[Tablix]

Wage, if you purchase the ASUS Essence One you will then need to consider how you want to deliver the sound.  You have two options either connect the E1 to an amp and bookshelf speakers or you can connect active speakers directly to the E1.

 

[our martin]

has the asus essence one got different sound modes like 7.1 surround sound or anything it should have really because it is made for the pc not hifi or will it make normal stereo headphones like grado ps500s 7.1 surround sound if it did all this i would snap it up.. i like the way it looks aswell it wil go with my mouse mat and racer mouse and keyboard and lights up a nice colour blue..you can buy a dss2 surround sound box that makes stereo headphones 7.1..

 

[trazom]

I kept my Essence STX for my headset with microphone that I use in games. 
Do you think the best way to get good sound is to connect the  Essence One with the USB or connect to my Essence STX? 
Thank you specify because I'm confused.

 

[our martin]

i am going to use grado ps 500 with a yeti 24 bit mic instead of a headset.. i am using a surround sound headset now they are still good but i like the grado sound i use ps1000 for djing because they sound like the speakers on the martin logan sound systems in all the clubs..the pc i am using now has got dolby home theatre v3 which is good but the new one i am getting from maingear has got aphex epic audio engine studio quality sound and i might have to use a dss2 to make the grados 7.1 surround i was wondering if the asus essence one can do this? if you play battlefield 3 and use normal headphones with a headphone amp you can't work out were the chopper is..i know senns are good headsets but i want to use my grados with a 24bit mic.. 

 

[Wage]

our martin, maybe someone else who actually owns the Essence One can chime in:

I went ahead and read the Essence One user manual last night (online at Asus' website), and I saw nothing to suggest surround sound modes like what the Essence ST(X) offers. For what you have in mind, you'd probably be better off with an Essence ST Deluxe 7.1 Edition (with the Xonar H6 extension card that boosts it to 7.1 surround capabilities). The Essence ST comes stock with "virtual" surround 7.1, but the extension card is required if you eventually plan on installing analog 7.1. If you never plan on doing this, skip the Xonar H6.  EDIT: I remember while installing my girlfriend's Essence ST that the headphone amp input and microphone input cannot be used at the same time. This would suck for you, because you would be forced to use the high quality microphone input + RCA inputs for your headphones.
 
All I use for communication in PC gaming is a wired XBox 360 controller (which I sit on my desk -- I play with the mouse and keyboard) with a 1st party microphone plugged into it. I use this at the same time as my audiophile headphones by simply putting the headset in front of my headphones' headband. How much is my headset? $2 + the controller, and everyone can hear me clear during competitive games. You don't need ultra high quality microphones in first person shooters, even when playing competitively: to increase quality, you're better off using a program external to the game so that you and your team have a dedicated high quality sound connection (which is in fact what most competitive teams do). I can see how the great microphone would help if you were making Youtube videos involving gameplay, but that can be dubbed in after-the-fact and cleaned up in software.

 

[Wage]

 
Quote:

Wage, if you purchase the ASUS Essence One you will then need to consider how you want to deliver the sound.  You have two options either connect the E1 to an amp and bookshelf speakers or you can connect active speakers directly to the E1.

Tablix,

I'm not sure I understand your post. Are you saying that for optimum PC connection quality I should connect the Essence One like OPTION A or OPTION B?
 
OPTION A: Source (PC) ==> USB ==> AMP ==> Asus Xonar Essence One ==> Headphones/Speakers/Whatever Output

OPTION B: Source (PC) ==> USB ==> Asus Xonar Essence One ==> AMP ==> Headphones/Speakers/Whatever Output
 
To be honest, I planned to connect the Essence One as follows:

OPTION C: Source (PC) ==> USB ==> Asus Xonar Essence One ==> Denon AH-D7000 Headphones & 2.1 Bookshelf Speakers

If you were talking about something else entirely, please help, as I'm new to high end audio. I did not plan on buying a separate amp on top of the Xonar One, but I will consider it if necessary. I will be using the Essence One for both headphones and speakers; however, I require PC connectivity because that is my main source (and will remain my main source from PC upgrade to PC upgrade).

