there. People have very different tastes in opamps.
If you are going to use the headphone amplifier, you can pull the LM4562NA out of the Prelude and out of the buffer position on the Xonar and replace the two JRC2114D's with the LM's.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaoDi /img/forum/go_quote.gif By the way, being that short of a cable. I believe that it's not audible for a human to hear the difference from 99.99999999999% copper to just copper.

it's not about copper purity, it's about proper shielding....getting an audio cable within a PC case would require some serious shielding, which you'll never get w/ the stock wire

 

[KLJTech]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, you have single channel opamps and dual channel opamps. All the Xonar cards use dual channel opamps. It is not that they are really bad just there are many better ones out there. People have very different tastes in opamps. If you are going to use the headphone amplifier, you can pull the LM4562NA out of the Prelude and out of the buffer position on the Xonar and replace the two JRC2114D's with the LM's.

Just to make sure that I have this correct, you're saying that the LM4562 opamp that I have on the Prelude is a stereo and that the main output of the Asus uses dual mono?

If that's correct I like the idea of dual mono better anyway but I could use the stereo LM4562 in place of what's used for the HP amp portion? Do you know off hand what opamp is used in the HP amp section? I bought the OPA627 for my Cute Beyond and "to me" it sounds really good.

I'd probably be better served to just buy a better opamp for the HP amp section of the Asus and keep my Prelude stock so that I can sell it.

Does it seem that most users are happy with the performance of the headphone output on the Asus? As I've stated if the Asus HP out sounds pretty good I could then move my headphone amp to another room which I would really enjoy.

 

[ROBSCIX]

No..not stereo or dual mono.... You just call them "dual channel" You can say stereo but that is not really accurate because they can do various jobs.

OK, when you use headphone output, there is a dedicated headphone amplifier chip, it is not a opamp.
You can change the TWO JRC2114D's but the headphone amp chip cannot be changed.

Everybody I have spoke with enjoy the quality of the STX/ST headphones amplifier.

To clarify, when you use the line outs on the STX, it uses all three opamps.
When you use the headphone output you use the two rear opamps -the JRC2114D's and the heapdheons amplifier chip -cannot be changed.

If you changed the opamps form the JRC2114D to something of higher quality you will get higher quality output on the headphones and line outs.

You seem a bit mixed up on a few things. If you have anymore questions post them back and we can get everything straightened out.

 

[KLJTech]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif No..not stereo or dual mono.... You just call them "dual channel" You can say stereo but that is not really accurate because they can do various jobs. OK, when you use headphone output, there is a dedicated headphone amplifier chip, it is not a opamp. You can change the TWO JRC2114D's but the headphone amp chip cannot be changed. Everybody I have spoke with enjoy the quality of the STX/ST headphones amplifier. To clarify, when you use the line outs on the STX, it uses all three opamps. When you use the headphone output you use the two rear opamps -the JRC2114D's and the heapdheons amplifier chip -cannot be changed. If you changed the opamps form the JRC2114D to something of higher quality you will get higher quality output on the headphones and line outs. You seem a bit mixed up on a few things. If you have anymore questions post them back and we can get everything straightened out.

Okay, now I'm on the same page. I misunderstood and thought I may be able to use the Prelude's LM4562 (used for it's Front L/R) to replace one on the Asus since "leeperry" said that they were "lousy." I didn't realize that it was a different configuration. I'd be better off leaving the Prelude as is so I can sell it anyway. I always save all my boxes so I can pack this thing up like it just came off the shelf.

No big deal, the main thing I wanted to know is if most are happy with the headphone outputs sound quality. I already assumed that the Asus STX would be an upgrade in sound over my Prelude from it's main output to my preamp. I'll get it, give it a listen before I worry about buying different opamps for it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[leeperry]

going 2114D>4562NA is night and day yes, I haven't heard the Prelude, though..

 

[ROBSCIX]

Nope. still on the wrong page.

OK, if your using headphones. You can change the cards stock JRC2114D's. They are the matched pair. They are both dual channel and need to be changed in a pair.

You can use the LM4562NA out of the Prelude BUT you need another one. The STX has one installed also for use with line-outs.
I suggest leaving the cards as they are and possibly ordering some new opamps.
However, you can use the LM4562NA out of the Prelude and move the one in the STX from the buffer position to the IV. This will give you a matched set of LM4562's.
If your still fuzzy on a few things, let me know and I will try and clarify a bit.

Just get the card and then worry about modifying it.

 

[KLJTech]

Okay, I don't think that it would make much sense to remove the one from my Prelude since it would hurt it's sound and I'd like to sell it at some point.

I didn't realize that the STX used the LM4562 with it's line outs like the Prelude. I'll get the STX, give it a listen and wait to see about opamps later.

Leeperry,
#1 what do you not like about the stock card's sound and do you use it with your stereo rig as well as headphones or just headphones?

#2 What is the improvement by changing to the 2114D and where is the best deal on opamps?

I bought the OPA627's through the a company in Canada that markets the Cute Beyond so I'm sure that they're better prices out there. Did you use a parts supplier like digikey.com?

Thank guys!