 

[trazom]

The Essence One is DAC and an amplifier it seems. Why include in the connection diagram an additional amplifier? 
The amplifier included with the Essence One is so bad it takes around with the best amplifier?

 

[our martin]

you can just use a pair of stereo headphones with your asus essence one..if you want to hook the essence one up to speakers you will have to use powered speakers..they are loads of powered speakers to choose from.. a good pair would be audio engine a2 or alesis m1a or you could get anything in the krk rokit range and if you wanted the very best you could get the martin logan electrostats..but please don't buy something that you won't need like an amplifier..it will sound just as good through a good pair of powered speakers no need to spend over the two hundred pound/dollar mark..and wage i like the grado sound i will have to use a dss2 to make the grados 7.1 and the yeti 24bit mic goes with the grados(same colour)and the new pc i am building uses aphex epic audio engine studio quality 24 bit sound and i am sticking with that it's supposed to be very good never heard it though..i do use a surround sound headset now when i am gaming wage my pc has got dolby home theatre v3 crysis 2 sounds very good i agree..but my new build is a maingear and i want it to sound the best i possible can..if you have already got 2.1 bookshelf speakers and happy with them keep them but you could get speakers that sound as good as your denon headphones..nice choice of headphone my friend..what hifis favourite headphones and they would know a thing or two about headphones..good look with the essence one and i think denons won't be too bass heavy the tank on battlefield3 will sound glorious....a pair of speakers that would sound as good as my grado ps1000s are a pair of mordaunt short performance six that retail at six and a half grand from richer sounds england not cheap..believe me get them denons my friend and treat yourself but getting speakers to sound as good as them i think you will have to do a bit of overtime or if we are being honest just get them headphones plugged in and forget about speakers if you want them 7.1 get the dss2 that's what i am going to do..and you won't be able to hear the phone ringing when you are having a one on one with another tank on the battlefield which is a bonus or you could enable skype!

 

[AhhHoNG]

Quote:

 
 
 
Does anyone know if you can use the XLR and RCA at the same time? ie XLR to the monitors, RCAs to subs.

anybody noes the answer for tis? i would like to know as well. thanks

 

[muz640]

Quote:

anybody noes the answer for tis? i would like to know as well. thanks

Yes you can use both at the same time.
 
 

 

[Wage]

Hahaha, what you say about doing overtime for speakers that sound as good as the Denon's is true, our martin .
 
After reading your post I'm going to buy them. Thank you for making my day 

Also, I too enjoy the Grado sound, and up until now that's all I've bought. But I also enjoy watching movies and playing games. Grados are 10/10 for music hands down (at least to me), and I just bought my girlfriend a 225i, but if I'm going to be watching an action movie or playing a game, I need that startling feeling of a subwoofer when I can't hook my speakers up late at night. Thank you for your speaker recommendations, btw. I'll probably hit you up again when I'm ready to upgrade my bookshelf set (because even though they're decent, I really do want to replace them with something really good).

 

[anetode]

Wage, the main concern is on the software side of things. If you use kernel streaming or wasapi or somesuch you will get the unaltered signal. There are plugins for most major media players that support this and you also have to consider whether you want any post-processing settings left on in the player itself.
 
Once the signal is sent, be it through USB, optical, or coaxial cable, it is filtered through a PLL to remove any jitter to way below audible levels. Then all you have left is Asus One goodness. So enjoy and don't worry too much about it, but if you do, pick up a copy of the Art of Digital Audio by John Watkinson and you'll see how far digital audio has come, including overcoming many problems which are discussed to death on forums.

 

[Wage]

+rep

Thank you very much.

 

[ROBSCIX]

After reading a few posts there seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding the I/O through USB or S/Pdif.
 
The E1 USB implementation is asynchronous so it does not suffer issue for jitter in the same was as other implementations do.
The USB also offers Bitperfect audio through ASIO drivers in your audio players.
 
 

 

[leeperry]

 

Waiting for Leeperry's thoughts on the opamp swap!

I'm late but that's because I'm working on a full blown review, as I think the ONE really deserves it. Either way, AD797B is the preferred opamp of most of the hardcorest opamp'holics and I can clearly confirm that an army of it won't disappoint in the ONE =)